Key facts
- NetEnt says it has been a pioneer for 30 years. Evolution bought it in 2020 and by 1 December 2020 held about 96.8% of its shares, after which NetEnt applied to leave Nasdaq Stockholm.
- NetEnt's game pages list RTP, hit frequency and maximum payout: Starburst 96.08%, 23%, 800x; Gonzo's Quest 95.97%, 41%, 2,200x; Mega Joker 99.00%, 17%, 200x.
- Its mechanical firsts include the Avalanche reels of Gonzo's Quest (2010), the expanding wild respin of Starburst (2012) and the Cluster Pays grid of Aloha! (2016).
- In Gonzo's Quest each Avalanche raises the multiplier by 1, up to 5x. Four 1x wins in a row pay 10x the bet instead of 4x, in our calculation.
- The terms of many offshore casinos we have reviewed say NetEnt games are not available to players in Australia.
Who makes NetEnt pokies
NetEnt pokies are made by a studio that traded on Nasdaq Stockholm until Evolution bought it in 2020. NetEnt's about page says "We've been pioneers for 30 years!", reports 58.3 billion gaming transactions through its systems in 2019 and "more than 200 active customers". The licensee named on its site is Evolution Gaming Malta Limited, under Malta Gaming Authority licence MGA/CRP/187/2010.
| Year | What happened, per Evolution |
|---|---|
| 2020 | "Evolution acquires NetEnt, NetEnt Casino and Red Tiger" |
| 1 Dec 2020 | Evolution holds about 96.8% of NetEnt's shares; NetEnt applies to delist from Nasdaq Stockholm; NetEnt kept as one of four brands |
| 2021 | Evolution agrees to buy Big Time Gaming, the Sydney maker of Megaways |
| 2022 | Evolution acquires Nolimit City |
That makes NetEnt a sister studio of big time gaming pokies, even though the two sell very different styles of game.
The numbers NetEnt publishes
NetEnt is unusually open. Each game page we read lists the RTP, the hit frequency (the share of spins that win anything) and the maximum payout as a multiple of the bet.
| Game | Released | Layout | RTP | Hit frequency | Max payout |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mega Joker | 01-10-2008 | 3x3, 5 fixed lines | 99.00% | 17% | 200x |
| Blood Suckers | 10-11-2009 | 5x3, 25 lines | 98.00% | 45% | 900x |
| Dead or Alive | 10-11-2009 | 9 lines | 96.82% | 30% | 8,600x |
| Gonzo's Quest | 15-03-2010 | 5x3, up to 20 lines | 95.97% | 41% | 2,200x |
| Starburst | 23-01-2012 | 5x3, up to 10 lines | 96.08% | 23% | 800x |
| Aloha! Cluster Pays | 22-03-2016 | 6x5 grid, clusters | 96.42% | 21% | 700x |
| Twin Spin | not checked | 243 ways | 96.55% | 28% | 1,000x |
| Divine Fortune | not checked | 5x3, 20 lines | 96.59% | 20% | 1,000x |
Read across a row and the game's personality shows up. Dead or Alive wins on 30% of spins but can pay 8,600x, so most of its return is locked up in rare, large results. Blood Suckers wins on 45% of spins with a 900x ceiling, so it pays back in many small pieces. Our pokies hit frequency guide turns those percentages into dry-spell odds.
What NetEnt games are known for mechanically
Avalanche reels (Gonzo's Quest, 2010). When a win lands, the winning symbols explode and new ones fall into the empty spaces, so one paid spin can pay again. Each Avalanche raises the win multiplier by 1, capped at 5x in the base game, and a non-winning drop resets it. In the Free Fall bonus, triggered by three Free Fall scatters on reels 1, 2 and 3 for 10 free spins, NetEnt says the multiplier can reach 15x.
The expanding wild respin (Starburst, 2012). When a Starburst wild lands, it fills its whole reel and triggers a respin. It is a simple feature: one bet, two chances to land a win.
