Expanding star wild
The star wild expands to cover the whole reel and substitutes for all paying symbols. That is the main event in a round, since no separate bonus screen is published.
Pokie guide · Australia
Starburst: what the numbers say before you spin
Starburst has been running since 2012, and the published figures have not changed: 96.08% return, 800x maximum win, a hit on about 23% of spins. This page sets out what those numbers say, and what they do not.
- 96.08%RTP
- 800xMaximum win
The specification, in full
- Return to player
96.08%
Long-run average across all spins, online version - Maximum win
800x
Multiple of the stake
- Grid
- 5x3
- Ways to win
- 10 lines, pays both ways
- Hit frequency
- 23.0%
- Provider
- NetEnt
- Released
- 2012
Return and volatility
Return against volatility
The 96.08% return is an average over the long run, measured across a number of spins far larger than any session you or I will play. In that long run, 96.08% of everything staked comes back as wins and the remainder is the margin the game keeps. The figure is a property of the game's design, not of your balance. It cannot tell you what the next spin will do, and no result during a session moves the long-run average toward or away from you in any way you can act on.
Because no volatility value is published by NetEnt for Starburst, the useful signals are the hit frequency of 23.0% and the 800x maximum win. A win on roughly one spin in four, with a modest ceiling, describes a game where returns arrive often and are mostly small. In a single session that tends to mean a balance that moves regularly rather than one that sits still for long stretches. It does not mean the session will end ahead.
Volatility
Medium- Low
- Medium
- High
Return to player
96.08%This game 96.08%Average 95.17%
The average is the median return of the 27 pokies this site holds published figures for.
How the game is built: Starburst
Respin chain
An expanding wild triggers a respin, and up to three respins can follow. Each one is a fresh spin, so the chain can end at any point.
Both-ways pays
The grid is 5x3 with 10 lines, and wins are paid both ways. That combination is part of why the published hit frequency sits at 23.0%.
No bonus round
No free spins round and no bonus buy-in are published for Starburst. The published maximum win is 800x, and there is no jackpot.
A round, step by step
- 01
Choose your stake
Set the bet per spin before you start. Every figure on this page, including the 96.08% return, is calculated against the amount staked.
- 02
Spin the reels
The reels run on a 5x3 grid with 10 lines. A win lands on about 23% of spins, so most spins return something small and most of the stake does not come back.
- 03
Watch for the wild
When the star wild lands, it expands to cover the whole reel and substitutes for all paying symbols. That expansion is what triggers the respin.
- 04
Follow the respins
An expanding wild sets off a respin, and up to three respins can follow. There is no free spins round to reach, so the round ends when the respin chain does.
The figures, side by side
These pokies are listed by their published return, highest first, so you can see where Starburst's 96.08% sits.
Figures checked on 16 October 2026
The whole list, in one grid
Sort by whichever figure decides it for you.
| 1Gates of Olympus | 96.5% | High | 5,000x | Pragmatic Play |
| 2Sweet Bonanza | 96.48% | Medium-High | 21,100x | Pragmatic Play |
| 3Floating Dragon | 96.35% | High | 5,000x | Pragmatic Play |
| 4Big Bamboo | 96.13% | High | — | Push Gaming |
| 5Wolf Gold | 96.01% | Medium | 5,000x | Pragmatic Play |
Select a column heading to sort.
Gates of Olympus
Gates of Olympus publishes a return of 96.5% with high volatility and a maximum win of 5,000x.
- RTP
- 96.5%
- Volatility
- High
- Max win
- 5,000x
- Greek Mythology
- Pragmatic Play
Sweet Bonanza
Sweet Bonanza publishes a return of 96.48% with medium-high volatility and a maximum win of 21,100x.
- RTP
- 96.48%
- Volatility
- Medium-High
- Max win
- 21,100x
- Candy
- Pragmatic Play
Floating Dragon
Floating Dragon publishes a return of 96.35% with high volatility, a maximum win of 5,000x and 10 lines.
- RTP
- 96.35%
- Volatility
- High
- Max win
- 5,000x
- Lines
- 10
- Asian
- Pragmatic Play
The published return and what it describes
The return figure on Starburst is 96.08%, the number NetEnt publishes for the online version. It is a long-run average taken across a very large number of spins, not a rate that applies to any one session. Over a short run of spins the result can sit well above or well below that figure, and nothing about the game changes to bring it back into line while you are playing.
Read it as a description of the game's price, not a promise. Of every A$100 staked across that long run, 96.08% comes back as wins and the rest is the margin built into the design. The figure tells you how the game is built. It does not tell you what will happen in the next hundred spins.
Volatility, hits and what a session feels like
Starburst pays on 10 lines and pays both ways, which raises how often a spin produces something. The published hit frequency is 23.0%, so roughly one spin in four returns a win of some size. Most of those wins are small, and the biggest published win on a single result is 800x. There is no jackpot here, and none is published.
NetEnt prints a Volatility label on the game but does not publish a value for it, and that is the honest position: no volatility figure for Starburst can be quoted as the provider's. What can be said is that a 23.0% hit rate with an 800x ceiling points to frequent small returns rather than rare large ones. A session is not the long run, and the return figure will not show up on any single night.
Wilds, respins and the shape of a round
The star wild expands to cover the whole reel and substitutes for every paying symbol. When it lands, it triggers a respin, and up to three respins can follow. There is no free spins round and no bonus buy-in published for this game, so the value in a round sits in those expanding wilds rather than in a separate feature screen.
The layout is 5x3 with 10 lines and pays both ways. That structure, combined with the 23.0% hit frequency, is why the game is often filed under short sessions: results arrive often enough to keep a balance moving, but the published maximum of 800x is small next to the five-figure ceilings on other titles.
Quick answers before you decide
Is Starburst by NetEnt?
Yes. NetEnt is the provider published for Starburst, and the online version carries a published return of 96.08%. The game was released in 2012 and has been widely available since.
What is the RTP of Starburst?
The published return for the online version is 96.08%. Treat that as a long-run average across a very large number of spins, not as a rate that applies to one session.
Does Starburst have free spins?
No free spins round is published for Starburst, and no bonus buy-in is published either. The feature set is built around the star wild expanding over a full reel and triggering respins, with up to three respins able to follow.
What is the maximum win on Starburst?
The published maximum win is 800x. There is no jackpot, and the game pays on 10 lines with both-ways pays, so most individual wins are smaller than that ceiling.