Starmania slot review
Starmania was released by NextGen Gaming in 2015. The slot features 10 paylines, with wins possible from both the left and right sides. Its RTP is above average, sitting at 97.86% with low-medium volatility.
Besides all the technical points, Starmania also has free spins with 30 extra Wilds. My Starmania slot review will take you through what you need to know to get the most out of your gaming session.
Highlights
Starmania review summary
Visually, Starmania definitely competes with slots on the market today. The space background is pretty, and doesn’t take away from your main focus: the symbols of the game. These are all like jewels; they sparkle and have playful animations when they form part of a win.
Generally, the visuals and the soothing background music give the slot a more laid-back feeling. Since this slot has such a high RTP and low volatility, this combination works for less experienced players looking to understand basic slot mechanics. And, Starmania has the standard slot features to go along with that: a 5×3 grid, Wilds, and a free spins round.
There’s not a lot going on otherwise, so if you’re an experienced player looking for an engaging slot with big wins, this won’t be it.
Pros
- 97.86% RTP
- Low-medium volatility
- All wins pay both ways
Cons
- Average payouts are low
- Limited bonus features
- No progressive jackpot
Starmania comprehensive review
In the upcoming review, I’ll be breaking down the key areas that make up the Starmania slot. These are RTP and volatility, bonus features, and its symbols and payouts. I’ll also be covering how the slot works and any technical features you need to know about.
RTP and volatility
The Starmania slot has an RTP of 97.86% and low-medium volatility. The slot has 10 paylines and from the settings you can adjust the number of active paylines. In demo mode, this is always set to the maximum of 10.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| RTP | 97.86% |
| Maximum win | 500x |
| Number of paylines | 10 |
| Volatility | Low-medium |
Wins can be both ways, meaning whether the winning combination lands left to right, or right to left, it will be counted as a win.
Starmania’s RTP is pretty high. The industry average is 96%, so an RTP of almost 98% is a lot higher. This, paired with the low-medium volatility, can result in frequent wins.
This was my general experience while playing Starmania. I landed wins on my first three spins, and on my fourth, I triggered free spins. I also re-triggered free spins and got a few extra spins. There were very few spins after that where I didn’t land a win.
I played with the full 10 paylines, and I’m not sure I’d recommend playing with fewer than that. Yes, you can generally land frequent wins because of the low volatility and hit rate combination, but 10 paylines is a pretty low number compared to other slots out there. Most of the time, I only landed wins on one payline; however, I did have one win across three paylines.
Bonus features
Starmania has two bonus features: the Wild symbol and the free spins round. The Wild symbol is the word WILD in yellow and red, with a disco-style background. It can substitute for any symbol in the game except for the Bonus Scatter. It lands on reels 2, 3, and 4.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Bonus features | Wilds, free spins |
| Top features | Bonus Scatters |
| Jackpot | N/A |
Free spins are triggered when a minimum of three Bonus Scatters land on the grid. This awards 10 free spins. When the free spins round starts, a Wild is added to reels 2, 3, and 4 before each spin. There are also 30 extra Wilds that can be added to the grid during the game. If you land additional Bonus Scatters, the free spins can be retriggered.
Wilds land pretty often in Starmania, and they contributed to many of my wins. It’s a classic symbol that I expect to find in any slot game, and with Starmania, which is a much simpler game, it was one of the more exciting elements.
I only managed to trigger a free spins round once, although I got a retrigger within that round. That free spins round paid out decently. My current bet was set to $0.30, and my resulting payout from free spins was $10.62. The additional Wilds that are awarded throughout the free spins round, of course, really help maximize your win potential per spin.
Unfortunately, there’s not much else going on in Starmania. To compare, Starburst, which is a very similar slot, doesn’t just have Wilds. Its Wilds can also expand to cover the reels. Plus, triggering a Wild also grants the player a respin.
