BetMGM awards over US$122 million from progressive jackpots in 2025
BetMGM awarded over US$122 million in progressive jackpots in 2025, finishing the year with a significant jackpot for a Michigan player who won US$0.9 million from an US$8 bet on Bison Fury in December.
The state with the most jackpots awarded was Michigan, which received US$42.6 million. Pennsylvania recorded the second-highest total, at US$29.7 million, followed by New Jersey at US$23.5 million, Ontario at CA$29.5 million (US$21.5 million)1 CAD = 0.7287 USD
2026-01-23Powered by CMG CurrenShift, and West Virginia at US$5 million.
BetMGM also started the new year off strong, with another Michigan player receiving US$0.6 million from a US$2 spin on its MegaJackpots Cash Eruption slot.
BetMGM Vice President of Gaming Oliver Bartlett said, “In 2025, BetMGM brought big names to igaming – from the Wizard of Oz slots and Rakin’ Bacon to branded Price is Right casino games. Jackpots transformed gameplay into legendary moments for our players and continues to be one of the ways we leverage our exclusive relationship with MGM Resorts International.”
Some of the top jackpots reported by BetMGM in 2025 included one in Ontario on the MGM Grand Million, worth CA$1.6 million (US$1.2 million)1 CAD = 0.7287 USD
2026-01-23Powered by CMG CurrenShift. In New Jersey, a player received just under US$1 million from Independence Pays, and another Ontario player saw a CA$1.1 million (US$801,603)1 CAD = 0.7287 USD
2026-01-23Powered by CMG CurrenShift jackpot from Jellyfish Jackpots.
Earlier this month, BetMGM announced a partnership with global television network FashionTV Gaming TV to introduce exclusive FashionTV-branded table games, FashionTV Blackjack, and FashionTV Roulette.
Abi Bray brings strong researching skills to the forefront of all of her writing, whether it’s the newest slots, industry trends or the ever changing legislation across the U.S, Asia and Australia, she maintains a keen eye for detail and a passion for reporting.
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The Backstory
Why progressive jackpots keep climbing
BetMGM’s latest tally of progressive jackpots underscores how the operator has turned exclusive networks and branded content into a retention engine across U.S. and Canadian markets. The company closed 2024 with momentum and entered 2025 with more seven-figure prizes and headline wins, particularly in Michigan and Ontario. The through line is scale. By pooling stakes across state-by-state networks and tying in recognizable brands, BetMGM has broadened appeal beyond high rollers and signaled to rivals that content pipelines are as critical as promotions in driving play.
In 2024, BetMGM reported it paid $128.5 million in progressive jackpots, with Michigan leading at $42.7 million and New Jersey close behind at $37.5 million. Pennsylvania and West Virginia followed at $28.7 million and $14.1 million, respectively, while Ontario players collected C$14.1 million. Those figures, detailed in a year-end update on historic wins and platform upgrades, demonstrate how localized liquidity can still produce nationally relevant headlines when tied to exclusive mechanics and state-specific pools. The company’s framing of a “premier destination for progressive jackpots” strategy also hints at a deliberate push to own the category within regulated igaming states, where jackpots can differentiate an app icon on a crowded phone screen. See BetMGM’s 2024 roundup of payouts and market leaders in its progressive jackpots recap.
The appeal is straightforward: progressive networks scale prize potential beyond individual titles, and when these networks sit behind a familiar brand like MGM, they create a perception of stability and spectacle. That dynamic sets the stage for the latest 2025 totals and the early-year wins the company is now spotlighting.
Momentum from last year’s record run
The foundation for the current streak was laid across 2024. BetMGM emphasized exclusive content, new mechanics and marquee partners. It also peppered in live events, such as a hybrid slot tournament that flew top online players to Las Vegas, to bridge on-property and online audiences. The payout distribution highlighted where regulated igaming is most mature and where jackpots can act as both acquisition and loyalty levers. In New Jersey, BetMGM promoted what it called the largest jackpot opportunity since the state legalized online casinos; in West Virginia, it touted the largest BetMGM jackpot offered to date. Those narrative beats, documented in the 2024 recap, seeded expectation that 2025 would bring more networked wins and bigger branded releases.
