A Bonus Buy is an online slot feature that lets players pay a defined amount to enter a bonus round directly instead of waiting for it to trigger during regular spins. The purchase price is normally calculated as a multiple of the selected base stake, such as 50x, 100x or several hundred times the normal bet.
Buying a bonus changes more than the speed of play. A single purchase can put the equivalent cost of many ordinary spins into one feature, while the RTP and distribution of possible payouts can also differ from standard gameplay. A 100x Bonus Buy should therefore not be treated as mathematically equivalent to playing 100 regular spins.
The modern Bonus Buy mechanic is widely credited to Big Time Gaming’s White Rabbit, released in 2017. Since then, direct feature purchases have become extremely common in modern online slots. In our reviews of recent releases from numerous game studios, we regularly encounter Bonus Buy options.
Related mechanics have developed alongside direct purchases. Some slots let players increase the cost of each spin in exchange for a higher probability of triggering a bonus naturally. These work differently from a Bonus Buy because paying the increased stake does not guarantee immediate entry to the bonus.
Bonus Buy availability also depends on where a player is located and which regulatory rules apply. The feature has effectively been prohibited at UKGC-licensed online casinos since 2019 and is also incompatible with current Dutch online gambling rules, while it remains widely available in many other markets.
This guide explains how Bonus Buys work, what their prices actually represent, how they can affect RTP and gameplay risk, how they differ from bonus-trigger boosts, and what players should check before using them with their own money or while wagering a casino bonus.
Key Takeaways
- A Bonus Buy provides immediate access to a specified slot feature in exchange for a purchase price normally calculated as a multiple of the base stake.
- Bonus Buy prices vary considerably between games. In the examples covered in this guide, purchases range from 40x to 1,500x the base stake, and some slots provide several Bonus Buy options with different costs and features.
- A 100x Bonus Buy is not mathematically the same as playing 100 ordinary spins. The two routes can have different possible outcomes, payout distributions and RTPs.
- Feature purchases concentrate much more money into fewer gameplay decisions, which can make both large wins and substantial losses occur much faster than during ordinary low-stake spinning.
- Some slots use a different RTP when a Bonus Buy is selected. Where the Bonus Buy RTP is higher, it provides a higher theoretical return per unit wagered over the long term, but it does not guarantee better results during an individual purchase or session.
- Bonus boosts are related features where players increase the cost of individual spins in exchange for a higher chance of triggering a bonus naturally rather than paying for guaranteed immediate entry. Game providers use different names for these mechanics.
- Bonus Buys are restricted in some regulated markets for different player-protection reasons. In Great Britain, the regulator raised concerns around high-stake feature purchases, while Dutch rules require players to make a separate informed decision for each game.
- When wagering a casino bonus, the full Bonus Buy price may count as a single bet and can therefore accidentally exceed the bonus’s maximum-bet limit. Some casinos also prohibit Bonus Buys separately during bonus wagering.
How Does the Bonus Buy Feature Work?
Most online slots contain one or more bonus features, commonly involving free spins, hold and win rounds, multipliers, enhanced wilds, special reels or other mechanics that differ from the base game.
Under normal play, the player has to meet the game’s trigger condition before entering the feature, which may include landing a special set of symbols.
A Bonus Buy bypasses that waiting period. The player pays a specified amount and the game starts the purchased feature directly.
The price is normally expressed as a multiple of the selected base stake. For example:
- A 40x Bonus Buy at a $1 base stake costs $40.
- A 100x Bonus Buy at a $0.20 base stake costs $20.
- A 500x Bonus Buy at a $0.50 base stake costs $250.
The feature’s payouts are then calculated according to the stake and rules attached to that purchase. Increasing the base stake therefore increases both the cost of buying the bonus and the monetary value of possible payouts.
Some games offer only one purchase option, while others provide several. Different options can lead to different bonus rounds, numbers of free spins, multipliers or other enhanced mechanics, with more expensive versions often providing access to features that are harder to trigger naturally.
A 100x Bonus Buy Does Not Equal 100 Regular Spins
The multiplier used to price a Bonus Buy describes its cost relative to the base stake. It does not tell the player how many ordinary spins the purchase is mathematically equivalent to.