Symbols and paytable
Besides the Bonus Scatter and the Wild symbols, there are seven star symbols. These are the blue star, the green star, the purple star, the blue star with a gold ring, the green star with a gold ring, the purple star with a gold ring, and the 16-pointed gold and red star. The latter is the highest paying symbol, while the first three symbols are the lowest paying symbols.
Landing three of the lowest paying star will award 4x your bet per line, but landing five will pay out 50x. That payout is multiplied by 10 with the highest paying symbol. Landing five of the gold and red star awards a payout of 500x your bet. Even landing four will pay out 100x your bet.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Theme | Space |
| Reel layout | 5×3 |
| Highest paying symbol | 16-pointed gold and red star |
| Adjustable paylines | Yes |
| Visuals | Playful |
| Sound | Soothing |
| Mobile quality | Excellent |
The Bonus Scatter pays out 20x your bet for three symbols. If you land five Bonus Scatters, the payout is 200x your bet.
Each win is calculated by your bet per line. So, with ten paylines active, if my bet is $0.30 and I land three blue stars, the payout I’ll be awarded is $0.12. If I’m playing on the maximum bet of $250 and I land the same three symbols, the payout awarded is $625.
Since the wins are calculated by being multiplied by bet per line, I generally had a lot of frequent but small wins, ranging from $0.12 to $0.45. When I increased my bet to $50, which is the middle of the bet range, my average wins ranged from $20-$150. My biggest win was $560.
Like any slot, the size of your win is dependent on the size of your win per line and how many paylines you win across. With the smaller bet, the wins feel pretty insignificant. A bet of $0.30 to get a win of $0.12 is a loss, no matter how frequently that win happens.
On a higher bet, the wins occur with the same frequency as do the losses. Sure, my wins on average were a much more substantial $20, but my bet was $50. That was still a $30 loss per spin, and in fact, it drained my balance.
The symbols can pay out quite well, with the highest symbol paying out 500x your bet, but since this is a low-medium volatility slot, the odds are going to lean towards much more frequent, smaller wins, which doesn’t necessarily lead to a profit overall.
How to play Starmania
Starmania’s bet range is $0.10-$250. You can increase the bet level by pressing the up and down arrows on either side of the coins symbol in the bottom right of the screen. The coins symbol will change from gray to gold as you increase your bet.
You’ll find your total bet on the left of the coin symbol, followed by your last win, and your current balance. To play the game, press the green play button.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Min bet | $0.10 |
| Max bet | $250 |
| Autoplay | Available |
| Turbo mode | N/A |
| Game history | N/A |
To find the settings, press the cog symbol. Here you can find the mute button, the autoplay feature, the paytable, and the option to adjust your paylines and your bet.
The autoplay feature offers up to 100 autospins, starting at a minimum of five. There are additional autoplay features too: to stop playing if the loss exceeds a certain amount, which is a mandatory setting, and to stop playing if a single win exceeds a certain amount. Both of these can be set to have no limit, allowing you to spin until autoplay finishes or your funds run out.
Casinos where to play Starmania
If you’re interested and want to try out Starmania for yourself, these are some top casinos I recommend for playing Starmania:
| Casino Logo | Rating | Bonus | Go-to-casino button | Show more | T&C |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1
|
94/100
Expert rating
by Sophie P.
85%
Playscore
based on
|
100% up to $1,000 + $25 Bonus Credits
|
Play now players accepted |
|
NJ Only | 21+ | T&C apply | Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER |
2
|
88/100
Expert rating
by Paul P.
92%
Playscore
based on
|
$20 Bonus Dollars + 100% up to $1,000
|
Play now players accepted |
|
Visit Borgata.com for Terms and Conditions. 21+ years of age or older to wager. NJ only. All promotions are subject to qualification and eligibility requirements. Rewards issued as non-withdrawable site credit, unless otherwise provided in the applicable Terms. Please Gamble Responsibly. Gambling Problem? 1-800-GAMBLER. |
3
|
89/100
Expert rating
by Paul P.
