Basketball Star is a spectacular sports-themed online pokie powered by Microgaming in 2015. It has topped the charts since then, showcasing some spectacular features:
- 5×3 reels/rows gameplay with adjacent payline system
- Medium volatility and above-average RTP
- Wins up to 2,400x
- Stunning features with progressive multipliers, free spins, rolling reels, and stacked wilds
It’s not a game for everyone since Basketball Star has a minimum barrier of entry set at A$0.5, but it is definitely worth trying if this amount is right up your alley. There was also a second game called Basketball Star on Fire.
Read below as we explain how it works in detail, or join one of the operators we’ve listed to play right away!
Key Features
| Reels | 5 |
| Rows | 3 |
| Paylines | 243 ways to win |
| RTP | 96.52% |
| Volatility | Medium |
| Max Win | 2,400x |
| Special Features | Wilds, Progressive Multipliers, Free Spins, Rolling Reels, Scatters, Wild Reels |
| Jackpot? | / |
| Stakes | A$0.5 – A$50 |
| Developer | Microgaming |
| Similar Games | Thunderstruck, Gonzo’s Quest, Aurora Wilds |
About Basketball Star Slot Game
Microgaming’s evolution has been steady since its inception, starting with free spins bonuses, moving to 243 ways to win slots, and slowly introducing multipliers and alternative pay mechanics. Basketball Star merges all of the above in a game packed with features and solid payouts, both in the short and in the long run.
And the game doesn’t just stand out because of its mechanics. Few companies mix pokies and sports, and Basketball Star is an action-packed game that perfectly fuses the two genres. Here is an overview of our findings:
| Pros | Cons |
| Rolling reels | Expensive pokie |
| Above average stats | Mostly high-risk game |
| Wilds make 5 symbol combos easy | Average max win cap |
| Up to 25 free spins and a 10x multiplier | |
| Unique theme |
How to Play Basketball Star Online
If you decide to play Basketball Star pokies online, here is how you can get started:
- Select any of the Microgaming casinos I’ve listed on this page.
- Register for a new account by entering a few basic information about yourself.
- Locate Basketball Star under sports-themed pokies, and click to launch it.
- Set your wager using the interface from A$0.5 to A$50 per round.
You can now either read the rules to get a basic idea of the payouts or hit the spin button. There is also an autoplay control that lets the reels spin automatically as you watch the action unfold.
There are no paylines here, and the symbols will appear on a 5-reel and 3-row setting. To win, you need a minimum of three similar symbols on the reels starting from the leftmost one. Most 3-symbol combos don’t even pay back your bet, yet combining five identical symbols leads to wins ranging from 1.2x to 12x. That’s not hard to pull through thanks to the various special features I cover below.
Basketball Star Bonus Features
As indicated above, the base game payouts aren’t that impressive. However, Basketball Star ensures you get your fair share back through its unique special features:
The Basketball Star logo is the wild symbol, substituting for all other symbols except the scatter. Players can land wilds on reels 3, 4, and 5 stacked. This means that several winning combos can be achieved on a single spin.
Microgaming has also introduced a random bonus feature that may be triggered in any game mode and you will get 2 wild reels on your screen. The potential for 50 – 100x your bet is there when this happens.
The Basketball Star 243 ways mechanic isn’t the only aspect that is unique to how it works. It’s also one of the rolling reel pokies trademarked by Microgaming. What this means is that all winning symbols disappear, letting new ones land on the same spin. The potential for consecutive wins without placing a new bet is intriguing and something many pokies developers have also incorporated since.
And, of course, Basketball Star has a free spins bonus round. You can get 10 – 25 free spins depending on the number of scatters that land on your screen. This feature blends the rolling reels with multipliers of up to 10x. Whenever you land a winning combo, the symbols disappear and the multiplier increases by one. Unfortunately, it resets after each combo and you need additional wins to reach the previous level or higher.
Basketball Star RTP & Volatility Explained
Basketball Star and the second game Basketball Star on Fire is a game mostly suited to high rollers. Although it has an above-average RTP at 96.52%, which suggests that the casino keeps about A$3.5 for every A$100 worth of wagers on average, it has a A$0.5 minimum bet. Players with a bankroll of less than A$100 should stay away or keep an eye on their balance to know when to stop.
