Buy Features in slot machines

If you have experience playing at online casinos, you have undoubtedly encountered purchasable features in slot machines. These features appeared relatively recently, at the end of the 2010s. New opportunities were warmly received by players as they allowed for reducing game time and significantly increasing interest in the gameplay. Of course, game providers also benefited: many began to release slots with trendy innovations and added such functionality to existing slot machines.

Today, we can confidently say that purchasable features in slot machines have made a real revolution in the world of online gambling. What exactly has changed, and how has it impacted the industry – read on to find out.

Where can you find slots with purchasable features?

If you are new to the world of online casinos, or if you have not encountered paid features for some other reason, now is the time to rectify this. Today, such slot machines are present in every project listed on our website. We recommend you choose a reliable online casino, review the project that interests you, and then start playing!

For the most eager, we have prepared a short list of casinos where newcomers can take advantage of generous offers for both the first and subsequent deposits:

What are purchasable features and how do they affect RTP?

Purchasable features are a special functionality of a slot machine, affecting the ability to activate bonus mechanics for an additional fee. Initially, providers only included the purchase of bonus games for a fixed fee. Over time, a host of other possibilities emerged, which we will discuss in more detail later.

“And that’s it? What’s the benefit for the player and the provider?” – many readers might ask such questions. Let’s delve deeper. First of all, we need to define what RTP is. This abbreviation stands for Return To Player, which is the percentage of money returned to players. This indicator is theoretical, and it shows the percentage of all players’ bets that will return to them as winnings.

If we talk about slot machines, its average value is 96%, so 4% of each bet is the casino’s profit in the long term.

When purchasable features were invented, providers and projects significantly increased their profits. This was because, in the initial stages, the RTP slightly decreased when using various paid features. Essentially, players were making very expensive spins, bringing the establishment slightly more money than usual. And here is where it gets interesting!

Realizing that gamblers liked purchasable features, the need to lower the RTP disappeared. Now this indicator is the same as in regular play, and sometimes even higher! Many players began to prefer quick and risky games over measured and lengthy ones. Naturally, providers understood the needs of players and started releasing new games with not only purchasable free spins but also bonus bets, random functions, and other mechanics. Moreover, the most popular slots released earlier were modernized, and similar features appeared in them too. All this had a special impact on online gambling – purchasable features became a common and routine attribute of the game, found everywhere.

What types of purchasable features are there in slot machines?

Given the constantly evolving technologies and the diversity of slot machines, the variability of purchasable features in them is truly impressive. Next, we will take a detailed look at the most common paid mechanics that any player can use.

Buy Feature

The classic Buy Feature allows you to instantly activate the free spins mode by paying a certain fixed amount. Typically, it varies from 50 to 150 bets of the current denomination. In some slots, activating this feature guarantees a minimum number of free spins, and with luck, there could be many more (for example, if five Scatter symbols appear instead of the guaranteed three). In other slots, you will always receive a fixed number of spins. Interestingly, the cost of purchasing the bonus can give you a rough idea of its mathematical expectation and the difficulty of activating it during regular play.

The first popular slots that allowed players to buy free spins for an additional fee were from the company Big Time Gaming. You might know them from games like Who Wants To Be A Millionaire Megaways, White Rabbit Megaways, Extra Chilli Megaways, and others. In the latter, for instance, after activating free spins, the player has the opportunity to risk and gain more spins or lose them all (Gamble Feature). Since the maximum win in the provider’s slots often exceeds several tens of thousands of bets, the Buy Feature immediately became popular among players. And considering that activating free spins in regular play was rare, it also became profitable!

Following BTG’s example, the company Pragmatic Play quickly climbed to the pedestal of the provider with the most popular games having purchasable features. Moreover, such games even spawned a category of gamblers whose play revolves exclusively around buying free spins.

To pique your interest in continuing to read, we present a list of casinos with free spins for registration in slots where the purchasable feature is available.

