A bonus buy is the slot equivalent of skipping the queue. Instead of spinning and waiting for the scatters to land, you pay a fixed price, usually around 100 times your stake, and the game drops you straight into the free spins. It is the fastest way to see a slot’s best feature, and streamers have made it hugely popular. It is also the fastest way to spend a bankroll, and it is not available on every Canadian casino site.
This page explains how feature buys work, what they really cost, how they change your session, and where Canadians can use them.
Quick answer: A bonus buy lets you pay a set multiple of your stake, commonly 80x to 150x, to trigger a slot’s bonus round instantly. At C$1 a spin, a 100x buy costs C$100. The long-run return is usually similar to normal play, but each purchase is a large, high-variance bet, and most individual buys pay back less than they cost. Ontario-facing casinos generally do not offer the feature, and bonus terms usually ban it while you are wagering.
Bonus Buy Slot Casinos for Canadian Players
100% up to C$1,000
+ 100 Free Spins
100% up to C$1,000
+ 200 Free Spins
+ 100 Free Spins
100% Welcome bonus up to C$750
140 Free Spins
First deposit will be matched up to $400
Following two are matched up to $300 each
Welcome deposit bonus up to $1600
50 Free Spins
100% up to C$500
+ 500 Free Spins
200% deposit match
with promo code
100% up to C$500
+ 50 Free Spins
About this list. These are our general picks for players outside Ontario and Alberta, ranked by our overall review score. Whether the buy button appears depends on the casino and the game, so check before you deposit. Ontario-facing sites generally do not offer bonus buys. If you live in Ontario or Alberta, play at a provincially licensed site instead (see the section on provincial sites further down).
How Bonus Buy Works
- Set your stake as you would for a normal spin.
- Press the buy button. The game shows the price as a multiple of that stake, for example 100x.
- Confirm the purchase. The full price comes out of your balance in one go.
- The bonus round plays out at your chosen stake, with the same rules as a naturally triggered feature.
Some games offer more than one option: a cheaper buy for standard free spins and a more expensive one for an enhanced version with better multipliers or more spins. Prices of several hundred times the stake are common at the top end.
Ante Bets and “Double Chance”
A gentler version of the same idea. Some games, particularly from Pragmatic Play, let you raise every spin’s cost, often by about 25%, to increase the chance of the free spins landing naturally. It is a smaller, ongoing extra cost rather than a single big purchase.
What a Bonus Buy Really Costs
The price is easy to underestimate because it is quoted against your stake, not in dollars. Here is what a typical 100x buy costs at common stakes:
| Stake | Price of a 100x buy | Buys from a C$200 balance | Normal spins from the same C$200 |
|---|---|---|---|
| C$0.20 | C$20 | 10 | 1,000 |
| C$0.50 | C$50 | 4 | 400 |
| C$1 | C$100 | 2 | 200 |
| C$2 | C$200 | 1 | 100 |
The right-hand columns tell the story. A balance that would give you an evening of normal spins becomes a handful of all-or-nothing purchases.
Do Bonus Buys Have a Better RTP?
Not in any way that changes the picture. The buy feature usually has its own RTP figure, listed in the game’s info screen. It is often close to the game’s normal return, sometimes slightly higher, sometimes slightly lower. If the game’s return is about 96%, each C$100 buy costs about C$4 on average over a very large number of purchases.
The problem is the word “average”. Bonus rounds on high-volatility games pay in a lopsided way. Most of them return less than the buy price, and a small number pay many times more. Those rare big ones carry the average. So in practice:
- A losing run of buys is normal. Five or ten buys in a row returning less than their price is not unusual on a volatile game.
- Your result after a few buys can be far from 96%. In either direction, but more often below.
- Faster play means more total wagered. One buy can stake as much as 100 spins in a few seconds, so a session moves through money much faster.
Our explainer on what RTP means in practice shows why the average only appears over a very large number of rounds, and our page on high volatility slots covers how to size a bankroll for lopsided games.
Two Ways to Spend C$100
A simple comparison makes the trade-off clear. Take a slot with a 96% return, and assume the buy feature returns about the same.
| Option A: 200 spins at C$0.50 | Option B: one 100x buy at C$1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Total wagered | C$100 | C$100 |
| Average cost | About C$4 | About C$4 |
| Number of outcomes | 200 spins, perhaps a natural bonus or two | One bonus round |
| How long it lasts | Around 15 to 20 minutes | Under a minute |
| Most likely result | Usually a little under C$100, with smaller swings | Less than C$100, sometimes far less, occasionally far more |
On paper, the two cost the same. In practice, Option B packs all of the risk into a single result, and it is over so quickly that the next C$100 tends to follow it. That speed, more than the maths of any one purchase, is why bonus buys drain balances.
Bonus Buy: Pros and Cons
| Why players like it | Why it costs players |
|---|---|
| You see the best part of the game straight away | Each purchase is a large single bet |
| No long base-game grind on a volatile slot | Most buys return less than their price |
| Total cost per feature is known in advance | Balances can disappear in minutes |
| Long-run return is usually similar to normal play | Usually banned while a casino bonus is active |
If you want to try a game’s feature without the risk, the demo is the better route. Many bonus buy games let you buy features with play money in demo mode, and our collection of free slot demos is a good place to start.