For example, a 100x Bonus Buy at a $0.10 base stake costs $10. Spending the same $10 on 100 regular $0.10 spins would create a different sequence of possible outcomes.
During those 100 ordinary spins, the player could:
- receive base-game wins;
- trigger smaller features or other game mechanics;
- enter the main bonus naturally one or more times;
- or never trigger it at all.
The $10 Bonus Buy instead provides one direct entry to the specified feature.
Spending the same amount through these two routes does not necessarily produce the same mathematical experience either. Regular play and a Bonus Buy can use different RTPs, as well as payout distributions that affect volatility.
This means that a 100x purchase should be understood as a pricing multiple, not as a statement that the feature is mathematically equivalent to exactly 100 normal spins. We examine these RTP and volatility differences in more detail later in this guide.
Games Can Offer Several Bonus Buy Options
Bonus Buy design varies considerably between slots.
A game may provide one relatively simple purchase that triggers its standard free-spins round, while another can offer several choices ranging from a conventional bonus to much more expensive enhanced versions.
The purchase price can therefore differ substantially both between games and within the same game.
The examples below illustrate the range found in several well-known slots:
| Slot Machine | Bonus Buy Options | Purchase Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Extra Chilli | 1 | 40x |
| Deadwood R.I.P | 4 | 80x-1,500x |
| Razor Returns | 5 | 108x-562x |
| Devour the Weak | 2 | 100x-666x |
These figures show why the phrase Bonus Buy does not describe one standard wager size. One game may require 40 times the base stake for direct feature access, while another can include premium purchase options costing more than 1,000 times the stake.
A high multiplier also does not by itself mean that a purchase provides better value. The feature being purchased, its RTP, payout distribution and maximum potential all need to be considered alongside the price.
Bonus Buy vs Bonus Boost Features
Bonus Buys are not the only way slot games let players pay more to influence access to a bonus. Another increasingly common approach is to increase the cost of each regular spin in exchange for a better chance of triggering a feature naturally.
For simplicity, we refer to these mechanics as bonus boosts in this guide. This is not one standard industry term: game providers use names such as Ante Bet, FeatureSpins and xBet, and the exact effect can vary between games.
The main difference is what the additional cost buys:
| Feature | What You Pay For | Is Bonus Entry Guaranteed? |
|---|---|---|
| Bonus Buy | A larger one-off payment for direct access to a specified bonus round | Yes |
| Bonus Boost | A higher cost for individual base-game spins that improves the probability or conditions for reaching a bonus | Usually no |
With a Bonus Buy, the player knows that paying the stated purchase price will start the selected feature immediately. With a bonus boost, the player continues making regular spins and can still go many rounds without reaching the bonus.
Hacksaw Gaming’s Le Bandit provides a clear example of both mechanics in the same game. Its Bonus Buy provides immediate access to bonus rounds, while its BonusHunt FeatureSpins cost three times the normal stake and provide five times the usual odds of triggering a bonus.
Other studios use different terminology and implementations. Pragmatic Play commonly uses the term Ante Bet, including options that increase the probability of triggering a bonus. Nolimit City uses xBet and other Booster features, which can increase the chance of reaching a bonus or guarantee particular symbols or enhanced conditions on the next spin.
Paying 3x the normal stake for a bonus boost does not mean that a player will receive a bonus after three spins, just as having five times the normal trigger probability does not mean the feature will appear five times as often across individual sessions. The outcome remains random unless the specific option explicitly guarantees a particular result.
Does Buying a Bonus Change the RTP or Volatility?
It can. Regular spins and Bonus Buy modes do not necessarily use identical game mathematics, so purchasing a feature can change the theoretical RTP, the distribution of possible payouts, or both.
The exact effect depends on the individual slot. Some games use the same RTP across different playing modes, while others assign a separate theoretical return to the Bonus Buy.
Bonus Buys Can Have a Different RTP
Some slots use a different theoretical RTP when the Bonus Buy is selected rather than regular play.
A real example is Midnight Marauder by Relax Gaming. The provider states that the slot has an RTP of 96.19% during regular play, increasing to 96.87% when its Bonus Buy feature is used. In this configuration, buying the feature therefore increases the theoretical return per amount wagered by 0.68 percentage points.
