As the heading of the article tells you, we are going to talk about sports, basketball in particular. It goes without saying basketball remains one of the most popular sport disciplines in the world. And the National Basketball Association has been one of the most opulent franchises in the US together with baseball, hockey and the NFL. American sport franchise owners earn a fortune managing such business projects. That is why you shouldn’t be surprised by the fact online casinos propose loads of slots devoted to the topic of a basket and a ball. Let’s hit the ground running with the Basketball Star online slot machine, the game that carries you to the universe of reels, trainers, medals and basketball elements, of course!
Overview
Thousands of NBA fans watch exhilarating matches all day and all night long. The game is a beguiling activity to lots of people around the globe. How players jump to make a shot or produce astonishing tricks to confuse opponents – all of these certainly take your breath away. More than that, it presents an overwhelming sports adventure of slam dunks, seconds and culminating last-second points.
Only a lazy one won’t name the greatest basketball players in the league. LeBron James and Steph Curry are delicious cherries on the cake, let alone James Harden, Kevin Durant and Pau Gasol. We are sure that sooner or later new NBA stars will emerge to bring delightful game moments and splendid emotions.
To speak about the slot game itself, the machine presents a 3-row and 5-rolling-reel video game with 243 various ways to win. The Microgaming software company is responsible for providing decent gameplay and fascinating graphics for the project. The game’s release took place in 2015, and the latest update occurred this year. Although the graphics aren’t that astounding, catchy sound effects definitely enhance the gaming experience. You may try to make a demo slam dunk without depositing real money funds, the play-for-free mode is available. The staggering jackpot prize of a 2,400x multiplier will certainly leave you speechless. The Return-to-Player ratio stands at 96,00%, which is a pretty decent figure for video slots. The average percentage for slot machines is set at 93-94%. As for volatility, it is a medium volatility game, this implies occasional high winnings combined with frequent smaller winning combinations.
Software Developer
The Microgaming software provider is rightly considered one of the most famous developers in the gambling industry. Back in 1998, the company established the very first online slot machine under the name Cash Splash. The year of 2004 was another momentous milestone for the developer, it launched the production of mobile casino games. Nowadays the gambling platform proposes well over 350 various games for smartphone and tablet casinos. Two years later the operator introduced the well-known Mega Moolah progressive slot.
Being one one of the top-notch software developers on the market, Microgaming has loads of lucrative and fascinating game projects with sophisticated technologies. More than that, you may experience fabulous Microgaming graphics on such slot titles as Thunderstruck and Terminator 2. You could find both titles on our website. Aside from video slots, the software company produces classic roulette, baccarat and blackjack games for card diehard fans.
Why on earth should punters trust the Microgaming game operator? Not only because of the comprehensive selection of diverse and advanced game projects but also because of the fact the company aspires for achieving players’ safety. The software developer implements contemporary SSL encryption measures to hide the connection between an online casino server and a gambler from suspicious third parties and hacks. With Microgaming, no leakages occur. Aside from banking encryption, the game producer has been negotiating with numerous online casino auditors and other gambling regulator organisations. eCOGRA is an independent body that certifies game projects developed by Microgaming. This regulatory body deals with challenging and perplexing player-casino issues.
Gameplay
First and foremost, adjust your bets before immersing yourself into playing any slot game. Press the ‘Bet’ button and utilise +/- to set the coin size. Also, select the number of coins to bet. 0.50 credits is the minimum value and 50 coins per spin is the maximum amount wagered. The ‘Max Bet’ button is aimed at high rollers who tend to wager high bets. Once you have set all your stakes, set the reels in motion with the ‘Start’ button. Nonetheless, if you don’t wish to spin manually, set the exact number of auto spins with the ‘Autoplay’ option.
