Basketball vs Hot Shot
Two sports-themed Microgaming 243-ways slots. Basketball trades on arena atmosphere and free-spins multipliers; Hot Shot is older, simpler and plays faster.
Reviewed by the Slots Irish Editorial Team · Last updated 21 April 2026
Side-by-side comparison
| Spec | Basketball | Hot Shot |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | Microgaming | Microgaming |
| RTP | 96.52% | 96.63% |
| Volatility | High | Medium |
| Slots Irish rating | 4.5/5 | 4.2/5 |
Data pulled directly from our Basketball review and Hot Shot review — verified against provider spec sheets.
Which to play when
For higher RTP: Hot Shot wins on the aggregate return-to-player number. Over long sessions this matters more than any feature.
For big-win potential: depends on volatility. See each slot's max-win ceiling on the individual review page and match to your bankroll.
For session length: lower volatility = longer session on the same bankroll. Check each slot's volatility rating in the table above.
To play either: both are available at the operators on our Best Irish Casinos shortlist. Test the demos first — free slots Ireland hosts both without deposit or sign-up.
How this comparison was produced
Every stat in the table above is pulled directly from our independent slot and casino reviews on Slots Irish. RTP figures are checked against the provider's own spec sheets, volatility ratings are derived from hands-on test sessions of at least 500 spins per title, and max-win figures reflect the published ceiling on the standard RTP build rather than any reduced-RTP variant a casino might license.
For the full methodology used to evaluate a slot or an operator, read our review methodology page. Every ranking we publish is refreshed quarterly — the last edit timestamp at the top of this page tells you when that happened.
What's not in the comparison
A single head-to-head comparison can't capture every nuance. Specifically:
- Session volatility — the raw volatility rating tells you the shape of the distribution, not what it feels like over 200 spins. Test both titles in our free demo to calibrate expectations.
- Bonus-round frequency — published as a percentage, but the real-world rate you'll experience varies dramatically over short sessions.
- Operator-specific RTP variants — some casinos license reduced-RTP builds. Always check the in-game info panel before real-money play.
- Bonus contribution — some operators exclude high-RTP slots from wagering contribution. See our wagering calculator to model this.
Related reading
If you want to go deeper, these guides cover the core concepts we reference above:
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