However, these figures should not be assumed to apply at every casino. Some online slots are supplied in multiple RTP configurations, and the version offered by an individual operator can therefore have different percentages.
We found this with Midnight Marauder at RollXO Casino, where the game information showed a 94.00% base-game RTP and 94.05% when using the Bonus Buy. The Bonus Buy still had the higher theoretical return, but the difference was only 0.05 percentage points rather than the 0.68-point difference in Relax Gaming’s published configuration.
This makes it important to check the RTP information inside the actual game being played rather than relying solely on the provider’s figure or a figure published by a review site.
Our guide to why the same slot can have different RTPs between casinos explains how these alternative configurations work.
It’s also important to understand that a higher Bonus Buy RTP provides a higher theoretical return per amount wagered over sufficiently long-term play. It does not mean that an individual feature purchase is more likely to finish in profit or yield a higher result.
Our guide to Return to Player explains how RTP should be interpreted and why it does not predict short-term results.
Bonus Buy and Regular Play Can Have Different Volatility
RTP is only one part of the comparison. Two ways of playing a slot can theoretically return a similar percentage of money while distributing that return very differently.
The base game might produce a larger proportion of its return through frequent smaller wins, while the purchased bonus could concentrate more of its potential return into fewer, larger outcomes. The opposite structure is also possible depending on how the game has been designed.
This affects volatility: the extent to which actual results can vary around the mathematical average.
For example, imagine two playing modes that both have a 96% RTP. One could produce relatively frequent small payouts, while another could lose more often but occasionally generate much larger wins. Their theoretical return is the same, but the pattern of results and the short-term risk can be very different.
Game providers do not always publish separate volatility ratings for the base game and each Bonus Buy option. A feature purchase should therefore not automatically be described as more volatile simply because it costs more. What can be said is that the purchased feature may expose the player to a different payout distribution from regular spinning.
Our volatility guide explains why games with similar RTPs can still produce very different patterns of wins and losses.
Taken together, these differences explain why equal spending does not imply equal gameplay. A $10 Bonus Buy and $10 of regular spins can expose the player to different theoretical returns and very different patterns of possible wins and losses.
How Bonus Buys Change Gameplay and Risk
A Bonus Buy does not simply shorten the wait for a feature. It changes how quickly money is committed to the game and concentrates a much larger amount of wagering into fewer decisions.
This can make both large wins and substantial losses occur much faster than during ordinary low-stake spinning.
Much More Money Can Be Committed at Once
The most immediate difference is the amount wagered in a single purchase.
For example, at a $0.20 base stake:
- a 40x Bonus Buy costs $8;
- a 100x Bonus Buy costs $20;
- a 500x Bonus Buy costs $100;
- a 1,500x Bonus Buy costs $300.
A player making regular $0.20 spins would need to make 100 spins to wager the same $20 required for a 100x purchase. With the Bonus Buy, that entire amount is committed at once in exchange for one feature entry.
This makes the relationship between the base stake and the actual purchase price particularly important. A base bet that appears small can still produce a large feature-buy cost once multiplied by 100, 500 or more.
Wins and Losses Can Be Reached Much Faster
Direct access to the bonus removes the potentially long period of base-game spinning that would otherwise occur before the feature triggers naturally.
That makes the gameplay cycle much shorter:
- select the purchase;
- pay the full Bonus Buy cost;
- play the feature;
- receive its result.
The player can then immediately choose whether to purchase another feature.
As a result, a bankroll can move significantly in either direction over relatively few game rounds. A large bonus payout can occur quickly, but several expensive purchases can also consume a substantial balance within a short period.
For example, five 100x Bonus Buys at a $0.20 base stake would cost $100 in total. Five 500x purchases at the same base stake would cost $500.
The important difference is therefore not simply that Bonus Buys are “faster.” They allow much more money to be wagered over a smaller number of individual gameplay decisions.
The Purchase Price Does Not Make the Feature Better Value
A more expensive Bonus Buy can provide access to a different or enhanced feature, but a higher price should not automatically be interpreted as better value.
A premium purchase might include additional win multipliers, improved wild symbols or another feature mechanic, but whether the extra cost is justified mathematically depends on factors such as:
- the feature’s RTP;
- its payout distribution;
- the maximum potential payout;
A 500x Bonus Buy is therefore not automatically five times as valuable as a 100x purchase simply because it costs five times as much. The more expensive option may have a similar RTP or payout profile, and it can even share the same maximum win potential as a cheaper purchase.
