Bonus-buy (or 'feature buy') lets you spend typically 50x to 500x your base stake to enter the slot's bonus round directly. The published RTP of the bonus-only state is sometimes marginally higher than the base-game RTP, but you're paying a steep premium and concentrating the slot's variance into one round.
UK regulatory note: the UK Gambling Commission prohibited bonus-buy features at UKGC-licensed online casinos from late 2023. UK players see the affected slots in base-mode only — the buy button is disabled. Most non-UK markets still allow bonus-buy mechanics.
Bonus-buys remain a defining feature of high-volatility studios like Nolimit City and Hacksaw Gaming, even though UK access is restricted.
Example usage
- 100x stake to buy free spins (typical mid-tier)
- 500x stake to buy 'super bonus' (Nolimit City-style)
Related terms
- Bonus round — A feature game inside a slot, typically free spins or pick-and-win, triggered by scatter symbols.
- RTP (Return to Player) — The long-run percentage of stakes a slot pays back to players over millions of spins.
- UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) — The independent regulator of all commercial gambling in Great Britain, established under the Gambling Act 2005.
- Volatility — How frequently and in what size a slot tends to pay out — high volatility means rare big hits.