Does Anyone Ever Win The Maximum Payout In Online Slots?

When deciding which slot game you want to play one factor you might want to consider is maximum win. That is how much you can win on a single spin. The number varies greatly from one game to the next and over the last decade developers have been creating slots boasting bigger and bigger max wins.

But can you really win as much as they say you can, and if so, what are the odds? In this article we investigate those questions.

What is Maximum Win?

Let’s start with a simple definition. The maximum win value in a non-jackpot slot is the highest amount you can win from a single spin when playing a game. It is expressed as a multiple of your stake. So, a 10,000x maximum win means for a £1 stake you cannot win more than £10,000.

Maximum win values can be as low as 100x or as high as 100,000x or more. Currently, the biggest maximum win of any non-jackpot slot game is 300,000x which can be won playing Tombstone RIP by Nolimit City, a provider who has made a name for themselves producing high maximum win slots.

What Is The Difference Between Non-Jackpot and Jackpot Slots?

Before we continue, a quick word on the distinction between non-jackpot slots and progressive jackpot slots which is important here.

Progressive jackpots games pay out prizes from a pool of money that grows every time someone plays a spin. The pool can grow to be millions of GBP in size and pay outs may be life-changing amounts. Technically there is no limit to how high the jackpot prize can be, though of course sooner or later someone always hits the right combination and lands the big win.

Non-jackpot slots on the other hand are those where prizes are defined by a paytable – for example, landing 5 King symbols might win you a prize of 1x your stake – but where combinations of extra features like wilds, splitting symbols and multipliers, as well as expanding reels and pay lines, can increase the value of a basic paytable win, whilst triggering multiple other subsequent wins all from the same bet.

How is the Maximum Win Verified?

Due to this complex configuration of gameplay and maths involved in modern online slots, even game developers don’t really know how much a game can theoretically pay out. In the kind of sophisticated slots created by the very best providers like Big Time Gaming and NetEnt, there are so many interconnected features that it would be practically impossible to sit down and work through every possible outcome of a spin or combination of spins.

Instead, every slot is tested through billions of spins before it is made live. The results of these tests are used to establish how high payouts might go given all the possible combinations of paylines and features. Based on this information, a game provider will establish a cut-off point above which any wins will be rounded down to the chosen maximum win value.

For example, if you were on a lucky win streak on Tombstone RIP with crazy random multipliers in the free spins round, and a win of 310,000x was reached, then the game would stop, and you would be notified that the maximum win of 300,000x had been paid out.

Then you would return to the home screen to spin from the start once more … or collect your winnings if you preferred!

Does Anyone Else Test Online Slots To Verify The Claims Made By Developers?

As well as the game developer, in the UK where online gambling is regulated by the UK Gambling Commission, a 3rd party testing house is required by law to test games before they are released to market. You can see a list of approved houses and information about testing processes on the Commission’s website.

Testing procedures verify that games produce completely random outcomes from every spin. This testing process is also used to verify the Return to Player (RTP) of each game, typically around 96%.

What Are The Odds Of Achieving The Maximum Win?

Not all slots developers publish the odds of winning the maximum amount on their games. However, some do, and it makes for interesting reading. Nolimit City are the most forthcoming in odds information which can be found on their fan site which went live in 2023. There you can find the odds of hitting the maximum win for all their games. Here are three with the highest potential and the odds of winning on each.

Tombstone RIP – 300,000x max win – 1 in 130 million
Folsom Prison – 75,000x max win – 1 in 6.5 million
Serial – 74,800x max win – 1 in 12 million

As you can see, the odds are always crazy. For comparison, the odds of winning the UK National Lottery are estimated as one in 45 million, with a much higher prize at the end of it.
Whilst comparisons with lottery games should be viewed in context – they are a very different game experience, and don’t provide the same entertainment levels or bet frequency as slots – it does puts the odds of a slot game max win in perspective.

So, Does Anyone Ever Actually Win The Maximum Amount?

The answer to the question is yes, they do. Believe it or not, maximum wins on slot games do sometimes happen, and more often than you might think. You need to keep in mind that whilst the odds are millions to one, big max win games are extremely popular and people are playing them every minute somewhere in the world, so sooner or later, someone will hit that magic number.

If you want proof, just go to You Tube and type in, ‘maximum win video NLC’. There you will find examples of max wins in Nolimit City games like Mental (66,666x), Misery Mining (70,000x), Serial (74,800x), Folsom Prison (75,000x) and Tombstone RIP (300,000x). You can also see many maximum win on game from other providers like ELK Studios, Pragmatic Play and Hacksaw Gaming.

To conclude, maximum wins do happen in online slots, but if you want to try for these prize, keep in mind the odds are always very long and it is a rare occurrence. Good luck!