Bonus Buys Can Make Budgeting More Important
Because a single purchase can cost tens, hundreds or even thousands of times the base stake, judging affordability from the ordinary spin value alone can be misleading.
Someone comfortable with $0.20 regular spins may not necessarily be comfortable with a $20, $100 or $300 feature purchase attached to the same nominal stake.
For players who use Bonus Buys, it is therefore more useful to budget according to the actual purchase cost rather than the underlying base bet.
Setting deposit, loss or spending limits before playing can also help prevent repeated feature purchases from exceeding a predetermined gambling budget. Our guide to responsible gambling tools explains the different controls that may be available.
Bonus Buys concentrate spending into fewer decisions. The base stake may be small, but the relevant amount at risk is the full feature-purchase price.
Where Are Bonus Buy Features Restricted?
Bonus Buy availability depends on the gambling rules that apply in the player’s market. A game can therefore include a direct feature purchase in one country while the same option is disabled when the slot is supplied under another regulatory framework.
Great Britain and the Netherlands are two clear examples where Bonus Buys cannot be offered by locally licensed online casinos, although the regulatory reasoning differs between the two markets.
Great Britain: Feature Buys Removed From UKGC-Licensed Slots
Bonus Buy functionality has effectively been prohibited at UK Gambling Commission-licensed casinos since 2019.
In October 2019, the Gambling Commission began instructing operators and game suppliers to remove feature-buy functionality from slots. The Commission subsequently documented its intervention publicly in January 2020 after finding six licensees offering games that allowed players to stake substantial amounts to enter a bonus directly.
Rather than introducing a separate regulation specifically named a “Bonus Buy ban,” the Commission acted under its existing Remote Gambling and Software Technical Standards. In particular, it referred to rules requiring:
- game rules and participation requirements to be presented clearly; and
- gambling products not to actively encourage players to increase their stake or the amount they had decided to gamble.
The Commission later described feature purchasing as raising major social-responsibility concerns and confirmed that the six operators investigated were instructed to remove the affected products, including games with similar functionality. Other licensees were also contacted and told to remove games that allowed players to buy features.
The practical result is that Bonus Buys cannot be enabled on slots offered through UKGC-licensed online casinos in Great Britain. The underlying slot may still be available, but the feature-purchase option is removed from the version supplied to that market.
Our online casino licensing and regulation guide explains why the same casino games and features can be subject to different requirements depending on the licence and market involved.
Netherlands: Bonus Buys Conflict With the Rules Against Automatic Play
The Netherlands reaches a similar practical outcome through a different rule.
The Dutch gambling regulator, the Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), specifically addresses “Bonus Buys” in its current guidance for licensed online gambling systems. It states that pre-purchasing bonus games that must subsequently be played constitutes a form of automatic play and conflicts with Article 3.8 of the Remote Gambling Regulation.
The underlying principle is that a player should be able to make an informed and considered decision before each individual game. According to the KSA, pre-purchasing games commits the player to more than one game at the same time and therefore does not meet this requirement.
As a result, Bonus Buy functionality cannot be offered in this form by Dutch-licensed online casinos.
The Same Slot Can Behave Differently Between Markets
A Bonus Buy being built into a slot does not mean every casino or every player will have access to it.
Game providers can supply market-specific versions or configurations that disable features where local rules do not permit them. The same slot may therefore:
- include its Bonus Buy at one casino;
- have the purchase button removed in another regulated market; or
- be unavailable completely where the required game configuration has not been approved.
This is why screenshots, reviews or game information from one casino should not automatically be used to determine whether a Bonus Buy is available somewhere else.
Regulations can also change, so the active version of the game and the rules applying to the player’s location are more reliable than assuming that a feature is universally available because it appears in the original slot design.
Bonus Buy availability is market-specific. A slot can contain the mechanic in its original design while offering a modified version without direct feature purchases in jurisdictions where they are restricted.
Availability Outside Restricted Markets
Outside markets where feature purchases are restricted, Bonus Buys are common across modern slot libraries. Many casinos group compatible games into dedicated “Bonus Buy,” “Feature Buy” or similar categories, making them easier to identify without opening each slot individually.
