A progressive jackpot pokie pays its top prize from a pool fed by a share of every bet on the machine, or on all the machines linked to it; a fixed jackpot is simply an amount set in the game's paytable. An ordinary jackpot is triggered at random: Queensland's gambling help service says even the venue doesn't know when it will go off. The exception, in Queensland clubs too, is a jackpot labelled "must drop": it has to be won before it reaches a set ceiling, so the chance on each bet typically rises as the amount climbs — but the winner can be anyone playing a machine connected to that jackpot, not necessarily you. We found no published odds of the top prize for the big named games we checked; the official figures that do exist run into the millions (Queensland's government puts the top prize on a pokie played on maximum lines at as long as 1 in 7 million). Before you chase one, read the game's rules screen for any qualifying bet. And if you play at an offshore online casino, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) says Australian regulators can't help you if the provider withholds your winnings.
Types of jackpots: which one are you playing?
Two questions tell you what a jackpot can and can't do: where the amount comes from, and how it is triggered.
Where the amount comes from. A fixed jackpot is an amount set in the paytable; it doesn't grow as people play. A progressive jackpot grows from bets. GLI-12, a testing-lab standard from Gaming Laboratories International, names three main kinds: a standalone jackpot, where one machine's play feeds its own jackpot; a linked jackpot, where several machines feed one shared jackpot; and a multi-site jackpot, a linked jackpot connected across several venues. GLI-12 covers progressive jackpots only, so "fixed" here simply means an amount in the paytable. GLI-12 is a private lab's standard, not Australian law.
How it is triggered. An ordinary jackpot is triggered by a random event. For what it calls a "mystery" jackpot, GLI-12 gives two examples: triggering at random on any play, which works like an ordinary jackpot, or when the amount reaches a hidden threshold picked at random, which has to happen by the jackpot's ceiling. A deterministic or "must drop" jackpot has a limit too: Gambling Help Queensland says it "must go off before reaching a certain level". That changes what "due" means, as the sections below explain.
How to tell in a venue. In Queensland, the Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation (OLGR) says "Patrons must be able to clearly identify which gaming machines are participating in the link and those that are not". A machine on a link "must not stand alone" and "must be adjacent to another machine on the link" (guideline G12). That tells you whether a machine is on a link, not which trigger it uses; the rules screen tells you that.
| Jackpot type | Where the amount comes from | What to look for |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed | An amount set in the paytable | The same amount in the paytable, however long people play |
| Standalone progressive | A share of the bets on one machine | A growing amount on a machine that isn't part of a link |
| Linked or multi-site progressive | A share of the bets on every machine (or venue, or online casino) on the link | In Queensland venues, linked machines must be clearly identifiable and stand next to another machine on the link |
| Must-drop or mystery | Must drop: a progressive pool that has to be won before a ceiling. Mystery: triggered at random on any play (like an ordinary jackpot), or when the amount reaches a hidden threshold no higher than the ceiling (see must-drop below) | A "must drop" ceiling on the display; for a mystery jackpot, how it triggers on the rules screen (a maximum amount alone doesn't tell you) |
Where progressive jackpot money comes from — and who holds it
A progressive jackpot is paid out of the players' own bets: a share of each bet on the machine, or on all the machines linked to it, goes into the pool. Victoria and Queensland describe how this works in venues; online, one studio has described it in a filing.
Victoria. The Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCCC) describes the pool as "the percentage of turnover from each poker machine in the jackpot", which funds the jackpot prizes. "Venue operators must periodically bank (verified) jackpot contributions into a separate bank account for the sole purpose of managing jackpot contribution and winnings." If a venue retires a link, the unwon balance moves to another link at the venue within 60 days. If there is none, "the venue must pay the unpaid jackpot funds to the VGCCC" — the money goes to the regulator, not back to players. The VGCCC page doesn't call the separate account a guarantee.
Queensland. OLGR's technical requirements for jackpot systems (version 4.0) say a contribution does two things: "a percentage of contribution is taken and added to participating current prize amounts", and "a contribution buys a proportionate chance of winning".
