Jackpot roulette: what a progressive pot does to a roulette table
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Jackpot roulette takes a standard table and bolts a progressive prize pool onto it. A percentage of each bet goes into the pool; at random, or when the ball finds a special pocket, a player is pulled into a bonus game where the pool can be won. The roulette underneath is ordinary. The jackpot is a side bet, sometimes optional and sometimes not, and side bets are where roulette tables make their extra money. This site explains the two main tables, what the contribution costs, and when any of it is worth paying for.
How the pool is funded
Every jackpot needs money in, and it comes from the players at the table. On Dragon Jackpot Roulette the contribution is an opt-in toggle, reported at 1% of each wager. On Age of the Gods Roulette it is built into every bet, reported at 0.99%. That percentage is taken off the top before the roulette maths applies, which is why the returns on these tables are below the 97.30% of a plain single-zero wheel.
How the jackpot triggers
Mystery trigger. On any spin with a qualifying bet, the game may at random take you to the jackpot round. Larger bets have a proportionally larger chance. This is how Age of the Gods works and how Dragon Jackpot's four pots are reached.
Bonus pocket. Some versions add a 38th pocket to the wheel that triggers the bonus when the ball lands on it. The RNG Age of the Gods tables do this: the extra pocket sits where the 00 would be on an American wheel, with exactly the effect on the odds you would expect from a 38th pocket.
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The two tables
Age of the Gods Roulette (Playtech): four progressive tiers, Power to Ultimate Power, a 20-coin match-three pick game, record win just under £600,000 in 2017. RNG version on a 38-pocket wheel; a live version launched in 2017 on a standard 37-pocket wheel with the jackpot bet separate.
Dragon Jackpot Roulette (Playtech): single-zero wheel, opt-in jackpot toggle, four colour pots from Green to Gold, a ten-segment wheel match-three bonus. Standard bets at the standard 97.30% when the toggle is off.
Each has its own page here with what the sources agree on and where they do not.
What it costs
A 1% contribution on a 2.70% wheel takes the effective cost of a spin to roughly 3.7% before any jackpot return is counted back. Most third-party figures for Age of the Gods' base game sit around 94.74%, which is simply American-wheel maths from the 38th pocket, with the jackpot return quoted separately and only ever an estimate, since it depends on pool sizes that change by the minute. The maths page goes through this properly.
When it might be worth it
Rarely on return, because the contribution is a tax and the jackpot return averaged over all players is less than the tax. Occasionally on entertainment, because a visible pool in the hundreds of thousands changes how a session feels. If that is the point, play the opt-in version at small stakes and know the price. If value is the point, the plain table next door is 97.30% and the pool is not for you.
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Good to know
What is jackpot roulette?
A roulette table with a progressive prize pool attached. A slice of each qualifying bet feeds the pool, and a random trigger or bonus pocket sends a player into a jackpot game. The roulette part plays normally; the jackpot part is a side bet in all but name.
Which roulette games have a jackpot?
The two most common at UK sites are Playtech's Age of the Gods Roulette, with four tiered pots, and Dragon Jackpot Roulette, with four colour pots. Both exist as RNG tables and have had live versions.
Does the jackpot change the house edge?
Yes, upward. The contribution that funds the pool comes out of your bet, and the published returns on jackpot tables are lower than the 97.30% of a plain single-zero wheel, with the exact figure depending on how the jackpot is counted.