Free Gem and Diamond Slots

Five engines under one sparkle

Gems and diamonds are a symbol set more than a story. Cut stones ranked by value often sit beside the bars and sevens of the classic fruit-machine look, and the symbols are easy to read at a glance. What the stones sit on varies a lot:

• Triple Diamond: three reels, nine lines, no free spins. The Triple Diamond wild triples a win, or multiplies it by nine with two, according to the sources read, and three of them pay 1,199x.
• Starburst: five reels, ten lines, wins both ways. An expanding wild locks its reel and gives a respin. NetEnt lists 800x.
• Starburst XXXtreme: the same look with wilds carrying random multipliers from x2 to x150, and 16,800x listed by NetEnt.
• Da Vinci Diamonds: 20 lines, tumbling reels, and paintings alongside the gems. Its free spins need three bonus symbols on a payline.
• Gems Bonanza: an 8x8 cluster grid with no free spins, driven by a meter called Gold Fever.

Where the numbers split

The two IGT titles sit lower on return: Da Vinci Diamonds is listed at 94.94% and Triple Diamond at 95.06%, against NetEnt's 96.08% for Starburst and 96.45% for XXXtreme, and 96.51% for Gems Bonanza. Volatility ranges from the low label reviewers give Starburst to the high label on XXXtreme and Gems Bonanza. Hit rates need careful reading as well. NetEnt lists 23% for Starburst and 87% for XXXtreme, but a hit counts any win, even one smaller than the stake, so the higher figure does not mean a gentler game.

For pace, Triple Diamond and Starburst resolve in seconds and have little to learn. Da Vinci Diamonds sits between them and the cluster game, with chains of tumbles but a free spins round that is hard to reach. XXXtreme and Gems Bonanza ask for more patience, since much of the return sits in rare multiplier or modifier combinations.

What a diamond does not tell you

The theme says nothing about how a game pays. Starburst and Starburst XXXtreme look alike and are separate games with separate maths, and the figures for one should never be applied to the other. Return also varies by version, since operators can run other settings, and the figure on the operator's own game page is the one that applies. That is why why the same slot can have different RTP is a useful read before comparing percentages.

The demos here are the studios' unmodified games running on virtual credits. Gambling in Ontario is for adults 19 and over, and ConnexOntario offers free, confidential support on 1-866-531-2600. See responsible gambling for more.