As for playing symbols, you won’t see traditional picture cards like Kings or Aces. Playing the Basketball Star slot game isn’t about going in traditional card shoes. Each symbol is closely related to the theme of the game. Rewards are triggered from the moment at least three-of-a-kind images pop up on a payline. On the one hand, the collection of game icons is represented by inanimate objects like water bottles, basketball sneakers, basketball courts and gold medals. On the other side of the coin, there are symbols of basketball players dribbling, blocking, passing and guarding. Each action is awarded with various progressive multipliers, depending on the amount of symbols landed.
Special Symbols
The logo of the basketball is the Wild symbol in the game. It substitutes for all standard symbols except for the Scatter and brings more winning combos. With more than 40 wilds in the slot, the icon appears stacked on the 3rd, 4th and 5th reels. More than that, the Wild Shot Feature can trigger extra wilds on two reels. This bonus can happen only to 3 middle reels. Plus, the Rolling Reels activate too.
An icon of a basketball represents the scatter symbol in the game. The main benefit of the bonus feature lies in triggering free spin rounds. Once you have managed to land up 3,4 or 5 scatters, 15, 20 and 25 free spins trigger automatically. During the process of playing free spins, the Rolling Reels perk provides multipliers starting from 1x and piling up to the 10x the wager if you are on a consecutive winning streak.
To be more precise, the Rolling Reels feature plays a substantial role in the Basketball Star slot. Thanks to this special bonus, more combos could be formed throughout the spin. So, you land a combination, and some of the symbols vanish. New icons come into place and players earn more. This bonus can be triggered until the new symbols form no additional wins.
The Return-to-Player Ratio
Every punter should be well aware of the Return-to-Player and Volatility terms when it comes to online slot games. So, the Return-to-Player is an amount of funds that an online casino is ought to pay back to a gambler in the long term. It is usually mentioned as an exact percentage. For example, if you wager $50 with a 95% RTP ratio, an online venue will give you back $47.5. This piece of data helps you figure out how much cash you are going to lose whilst playing a slot machine.
How is the figure calculated? Casino operators take a very high number of spins, normally millions of attempts. The kernel of the term is to divide the amount of funds returned by the overall sum wagered. The RTP is usually set by both a game software developer and an online gambling venue. Famous casinos have partnerships with reputable software providers that manage the ratio.
Volatility
Sometimes players call it variance, but volatility is the more recognizable name. In simple words, this term is used to explain how much of a risk a game is to punters. Speaking of slots, it determines the frequency and volume of bets.
Online casino operators divide all slot games into low, medium and high volatility machines. First and foremost, game projects with low volatility bring gamblers more winnings but the amount of funds isn’t that high. Enormous jackpots is a very rare occasion here. Secondly, high volatility slots propose few ways to win, but when it finally takes place, prizes are tremendous. Progressive systems of jackpots serve as a great example. In order to play big, you should possess a huge bankroll. Finally, slots with medium volatility integrate frequent moderate wins with occasional high awards.
Advantages and Disadvantages
The Basketball Star slot is a wonderful casino game with its own quirks. Nonetheless, let’s face the drawbacks of the slot machine as well as its benefits.
Pros
- A sport-based slot game by the renowned Microgaming software developer
- Unique playing symbols from sneakers to dribbling and tackling basketball players
- A stunning 1200x jackpot for the luckiest punters
- Plenty of special bonuses triggering free spins
- Bonus games and multipliers at hand
Cons
- The graphics aren’t that fabulous and up-to-date
- No progressive jackpots
In Conclusion
All things considered, Basketball Star constitutes a brilliant slot machine game for NBA fans. The Microgaming software provider is well-known for creating multiple masterpieces, and this slot game is no exception. Although the overall visuals and music are a bit dated, the gameplay process is the part which the slot sparkles in.
Special bonuses like Wilds, Scatters and the Rolling Reels with multipliers and free bonuses are factors that may hook some novice players into the game. And if you are lucky to land decent winning combinations, you will be rewarded with sizeable prizes.
Once you aren’t a basketball fan, the Microgaming provider offers other ‘star’ titles from soccer to American football. As for Basketball Star, give this slot a try if you are a true basketball fan.
