Pokie review · Australia
Starburst is a five-reel, ten-line pokie from NetEnt with a published return of 96.08% and a hit frequency of 23%. This review sticks to the numbers the provider prints, plus what the partner's bonus terms mean for a low-volatility session.
Figures checked on 16 October 2026
Starburst is a frequent-payout, small-prize pokie with a competitive return figure, but it cannot match the maximum wins of the high-volatility titles on our shortlist, so it suits short sessions with a clear loss limit.
Paid placement. Paid placement. The operator pays for this position; it does not affect anything measured on this page.
96.08%
Long-run average across all spins, online version800x
Multiple of the stakeThe provider lists a return to player of 96.08%. That is a long-run average over millions of spins, not a target for any one session. A session of a few hundred spins can finish well above or below it, and the figure says nothing about what will happen tonight.
What the figure does do is place Starburst near the top of the shortlist on this site. Big Bass Bonanza Megaways lists 96.72%, Big Bass Bonanza 96.71%, Madame Destiny Megaways 96.51%, Gates of Olympus 96.5% and Sweet Bonanza 96.48% — all higher. Starburst's edge is not return; it is how often the game pays something.
A published hit frequency of 23% means roughly one in four spins returns something. That is a different experience from a high-volatility pokie where long dry spells are normal. On Starburst, wins arrive often, but many are smaller than the stake.
The maximum win is 800x, the smallest on the shortlist. Big Bass Bonanza Megaways and Big Bass Bonanza list 2,100x, Madame Destiny Megaways and Gates of Olympus 5,000x, and Sweet Bonanza 21,100x. Starburst is not a pokie to chase a life-changing payout on. It is a pokie where the money moves in small steps.
The provider publishes one main feature: the star wild expands to cover the whole reel, substitutes for all paying symbols, and triggers a respin. Up to three respins can follow. There is no free spins round and no bonus buy-in. The game does not have a jackpot.
The partner's terms are a first deposit bonus of 600%, daily cashback of 10% of losses, a minimum deposit of US$20 and a maximum bet on a bonus of A$5. If you take a bonus, the A$5 cap limits how much you can stake per spin, which suits a pokie built around frequent small returns. Read the terms before depositing.
The table below compares Starburst with five other pokies on the figures the providers publish.
| 1Big Bass Bonanza Megaways | 96.72% | High | 2,100x | Pragmatic Play |
| 2Big Bass Bonanza | 96.71% | High | 2,100x | Pragmatic Play |
| 3Madame Destiny Megaways | 96.51% | High | 5,000x | Pragmatic Play |
| 4Gates of Olympus | 96.5% | High | 5,000x | Pragmatic Play |
| 5Sweet Bonanza | 96.48% | Medium-High | 21,100x | Pragmatic Play |
Select a column heading to sort.
Big Bass Bonanza Megaways lists a higher return and a much larger maximum win, but it plays at high volatility.
Big Bass Bonanza matches its Megaways version on return and maximum win, also at high volatility.
Madame Destiny Megaways offers a higher return and a 5,000x maximum win for players who accept high volatility.
NetEnt publishes a return to player of 96.08%. Treat it as a long-run average, not a guarantee for any single session.
No. The published feature set is an expanding star wild that triggers a respin, with up to three respins. No free spins round and no bonus buy-in are published.
The provider does not publish a volatility figure for Starburst, so we do not print one. The mix of a 23% hit frequency and an 800x maximum win is the closest thing to a volatility picture the published numbers give.
The provider lists a maximum win of 800x. That is the smallest maximum win on our shortlist, where other pokies list 2,100x or more.