91%
Playscore
based on
|
100% up to $1,000 + $25 On The House
|
Play now players accepted |
|
Visit BetMGM.com for Terms and Conditions. 21+ years of age or older to wager. MI, NJ, PA or WV only. Excludes Michigan Disassociated Persons. All promotions are subject to qualification and eligibility requirements. Rewards issued as non-withdrawable site credit, unless otherwise provided in the applicable Terms. Please Gamble Responsibly. Gambling Problem? 1-800-270-7117 for confidential help (MI), 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ, PA & WV). |
1
|
94/100
Expert rating
by Sophie P.
81%
Playscore
based on
|
50,000 Gold Coins + 1 Sweeps Coin
|
Play now players accepted |
|
|
2
|
94/100
Expert rating
by Paul P.
91%
Playscore
based on
|
1.5 million WOW Coins + 35 free Sweepstakes Coins
|
Play now players accepted |
|
|
3
|
93/100
Expert rating
by Sophie P.
79%
Playscore
based on
|
50,000 Gold Coins + 1 Sweeps Coin
|
Play now players accepted |
|
|
4
|
89/100
Expert rating
by Paul P.
79%
Playscore
based on
|
25,000 Gold Coins + 2.5 Spree Coins
|
Play now players accepted |
|
|
5
|
89/100
Expert rating
by Paul P.
87%
Playscore
based on
|
Up to 120,000 Gold Coins + 10 Sweeps Coins
|
Play now players accepted |
|
|
6
|
89/100
Expert rating
by Sophie P.
77%
Playscore
based on
|
50,000 Gold Coins + 1 Sweeps Coin
|
Play now players accepted |
|
|
7
|
89/100
Expert rating
by Paul P.
81%
Playscore
based on
|
10,000 Gold Coins + 2 Sweeps Coins
|
Play now players accepted |
|
|
8
|
89/100
Expert rating
by Vule P.
79%
Playscore
based on
|
500 Gold Coins + 3 FREE Sweeps Coins
|
Play now players accepted |
|
|
9
|
89/100
Expert rating
by Paul P.
89%
Playscore
based on
|
Up to 650,000 Gold Coins + 1,400 Sweeps Coins
|
Play now players accepted |
|
|
10
|
88/100
Expert rating
by Paul P.
90%
Playscore
based on
|
57,000 Gold Coins + 27.5 free Sweeps Coins
|
Play now players accepted |
|
Expert verdict
Overall, Starmania has a lot of qualities of a good slot. A high RTP and low-medium volatility, which generally makes it a good option for less experienced players, since the wins will be more frequent.
That doesn’t mean this slot isn’t without risk, since the frequency of the wins and the average payouts won’t necessarily balance the cost per bet. To really see big wins, you need to play with much higher bets, but you’re likely to drain your bank account before you see any results.
Visually, Starmania is a very attractive slot, and the gentle background track doesn’t overpower the game. Experienced players might find Starmania to be an underwhelming slot, especially since there’s a limited number of bonus features.
Wilds and free spins are the bare minimum when it comes to slots, and while I was glad they were there, they’re also not exactly pushing the boat out. Enhancing the Wilds or adding another bonus symbol would really elevate the gaming experience while creating additional opportunities to land a win.
FAQs
What is the RTP of Starmania?
Starmania has a high RTP of 97.86%.
What is the maximum win potential of Starmania?
The maximum win potential in Starmania is 500x your bet. This is the payout awarded by the highest paying symbol in the game.
Does Starmania have a progressive jackpot?
No, Starmania doesn’t have a progressive jackpot.
How do I trigger free spins?
Free spins are triggered by landing a minimum of three Bonus Scatter symbols anywhere on the reels. This awards 10 free spins, but additional free spins can be triggered during the game.
What is the volatility of Starmania?
Starmania has a low-medium volatility
