Player return
96.12%
Minimum bet
0.10
Slot category
Video Slots
Variance
High
Reels
5
Progressive jackpot
No
Popularity
Maximum bet
75
Game provider
NetEnt
Bonus features
Yes
Paylines
10
Theme
Adventure
Rise of Maya online slot game
GCCans presents Evan Carrington’s original review of the Rise of Maya slot, released in Feb 2020. It covers the bonus bet, free spins, expanding wilds, stacked wilds and scatters, as players pursue the riches of a Mayan temple’s gods.
Theme and storyline
The story centres on one Mayan god and unfolds inside the god’s temple. Players travel back to a time when the Mayans sought to appease their gods through demanding, bloodthirsty rituals. The mission is to join serpents and other symbols of Mayan culture while looting the temple’s riches.
Graphics, sound and animation
The slots’ 3D presentation places the action inside a creepy Mayan temple, where animated torches burn behind masks representing the gods. Dark colours contrast with the fire’s golden glow. On the reels, ornate symbols are finely designed, with the details of each masked image standing out on both mobile and desktop devices.
There is no theme tune, although light, thumping drums and Mayan wind instruments fill the soundscape. Their calls seem to beckon the gods towards the pay lines, creating the impression that players could leave the Mayan temple loaded with NetEnt coins.
Top Casinos to Play Rise of Maya:
Gameplay
The Rise of Maya online slot uses 5 reels and 10 pay lines. At the time of the review, it was one of NetEnt’s most recent releases, offering engaging gameplay and several winning routes despite its relatively low number of pay lines.
Starting a bet requires only an adjustment to the ‘coin value’. Each line carries 1 coin, and that number cannot be changed, meaning every spin uses 10 coins. The overall bet appears in the ‘BET’ box as coins or cash. The game settings menu lets you select ‘Show bet in cash’, and also includes ‘Quick Spin’ and ‘Spacebar to Spin’.
Choosing ‘bet in cash’ changes the paytable’s symbol payouts from coins to cash. On the Rise of Maya video slot, combinations across the 10 pay-lines include the wild symbol, which pays 5000, 1000, 100, or 10 coins when 5, 4, 3, or 2 appear along a pay line. Wilds can also arrive stacked and expand.
The reels also feature 5 different Mayan mask symbols, which pay when 2, 3, 4, or 5 land on a pay line. The 5 lower-paying symbols award combinations of 3, 4, or 5. These symbols are A, K, Q, J, and 10. The next section covers the Rise of Maya slot’s features and bonuses.
Bonuses and free spins
Wild Symbols: The gold-coloured serpent wild can replace any regular symbol, but not the scatters. It pays the highest available combination and can expand to turn a reel wild. During free spins, the symbol remains permanently stacked in sets of 3.
Free Spins: Landing 3, 4, or 5 wild or scatter symbols anywhere on the reels awards 10, 15, or 20 free spins respectively. Every reel containing one of these scatter or wild symbols becomes a ‘hot reel’. Any wilds that are not stacked expand whenever they land on a ‘hot reel’.
Bonus Bet: The second-chance scatter re-spin is available only when the bonus bet option is used, which doubles the bet. If 2 scatter/wild symbols land on the reels, reels without scatters or wilds re-spin. The aim is to land a third scatter/wild and trigger the free spins.
Bet sizes, RTP and variance
Only 10 coins are active per spin, with each coin set to a value between 0.01 and 7.50. The resulting cash bet per spin ranges from 0.10 to 75.00. Since there are only 10 pay lines, the review does not suggest that large wins will arrive regularly. It links bigger results to accumulated free spins wins and retrying the bonus bet feature. With the base game and features combined, the review gives Rise of Maya an expected RTP of 96.12%, describing it as low for a NetEnt slot.
Conclusion
Evan Carrington’s original review describes the Mayan theme as enduring and presents NetEnt’s newest online slot, released in Feb 2020, as a familiar setting with newer features. Free spins, expanding wilds and stacked wilds are established ideas, while the bonus bet adds another option. The review characterizes its return on investment as pretty decent, but also warns that the bonus bet raises the stakes and therefore the risk.
With 12+ years of experience in the iGaming industry, Evan specializes in reviewing online casinos, analyzing slot games, and evaluating player safety. Their expertise covers casino licensing, RTP, volatility, bonus conditions, and withdrawal policies. Through hands-on testing and independent research, Evan delivers transparent, fact-based reviews to help players better understand gambling platforms, their features, and potential risks.
