Everything You Need To Know About Starburst Slot Sites

Released in 2012 by NetEnt, Starburst is one of the most popular and instantly-recognisable online slots today. An easy-to-play game, Starburst is noted for its cool, ‘cosmic’ theme and its brightly-coloured jewels. Despite its simplicity, the slot packs an almighty punch when it comes to potential payouts. Indeed, Starburst is often cited as a favourite tile by low-stakes and high-stakes players alike. It is NetEnt’s signature game, but one that is also proudly promoted by any online casino that offers it.

Of the recommend Starburst casinos above, some, such as The Grand Ivy and Dunder, currently offer you Starburst ‘free’ spins as part of their welcome package.

Rules & Gameplay

Starburst ‘star-power’ lies in its simplicity and its ease of play. The slot features ‘cosmic jewels’ as symbols, all of which are stacked across the reels, as well as the classic high-paying symbols of Bars and 7s, which are also in stacks.

Starburst features 10 paylines, with the slot comprised of five reels and three rows of symbols. However, the paylines pay both ways (left to right and right to left). All paylines are activated in the default setting.

The total bet is created by setting the bet level (effectively a number of coins) and a coin value. These are multiplied by 10 to create the total bet. For example: Bet level 2 (2 coins) and a coin value of 2p would create a total bet of 40p per spin, e.g. 2 coins x 2p x 10 (lines). You should note that you will only pay for the line bet once, despite there being effectively 20 paylines (10 that pay both ways).

For UK casino players, the minimum bet per spin on Starburst is 10p (bet level 1, coin value 1p, 10 paylines). The typical maximum bet (as sometimes these can vary by casino) is £100 per spin (bet level 10, coin value £1, 10 paylines).

Features

Designed to meet the expectations of both professional risk-takers and recreational players, the Starburst game offers a set of rewarding features, including expanding wilds, ‘free’ spins with multiplied winnings.

In addition, like we said before, the game offers a unique “Win both ways” feature, meaning you will get more chances to form a winning combination with at least three symbols of the same kind placed on adjacent reels starting from either the left or the right side of the screen.

Before looking at payouts for individual symbols, it is important to point out that the stacked symbols mean that multiple wins on a single spin are the rule rather than the exception with Starburst.

The Bar Symbol is essentially the jackpot symbol and will pay 250 x your line bet (coins x coin value) each time five of a kind is reached on a payline. However, as Starburst pays both ways and the paylines mirror each other, matching five symbols effectively pays double of what it states on the paytable.

So, if you were betting the lowest level of 10p per spin, five Bar Symbols would pay £5. But, as mentioned, the stacked symbols mean that multiple wins are more frequent than individual wins, so there is the potential of filling the entire reel set with Bar Symbols. This would pay £50,000 when playing the maximum bet. The lowest possible payout for any spin is 5p, awarded when matching three blue/purple jewels playing at 10p per spin.

Wild Symbols

Traditional wilds are here replaced by the Starburst Cosmic Wild Symbols that can fall on any of three middle reels. When this occurs, they will expand and substitute for any other symbols to make the highest-possible winning combinations. In addition, you will be awarded a free-respin with the Cosmic Wild Symbol held in place. When the second spin is completed, any further wins will be calculated and added to the total.

If, as is often the case, a second Cosmic Wild Symbol falls on the reels during this re-spin, a second re-spin is awarded with both special symbols held in their positions. This can be repeated again if a third symbol falls on the reels. If the latter occurs, it almost guarantees a big payout (relative to your bet).

More Payout Information

As mentioned, the Bars essentially act as the jackpot symbols in Starburst, although the 7s are also very lucrative. It must be stressed again how the game relies on multiple wins as its main attraction. In the slot’s gameplay these are referred to as Combos, increasing to Super Combos and Mega Combos as you rack up the wins. If you receive a win above 20 times your total bet, the slot will light up – like a supernova – to celebrate what it terms a ‘Big Win’.

The RTP (average player returns over time) for Starburst is 96.1%, and it is rated as low variance. In layman’s terms, this means low risk to your bankroll.

Graphics & Sound

Mobile & Software

Officially, Starburst has a separate mobile title called Starburst Touch, but this is in fact the same game. As mentioned, it is created by NetEnt one of the world’s best developers for games on mobile, desktop and live casino. In fact, Starburst is considered NetEnt’s flagship casino game.

It has, in fact, entered into ‘online casino lore’ that Starburst was given relatively poor reviews on its release. It’s fair to say that those opinions have changed today. It’s not quite as flashy as NetEnt’s other flagship games, Gonzo’s Quest or Mega Fortune, both of which offer a more ‘enhanced’ gaming experience on mobile and desktop. However, sometimes simple works best, especially when it comes to playing on mobile. If you want to check out a NetEnt title with a similar feel to Starburst, perhaps Twin Spin Deluxe would be the way to go. Incidentally, Gonzo’s Quest, Mega Fortune and Twin Spin Deluxe are all available to play at the recommended Starburst casinos listed above.

Tips & How To Play

Starburst is incredibly easy to play as the slot automatically does the work for you (apart from spinning the reels). The main special feature, the Starburst Wild Respin, sees the reels spun automatically by the slot, meaning you just have to sit back and watch the wins rack up. If you wish, you can set up to 1000 spins to be played consecutively with the auto play feature. You can also spin the reels using the ‘Max Bet’ button, which will play the maximum bet level (10) for your selected coin value.

Because there are no progressive jackpots, there are no discernible advantages by playing for a higher or lower wager level. Of course, the higher your bet, the bigger the potential payout. However, the ‘Combos’ and high-paying symbols ensure that even those playing for small amounts can experience big wins on Starburst. Evidence from casino review sites suggests that players normally aim for 50p-£2, allowing them to win up to £1000 in a single spin, yet still keeping their bankroll intact.

The Final Word

As it offers no bonus games or (regular) ‘free’ spins features, it is difficult to put a finger on what makes Starburst online slot so wildly popular. In a way, you should think of it a bit like Tetris, a simple video game that is still loved decades after its release due to its simple brilliance.

Although a medium-to-high volatility game, where you will probably have to wait for a few spins before get some coins on your bankroll, Starburst is still able to provide more money than some other games you can play online. Thanks to the win-both-ways, you will actually feel like playing a slot game with 20 paylines, while the expanding wilds and Starburst ‘free’ spins can help you score the top prize much sooner than expected in Starburst casino.

Indeed, Starburst looks like its popularity will be similarly long-lived. Want to find out why? Check the recommended list of Starburst UK casinos, get your bonus and start playing one of the world’s best online slots.