Online. Games Global, the studio behind Mega Moolah and WowPot, told the US Securities and Exchange Commission in 2024 that "an element of the amount staked" on a jackpot game is a contribution to the jackpot. The group passes it on to "a third-party administrator" that runs its jackpot games. The same filing describes Mega Moolah's minimum required jackpot payout ("seed") as €2 million.
The percentage. None of these sources gives the share of each bet that goes into the pool, and we found no published figure for any named game. So you can't work out how much of your bet feeds the pool; if a game does state a share, its rules screen is the place to look. The Victorian and Queensland rules apply to those states only.
Is a jackpot ever "due"? Does the venue know?
An ordinary jackpot is never due. GambleAware NSW: "Pokies are never ‘due for a win’. You cannot predict when there may be a pay out. Each spin is random, and past results have no effect on future outcomes." Gambling Help Queensland: "A venue doesn’t know when a poker machine or jackpot will go off." It adds that the odds of the major prize or jackpot "do not change from game to game or whether multiple lines are being played".
These statements are about machines in NSW and Queensland venues; they say nothing about online casinos. The Queensland line is about the number of lines, not the size of your bet — bet size is covered further down. A must-drop jackpot is the one exception, explained next.
Must-drop jackpots: what "must drop by" guarantees, and to whom
A must-drop jackpot guarantees that someone wins it before it reaches its ceiling. It doesn't guarantee that you will. Queensland's OLGR calls this a deterministic prize: "the probability of winning a prize increases over time (i.e. each subsequent bet) and resets to a lower value after each prize hit". For an ordinary (non-deterministic) prize, by contrast, the probability "remains constant for repeated constant bet amounts regardless of the current prize levels".
So a must-drop jackpot close to its ceiling will go off soon — but to whoever is betting on the link at that moment. Gambling Help Queensland says "When a jackpot gets close to the prescribed level there is the knowledge that it will go off soon", but also that "knowing precisely when the jackpot will go off is still random". Every must-drop jackpot has to be won by its ceiling. A mystery jackpot has to be won by its ceiling only if its rules say it triggers at a hidden amount (see Types of jackpots); GLI-12 says that amount must "Remain unknown at all times", so you can't tell when it will go, and the winner need not be you.
These rules are about an amount ceiling. Some online games advertise a time instead ("must drop by midnight", daily or hourly jackpots). We found no source describing how those are triggered, so check that game's rules for the deadline and conditions. The Queensland rules apply to Queensland jackpot systems, and GLI-12 is a lab standard.
Jackpot odds: what's published and what isn't
For the big named games — Dragon Link, Lightning Link, Mega Moolah — we found no published odds of the top prize from the studios. The official figures that exist are general, and each describes a different prize:
- Queensland: the top prize on a poker machine (playing maximum lines) is "up to 1 in 7,000,000" (Queensland Government). "Up to" means 1 in 7 million is the long end: on some machines the chance of the top prize may be better. It is not the odds of every machine, and the source doesn't say which machines are better. Playing maximum lines means betting on every line the machine offers, so each spin costs more. Gambling Help Queensland, which quotes the same figure, also says the jackpot odds "do not change… whether multiple lines are being played"; neither source explains how that fits with the maximum-lines figure. So nothing here shows that more lines improve your jackpot chance — check the rules screen for what a spin needs to qualify.
- NSW: "the odds of winning a typical $5,000 prize on a $1 poker machine are 9,700,000 to 1" (GambleAware NSW). This is a typical A$5,000 prize, not a jackpot.
The two figures are for different prizes in different states, so don't compare them as one number. Neither source says how it was worked out.
GLI-12 says any advertised progressive jackpot must be winnable at least once in 100,000,000 games, unless the game shows the actual odds on screen. That is a lab standard; we haven't checked whether Australian regulators require it, so don't read 1 in 100 million as the odds of any particular game.
How often a network pays is not your chance per spin. Games Global's 2024 filing says that between 2021 and 2023 Mega Moolah paid out a total of €109 million, and its wins came on average every 52 days. That counts wins across every player on the network; it doesn't tell you the odds of a single spin, and the figures may have changed since.
