Starburst

Starburst in numbers

NetEnt was founded in Sweden in 1996 and was previously listed on Nasdaq Stockholm. Since December 2020 the company has been part of Evolution, which today brings brands such as Red Tiger, Big Time Gaming and Nolimit City under one roof.

Starburst RTP – where the figure comes from

NetEnt’s own game page shows no usable RTP figure, so the value of 96.09% comes from reference sites. Casinos may also have chosen a version with a lower return, and the information available on such versions is not reliable enough for us to reproduce.

Check the percentage in the game’s information panel at the casino you choose. It takes a few seconds and is the only way to know what actually applies.

What low volatility means in practice

Low volatility means wins come more often but are smaller. It shows in the ceiling too: with a maximum win of 500 times the stake, a 2 kr stake gives at most 1,000 kr on a single spin. That makes Starburst predictable in a way high-volatility games are not – but the house edge is still there, and over time it is what decides the outcome.

How to play Starburst

The rules are among the simplest you will find in slot machines. All you need to understand are the paylines and the expanding wild.

1. Choose your stake. NetEnt gives a range of 0.10 to 100 per spin, but the casino may have set a lower cap.
2. Spin the reels. The game has ten paylines.
3. Wins count both from left to right and from right to left, so the same line can pay from either direction.
4. If a Starburst Wild lands on any of the three middle reels, it expands and you get a re-spin.

A spin takes just a few seconds and there is no bonus round to break the rhythm. That is exactly why it is easy to play longer than you intended – decide in advance how long you want to play.

Bonus features in Starburst

Starburst Wild and re-spins

The wild can only appear on reels two, three and four. When it lands it grows to cover the whole reel, substitutes for other symbols and gives an extra spin while the expanded reel stays in place.

If another wild lands during the re-spin, the process repeats, up to three re-spins in total. If all three middle reels turn wild at the same time, the whole centre of the grid stays locked for the remaining spins.

Wins both ways

Because the lines pay both ways, there are more possible hits per spin than in a traditional game where only left to right counts. That is part of the reason Starburst feels steady: small wins come often.

No free spins round

Starburst has no free spins at all. That may sound like a drawback, but it also means you do not have to wait for a rare bonus round for the game to deliver. Everything that can happen, happens in the base game.

Our verdict on the Starburst slot

Starburst has been around since 2012, and much of its charm lies in how straightforward it is. Low volatility according to NetEnt, a single feature and clear rules make it a good choice if you want to understand exactly what is happening on screen.

The downside is the low ceiling. If you are looking for games where single rounds can produce very large outcomes, this is the wrong game – and that is perfectly fine. What matters is choosing a slot whose format suits your budget and your patience.

Pros

• Low volatility according to the provider
• Simple rules and wins both ways
• Wide stake range
• Available at several casinos with a Swedish licence

Cons

• The maximum win is capped at 500 times the stake
• No free spins round
• RTP is not shown on NetEnt’s own game page

Play Starburst for free (demo)

You can play Starburst for free in demo mode on NetEnt’s official game page. You play with play credits, and the wild, re-spins and paylines work just as in the real-money game.

For a low-volatility game like Starburst, the demo is a good way to see how steadily it actually plays and to get a feel for whether the pace suits you.

Bear in mind that the demo tells you nothing about which RTP version a given casino uses. You will find that information in the information panel at the casino.

Best casinos for Starburst

These three casinos hold a licence from Spelinspektionen (the Swedish Gambling Authority) and have Starburst in their game range according to their own websites in October 2026.

LeoVegas

LeoVegas is operated in Sweden by Roar Vegas Ltd under licence 23Si808, valid until 27 November 2028. The casino says it has more than 3,000 games and lists NetEnt among its providers.

Unibet

Unibet’s licence is held by Kaprifol Services Limited, licence number 25Si952, and is valid until 22 October 2030. Starburst is available in the casino according to the operator’s website, and NetEnt is one of the providers Unibet highlights.

Casumo

Casumo is run by Oddit Limited under licence 23Si773, valid until 21 November 2028. NetEnt is among its providers and Starburst is in the game range according to the casino’s website.

We cover the licence, terms and payments in our Casumo review.

Whichever Starburst casino you choose, the same Swedish rules apply. You must set a deposit limit per day, week and month when you register, and an increase in the limit applies after 72 hours at the earliest. Since 1 May 2026 gambling may not be financed with credit either, so credit cards must be blocked as a payment method. A bonus may only be offered on the first occasion you play with a licence holder, so read the terms carefully before accepting.

Similar slots

If you want classic paylines but much bigger swings, Book of Dead from Play’n GO is a good example of the opposite: high volatility and a bonus round that decides almost everything.

Gates of Olympus and Sweet Bonanza are instead built on pay-anywhere wins and tumbling reels. NetEnt has also released Starburst Galaxy, which came out in November 2024. You can see how all the games differ in our comparison of slots.