If you play slot games, I’m sure you’ve been in this situation at least once, and probably more than once. You sit down, start spinning, and somehow end up playing 300+ spins without seeing that famous Bonus. Your balance slowly starts to drop, while the occasional small win keeps you in the game. After a while, though, it gets frustrating and tiring. You keep thinking the Bonus has to be coming soon, but it just never happens.
Then there’s another situation that can be even more annoying. You keep landing two scatter or bonus symbols, getting your hopes up, only for the third one to never show up. Or the fourth one, depending on the slot you’re playing. After seeing those Bonus symbols tease you over and over again, it’s easy to start wishing there was a way to skip all those regular spins and go straight to the part you actually want to play.
That’s exactly where Bonus Buy comes in.
Instead of sitting through hundreds of spins and waiting for the Bonus to trigger naturally, you can simply pay a fixed price and jump straight into the Bonus round. It sounds great, especially when you’ve already spent a good amount of time spinning without getting anywhere.
The problem is that this shortcut usually doesn’t come cheap. Depending on the game, a Bonus Buy can cost anywhere from 100x to 500x your base bet. So while you’re skipping the wait, you’re also putting a much larger amount of money on the line with a single click.
I first started noticing this feature with well-known providers such as Pragmatic Play and Hacksaw Gaming. I also wrote about them in my previous blog, where I compared their RTP, volatility, and some of their top hits. You can check it out HERE.
Since then, Bonus Buys have become a regular part of the slot experience, especially among streamers and players who don’t want to spend hundreds of spins waiting for a Bonus. And honestly, I can understand the appeal. Skipping all those potentially boring spins and going straight into the most exciting part of the game is definitely tempting.
But there’s a catch a pretty big one.
If you pay 100x, 200x, or even 500x your bet for a Bonus Buy and the Bonus doesn’t deliver, your balance can disappear very quickly. What seemed like a convenient shortcut can suddenly turn into a very expensive few minutes.
And this is where things get interesting.
Is the Bonus Buy actually worth it? Does paying 100x, 200x, or even 500x your bet really give you a better chance of hitting those big multipliers, or are you simply paying a premium to skip the regular spins?
That’s what I want to find out.
In this article, we’ll take a closer look at the math, volatility, RTP, and real cost of Bonus Buys to see what you’re actually getting for your money and whether pressing that button is worth it or if you’re better off sticking to regular spins.
The Math Behind the Feature: RTP, Volatility, and the Real Price!
When you buy a Bonus, you’re not just skipping the regular spins and getting straight to the action you’re jumping into a completely different part of the game.
I’ve heard plenty of players say that buying a Bonus somehow puts the odds in their favor, or that the game works differently once you buy it. But that’s not really how it works. The reality is a little different.
Buying the Bonus doesn’t magically give you better luck or guarantee a better result. What you’re really paying for is the chance to skip the waiting and go straight into the feature.
But what does that actually mean from a mathematical point of view?
Let’s take a closer look and break down the math behind it.
RTP (Return to Player) modifications!
While some providers keep the same RTP when you buy a Bonus, others may increase it slightly, usually by just a fraction of a percent. In some games, the Bonus Buy can even have a slightly lower RTP than the regular game.
So there’s really no universal rule here.
That’s why I always think it’s worth checking the game’s info/paytable before buying. It should tell you whether the RTP changes when you use the Bonus Buy, and in some cases, you may even find different RTP values for different Buy options.
The difference might be small, but when you’re spending 100x, 200x, or more on a single Bonus, it’s definitely something worth knowing.
Explosive volatility!
The base game naturally eats away at your balance over time. It’s often not as noticeable as when you use the Bonus Buy feature, where a significant chunk of your balance can disappear in a single moment sometimes 20% or more, depending on how aggressively you use Bonus Buys compared to your overall bankroll.
Bonus Buy puts you straight into the most volatile part of the slot, where the variance can be huge.
You might hit a 1,000x multiplier on a purchased Bonus and walk away with a big profit, without having to spend any time waiting for the Bonus to trigger naturally.
But the opposite can happen just as easily. You could get a 10x multiplier after paying 100x your base bet for the Bonus. That means you’ve effectively lost 90% of what you paid for that Bonus.
