Bonus Buy Slots

Updated: November 11, 2023

What if there was an easy way straight into the most exciting part of a slot that has the most win potential. It would have sounded almost like cheating not long ago. Well, now there are hundreds of online slots that come with a special bet known as Bonus Buy. It instantly unlocks the game’s main feature, be it free spins or a combination of many bonuses, for an average of 100x bet. Given how long it takes for a bonus to show up, especially in highly volatile slots, it is starting to sound more like a great deal to many punters. After all, aren’t we all spoiled with the Prime-now mentality?!

In this bonus buy slots guide I’ll walk you through the different types, the many game developers that are offering slots with the bonus buy, as well as a few tips on how to choose the best slots that can bypass a horde of dead spins. If you’re playing from the UK then most of these features are unavailable at this time, but I’ll give you a few hints on how you can still take advantage of some bonus buy-in alternatives made specifically with UK players in mind.

Bonus Buy slots.

Editor's picks

Best Bonus Buy casinos in November

Pots of Luck
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100% Up to £100 + 20 BoD Spins
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The Rialto
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Yeti Casino
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Bonus Buy – How it works?

Time is money, so why not get right into the thick of the action when playing your favourite slot? Don’t we all want to get to the bonus before we run out of credit? Now you can just press the magic button and release the genie! Bonus Buy, also known as Feature Buy, is a special bet that charges a fee to immediately activate one or more of the game’s features. You simply pay to get a shot at the bonus with all the bells and whistles. It’s hard to not win anything in bonuses like Free Spins, so entertainment is pretty much guaranteed.

Are bonus buy slots different from regular slots?

Bonus buy slots work the same way as a regular slot machine. In fact, some developers are adding this capability retrospectively to their existing games. For example, you can now buy the Free Games Feature in the famous Push Gaming slot Jammin’ Jars. That was not possible for over two years since the game was launched. Big Time Gaming is now thinking of going the same route, which would add a completely different dimension to their existing slots.

How much does the bonus buy cost?

Most slot games have a different bonus buy price. That’s because they are unique in the way they are set up. Theoretically, the price reflects a likely win in the bonus round. The more you pay, the more you should win, and vice versa. So for how much can you buy the bonus? The industry average is around 100x, but it can go insanely high with some games such as Tombstone RIP by Nolimit City. This Wild West-themed title is charging up to 3,000x for a chance at its Boothill Freespins, but it also has a matching reward potential of up to an eye-watering 300,000x bet!

In reality, things can get very volatile with a sample size of just a dozen buy-bonus attempts. For that matter, each game’s volatility and RTP allocation play an important part. To get a sense of how likely it is to win back the money from the bonus that you buy with the special bet, give it a few good tries in the demo or the lowest bet first.

👍 Tip: Some game providers like ELK Studios managed to have the same bonus buy bets across all their slots. Slots that support their X-iter bets offer 2x, 10x, 25x, 100x and 500x Super Bonus options, regardless of volatility.

Unfortunately for players in the UK, bonus buy slots are tightly regulated by the Gambling Commission. Because of that, such a game feature doesn’t fall into the responsible gambling criteria and is not allowed. That doesn’t mean there aren’t any loopholes, which some game providers are taking advantage of already.

Bonus Buy Slots in the UK

The UK online casinos fall under the UKGC regulations, which rule out any use of instant bonus buys as a side feature. That is unless you are playing Big Time Gaming slots with a Win Exchange. In contrast to their slots with a Feature Drop, the exchange is a UK-friendly bonus buy. Whenever you win a certain amount, usually around 25x, you’ll be presented with an option to buy the Free Spins Bonus for 75x, or enter the Win Exchange gamble mode where the chances of winning the bonus are proportionally allocated taking into account how much you’ve won. Win Exchange is currently available in BTG slots like Gold MegaWays, Apollo Pays, Golden Catch and Wild Portals.

Another alternative came in great demand from the fans of Relax Gaming’s Money Train slot series. What the team did is release a bonus-only version of the game. This modified game has essentially only the free spins mode and no base game at all. The entire slot is pretty much a bonus buy machine, but instead of 100x bets, you can play with regularly sized stakes starting from as little as 0.10 credits. For now, Relax Gaming has only the Money Cart series that have been given this mod.

Variations of bonus buy (Available in the UK)

While a full-on bonus buy is a no-no in the UK market, ante bets that increase the chances of winning a feature are generally accepted. Here are some examples that you’ll find with different developers:

  • NextGen Gaming — They have a Super Bet feature that they’ve been using since a long time ago, including such old but very popular slots like Foxin’ Wins and Merlin’s Millions.
  • Stormcraft Studios and Fortune Factory – These two iGaming studios that fall under the Microgaming umbrella have something called a Win Booster that you’ll find in slots like Fortunium Gold Mega Moolah and Jurassic World Raptor Riches.
  • Pragmatic Play – Although they have a full-blown bonus buy in some slots, you’ll also find an Ante Bet in slots like Gates of Olympus, which double the chance of triggering the main bonus.
  • Barcrest – If you like online slots that look like they were taken straight from a brick-and-mortar casino then Barcrest and their Big Bet Spins-enabled slots like Monopoly Big Event are a good alternative. Such spins usually come in several expense categories that ultimately increase the chance of winning a feature.

