If you are a regular visitor to the gambling sites like Vulkan casino, you will notice that some of them have a separate section for “Buy Feature” games with quite a sizable number of titles. It pertains to the relatively new slot machine feature of bonus buying that allows players to purchase bonuses derived from free spins or other special features. And as big online casinos like Vulkan Vegas recognise the popularity of these slots, this article lists the seven best video slots that have beautifully used the bonus buying option.
What Is the “Buy” Feature in Slot Machines, and How Does It Work?
The brand-new betting option called “bonus buy” or “feature buys” has become accessible in online slots and has gained humongous popularity. It enables players to purchase bonus features instantly instead of waiting for them, which speeds up the gaming process.
Big Time Gaming (BTG) is credited with coming up with the idea. The game developer launched the White Rabbit video slot in 2017, which is regarded as the first slot machine with the Bonus Buy feature.
The system is rather straightforward: you have a button to select your bets and another button to trigger bonuses at a set price. While the costs and regulations vary for buying the features, in general, you can buy them at 50x to 100x your wager amount. All payouts are calculated depending on the triggering stake after selecting this option.
1. Dead or Alive 2 Feature Buy
Dead or Alive 2 was released in 2019 to mark the tenth anniversary of the wild west-themed cult classic, Dead or Alive, the original. Dead of Alive 2 is unique because of its enormous size of winning potential (x100,000), which has put doubting critics to rest with real winners! And as of May 2020, NetEnt updated it with the “feature buy” option, elevating it to a new level of brilliance. The epic sequel is among the most played NetEnt slots since its release.
With the Dead or Alive 2 Feature Buy, players can buy three scatters in the regular game and instantly start the free spins without waiting. Additionally, the feature raises the possibility of landing five scatter symbols and winning a 2,500x prize in the main game. Up to 12 free spins can be purchased by players, and they can choose whatever round they want to use them in.
| RTP: | 96.82% |
| Max Win: | 100,000x |
| Volatility: | High |
| Provider: | NetEnt |
2. Curse of the Pharaoh Bonus Buy
Evoplay’s Egypt-themed video slot follows the quest of an adventurer to find the hidden treasures lost in ancient tombs. The stunningly designed and advanced slot comes with a Bonus Buy feature to give players the option to purchase any of the 9 free spin games. Anywhere between 6 to 18 free spins can be purchased with exclusive multipliers, and players get total control over how the overall experience pans out.
| RTP: | 95.97% |
| Max Win: | €/$/£ 210,225 |
| Volatility: | Medium |
| Provider: | Evoplay |
3. Money Train 2
Money Train 2, released in 2020, is a spectacular sequel to the massively popular slot machine Money Train that Relax Gaming published in 2019. Another wild west-themed popular slot, this sequel is bigger and better with revamped 3D graphics and an increased win potential of up to 50,000x, higher volatility, and even higher RTP. Among the new features are base game respins and additional multipliers, free spins, and bonus symbols. Most significantly, this game comes with a Bonus Buy feature, taking the player straight to the bonus round.
| RTP: | 98.00% |
| Max Win: | 50,000x |
| Volatility: | High |
| Provider: | Relax Gaming |
4. Story of Hercules
This gorgeously designed modern video slot in the epic genre was released in September 2019 by Spinomenal. It is based on the Roman God, Hercules, and is a powerful game played over 6 reels, 50 paylines, and a wide array of special features, including stacked symbols and expanding wilds, moving reels respins, free spin rounds with 4 separate modes, and, of course, the bonus buy feature. There are two versions of this game, including the “15 lines” and the “expanded version,” all of which have the bonus buy feature. The variance of this game is practically unknown, but the RTP range is a decent 96%. Overall, the win potential is impressive in this game.
| RTP: | 96.00% |
| Max Win: | €/$/£ 75,000 |
| Volatility: | Unknown |
| Provider: | Spinomenal |
5. Take the Bank
Take the Bank by Betsoft is a fun game that would appeal to medium rollers or those who are just entering the advanced stage of slot gaming. The slot gameplay is innovative, with a classic framework. The game is enriched with conventional bonuses and specialities, including substitution wilds, money heists respins, free spin bonuses, a double-up round, which is the gambler feature, and the bonus buy feature that allows players to purchase free spins and also choose the number of wilds that appear during the spins. Even though the stakes can be quite high for medium rollers, the payouts are quite generous and with a high potential to land a big win during the purchased free spins.
| RTP: | 96.00% |
| Max Win: | x359 |
| Volatility: | Medium |
| Provider: | Betsoft |
Buying Bonuses Does Not Mean Buying Luck: the Casino Odds Will Be the Same, While the Game Progress Will Speed Up
If not for the bonuses and occasional special features and events, slot gaming can get quite boring to keep waiting for a lucky call on a winning streak and seeing the same old reels spinning. It is reasonable that gamblers cannot control the winning potential, but that doesn’t have to mean that they cannot control the bonuses! Hence, we have the bonus buy option that is legitimate and fun!
While general casino odds of between 50:1 to 200:1 for slot machines trigger bonuses at intervals of 5 to 20 minutes, the Bonus Buy feature allows players to cut to the chase and pay their stakes and game on straight to the wins they deserve.
Remember, this feature is not a means to improve your chance of winning. Your stake is buying you time to trigger bonuses, it is not buying you deliberate wins, and it is no greater than the game’s volatility.