Where Bonus Buys Are and Are Not Allowed
Bonus buys are a regulatory pressure point. The UK Gambling Commission banned them in 2019 as part of a wider push against high-intensity slot features. Canada has no single national rule:
- Ontario: Ontario-facing casinos generally do not offer the bonus buy option, even on games that include it elsewhere. The AGCO has also banned slot autoplay and fined operators for offering it. Our list of regulated Ontario online casinos covers the licensed market.
- Alberta: the regulated market opened on July 13, 2026. Check each game on a licensed site, and see our page on Alberta’s licensed casino sites.
- Rest of Canada: offshore casinos serving players outside Ontario commonly offer bonus buys. Our BetPlays review found a dedicated Bonus Buy section, the Jet Casino lobby lets you sort games by Bonus Buy, and TonyBet’s library is rich in Megaways and bonus-buy titles.
Our explainer on provincially regulated versus offshore casinos covers the trade-offs in player protection.
Bonus Buys and Casino Bonus Terms
This is where many players lose a bonus without realising why. Most casino bonuses set a maximum bet while you are wagering, often C$5 per spin. A 100x buy at C$0.10 is a C$10 bet, so it breaks that rule even at a tiny stake. Some casinos spell it out: Winawin caps bets at C$7.50 per spin or round while wagering, bonus buys included. Others simply void winnings for “prohibited play” and list feature buys within it.
The safe rule is simple: never buy a bonus while a casino bonus is active. Clear the wagering on normal spins, or skip the bonus. Our explainer on welcome bonus terms shows where to find the maximum bet rule, and offers with no wagering requirements avoid the issue altogether.
Popular Bonus Buy Slots
The feature is most common on high-volatility video slots and Megaways games. Well-known examples include Extra Chilli Megaways (Big Time Gaming), Gates of Olympus (Pragmatic Play), Razor Returns (Push Gaming) and Money Train 4 (Relax Gaming), along with much of the Hacksaw Gaming and Nolimit City catalogue. Prices and RTPs vary by game and sometimes by casino, so check the info screen. Our page on Megaways slots and how they work covers many of the most-bought games.
If You Use Bonus Buys: A Sensible Approach
- Use real money only, never with an active casino bonus.
- Lower the stake, not the number of buys. Ten buys at C$0.20 give you a far better feel for a game than one at C$2.
- Decide the number of buys in advance, and stop there whatever happens.
- Check the buy RTP on the info screen, and pass on games that show a noticeably lower figure.
- Bank a big win. The most common pattern is a large feature followed by buying again until it is gone.
None of this changes the long-run cost. For the wider picture on what helps at slots, read our breakdown of what actually works at online slots.
How We Assess Bonus Buy Casinos
We check whether bonus buys are offered and on which games, whether buy RTPs are shown, how the bonus terms treat feature buys and maximum bets, and how fast real slot wins are paid out. Payout speed matters more here than usual, and our ranking of fast withdrawal casinos is a useful companion. The full criteria are in our casino rating process.
A Word of Caution
Regulators restrict bonus buys for a reason: they let you spend a lot of money very quickly, and they skip the natural pauses in play. If you find yourself buying feature after feature to chase a loss, stop. Our page on gambling support in Canada lists helplines, deposit limit tools and self-exclusion programs in every province.
Written by Ethan Walsh, OCCG casino reviewer. Prices and RTPs vary by game and casino; the game’s info screen shows the figures for the version you are playing. Casino details come from our individual reviews. If something has changed, let us know.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a bonus buy slot?
A slot that lets you pay a fixed price, shown as a multiple of your stake, to trigger the bonus round immediately instead of waiting for it to land naturally.
How much does a bonus buy cost?
Commonly 80x to 150x your stake, and often 100x. At C$1 a spin, a 100x buy costs C$100. Enhanced features can cost several hundred times the stake.
Is buying the bonus worth it?
Over a very large number of buys, the return is usually similar to normal play. Over a short session, most buys return less than they cost, so results swing much more. It suits players with a large budget who accept that risk.
Can you buy bonuses at Ontario online casinos?
Generally not. Ontario-facing casinos usually do not offer the bonus buy option, even on games that have it in other markets.
Why did the UK ban bonus buys?
The UK Gambling Commission banned them in 2019 over concerns that they encourage fast, high-cost play. Other regulators have taken a similar view.
Can I use a bonus buy while wagering a casino bonus?
Almost never. A feature buy usually exceeds the maximum bet allowed while wagering, and many terms list it as prohibited play, which can void your winnings.
Do bonus buys have a higher RTP?
Sometimes slightly, sometimes slightly lower. The game’s info screen shows the buy RTP for the version at your casino.
What is an ante bet?
An option on some slots to pay extra on every spin, often about 25%, to increase the chance of triggering free spins naturally. It is a smaller, ongoing cost rather than a one-off purchase.