If you want to take full advantage of bonus buy slots, then see our list below.

Developers Offering Bonus Buy Option

By now, most popular game studios have jumped the bonus buy bandwagon. Some are similar, others try to innovate and create something of their own. Here are some prominent developers with Feature Buy slots:

DeveloperSlots with Bonus BuyTop picksBB effect on RTP
Nolimit CityMost + all new gamesTombstone R.I.P (3,000x) and San QuentinOften increases
Big Time GamingOnly a handful (to include older titles)Golden Catch and Extra ChilliMay change
Push GamingMany + including older releasesJoker Troupe, Jammin’ Jars, Fat Banker (600x)May decrease
ELK StudiosAll slots with X-iterNitropolis 3 and Wild Toro 2Usually stays at 95%
NetEntVery fewStarburst XXXtreme (95x) and Dead or Alive 2 (67x)May increase
Relax GamingMost + all new gamesMoney Train 2 and Dead Man’s TrailOften increases
Blueprint GamingSomeReturn of Kong MegaWays (up to 150x) and Rick and Morty MegaWaysUsually increases
YggdrasilA few + all new gamesVikings Go Berzerk Reloaded and Vikings Go to Valhalla (7x – 330x)Stays the same
Pragmatic PlayA fewThe Dog House MegaWays and Sweet Bonanza (200x)Typically stays the same
QuickspinA fewBig Bad Wolf MegaWays (90x) and Sakura Fortune 2 (55x)Usually much better
Hacksaw GamingMostWanted Dead or a Wild (80x – 400x) and Cubes 2Typically better
MicrogamingA few made by the exclusive studiosDia del Mariachi MegaWays (80x) and Squelin’ Riches (55.02x)Can change slightly

Best Bonus Buy Slot Sites

Keep in mind that when using a casino bonus with an active wagering requirement, the maximum bet restriction applies. It is usually just £5 but can be even lower. Here are licensed slot sites that offer bonus-buy slots:

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Best Feature Buy Slots

As you can see from the above, there are many different variations of a bonus buy mechanic. To make matters even more complicated, the feature is evolving constantly. If there was one way to pick the best bonus buy slot, then it could come down to the games that also offer a better RTP. So when you buy a feature, you’ll have a small extra edge against the casino. In some cases, the difference can be almost as big as 1%. Read our guide on why RTP matters to learn more.

Developers that offer such increased RTP with their bonus buys include but are not limited to Push Gaming, Nolimit City and Quickspin. For example, Push Gaming’s Big Bamboo slot is offering an RTP of up to 96.74% when using the bonus buy, which is a significant increase from 96.13%. However, the Bonus Buy in Jammin’ Jars from the same developer will decrease your RTP from an above-average 96.83% down to 96.49%. Nolimit’s San Quentin slot has a theoretical return to player of just 96.03%, but with the most expensive, 2,000x bet bonus buy, it increases to 96.95%! This may be an extreme example but even with their cheapest bonus entry, you’ll get a boost in RTP across a variety of their slots. Sakura Fortune 2 by Quickspin also shines in this criterion, boosting players’ odds from 96.03% RTP to 96.72% RTP when going straight for the Free Spins versus triggering them naturally.

Standard practice is that the bonus buy theoretically does not change a thing in how much money you win or lose over a long period of time. But because such bets are often many times higher, your balance can rally up and down way more. It’s easier said than done but be prepared to lose your 100x bonus buy-in because some Free Spins may pay nothing at all.

Summary

Bonus Buy is one of the hottest slots “innovations” in recent years. As with any slots tool, it’s important to keep a cool head when playing with a bonus buy. That’s especially true with games where a single bonus chance can cost as much as 3,000x. It is for a reason that jurisdictions like the UK Gambling Commission have been so critical of this sneaky modification. For pure convenience, however, Bonus Buy seems to have been well accepted by players around the world and is becoming a thing of preference when choosing which slots to play. Casino influencers and streamers especially enjoy the fact that they no longer need to spend hours for the main feature to drop. As a feature buy user, just be mindful of some of the pitfalls mentioned above and the fact that this may limit the game’s experience in a big way. When complemented with responsible, regular gameplay, it can be a real time-saver and an entertainer.

FAQ

Here you can find the FAQs related to this article:

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