Return to player (RTP) is a lifetime average. In Queensland, pokies pay back "between 85% and 92% to gamblers over the life of the machine", and the Queensland Government adds: "You can’t expect to get 85 cents for every dollar you bet in a single session". In Queensland casinos the allowed return is 85% or higher. GambleAware NSW says the same of NSW machines: 85–92% over their lifetime "does not mean you get back 85–92 cents for every dollar you bet". Why the results of the random number generator (RNG), the software that decides each spin, can't be predicted is covered in how pokies work.
Does your bet size matter? How to find the rule in the game
It can, and the game's rules screen is where you find out. The common claim that most jackpots need a maximum bet isn't backed by any rulebook we read, so check each game. Three rules point the way:
- The rules must be readable before you bet. GLI-12 says a progressive jackpot's description must be accessible "without the need for funds deposited or commitment of a wager, including all qualifying wagers". For a mystery jackpot, the game must show the minimum and, where there is one, the maximum payout, and the conditions if the amount depends on the bet. A qualifying bet is the stake (or more) the game requires before a spin can win the jackpot. We can't confirm that offshore casinos follow this standard.
- Queensland clubs and hotels. For jackpots they run under the state's tax rules (an OLGR policy from 2000, set out in its technical requirements, version 4.0), "The probability of winning the jackpot must be proportional to the amount bet". This is a condition for the venue's tax deduction on the jackpot, not a rule for every club jackpot. The policy doesn't say how a player can tell which jackpots it covers, so check the rules screen of the jackpot in front of you. Separately, on a "must drop" jackpot Queensland's regulator says the chance per bet typically rises as the amount climbs; it doesn't say whether the size of your bet matters there too.
- A real example. Crown Perth lists one of its links as "Lock it Link (minimum $0.03c denomination)" — the denomination is the value of one credit on the machine — with a footnote mark the page doesn't explain. Read it as a sign that conditions exist, not as a rule for Lock it Link elsewhere.
For the Grand on Dragon Link or Lightning Link, and for the Mega Moolah jackpot wheel, we found no published rule on whether bet size matters. Before you play:
- Open the game's help or rules screen before you place a bet.
- Look for a qualifying bet or minimum denomination, and for a mystery jackpot, the minimum and maximum amounts and how it triggers.
- If you can't find a condition, ask venue staff or the casino's support before you play.
Club jackpots vs online casino jackpots
The jackpot works the same way in principle, but who sets the rules and what happens if you aren't paid are very different.
| Club, pub or casino venue in Australia | Online casino jackpot | |
|---|---|---|
| Who sets the rules | The state regulator — for example the VGCCC in Victoria and OLGR in Queensland | The game's own rules; ACMA says the Interactive Gambling Act 2001 "makes it illegal for gambling providers" to offer online casinos and online pokies to people in Australia |
| Where the money sits | In Victoria, a separate bank account at the venue, kept only for linked jackpots | Games Global says jackpot contributions go to a third-party administrator that runs its jackpot games |
| Examples | Dragon Link (Aristocrat machines for Australian venues); at Crown Perth, Lightning Link at A$19,334 and the Lock it Link Grand at A$22,179, as of 6am on 27 October 2026 | Mega Moolah and WowPot (Games Global) |
| If the prize is withheld | State rules set how a venue pays a big win (NSW and Victoria below) | ACMA: if you use an illegal service, "Australian regulators will not be able to help you" if the provider withholds your winnings |
As ACMA describes it, the Act is aimed at gambling providers; for you as a player, the practical consequence ACMA spells out is in the table's "If the prize is withheld" row.
Aristocrat says its best Dragon Link games are now on its premium MarsX games "with larger jackpots"; its page gives no odds. Crown Perth says its amounts are "subject to change in the event of a winner", so treat them as a snapshot. More on the games: Dragon Link, Lightning Link, Mega Moolah.
Is chasing a jackpot worse value than a regular pokie?
We can't say it is: for online games, we found no source comparing the base-game RTP of jackpot games with other games, so we don't claim it is lower. For Queensland club and hotel jackpots run under the state's tax rules, the jackpot's return sits inside the same 92% cap as the machine's. OLGR's policy: "The jackpot Return To Player, plus the Return To Player of the gaming machine must not exceed the 92% maximum Return To Player". GLI-12 adds that where a progressive jackpot counts towards a game's RTP, the minimum must be met "using the lowest available parameters for the jackpot".