And that’s where the real risk of Bonus Buys becomes obvious.
Entry price (The 100x–500x factor)!
The biggest downside of Bonus Buys is often the high price.
When you pay 100x your base bet for a Bonus, you need to get at least a 100x return just to break even.
For example, if you spend $100 on a Bonus Buy and the Bonus round pays you only $40, you’re immediately $60 down.
And the biggest problem? This doesn’t happen as rarely as you might think it happens quite often.
Pros and Cons, Is the Feature Buy Worth the Gamble?
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Now that we’ve covered the math behind it and how much it costs, it’s time to take a look at the pros and cons of using the Bonus Buy option.
Here are some of the main advantages and disadvantages that I personally notice.
The Pros:
The first and most important advantage is saving time! You can skip the boring regular spins and jump straight into the best part of the game.
The second advantage is the multipliers! They are usually at their highest during the bonus rounds, and honestly, that’s what gets my adrenaline going the most.
And third, it’s perfect for quick sessions. When you don’t have much time to play but still want to try your luck that day, you can simply buy the bonus and get straight to the most exciting part.
And let’s be realistic games with bonus rounds are simply more fun! We instantly get excited the moment we hit or buy a bonus round.
The Cons:
When it comes to the disadvantages, unfortunately, there are some as well, so it’s only fair that I mention them.
The first disadvantage is how quickly it can drain your balance! A Bonus Buy often costs somewhere between 100x and 500x your stake, which means that just 2 or 3 bonus purchases can easily wipe out your balance especially if the bonuses you bought before didn’t bring any payout or profit.
The second disadvantage is the false sense of control! Buying a bonus doesn’t guarantee a win, and that’s exactly where the problem lies. Players can often feel that by buying a bonus, they’ve finally hit the right one. But very often, the purchased bonus can actually leave you at a loss. For example, you might spend $100 on a bonus and get only $40 back.
And the third disadvantage is chasing your previous losses! You keep telling yourself, (Come on, I’ll buy just one more bonus so I can win back what I lost.) Don’t do that! I’ve personally found myself thinking this way too, and of course, I ended up back at zero with my balance.
These are some of the mistakes we as players can unconsciously make and repeat. Recognizing them is important because once you get caught in that cycle, it can be very difficult to stop.
Top Providers & Games Known for the Best Bonus Buys!
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Let me make one thing clear right away: not all slots with a Bonus Buy feature are the same! A lot of it comes down to the slot game provider.
Some of the more well-known providers, like Pragmatic Play and Hacksaw Gaming, have introduced different Bonus Buy mechanics, offering varying levels of risk, special modifiers, and some seriously crazy multipliers.
If you’re the type of player who likes to skip the regular spins and jump straight into the bonus round, you’ll probably want to choose a slot where your Bonus Buy has a better chance of delivering a decent return.
Pragmatic Play (Kings of Multiplier)!
If I had to name a couple of games where I’ve come across the Bonus Buy feature, they would definitely be Gates of Olympus and Sweet Bonanza.
With this provider, you’ll usually pay 100x your stake to enter the standard bonus round. Of course, the main thing is that the bonus needs to hit a big multiplier to make the purchase worthwhile.
They also often offer the Ante Bet option, which increases your stake by 25% and supposedly gives you double the chance of triggering the bonus naturally.
Personally, I almost always use this option when playing slots from this provider. I just feel that it really does give me a better chance of hitting the bonus.
I also use the Bonus Buy feature, but I’m not nearly as aggressive with it. I keep a close eye on my balance and try not to go overboard.
Pragmatic Play definitely has some crazy multipliers, and buying a Bonus can sometimes be quite profitable. Of course, there’s no guarantee that it will happen, but the chances are there.
And that’s something I always recommend to you as well: keep an eye on your balance and play responsibly.
Hacksaw Gaming (Extreme Volatility and High Stakes)!
Hacksaw Gaming! By far, my personal favorite. It’s the provider I enjoy the most, and their games are the ones that grab my attention the most.
They have slot games with insane potential, and I’ve personally seen that potential more than once! Games like Le Bandit, along with versions such as Le Fisherman and Le Viking, offer multiple Bonus Buy options including the standard bonus and another version with an additional bonus symbol, where the bonus round can be much more aggressive when it comes to payouts.
