We’ve previously written about Buy a Bonus capabilities on some games. While it’s more commonplace on online casino slots, the occasional physical casino game has featured it too.
With this capability, in most cases you can instantly buy a bonus without needing to spin for it. For players who enjoy the bonus more than the journey to the bonus, it can let you get right to it.
Of course, bonuses can cost a significant amount of money relative to the bet level they’re built around, so buying a lot of bonuses can also mean lots of swings up and down.
We’ll periodically update this list to add in any new games that feature this functionality.
- Dancing Drums Golden Drums: This is one of the newest games on the floor to feature a bonus buy, and is one that gives you multiple bonus types to buy. More expensive options give you taller reels for more spins, but the risk is still there that the bonus could wildly under or over perform.
- Deal or No Deal (Gaming Arts): If you like the idea of playing the traditional Deal or No Deal game picking cases, this buy a bonus is for you. There are different levels you can buy, with the more expensive option featuring multipliers on all the cases.
- Coin Trio: Piggy Pennies and Fortune Trails: Buying this bonus guarantees you play the hold and spin bonus, with at least one coin upgrade in play. You do have the potential to get two or even all three, and have access to all of the progressives just like if you triggered it naturally.
- Bank Buster: This is another triple pot bonus like Coin Trio where you’re guaranteed a bonus with at least one upgrade, but could get two or even all three. The bonus works the same as if you triggered it naturally otherwise.
- Mr. Cashman Link: This, like Coin Trio, triggers a hold and spin bonus. With Mr. Cashman Link, special coins can upgrade the reels or prizes in various ways.
- Louie’s Gold Xtra Cash: This is another hold and spin bonus with three pots. At least one upgrade is awarded, but multiple can be awarded as well.
- Mighty Black Knight/Hercules High & Mighty: This is the rare online game set ported to physical casinos with a buy a bonus feature. You have three bonus buy options, each step up offering better upgrades, but a higher purchase price to have to recover during the spins.
- Acorn Pixie: One of the earlier slots to offer a bonus buying option, you get three choices, with each offering more spins at a higher price. Since the game adds sticky wilds with each free spin, the bigger spin count has an impact and so it scales accordingly.
- Butterfly Fairy: This slot, like Acorn Pixie, was an early buy a bonus offering. Here, too, there’s options based on how many spins you want. This time, the amount of wilds on the reels increases with each spin, vs. a sticky wild scenario. But again, more spins means better chances for the wilds to deliver.
- Christmas Vacation: This features one of the game bonuses where you try to light the house up. You pick which level of risk you wish to take for your purchase, and then you pick with the hope of finding the right one to light up the house. The more risky your attempt, the bigger your prize, but also the smaller the chances of winning.
- The Flintstones: The Flintstones features a racing feature with the ability to buy a bonus that lets you bet on the outcome of a race. The more risky your option, the bigger your prize, but the smaller your chances of winning. This, too, is just one bonus within the game but lets you have access to it instantly.
- Raging Rhino Rampage/Fortune Ruler Da Shen Dao: These game twins feature a feature that lets you buy three spins, with a 25 percent chance at triggering the bonus. You still win any line hits that come out of this, though, although the line pays are pretty anemic relative to the size of the purchase. Of course, get the bonus and you have the chance to upgrade it through a wheel and then have a better shot at racking up the wins from there.
- James Bond Die Another Day: This game is another Light & Wonder game that lets you buy a chance at a bonus as opposed to an actual bonus. You get a picking screen with the chance to activate the bonus, but it’s not guaranteed.
Know of a game in casinos that isn’t on our list? Share below and we’ll incorporate in a future update!
I have never seen buy a bonus on a slot machine. Looked at the list and I guess I have not played any of those. Like the piggies game will look for it next time. Mostly play on cruise ships or Chumba.
Hey Tina – it’s still a relatively rare element on slots, but it is slowly popping up on more games, so it’s likely you’ll see it at some point! We first played Coin Trio on a Carnival cruise with the Instant Feature (their name for Buy a Bonus) active so it’ll be out there!
I’ve seen Lucky Louie machines with the Buy a Bonus feature. The minimum bet on that is $50.
Thanks Brad! We hope to refresh the list periodically as new games come out with this option!
Which casinos can you find the buy a bonus games in?
Hi Nate – there’s a lot of casinos out there, so the best advice we can offer is to check out the slot finders we have linked on the site in case it can point you in the right direction!