Starburst in South Africa: Expanding Wilds, Re-Spins and Both-Ways Lines
Starburst is NetEnt's gem slot from January 2012, and it is built around a single idea. There is no free spins round and no bonus buy: five reels, three rows, ten fixed lines that pay from both ends, and a wild that only lands on the three middle reels. When it does, it fills its reel, stays there and awards a free re-spin, up to three in a row. NetEnt's own game page rates the volatility medium and puts the hit frequency at 23%.
On this page
What Starburst looks like
Images: NetEnt, official game page (netent.com); Our still from NetEnt's official promo video (games.evolution.com).
How Starburst works
The grid is five reels by three rows with ten paylines, and the lines are fixed, so every spin covers all ten. Five coloured gems are the low-paying symbols, a red seven and a gold bar pay the most, and the rainbow star is the wild. The lines pay in both directions: a win counts from the leftmost reel to the right, and also from the rightmost reel to the left, as long as the matching symbols run without a gap.
The star is where the game happens. It only lands on reels 2, 3 and 4, never on the outer two, and when it does it covers its whole reel, stands in for every paying symbol and triggers the Starburst Wilds feature: a free re-spin with the wild reel held in place. The steps below show how a sequence builds.
That is the whole feature set: NetEnt's own game page lists two features, Expanding Wilds and Respins, and every win is a line win, on a normal spin or a re-spin.
One wild sequence, step by step
The order is always the same, as the game's own rules set it out.
-
A star lands on reel 2, 3 or 4
Any normal paid spin can bring one. The star expands to fill its reel, and because every line crosses every reel, it now stands in on all ten lines. -
The wild reel locks
The expanded reel stays where it is and the other reels spin again. The re-spin costs nothing: it belongs to the spin you already paid for. -
Each new star adds one
A star landing on a middle reel that is still spinning expands and locks too, and the wilds already in place stay with it for one more re-spin. -
Three is the ceiling
Up to three stars can appear, which gives at most three re-spins. With reels 2, 3 and 4 all wild, there is no reel left for another star. -
The sequence ends
A re-spin without a new star closes the feature, and the next spin is paid for as normal.
Why reels 1 and 5 decide the win
On a slot that pays left to right only, reel 5 matters only as the end of a long combination. Starburst reads every line from both ends, so reel 5 can start a win of its own and run leftwards.
Put that next to the wild's placement and the layout makes sense. A win has to start on an outer reel, and the outer reels never hold a wild, so the symbol a line pays for always comes from reel 1 or reel 5. The middle reels are the bridge. One locked wild reel sits on all ten lines at once; with all three middle reels wild, every line runs through three wilds and the whole screen comes down to what lands on reels 1 and 5. That changes where to look during a re-spin, not the odds.
Starburst in figures
From NetEnt's game page, Evolution's games site and the rules inside the game.
| Detail | Starburst |
|---|---|
| Released | 23 January 2012 |
| Grid | 5 reels, 3 rows |
| Paylines | 10, fixed, paying left to right and right to left |
| Wild | Starburst Wild, on reels 2, 3 and 4 only, expands over the whole reel |
| Re-spins | Started by a wild, repeated while new wilds land, three at most |
| Hit frequency | 23%, as NetEnt states it |
| Free spins round | None |
| Bonus buy | None |
How the numbers shape a session
NetEnt states a hit frequency of 23%, a little under one spin in four, and labels the volatility medium; Evolution's games site puts it lower, at low to mid. Read with the rules, that points to a balance that tends to move in small steps between wild sequences. Nothing builds up from one paid spin to the next and there is no free spins round to wait for, so a long run without a star is simply a long run of plain line spins.
The stake is the one choice you make, and it does not change the odds. A bigger bet makes every result bigger in rand, wins and losses alike, and the re-spins play out on their own. No betting pattern beats the house edge here. What the stake does decide is how long your budget lasts, so pick it with the whole session in mind rather than the next spin.
The original, not the sequels
Starburst is now a family name: NetEnt lists Starburst XXXtreme and Starburst Galaxy on its own site as separate games, each with its own rules and figures. This page covers the 2012 original only, and the operators listed below are the ones where we have found it. If the tile in your lobby carries a longer name, the game's information screen will tell you what you are actually playing.
Starburst RTP and volatility 📊
NetEnt gives Starburst's return to player as 96.08%.
Volatility is medium: small wins mixed with occasional bigger ones.
Paying for Starburst in rand
Starburst is in the lobby at 13 operators we list: all of them take cards; 12 take Ozow; 8 take Capitec Pay; 12 take cash vouchers.
The smallest first deposit for Starburst among them is R1, at Luckyfish.
Starburst 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 Starburst legal in South Africa? 📜
Starburst is a slot, which licensed bookmakers carry under their provincial betting licences.
All 13 operators we list for Starburst hold a South African provincial licence.
Before you play with real money ⚠️
Set your Starburst 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 ⚖️
- One feature with short rules: wild reels that lock for up to three free re-spins
- Lines pay from both ends, so reel 5 can start a win too
- A 23% hit frequency, and no official volatility label above medium
- Nothing to decide inside the feature, and nothing in it costs extra
- No free spins round and no bonus buy
- Three wild reels at most, which limits how far one sequence can go
- Sequels share the name, so the lobby tile needs a second look
Starburst has lasted on one rule that fits in a sentence: a star on a middle reel fills it, holds and awards a free re-spin, up to three times, while every line counts from both ends. NetEnt puts the hit frequency at 23% and the volatility at medium, so a win comes a little under one spin in four and the swings are moderate by the studio's own scale. It is the wrong game for anyone who wants free spins or a feature to build towards, because it has neither. NetEnt's own page gives the return as 96.08% and Evolution's games site as 96.09%; the game's own help states, under Return to Player, the theoretical return of the game you open.
Starburst FAQ ❓
How many re-spins can you get in Starburst?
Up to three. A Starburst Wild on reel 2, 3 or 4 expands, locks and awards a re-spin, and a new wild during that re-spin earns another, with the earlier wilds staying in place. With all three middle reels wild there is no room for another.
Does Starburst have free spins?
Not as a separate round. NetEnt lists two features, the expanding wild and the re-spin. The re-spins are free in the sense that they cost nothing beyond the spin that started them, but there is no free spins round and no bonus buy.
Why do wilds never land on reels 1 and 5?
The game's rules put Starburst Wilds on reels 2, 3 and 4 only. Because lines pay from both ends, the symbol a line pays for always comes from reel 1 or reel 5, and the wilds in the middle connect the two.
How often does Starburst pay?
NetEnt states a hit frequency of 23%, so over the long run a little under one spin in four returns something. The figure says how often a spin wins, not how much it pays, so it tells you nothing about whether a session ends up or down.
Is Starburst XXXtreme the same game?
No. NetEnt lists Starburst XXXtreme as a separate game with its own rules and figures, and the same goes for Starburst Galaxy. Everything on this page describes the 2012 original, so check the name on the tile before relying on it.
Where to play Starburst in South Africa
Licensed South African operators we have found carrying Starburst, 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 Starburst. Bonus, payment and payout terms for each are on its review.