Bonus Bet

The next stage in the development of purchasable features was the addition of extra bets, or Bonus Bets. By activating such a bet, the player significantly increases the chances of special features appearing, be it free spins or something else. Meanwhile, the current bet increases by a certain percentage, but payouts are made at the standard bet value.

For example, if we consider games from Pragmatic Play, the bonus bet in many of them doubles the chance of activating free spins. Earlier on this page, we talked about the slot machine Gates of Olympus, which supports an additional bet that operates exactly on this principle. Note that in this slot, there is also a purchasable Buy Feature, which is not available when the bonus bet is active.

Among players, there are often debates about the advisability of bonus bets. On one hand, they theoretically increase the chances of getting free spins and large wins, but on the other hand, they significantly raise the bet size while keeping the same payout sizes. Moreover, a certain percentage of gamblers are skeptical and do not notice any difference. In their opinion, doubling the chances of “landing the elusive free spins” makes no sense. What do you think? You can express your opinion in the comments below this post.

Random Buy Feature

Over time, the number of slot machines with several types of free spins – from simple to the rarest and giving the maximum chances of a big win – has significantly increased. Naturally, developers could not miss the new opportunity to thrill gamblers. The result of all this was the Random Buy Feature, a more engaging analog of the Gamble Feature we mentioned earlier.

The Random Buy Feature, when activated, randomly determines the type of free spins the player will receive. For example, consider the slot machine Mental from the provider Nolimit City. It has three types of free spins, the cost of purchasing them being x80, x230, and x1000 for Autopsy, Lobotomy, and Mental Freespins, respectively. Of course, nothing stops you from buying each of them separately, but a more interesting option is the random feature, costing 232 bets. Activating it, you get a 50% chance of activating the cheapest round, 40% for the medium bonus, and 10% for the top Mental Freespins!

This feature can be found not only in most games from Nolimit City but also in slots from providers like Push Gaming, Belatra, Blueprint, and several others. You can find all these games in any casino from our rating, or from the list below.

Other Types of Purchasable Features

Slots with unusual purchasable features include games from many developers. A standout in this category is the provider Hacksaw Gaming, which offers players numerous bonus bets that increase both the likelihood of winning free spins and the activation of special features. But Hacksaw is not alone: for example, in the slot Super X from Pragmatic Play, special spins can be launched for an additional fee, bringing instant payout.

Particular attention deserves the new mechanic from the provider Nolimit City, which allows spins and the purchase of bonuses at an incredible speed – Nolimit Action Spins. It enables the one-time purchase of the required number of spins or bonus rounds, and instead of viewing each animation, only the final result is displayed. This mechanic is unique, and as of the beginning of 2024 when this article was written, it has no equivalents.

Conclusion About Purchasable Features

To clearly demonstrate the main advantages and disadvantages of purchasable features, let’s summarize the key points:

• When using features, RTP can change in both directions, higher or lower;
• The cost of a bonus reflects its approximate mathematical expectation, as well as the difficulty of triggering it during regular play;
• Purchasable bonuses allow for immediate results – there’s no longer a need to spend hours trying to catch free spins;
• Opinions on the advisability of using the additional Bonus Bet vary from player to player;
• The purchasable random bonus feature, depending on your luck, may either save money or result in losing much more.

A few words should be devoted to the last point. Clearly, the use of paid features can contribute to problematic behavior in gambling. This is because a certain portion of players might feel compelled to spend more to access special gaming modes. We strongly advise you to adhere to the rules of responsible gaming, and particularly, to determine your budget before starting a gaming session. If any problems with self-control arise, stop playing and seek help.

The gaming industry is constantly evolving – new purchasable features are constantly appearing, allowing not only to get an adrenaline rush but also to win huge amounts. It is very likely that something completely unique and interesting will appear in the very near future. All you need to do is keep an eye on the new releases. Of course, we will help you with this!

Frequently Asked Questions