The bonus buy feature — also called Feature Buy or Bonus Purchase — has become one of the defining options in modern online slots, and Pragmatic Play was among the first developers to mainstream it. For Canadian players, the availability and legality of bonus buy at regulated Ontario casinos is more nuanced than a simple yes or no.
This guide covers every Pragmatic Play slot that offers bonus buy, what it costs at standard configurations, the Ontario regulatory position, and the honest mathematical case for whether purchasing the feature is a good decision. For the full Pragmatic Play overview, visit our Pragmatic Play Hub.
What Is a Bonus Buy Feature?
A bonus buy feature allows a player to skip the base game and purchase direct access to the slot's main bonus round — typically the free spins round. Instead of waiting for three or more scatter symbols to appear organically, you pay a fixed multiplier of your current stake to trigger the feature immediately.
In a Pragmatic Play slot like Gates of Olympus, the standard bonus buy costs approximately 100× the current bet. If you're playing at $1 per spin, buying the bonus costs $100. In return, you get immediate entry to the free spins round without playing any base game rounds.
The feature appeals to a specific player type: those who want the concentrated excitement of the bonus round without the variable wait time in the base game. It's popular among streamers and content creators for exactly this reason — the feature round is where the dramatic wins and entertaining moments occur.
Bonus Buy in Ontario — What Canadian Players Need to Know
The regulatory position on bonus buy in Ontario is nuanced. Unlike the UK, where the UKGC banned bonus buy features in 2019, iGaming Ontario has not imposed a universal prohibition. However:
- Operator discretion applies: Individual Ontario iGO-licensed casinos can choose to enable or disable the bonus buy feature on specific games. The same Pragmatic Play title may offer bonus buy at one Ontario casino but not another.
- AGCO oversight: The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario monitors game configurations at regulated operators. Operators must ensure any enabled features meet responsible gambling standards.
- Player protection context: The bonus buy option is disabled by default at some Ontario casinos and requires players to actively opt in, in line with responsible gambling practices.
For players outside Ontario in provinces like BC, Alberta, or Quebec who access offshore-licensed casinos, bonus buy is generally available wherever enabled by the individual operator.
Pragmatic Play Slots with Bonus Buy
Most Pragmatic Play cluster-pays and scatter-pays titles offer a bonus buy option in their standard configuration. The following reviewed PP slots support the feature:
Gates of Olympus is the most-purchased bonus slot in the Pragmatic catalogue. The 100× buy-in gets you 15 free spins with the full accumulated multiplier mechanic. The wide distribution of outcomes — some buys return 10× of your purchase, some return 500× — reflects the Very High volatility. Read the full slot breakdown: Gates of Olympus review.
Sweet Bonanza is arguably the most popular bonus buy target in Canada, driven by the free spins multiplier bombs. The 10 free spins with scatter symbol pays and multiplier bombs can deliver anywhere from under 10× to the 21,100× theoretical maximum. The High volatility (vs Very High for Gates) means the distribution of bonus outcomes is somewhat tighter. Review: Sweet Bonanza.
Big Bass Bonanza's highest base RTP (96.71%) makes it the most mathematically favourable bonus buy in the Pragmatic catalogue. If you're going to use the bonus buy feature regularly, Big Bass offers the best theoretical return on each purchase. The collector mechanic in the free spins round — Fisherman wilds gathering money fish symbols — also produces a more varied and extended feature experience than simple free-spin-and-tumble formats. Review: Big Bass Bonanza.
Other reviewed PP slots with bonus buy support: Sweet Bonanza 1000, Gates of Olympus 1000, Starlight Princess 1000, Sugar Rush 1000, Buffalo King Megaways.
The Ante Bet Alternative
Several Pragmatic Play titles — including Gates of Olympus, Sweet Bonanza, and Fruit Party — offer an Ante Bet option rather than (or in addition to) a full bonus buy. The Ante Bet typically adds 25% to your current stake in exchange for doubled scatter frequency during the base game.
At a $1 base bet, you'd pay $1.25 per spin instead of $1.00. The scatter frequency increase means you hit the bonus round faster on average — but not immediately, and not guaranteed. This is a significantly cheaper way to increase bonus frequency than the 100× full buy-in, and is widely available at Ontario casinos even when the full bonus buy is disabled.
Is Bonus Buy Worth It Mathematically?
The honest answer: marginally not, in most configurations, but close enough that other factors dominate the decision.
Here's the framework. The free spins round in Gates of Olympus pays an average of approximately 75–85× the buy-in stake over a large sample (the exact figure is Pragmatic's internal calculation, not published). If the bonus buy costs 100× and the average feature return is 80×, you're paying a 25% premium for immediate access. That premium represents the convenience cost — in pure EV terms, buying the bonus is slightly worse than triggering it organically.
However, the RTP of the bonus buy version of these games is typically stated differently. Pragmatic Play notes that their Feature Buy versions of Gates of Olympus and Sweet Bonanza maintain the full published RTP (96.50% and 96.51% respectively), meaning the buy multiplier is priced to be mathematically fair when the full RTP is considered.
Best Pragmatic Play Slots for Bonus Buy
Based on RTP, feature quality, and consistency of bonus outcomes:
- Big Bass Bonanza — Best for bonus buy if prioritising RTP (96.71%). Most consistent feature experience. Lower max win (2,100×).
- Gates of Olympus — Best overall bonus experience. Very High volatility means wider outcome distribution. The accumulated multiplier mechanic delivers genuinely exceptional results in top sessions.
- Sweet Bonanza — Best for players who want higher max win potential (21,100×) with slightly lower variance than Gates. High-frequency multiplier bomb landings make the feature entertaining even in average sessions.
See the full comparison of these titles in our best Pragmatic Play slots guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Conclusion
Pragmatic Play's bonus buy feature is available on their most popular cluster-pays and scatter-pays titles, subject to operator enablement at your specific Ontario casino. The best slot for bonus buy in terms of RTP is Big Bass Bonanza (96.71%). The most exciting bonus buy experience remains Gates of Olympus for its accumulated multiplier drama.
Whether to use it is a personal decision. Don't treat bonus buy as a mathematical edge — it isn't one. Treat it as a session-pace option that lets you skip the base game when you want direct access to the feature. Used with that understanding, it's a legitimate and entertaining option.
Explore all Pragmatic Play slots and their bonus mechanics at our Pragmatic Play Hub and provider page.