The price of these Bonus Buys can range from around 80x all the way up to 200x or even more. You’re dealing with brutal volatility, where you can either walk away with a huge profit or see the entire round deliver almost nothing.
Of course, there are no guarantees with either provider! One bonus can deliver an absolutely crazy win, while the very next one might give you back only 20% of your initial stake.
But if you ask me where I’ve personally had more success and better results with Bonus Buys, I’d have to say Hacksaw Gaming!
How to choose the right game?
When choosing a slot provider and a specific slot game, the game itself plays a huge role. Things like the design, RTP, and how the bonus features work can make a big difference.
I think that’s usually the first thing that attracts a player and makes them want to stick with a particular slot.
Another piece of advice I’d give you is to check the game’s maximum win potential before playing, as well as its volatility.
From my own years of experience, I’ve learned that high volatility slots with a 100x Bonus Buy price require a lot of patience and a healthy bankroll.
You should also keep in mind that dead bonus rounds are more common compared to games with medium volatility.
At the end of this blog, I’ll leave a link to another article where I shared my personal experience with Hacksaw Gaming and the Le Fisherman slot.
Conclusion, Is Bonus Buy Worth It?
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At the end of this blog, I can only say that there’s nothing wrong with using the Bonus Buy feature, just like there’s nothing wrong with choosing not to use it. It really comes down to your strategy, your playing style, and most importantly, your bankroll.
If you’re a more aggressive player who doesn’t want to wait around and prefers to jump straight into bonus rounds, then Bonus Buy might be the right choice for you.
But if you’re the type of player who prefers a more relaxed gaming experience, patiently waiting for a bonus and enjoying it when it finally comes while spending your balance more slowly and keeping things under control then it’s probably better to avoid Bonus Buy altogether.
Personally, I prefer to start with regular spins and wait for the bonus naturally. If I happen to go a long time without triggering a bonus round, I might then buy one or two bonuses and use that session to test the game and see how, or even if, it pays.
I’ve had situations where I bought a $100–$200 bonus and within just a few spins, I was already up to $500, meaning I was $300 in profit.
But I’ve also experienced the complete opposite buying a $200 bonus and getting only $20 back from the entire bonus round. That can be extremely stressful and disappointing.
So, in the end, Bonus Buy is all about knowing your limits, managing your bankroll, and understanding the risks involved. There’s no guaranteed strategy, and sometimes the bonus can surprise you in the best possible way while other times, it can leave you wishing you had never bought it.
Ready to Spin? Choose Your Strategy Wisely!
Besides being careful when buying bonuses and keeping an eye on your balance, it’s just as important to play on trusted platforms where you don’t have to worry about whether you’ll get your winnings on time or whether your money is safe.
The platforms where I personally play games from these two providers are ones I can recommend with confidence. I wouldn’t want to give you misleading information or point you in the wrong direction.
You’ll find the registration buttons below this article, and when signing up, don’t forget to claim your Welcome Bonus!
By registering through LifeOfLuck, you can also take advantage of these offers.
Before using any Welcome Bonus, make sure to read the bonus rules and terms and conditions carefully.
This is something I always remind newly registered players about. Many people tend to overlook it, but trust me, it really is important!
Blogs I Recommend You Read!
Is Le Fisherman Profitable? My Experience with RTP and Strategy
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FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions!
Do slots with a Bonus Buy option have a lower RTP?
For most providers like Pragmatic Play, the RTP actually shifts slightly when you purchase a bonus often ticking up by a fraction of a percent (say, moving from 96.50% to 96.75%). Don’t let that fool you into thinking it’s a guaranteed win, though; it just means the math model reallocates how payouts are distributed inside that specific feature round.
Can I buy bonuses if I’m working with a small bankroll?
Technically yes, provided your base stake is low enough. But keep in mind that a standard feature buy usually costs anywhere from 80x to 100x+ your base bet. If your bankroll is tight, buying a couple of features can literally wipe out your entire balance in less than ten seconds.
Do all slot games offer a bonus buy option?
Not even close. You’ll mainly find this mechanic built into modern, high volatility video slots. Classic retro machines and older titles generally don’t give you the shortcut to buy straight into the action.
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