Many modern slots include bonus features such as free spins, and bonus buy slots allow you to instantly unlock these by paying a multiplier of your current bet. While they’re not available in the UK, there are alternatives that offer you a higher chance of unlocking the bonus features. In this guide, we’ll explain what bonus buy slots are and how to play in the UK.
What is Bonus Buy?
Slots are the most popular games to play at online casinos, and the last few decades have seen millions of different games released. As the demand for online slots has grown, slot developers have created new and innovative bonus features to unlock.
Most modern slots now feature bonus rounds such as free spins, which often include multipliers, special wilds, expanding symbols and even expanding reels. Most of the time, you’ll need to land three or more scatters to unlock the bonus round. This is a pretty rare event, so in some cases, you could play for hundreds of spins without triggering it.
The bonus buy is a special feature which allows you to instantly activate the bonus by paying a set amount of cash. The amount you pay is normally a multiplier of your current bet. So if the bonus buy cost is 100x and you’re playing £0.10 per spin, you’d pay £10. The bonus round then activates at your current bet, and you keep any winnings made through the special features.
Why Bonus Buy Slots Aren’t Available in the UK?
Although bonus buy slots can be a lot of fun to play, they were banned by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) in 2019, meaning this feature is no longer active if you’re in the UK. Games with the bonus buy feature are still available, but the bonus buy option has been removed.
The decision to ban the bonus buy feature came from fears that it could increase the risk of impulsive spending and chasing losses. The bonus buy allows players to spend a significant amount of money in one click, which can be an issue for those with compulsive gambling habits.
Responsible gambling is an important consideration for online casinos, and slot developers have a moral obligation to ensure their games don’t encourage excessive spending. The UKGC regulations are designed to make online gaming fairer and safer.
The ban was met with some frustration from slot players, who could no longer enjoy unlocking the bonus features instantly. However, game providers soon came up with some alternative features.
Bonus Buy Slot Alternatives
The UKGC’s ban on buy bonus UK slots prevented casinos offering games with a way to instantly unlock bonus rounds and features. However, it allowed slot developers to create more responsible features.
Options such as ante bets and bet boosters increase the bet size by a small amount while also improving the chance that a bonus will trigger on that spin. This allows players to enjoy their favourite games more responsibly without making them bet more than they can afford to lose.
While the alternative features to bonus buys are less likely to trigger impulsive spending, it’s still a good idea to reduce your stake before using them so that you’re still betting responsibly.
Great Rhino Megaways
Pragmatic Play’s great Rhino Megaways slot features an ante bet option, which allows you to increase your bet size by 25% to double your chance of triggering the free spins round. You get to choose between three versions of the free spins round, opting for 15 spins and a multiplier that starts at 1x, 10 spins with a 5x starting multiplier or 5 spins with a 10x starting multiplier. Each cascade you trigger will increase the multiplier by one.
Spartans v Zombies
Stakelogic’s Spartans v Zombies combines history with horror, offering a creative twist on two popular slot themes. The Super Stake feature doubles your bet while increasing your chance of triggering the free spins bonus round. During the special feature, you’ll get ten free spins and a 2x multiplier. However, you can pick two shields to potentially reveal more spins and higher multipliers, and the second, third and fourth reels can turn fully wild.
Skate or Die
Get out your board and prepare to drop in on No Limit City’s Skate or Die slot. This game takes place at a skate park and lets you activate the xBet Booster for 40% extra of your current stake. This gives you an increased chance of triggering either of the three free spins bonus rounds. Whichever you unlock, you’ll gain ten free spins, and these could be boosted by guaranteed multiplier wilds and nudge wilds.
Rise of Atlantis
Swim down to the depths of Neptune’s real and discover the Rise of Atlantis. This slot from Blueprint Gaming offers lots of fun features, and if you activate the Extra Bet for an additional 25% of your stake, you have a higher chance of triggering the free spins bonus. You could unlock between 10 and 20 free spins, and during the bonus round, rising multiplier symbols will increase each time they rise up the reels, up to a maximum of 500x.
Summary
While you might not be able to play bonus buy slots UK, there are lots of alternatives available. Ante bet slots are far more responsible and allow you to increase your chance of a bonus feature without spending too much on a single spin. Remember to follow our responsible gaming guidelines to have fun while spending less.
FAQs
Slot bonuses aren’t available to purchase when playing online slots at UK online casinos. If you want to improve your chance of triggering a bonus feature, you can play ante bet slots.
In the UK, it’s not possible to buy slot features while playing at a legal and licensed online casino. However, you can play ante bet slots and use the ante bet feature to increase your chance of triggering a bonus.
Bonus buy slots aren’t available in the UK after the feature was banned by the UKGC in 2019 due to promoting impulsive spending and irresponsible gambling. Instead, online slots offer the ante bet feature.
