Reel Rush in South Africa: Re-Spins That Open the Reels
Reel Rush is NetEnt's fruit slot from July 2013, and its reels start out in a diamond shape: one position on the outer reels, three on reels 2 and 4 and five in the middle, for 45 ways to win. Every win in the main game gives a re-spin that uncovers two more positions, up to five re-spins. A win on the fifth one opens the whole grid for 8 free spins with 3,125 ways.
Figures from provider data, September 2026. The RTP is the figure the studio publishes; check the ranking and the game's own info screen before you deposit.
On this page
Try Reel Rush before you deposit 💰
NetEnt's own version of Reel Rush, from playin.com, the site of the Evolution Group's studios. It loads into this page only when you press the button; nothing comes from that site before. Playin asks you to confirm you are 18 or older.
What Reel Rush looks like
Images: NetEnt, official game page (netent.com); Our still from NetEnt's official gameplay video (games.evolution.com).
How Reel Rush works
NetEnt's game page gives the grid as '5x5 (1,3,5,3,1)'. In the main game only part of it is open: in the words of the game's help, reels 1 and 5 are one row high, reels 2 and 4 three rows high and reel 3 five rows high. The rest of the grid stays covered until the re-spins open it.
Wins are paid on bet ways, not lines. Matching symbols in any position on three or more adjacent reels, from the leftmost reel, form a win, and the number of possible ways is the product of the open positions per reel. On the starting shape that is 1 x 3 x 5 x 3 x 1 = 45 by our arithmetic, the same 45 NetEnt lists as the minimum, and on the full grid 5 x 5 x 5 x 5 x 5 = 3,125, NetEnt's maximum.
The help gives its own example: three pineapples on reels 1 to 3, with one on reel 1, one on reel 2 and three on reel 3, make 1 x 1 x 3 = 3 winning ways.
NetEnt's bet range for the game is €0.50 to €100.00 a spin. Because the game pays on ways, the stake covers every open way at once, whatever the shape of the grid at that moment.
The re-spins, step by step
From the Re-Spins and Free Spins texts on NetEnt's page and in the game's help.
-
A win in the main game
Any winning combination in the main game activates one re-spin. The help puts the limit at five re-spins in a row. -
Two positions open
On each re-spin, two new positions on the reels open, in NetEnt's words 'in a puff of clouds', and the number of ways to win grows. -
The chain continues or stops
Re-spins end when a re-spin brings no winning combination, or once all positions on the reels have been uncovered. -
A win on the fifth re-spin
If the fifth and final re-spin includes a win, NetEnt says 8 free spins are won, played on the full grid of five reels and five rows.
How the grid changes
From NetEnt's page and the game's help.
| Stage | Open positions per reel | Ways to win |
|---|---|---|
| Main game, first spin | 1, 3, 5, 3, 1 | 45 |
| Each re-spin after a win | Two more positions open | More than before |
| Free spins | 5, 5, 5, 5, 5 | 3,125 |
Wild symbols
The wild can appear on reels 2, 3, 4 and 5, in the main game and in free spins, and it substitutes for all symbols; NetEnt's page and the help say the same. Because it never lands on reel 1 and wins count from the leftmost reel, by our reading every win needs a real symbol on the first reel, which in the main game has a single position.
NetEnt describes the wild's animation too: when a wild completes a win, the star on the symbol spins and shines with golden rays of light. The symbol image beside that text on NetEnt's page shows the wild as a gold tile, the word WILD written over a star.
Free spins on the full grid 🎁
The free spins come at the end of the re-spins: the help says that once all positions on the reels have been uncovered in the main game, 8 free spins are activated on a five-reel, five-row play area. With every position open, each spin pays on 3,125 ways.
Neither NetEnt's page nor the help says that the free spins can be won again, or that re-spins run inside them, so this page does not describe either.
The theme is fruit. NetEnt's banner shows a pineapple, grapes, a strawberry, a lemon, a blue fruit and a striped green one, all drawn as rounded tiles over a green, cartoon landscape, and its free spins screenshot adds oval symbols in purple, green, orange and red.
