Bonus Buy

An option to pay a fixed price to trigger a slot's bonus feature immediately instead of waiting for it to land naturally.

Definition

A bonus buy lets a player pay a set multiple of their stake, often around fifty to a hundred times, to enter the bonus round straight away rather than spinning until it triggers on its own. The purchase price is calculated so the feature's expected return matches (or sometimes slightly differs from) the game's overall RTP, meaning the buy is not a shortcut to an advantage. Bonus buys tend to appear in high-volatility games and can lose money very quickly because a single buy can return nothing. The feature is restricted or banned in several jurisdictions on responsible-gambling grounds.

Worked example

A game offers to trigger free spins for a price of 100x your normal stake. You pay that amount to go straight into the feature, but the outcome is still random and can pay less than the price, more than it, or nothing.

Why it matters

For a learner, it is important to understand that buying a bonus does not improve the odds and can burn a balance fast. For a professional, bonus-buy pricing, its RTP, and jurisdictional legality are significant compliance and math-design considerations.

Related

Note: The price multiple and the buy feature's RTP vary by game, and availability differs by jurisdiction where it may be prohibited.