The Queensland rule doesn't cover online casinos or other states. What GambleAware NSW does say is about motive, not value: "Free spins and progressive jackpots keep people playing." How RTP differs between versions of the same game is explained in best paying pokies.
If you win big: how it's paid and whether it's taxed
A big win in a venue is paid under state rules; we have read those of NSW and Victoria only.
- NSW: "If a person claims a prize of more than $5000, the amount that exceeds $5000 must be paid within 48 hours" by crossed cheque made out to the winner, or by electronic funds transfer (EFT) to a nominated account, if the venue offers these. If you ask, the venue must pay the whole amount that way, not just the part over A$5,000.
- Victoria: "Accumulated credits over $2,000 must be paid out" by cheque not payable to cash, or by EFT if you ask and the venue can, "with a 24-hour delay before funds are available". They "must not be paid out in cash under any circumstances". Another line on the same VGCCC page says "$2,000 or more", so the rule for exactly A$2,000 is unclear. If your win is around A$2,000, ask the venue how it will be paid.
Tax in Australia. The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) lists "betting and gambling wins (unless you operate a betting or gambling business)" as income to exclude, on its page for businesses. The ATO's page for individuals on prizes and awards doesn't mention gambling wins, so neither page says in so many words what this means for someone who just plays. We read the words in brackets this way: the only case they carve out is running a betting or gambling business, so if you play without running one, a jackpot win isn't income you pay tax on. Where gambling becomes a business is a question for a tax adviser. Tax rules in other countries differ, and we haven't checked them.
The biggest jackpot wins on record
Three sources each name a different "record", all online. We found no official record of the biggest pokies win in Australia.
| Who says it | Game | Amount | When | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guinness World Records | Mega Moolah, on Betway's website | €17,879,645 | 6 October 2015 | Listed as the largest jackpot payout in an online slot game; won by Jon Heywood (UK) |
| Microgaming (studio news release, archived) | Absolootly Mad: Mega Moolah | €19,430,723.60 | 27 April 2021 | A player in Belgium at Napoleon Sports & Casino; the studio called it "a new payout record" |
| iGB, reporting Games Global's announcement | WowPot, on Wheel of Wishes | €38,461,200.95 | 20 December 2023 | Reported as surpassing the €19.4m Mega Moolah win; the player's country wasn't given |
Amounts are in euros, as the sources give them. Each figure is that source's own claim; we haven't verified any of them independently.
When chasing a jackpot stops being fun
With top-prize odds in the millions, a jackpot is not a way to win back losses.
Frequently asked questions
Does a jackpot pokie really pay out?
In an Australian venue, yes, under state rules. A progressive jackpot is paid from a pool built from a share of the bets on the machine or link, and when it goes off is random. In Victoria the venue must keep those contributions in a separate bank account; if a retired link's balance isn't moved to another link at the venue within 60 days, it goes to the regulator, not back to players. At an offshore online casino it's different: ACMA says Australian regulators will not be able to help you if the provider withholds your winnings.
Is a pokie ever "due" for a jackpot?
Not an ordinary one. GambleAware NSW says pokies are never "due for a win", and Gambling Help Queensland says a venue doesn't know when a jackpot will go off. The exception is a jackpot labelled "must drop": it has to be won before a set ceiling, so its chance per bet typically rises as it climbs.
What does "must drop" mean on a jackpot?
The jackpot has to be won before it reaches a set amount. Queensland's regulator says the chance of winning such a prize typically rises with each bet and resets after a win. It guarantees that someone on the link wins it before the ceiling, not that you do, and the exact moment is still random.
What are the odds of winning a jackpot on the pokies?
We found no published top-prize odds for Dragon Link, Lightning Link or Mega Moolah. The Queensland Government says the top prize on a poker machine, playing maximum lines, is up to 1 in 7,000,000, so on some machines the chance may be better. That figure is for Queensland machines, and the method isn't given.
Do I need to bet more to win the jackpot?
It depends on the game, so check its rules screen before you bet. In Queensland, a chance proportional to the amount bet is one of the conditions for a club or hotel jackpot to be tax deductible for the venue. It is not a rule for every club jackpot, and the policy doesn't say how a player can tell which jackpots it covers. Crown Perth lists one link with a "minimum $0.03c denomination". For the Grand on Dragon Link or Lightning Link and the Mega Moolah wheel, we found no published rule.