Competitors were not idle. Mohegan Digital, for instance, disclosed two separate $750,000 jackpots on its Huff N’ Puff series in December for a combined $1.5 million at its Connecticut online casino. The nearly back-to-back hits illustrated how rival operators also leverage recognizable franchises and high-variance math models to create newsworthy moments that travel on social feeds. That context matters because it shows why BetMGM keeps expanding content breadth and exclusive mechanics. Read more on the Mohegan payouts in Mohegan Digital’s December jackpot announcement.
Ontario’s outsized role and the compliance backdrop
Ontario has become an important proving ground for cross-border jackpot narratives. In 2024, a BetMGM customer there won two progressive jackpots within a week, totaling more than C$2 million and setting a new record for the operator’s market. The double win arrived as BetMGM worked through a regulatory fine from the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario related to inducement rules earlier in the year. The episode showed how quickly brand sentiment can swing back with headline wins when the product is sticky and the network is funded. The company said its in-house progressives, produced by parent Entain, generated C$14 million in payouts in Ontario last year. Details are in the Ontario two-jackpots-in-a-week report.
The Ontario experience also illustrates the stakes for 2025 and beyond. Regulators are sharpening marketing oversight as operators lean on jackpots to drive engagement. Sustained growth will depend on balancing aggressive content rollouts with compliance discipline, especially as jackpot headlines invite heightened scrutiny.
Content as a competitive moat
BetMGM’s bet on branded and exclusive games is central to its jackpot story. The operator recently launched Gretzky Light the Lamp, an exclusive slot tied to its long-running ambassador deal with Wayne Gretzky. The release landed during the 4 Nations Face-Off, a moment of elevated hockey interest, and came with a national ad campaign leaning on “Vegas Magic” and live dealer positioning. The timing signals how BetMGM uses cultural hooks to amplify launches and funnel traffic to high-earning verticals. The new title debuted in New Jersey and Michigan with plans to expand where permitted. More on the strategy behind the themed game is in the Gretzky slot launch.
Beyond headline IP, BetMGM continues to widen its third-party pipeline. A new deal with S Gaming, a U.K.-based supplier, will bring titles like Barnyard Bash Chicken Chase and Triple 7 Jackpot to New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Michigan. The rollout marks S Gaming’s first U.S. foray and aligns with BetMGM’s broader 2026 content strategy to keep the library fresh while anchoring progressive networks with exclusive math. As more suppliers seek U.S. distribution, operators with scale and established jackpots can negotiate for first looks or exclusives, reinforcing a flywheel that benefits the largest platforms. Details are in the S Gaming partnership announcement.
What the numbers signal for 2025
The shift from 2024 to 2025 suggests several takeaways. First, state-by-state jackpots remain a growth lever where igaming is legal, with Michigan, New Jersey and Pennsylvania functioning as bellwethers for player appetite and liquidity. Second, Canada, led by Ontario, continues to punch above its weight in generating outsized wins that reverberate in U.S. marketing. Third, branded content and exclusive mechanics are likely to widen performance gaps as top operators layer recognizable IP over robust jackpot frameworks.
Competitively, this sets a high bar for smaller brands that lack scale or exclusive pools. It also raises expectations for responsible marketing and transparent jackpot disclosures, particularly when headline wins serve as front-door advertising. Operators that can pair compelling content with disciplined compliance stand to hold share as more states debate igaming legalization and as existing markets deepen.
For BetMGM, the early 2025 payouts and content cadence continue a pattern: use jackpot narratives to keep players engaged, feed the network with new titles to sustain volatility and differentiate via brand partnerships. The stakes are not just bragging rights. Jackpots translate into session length, repeat visits and lower churn, outcomes that underpin revenue in markets where promotional spend has tightened.
If 2024 was the proof point that progressive networks can anchor a multi-state strategy, 2025 looks like a test of stamina. The companies that keep the content pipeline full and the compliance lines clear will be best positioned to turn record jackpots into durable advantage.