Availability still depends on the casino, game provider and player location. A platform can offer thousands of slots while carrying relatively few Bonus Buy titles, while another may have a dedicated section containing hundreds of them.
Can You Use Bonus Buys While Wagering a Casino Bonus?
Sometimes, but this is an area where players need to check the bonus terms carefully.
Casino bonuses commonly include a maximum permitted wager while wagering requirements are active. Depending on the operator, the entire Bonus Buy cost may be treated as one bet rather than the underlying base stake.
This can make it easy to exceed the limit accidentally.
For example, imagine a casino bonus has a maximum permitted wager of $5:
- a 40x Bonus Buy at a $0.10 base stake costs $4 and may remain within the monetary limit;
- a 100x Bonus Buy at the same $0.10 stake costs $10 and could therefore breach it;
- a 500x Bonus Buy at $0.10 costs $50 and would exceed a $5 maximum wager by a much larger amount.
The important number is therefore not necessarily the base stake shown on the slot. It is how the casino treats the full price paid to activate the feature.
Bonus Buys Can Also Be Restricted Separately
Staying below the maximum bet does not automatically make a Bonus Buy permitted or feasible while wagering a bonus.
Some casinos apply separate rules to feature purchases, such as:
- prohibiting Bonus Buys completely while bonus funds are active;
- excluding particular Bonus Buy games from wagering;
- treating wagering contributions of feature purchases differently from ordinary spins;
- limiting which games contribute towards wagering requirements.
This means that a $4 Bonus Buy could still breach the terms of a bonus with a $5 maximum wager if the casino separately prohibits direct feature purchases.
Our guide to casino bonus game restrictions explains how casinos can exclude particular games, features or playing methods while wagering a bonus.
Maximum Bet Rules Differ Between Casinos
There is no single maximum bet that applies to every casino bonus.
Limits of around $5 or the equivalent are common, but some casinos allow larger wagers, while others impose lower limits or have no maximum-bet restriction at all.
The way Bonus Buys are defined can vary as well. One casino may explicitly state that the complete feature purchase counts as a single wager, while another may word its terms differently or impose a separate restriction on Bonus Buy games.
For this reason, players should check both:
- the maximum wager allowed while the bonus is active; and
- whether Bonus Buys or similar enhanced features are permitted at all.
Do not judge a Bonus Buy by the base stake alone when casino bonus funds are active. A low underlying spin value can still produce a feature purchase large enough to exceed the bonus’s maximum-bet rule, and some casinos prohibit Bonus Buys separately regardless of the purchase amount.
What to Check Before Using a Bonus Buy
Bonus Buys can differ substantially between games, so the purchase multiplier alone does not tell you whether one option is more suitable or better value than another.
Before using the feature, check the following:
- Purchase cost: Calculate the full monetary price rather than focusing only on the base stake. A 500x Bonus Buy at $0.20 costs $100.
- Feature being purchased: Some games provide several options with different bonus rounds, starting conditions or enhanced mechanics.
- RTP: The Bonus Buy may use a different theoretical return from regular play, and the exact RTP configuration can also vary between casinos.
- Volatility and payout distribution: A purchased feature can distribute wins differently from the base game even where their RTPs are similar.
- Maximum win: A more expensive purchase does not necessarily provide a proportionally larger maximum payout.
- Local availability: Bonus Buy functionality may be disabled in markets where gambling regulations do not permit it.
- Casino bonus rules: The complete purchase price may count as one wager and can exceed a promotion’s maximum-bet limit. Bonus Buys may also be prohibited separately while bonus funds are active.
- Actual amount at risk: Judge the purchase against your gambling budget using its full cost rather than the much smaller underlying spin value.
The key distinction is that a Bonus Buy exchanges the uncertain wait for a naturally triggered bonus for a larger immediate payment and direct access to the specified feature. That direct access does not guarantee additional value or a winning result.
Whether one purchase option offers better value than another cannot be determined from the purchase multiplier alone. RTP, payout structure, feature rules, purchase price and the player’s own budget all matter.
A Bonus Buy guarantees access to the feature, not a winning result. The entire purchase price can still be lost, regardless of how expensive the feature was or how high its potential maximum payout is.