New Online Slot Craze: The Bonus Buy Feature

With the gambling industry growing into a behemoth multi-billion Dollar business, software developers release hundreds of new online slot titles each year. The providers who create these games, and the exciting features in them, sometimes hit the creativity jackpot.

In 2017, Big Time Gaming had one of these creative moments and released Feature Drop, their trademark bonus buy option. Since then, many online slots with an exciting Bonus Buy feature have made their way onto our screens.

 How to Buy a Bonus

We know the bonus game is mostly where the action happens and sometimes it feels like forever before it triggers. When a player opts to buy a bonus, they skip the base and move straight into the Bonus Feature.

Online casinos give players greater odds with the Bonus Buy option, but remember that a casino is a business, and a successful business turns a profit. Considering that the average slot game RTP is 96%, this roughly translates to the casino keeping 4% of players’ money.

For a fixed multiple of your current bet, you can select the “Buy Bonus” option from the main screen and this will trigger a Bonus feature for the next spin. Naturally, this can only take place if the game you’re playing has the Bonus Buy feature available.

Tread carefully though because depending on the slot you’re spinning, the Bonus Buy can cost you up to 270x your current stake. Always read reviews or click the info button before spinning.

 Gains and Losses

Here are a few factors to consider before you click to buy the bonus feature.

✓ Bonus Buy Pros

• Save time by skipping the base game when you purchase a bonus feature.
• The Bonus round is where you have a better chance of walking away with the max win.
• Bonus rounds are jam-packed with exciting scenes and have great entertainment value.

✓ Bonus Buy Cons

• There is no guarantee that you will win your money back in the bonus round.
• It may tempt vulnerable players to spend too much on the bonus buy.
• Your bankroll runs out much faster as it costs a lot more to bet with a Bonus Buy.

Top tip: Set a budget for yourself to manage your bankroll and play the demo game before you place a bet with actual money.

 New Online Slots With the Bonus Buy Feature

✓ Dig Dig Digger by Bgaming 

Set in a fantasy version of Egypt, this quirky slot game and its eccentric archaeologist will keep you entertained as you spin for the hidden riches in the forgotten desert. The Dig Dig Digger online slot includes all the standard bells and whistles like Scatter and Wild symbols, plus a Buy Bonus, a Gamble feature, and a Chance x2 option. Trigger 10 Free Spins when you opt for the Buy Bonus feature, available for 110x your bet.

✓ Cycle of Luck by Evoplay 

Cycle of Luck has 4 jackpots and the bonus round transforms the 5x4 slot grid into an expanding-reel game. Evoplay relaunched this retro-themed favourite with the Bonus Buy option to give players the choice of skipping the base game. Punters can purchase a bonus feature for 36x your bet and this will trigger 5 Bonus Symbols with random Multipliers to start the Bonus game. During the feature, the grid can increase by 4 rows, depending on how many bonus symbols you collect during the 3 spins.

✓ WWE Legends Link&Win by Microgaming

Online slot enthusiasts can step into the world's most famous wrestling arena with Microgaming’s newest slot. WWE Legends Link&Win is an adrenaline-packed video slot game and the Bonus Buy feature will cost you 60x your current bet. The Link&Win bonus feature triggers with a 6-coin briefcase that becomes sticky symbols on the reels. If you fill the whole slot grid with coins, you win the staggering jackpot of 5000x your stake.