What is a buy feature in slots?
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The buy feature (also called bonus buy or feature buy) lets you pay a set amount to instantly trigger the slot’s main bonus round, skipping the base game entirely. Instead of waiting for scatters to land organically, you purchase direct access to the free spins or other bonus feature.
How the pricing works
The cost is typically 50 to 100 times your stake. On a $1 per spin slot, buying the feature might cost $80. The cost reflects the average expected value of triggering the bonus through normal play, adjusted for the guaranteed access it provides.
Regulatory status
The buy feature is not available in all markets. The UK Gambling Commission banned bonus buy features in licensed UK casinos due to concerns about accelerated gambling and risk to vulnerable players. Many other jurisdictions still permit it. If you’re in a region where it’s available, it’s a legitimate way to experience a slot’s bonus without extended base game sessions — but the same expected value math applies.
Ben Barber got into the gambling industry through the poker rooms of London in the early 2000s. After building up a solid grounding in casino, sports betting and poker, he made the move to Malta where he spent close to a decade writing for some of the biggest affiliate networks in the region. A few years ago he relocated to Bali, which shifted his focus toward website strategy and affiliate marketing. The casino side never really left, though. He still writes reviews, how-to guides and in-depth pieces on everything from slots and live dealer tables to crypto casinos and sweepstakes sites. His approach is fact-first: help players understand how online gambling actually works before they deposit a cent.