The volatility of Basketball Star is rated as medium, although I noticed less frequent wins than on similarly rated games. The payouts are of decent size thanks to the wilds and free spin multipliers, but they can take a while.
Best Casinos to Play Basketball Star
Not many online pokies provide such an accurate interpretation of the NBA, and online casinos know it. Several Aussie gambling sites prominently feature Basketball Star in their lobbies, and we’ve only listed the best among them. You can try the game out for free or real money by signing up with any of the brands provided.
Strategies for Winning Big
Basketball Star is a fast-moving pokie even on the tablet, but you may want to use a few strategies to win big with it. If all else fails, try the second game, Basketball Star on Fire. One thing you want to always do is check the paytable and carefully study the rules. In doing this, you can understand the maximum that you can win while playing on a single spin. With Basketball Star, the maximum you can win is 1,000x your total stake.
You could also use what is known as the levels betting strategy. Sometimes you’ll hear professional gamblers refer to it as “Ladders.” To do this, you manage your bankroll in a systematic way where you need to determine the size of each betting unit. Most professional gamblers only recommend this being 1% of the total bankroll.
To give you an example, let’s say that you can wager $100 at the pokies. You wager $1 on each of the spins. If you get five consecutive dry spins in a row, you need to increase your wager $5.
Here’s how that would look when wagering:
- Spinning first time for $1 = Loss
- Spinning second time for $2 = Loss
- Spinning third time for $1 = Win
- Spinning fourth time for $2 = Win
- Spinning fifth time for $3 = Loss
- Spinning sixth time for $2 = Win
- Spinning seventh time for $3 = Win
- Spinning eighth time for $4 = Win
- Spinning ninth time for $5 = Lose
- Spinning tenth time for $4
Doing it this way is meant to help you recover your losses from winning with the higher wagers.
Tips for Responsible Play Managing Your Budget
Before you set out to gamble anything, you need to always keep the principles of responsible gambling in mind. Not doing this can lead to you having a bad time, and people have lost everything when they fail to follow the right tips for responsible gambling.
Tip #1 – Set a Budget and Stick to It: Always practice self control when you start gambling. Those who gamble responsibly set a budget and stick to it. Regardless of whether they win or lose that amount, they stop playing at the end of it.
Tip #2 – Don’t Chase Losses: When people get into trouble with gambling, they try to win back losses. Remember the budget and let the money you lost go. You can win your losses back, but in some cases, you can also lose even more. Many gambling addicts say they want to stop, but the desire to win back their losses with jackpots keeps them coming back.
Tip #3 – Evaluate Your Gambling Habits: To ensure that you never stray south of responsible gambling habits, you should evaluate your habits once in a while. For example, have you ever borrowed money to cover losses from gambling? If the answer is yes, you may want to reassess how you’re gambling. Another sign that your gambling has become unhealthy is that you have to hide it from others. There are people who have even had health problems because of the stress from gambling.
Tip #4 – Don’t Bet When Emotional: Emotions can interfere with your gambling, and it can make it harder for you to see things clearly. When you feel stressed, upset, angry, or frustrated, don’t place wagers. The funny thing is, it can interfere with your judgment, but gambling can also make you more stressed and more angry, so it’s important to keep this in mind. When drunk or under the influence of another substance, it can also impact your judgment negatively.
Our Thoughts on Basketball Star
Basketball Star, the original pokie before Basketball Star on Fire might be nearly 10 years old, but it remains a total slam dunk for basketball fans. It’s Microgaming’s take on Gonzo’s Quest, and although it hasn’t acquired such a cult status – we 100% recommend it. The gameplay is fast-paced, the wins come in stacks thanks to the wilds, and the two features tend to appear regularly.
Adding to that the above-average RTP and decent max win, Basketball Star is a game you should try at least once!
FAQs
What features make it unique?
One of the unique features is the 243 ways to win feature with a 5×3 reel grid set within a packed basketball arena.
Is the pokie popular in Australia?
Basketball Star isn’t necessarily popular in Australia because of it being meant more for high stakes gamblers, so this one may only appeal to certain types of players in Australia.
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