Is an online casino jackpot paid as reliably as a club jackpot?
The rules are different. Club jackpots run under state rules; Victoria, for example, requires a separate bank account for jackpot money. ACMA says that if you use an illegal online service and the provider withholds your winnings, Australian regulators will not be able to help you.
Are jackpot wins taxed in Australia?
The ATO lists betting and gambling wins as income to exclude, unless you operate a betting or gambling business. That page is written for businesses, and the ATO's page for individuals on prizes doesn't mention gambling wins, so what follows is our reading, not the ATO's words: the only case the "unless" carves out is running such a business, so if you play without running one, a jackpot win isn't income you pay tax on. Where gambling becomes a business is a question for a tax adviser. This covers Australian tax only.
What's the biggest pokies win in Australia?
We found no official record of the biggest pokies win in Australia. The biggest online figures each come from a different source: Guinness World Records lists €17,879,645 on Mega Moolah (2015), Microgaming announced €19,430,723.60 (2021), and iGB reported Games Global's €38,461,200.95 WowPot win (2023).
Related pokies guides
The individual jackpot games have their own guides: Mega Moolah, Dragon Link and Lightning Link. Random number generators and whether pokies are rigged are covered in how pokies work; RTP and volatility in best paying pokies; tips and the "$20 method" in how to win on pokies. Where to play is on best online pokies sites.
Before you chase a jackpot: five checks
- Read the rules screen first. Under the lab standard GLI-12, a progressive jackpot's rules must be readable before you bet.
- Look for a qualifying bet. Check whether the jackpot needs a minimum bet; Crown Perth lists a minimum denomination on one of its links.
- Spot a "must drop" ceiling. Someone has to win it before the ceiling — not necessarily you.
- See whether the machine is on a link. In Queensland, linked machines must be clearly identifiable.
- Playing online with an offshore casino? ACMA says Australian regulators will not be able to help you if the provider withholds your winnings.
Sources
- Gaming Laboratories International, GLI-12 Standards for Progressive Jackpots, version 3.0 (revision date 23 January 2026; §§1.4.2, 2.2.5–2.2.6, 2.4.2, 2.4.3, 2.4.6), read 27 October 2026
- Gambling Help Queensland, Facts and myths, read 27 October 2026
- Queensland Government, Gambling winning odds (last updated 17 November 2025), read 27 October 2026
- Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation (Qld), Jackpot systems minimum technical requirements, version 4.0 (2022; §3.1.2, §8, Appendix A), read 27 October 2026
- Business Queensland, Gaming guideline G12: Installing linked jackpot systems (re-issued 12 July 2019), read 27 October 2026
- GambleAware NSW, Poker machines, read 27 October 2026
- NSW Government, Gaming machine payouts, read 27 October 2026
- Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission, Jackpot monitoring and unpaid linked jackpot arrangements (updated 4 December 2024), read 27 October 2026
- Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission, Credit and cash facilities (updated 6 October 2026), read 27 October 2026
- Australian Communications and Media Authority, About the Interactive Gambling Act (last updated 21 August 2026) and Protect yourself from illegal gambling operators (last updated 6 March 2025), read 27 October 2026
- Australian Taxation Office, What to exclude from your business's assessable income (last updated 7 May 2025) and Prizes and awards (last updated 8 June 2026), read 27 October 2026
- Crown Perth, Jackpots (amounts as of 6am, 27 October 2026), read 27 October 2026
- Aristocrat, Dragon Link (Australia), read 27 October 2026
- Games Global, Form F-1/A filed with the US SEC (8 May 2024; jackpots), read 11 October 2026
- Guinness World Records, Largest jackpot payout in an online slot machine game, read 11 October 2026
- Microgaming, Mega Moolah hit for a record-breaking €19.4 million (30 April 2021, archived copy), read 11 October 2026
- iGB, Games Global WowPot! pays out €38.4m (4 January 2024), read 27 October 2026
- The three-sixes figure (1 in 216) is our arithmetic, not a source figure.