This is how bonus buys and bonus rounds work in online slots
The most popular online slots are often rich in features with high payout potential, and a bonus buy can help players to more directly access them. Here’s how they work.
Popular betting streamers are often seen stacking big wins one on top of another with high stakes, leaving newer bettors wondering why their sessions at home might look quite a bit different. The reality is that, for many streamers intent on showing heavy action throughout their gameplay, they’re often buying into bonuses rather than waiting for the action to come to them.
Bonus buys works like a real-life VIP pass in an online slot game, letting players skip the wait and get right to the heart of the action. Those who are willing to pay extra can get straight to the main attraction. But are bonus buys worth it? Here’s how bonus buys work, and whether they’re really worth spending money on.
What is a bonus buy in online slots?
A bonus buy in online slots is a paid shortcut that enables players to jump straight into a slot’s special features, typically a bonus round or a free spins mode, without waiting for it to trigger naturally.
These features aren’t exclusive to those who pay into a bonus buy. Each and every player has a fair shot at reaching a bonus round. The difference lies in how you get there. The usual route depends entirely on landing a specific combination of symbols, often by way of scatters or bonus icons, during regular spins.
For example, in the Sugar Rush slot by Pragmatic Play, the bonus round starts when you land three scatter symbols during normal gameplay.
Sugar Rush slot. Image credit: Santutu on Kick
You could wait for those scatters to appear, or you could pay 100x your bet to trigger it instantly through the bonus buy action. Both paths lead to the same free spins and multiplier buildup opportunities. This means that a bonus buy is really a shortcut for those who’d rather just get to the game’s best action more quickly.
It’s worth noting here that while a bonus buy often sounds convenient, they tend to be far from cheap. Most games charge anywhere from 50x to 300x your base bet, depending on how powerful the bonus is. For example, in Sweet Bonanza, the bonus buy costs 100x your bet. The game instantly grants 10 free spins with multipliers that can reach 100×, but those spins aren’t quite so free when you’re paying into a bonus buy in order to access them.
Bonus rounds are often designed with higher volatility in mind than the base game, meaning payouts can swing harder in either direction. Wins are often larger when they’re found, but they’re also less frequent, as our explainer on how volatility works in slots makes clear.
Is it worth buying a bonus round in online slots?
Bonus buys are typically only worth it for players willing and able to spend more money to immediately access features with greater winning potential. Bonus buys aren’t strictly necessary, and they aren’t the only way to access those features, so it really comes down to personal preference for each player.
Thrifty players may want to avoid relying on bonus buys. Across popular online betting sites, these buys don’t actually change the math or odds behind the games. Bonus buys simply condense the waiting time into a single click. A $1 bet with a 100x bonus buy means you’re paying $100 upfront for a bonus round without actually changing the way the game works; you’re just getting to the good part more quickly.
Many players go for bonus buys because that’s where the high-paying features unlock. The biggest multipliers, stickiest wilds, and most impressive jackpots often appear during a bonus round. For instance, in Wanted Dead or a Wild, base spins can be quiet for extended stretches, but buying into the Duel at Dawn bonus for 200x gives access to cowboy duels and wild multipliers that can instantly skyrocket winnings. Or they can crash out. That’s the risk players have to take when buying into such a bonus round.
Wanted Dead or a Wild slot by Hacksaw Gaming
During these rounds, additional spins may not cost anything, and wins might chain together for massive payouts not otherwise accessible. Some slots even allow players to retrigger the bonus, adding even more free spins or enhancing existing ones. But the same can be achieved by simply continuing to play and waiting for the symbols to land organically that trigger the bonus round.
In the end, whether a bonus buy is worth it or not depends entirely on the player, including their purpose for playing and their patience in waiting for a game’s best features to activate.
Featured image credit: Hacksaw Gaming
Fariha Bhatti is a long-time gaming writer who loves competitive FPS games and slots with particularly fun themes. She got her start playing classic games developed by SNK, from legendary fighting game series The King of Fighters to challenging platform franchise Metal Slug. She now spends most of her time playing Valorant and Counter-Strike 2 while working her way through new slot releases to find her next favorite. Fariha has been published at PCGamesN, TalkEsport and ONE Esports.
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