When You Wish Upon a Star is a Disney song, debuting in the 1933 film Pinocchio.
Apparently, dropping the “when you” from the title above gets you kosher with copyright laws, as BetMGM’s exclusive Christmas-themed online slot game is titled Wish Upon a Star. Also, nary a wooden boy with an ever-expanding nose to be found, so let’s call off the dogs. No need to get lawyers involved.
But yes: The New Jersey BetMGM online casino is the place to play this slot, and anyone should probably hurry up, as these seasonal offerings usually come and go with … well, with the season.
- Promo Code: USB1500
- Paid in Sports Bonus
- 21+. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER
21+. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER. AZ, CO, DC, IA, IL, IN, LA, KS, KY, MA, MD, MI, NC, NJ, PA, TN, VA, WV, WY. Call 877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY). Call 1-800-327-5050 (MA). 21+ to wager. Please Gamble Responsibly. Call 1-800-NEXT-STEP (AZ), 1-800-522-4700 (KS, NV), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA). Participant must complete the Wagering Requirements and satisfy the (10x) playthrough requirement. Deposit Match unavailable in OH. US Promotional Offers Not Available in MS, NY, ON, or PR. Visit BetMGM.com for Terms & Conditions.
While I usually don’t want to talk about slots that aren’t going to be around all year, this one was just too good to pass up for a variety of reasons.
Well, OK, there’s one key reason. In addition to the Christmas-themed music and Christmas tree symbols and all the fa-la-la’ing about the game, one symbol stuck out to me: a pretty blonde lady wearing a green Santa hat.
Now, generally speaking — and even speaking as a Jewish fella — I don’t normally associate Christmas with pretty blonde ladies. I still don’t, but I’m going through White Lotus withdrawal, and the symbol reminded me of Daphne, as played by Meghann Fahy, and that’s reason enough for me.
I mean, the resemblance is uncanny, right? (By the way: A White Lotus slot machine with an infidelity bonus round and a murderous gays wild card? Take. My. Money.)
Anyway, slot review. Let’s get to it, shall we, before I try and jump out of this yacht. (Sorry for the continued White Lotus references. Sadly, I don’t plan on stopping.)
The facts
This game from Greentube features five reels with 243 different ways to win, with an RTP of 95.18%.
To win, get three or more symbols in successive reels (they don’t need to line up). In order of best to worst, you’ve got … well, let’s just call her Daphne as the top symbol, followed by the Christmas tree, candles, candy cane, bells, and the traditional Christmas A-10 playing cards.
Of course, the big money is in the various bonus games. For starters, if you stack three presents symbols on top of each other, you get a bonus prize, collected by “unwrapping” one of them. Prize will be the mini (20x), minor (30x), major (50x), or “free games” feature. In the free games feature, you get 10 spins and win double the money.
There’s also a more traditional bonus round feature. Get three bonus symbols, unlock the free games feature.
Lastly, if you get six or more stars — hence the wishing — the game triggers three bonus spins. Get another star, get another three spins. Don’t get a star on three straight spins — you didn’t wish hard enough — and the bonus round is over, but you collect all the money that was imprinted on each star. Collect all 15 stars, win the grand jackpot (200x).
And that’s about that. Now, about that scene with Daphne and Ethan …
Look and feel
The voice of Santa greets you with a “Ho, ho, ho, merry Christmas!” as you enter the game, and then happy Christmas-y music plays in the background. It’s nice. If smell-o-vision existed, I would expect some cinnamon wafting through my tinny speaker.
Listen, this isn’t anything mind-blowing. It’s actually kind of boring. But in a good, relaxing, Christmas-y way.
Unless you lose.
The results
I lost $7+ on my cadre of 25-cent spins, and that included hitting the stacked present bonus for $7. As with most games with diverse bonus options, it helps to hit a big one now and again — otherwise, you’re going to keep losing a little at a time.
I think I’m going to go rewatch season two of White Lotus now. Be right back in seven hours.
