Online slots can often be more volatile than their in-casino counterparts. Volatile slots can in part have a bonus that’s harder to achieve because there’s more money potentially in the bonus when you do get it.
Some slots try to balance that out a bit with a toggle that lets you bet a bit more for an increased chance at a bonus. One player wonders how to interpret this:
On online play, when it says you pay a little extra to increase your chance of a bonus, what does that actually do for you? Some say double your chance. I have never gotten a bonus with it. Always on regular bets only. Is it really increasing your chances by double?
Joann
In regulated markets, if a slot says doing this will cause this, it absolutely has to do what it says. So yes, your chances increase when turning on that extra bet. But it’s just your chances – slots still have the same sort of randomness that can lead to frustratingly long gaps between bonuses, even with that extra chance.
This is no different than games like Wonka and The Wizard of Oz in casinos where there were often the ability to choose a “more/better bonus” bet. For an extra bet, you’re improving the odds of getting a feature or bonus, as well in that case the payouts in those bonuses. But you had to make that wager every spin, regardless of whether you got the bonus or not. Those wagers often were 50 percent of your line bet, which is a lot to invest in hoping for a bonus.
The good news is, over time, the payback percentage is almost universally identical (and if not it’s really close), meaning it should even out over time as you get the bonuses. But it’s feast or famine in the short term – no bonus means it’s eating your money up that much faster.
Sometimes particularly hard bonuses to get can seem not worth it to toggle that setting on because without that extra bet, you simply have more time to get the bonus. But ultimately with the payback being identical, it’s really up to you – you’ll see more wild swings with the bet on, but the potential for reaching that bonus and getting a good payout increases with your increased bonus chances.
It’s really what kind of game you want to play. If all you want are bonuses, the most extreme option is slots with a buy a bonus option. The next best thing is the increased chance option.