Reel Rush in figures
From NetEnt's game page and Evolution's games site.
| Detail | Reel Rush |
|---|---|
| Released | 24 July 2013 (NetEnt) |
| Grid | 5x5, opening from 1, 3, 5, 3, 1 positions |
| Ways to win | 45 at the start, 3,125 in free spins |
| Re-spins | Up to 5, two positions open on each |
| Free spins | 8, after a win on the fifth re-spin |
| Hit frequency | 28%, as NetEnt states it |
| Volatility | Medium on NetEnt's page, Mid on Evolution's games site |
| Max payout | 1,000x the bet, NetEnt's figure |
| Bet range | €0.50 to €100.00 on NetEnt's page |
What the numbers mean for a session
The 28% on NetEnt's page is labelled Hit Frequency. Read as the share of spins with some win, 28 in 100 is slightly more than one spin in four, by our arithmetic. In this game every main game win also brings a re-spin, so a paying spin tends to be followed by at least one more spin of the reels at no extra stake.
NetEnt's badge says MEDIUM and Evolution's games site says Mid, so both place Reel Rush in the middle of their own scales. The 1,000x 'Max payout' is a figure NetEnt prints for the game; neither site calls it a limit on a win. Set the stake from the money you are ready to lose in one sitting: raising it after a loss changes nothing, since no staking pattern beats the house edge.
Reel Rush RTP and volatility 📊
NetEnt gives Reel Rush's return to player as 96.96%.
Volatility is medium: small wins mixed with occasional bigger ones.
Paying for Reel Rush in rand
Reel Rush is in the lobby at 9 operators we list: all of them take Ozow and cards; 6 take Capitec Pay; 8 take cash vouchers.
The smallest first deposit for Reel Rush among them is R1, at Luckyfish.
Reel Rush winnings are paid by EFT to an account in your own name, after FICA.
Get FICA done first · How to deposit in rand · Every payment method
Is Reel Rush legal in South Africa? 📜
Reel Rush is a slot. In South Africa you find it at licensed bookmakers, next to their sports markets.
All 9 operators we list for Reel Rush hold a South African provincial licence.
Before you play with real money ⚠️
Set your Reel Rush budget and a deposit limit before the first round, not after a losing one. If it stops being fun, the South African Responsible Gambling Foundation helpline is free on 0800 006 008.
Pros, cons and verdict ⚖️
- Every main game win gives a re-spin that opens more of the grid
- 8 free spins on the full grid with 3,125 ways
- A 28% hit frequency, as NetEnt states it
- One rule to follow: win, re-spin, open two positions
- Free spins need a win on the fifth re-spin of a chain
- 45 ways and a single position on reel 1 at the start
- NetEnt's pages publish no paytable
- No wild on reel 1
Reel Rush turns each win into a chance to grow the reels: the diamond of 45 ways opens two positions per winning re-spin, and a full chain of five ends in 8 free spins on all 3,125 ways. The rules fit in a few sentences, and the tension sits in whether the chain keeps going. It suits a player who likes a game that builds within a single spin.
Reel Rush FAQ ❓
How do the re-spins work in Reel Rush?
Every winning combination in the main game gives one re-spin, up to five in a row. Each re-spin opens two new positions on the reels, so the number of ways grows. The chain ends when a re-spin brings no win or the whole grid is open.
How do you trigger free spins in Reel Rush?
Through the re-spins. NetEnt says that if the fifth and final re-spin includes a winning combination, 8 free spins are won. They are played on the full grid of five reels and five rows, with 3,125 ways to win.
What is Reel Rush's RTP?
NetEnt's game page gives 96.96%, and Evolution's games site lists 96.96% too. The help inside the game states the theoretical return for the copy your casino runs, so check that line in the casino's own lobby before you stake real money.
How many ways to win does Reel Rush have?
45 at the start, with reels of 1, 3, 5, 3 and 1 positions, and 3,125 on the full 5x5 grid of the free spins. In between, each winning re-spin opens two more positions and adds ways.
Is Reel Rush the same game as Reel Rush 2 or Reel Rush XXXtreme?
No. They are separate NetEnt games with their own pages and rules. This page covers the original Reel Rush of 2013, with its 45 starting ways, five re-spins and 8 free spins.
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Where to play Reel Rush in South Africa
Licensed South African operators we have found carrying Reel Rush, each with its licence and our score, and the date where we saw the game in the lobby ourselves. Ordered by that score. How we score Offers checked September 2026.
Also carrying Reel Rush. Bonus, payment and payout terms for each are on its review.