Cluster Pays (Aloha!, 2016). Aloha! drops symbols on a 6x5 grid and pays for clusters rather than lines. A cluster win can trigger Sticky Win Re-spins that hold the winning symbols while the rest spin again. Free spins come with 3 to 6 Free Spin symbols (9 to 12 spins), and NetEnt adds a rule worth knowing: if the last free spin does not win, you get an extra spin until one does. See cluster pays pokies for how clusters are counted.
The Supermeter (Mega Joker, 2008). A win in the basic game moves you into a second mode with bigger bets of 20, 40, 100 or 200 coins, with Supermeter wins capped at 2,000 coins. It is the reason Mega Joker sits in our classic pokies guide.
Progressive jackpots. Mega Fortune has three jackpots, and Divine Fortune awards Minor, Major and a growing Mega Jackpot for filling one, two or three rows in its bonus. Our jackpot pokies guide covers how those pools work.
The Avalanche multiplier, worked through
The Gonzo's Quest ladder is easy to underestimate. Suppose one drop produces four Avalanche wins in a row, each worth 1x your bet before the multiplier. In our calculation:
| Avalanche in the chain | Multiplier | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| 1st win | 1x | 1x bet |
| 2nd win | 2x | 2x bet |
| 3rd win | 3x | 3x bet |
| 4th win | 4x | 4x bet |
| Total | 10x bet |
Without the ladder the same four wins would pay 4x. A fifth win would pay 5x, and a sixth would stay at 5x, because the base game caps there. The ladder does not make the game cheaper: NetEnt's 95.97% RTP already counts it. It moves money from single wins into chains.
Pundit tip: NetEnt's game pages are the benchmark. If a site's rules screen for a NetEnt game shows a lower RTP than the figure in the table above, you are on a lower version of that game.
How to check the RTP of a NetEnt game
- Note NetEnt's figure from the table, or from the game's page on netent.com.
- Open the game at the site and read the RTP line in the game rules.
- Some NetEnt figures depend on how you play. NetEnt describes Jackpot 6000 as having an "RTP potential up to 98.9%", which is the best case, not a promise for every bet.
- If the site's figure is lower, work out the gap in dollars in the pokies calculator before you decide whether it is worth playing.
NetEnt pokies in Australia
Online pokies cannot legally be offered to people in Australia under the Interactive Gambling Act 2001, and that covers NetEnt games like any others. Offshore casinos often restrict NetEnt too: the terms of many sites we desk-reviewed say NetEnt games are not available to players in Australia, and several say Australian players cannot win NetEnt jackpots or will have such wins annulled.
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Frequently asked questions
Who owns NetEnt?
Evolution. Its timeline lists 2020 as the year it acquired NetEnt, and its 1 December 2020 release says it held about 96.8% of NetEnt's shares, with NetEnt applying to delist from Nasdaq Stockholm. NetEnt's site names Evolution Gaming Malta Limited as the licensee, under Malta Gaming Authority licence MGA/CRP/187/2010.
What is the RTP of Starburst?
NetEnt lists 96.08% for Starburst, with a hit frequency of 23% and a maximum payout of 800 times the bet. It was released on 23 January 2012 and plays on 5 reels and 3 rows with up to 10 lines.
Which NetEnt pokie has the highest RTP?
Of the NetEnt pages we read, Mega Joker lists the highest RTP at 99.00%, followed by Jackpot 6000 at 98.90% (described as an RTP potential of up to 98.9%) and Blood Suckers at 98.00%.
Can Australians play NetEnt pokies?
Not legally for real money, since online pokies cannot be offered to people in Australia. Many offshore casinos we desk-reviewed also say in their terms that NetEnt games are unavailable to Australian players, and some say Australians cannot win NetEnt jackpots.
What does hit frequency mean on a NetEnt game page?
It is the share of spins that return a win of any size. Starburst lists 23%, so roughly 1 spin in 4.3 pays something, but many of those wins are smaller than the bet.
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