Free spins are the most attractive feature of slot machines for all slot lovers. Many users use the slots solely because of it and change the game after receiving and running out of free spins. With this in mind, several providers have introduced the opportunity to purchase bonuses. Read on to find out how this feature works and which slots supporting this option are popular at the moment.
How buying free spins works
A series of free spins is a bonus slot machine mechanic, which, in most cases, is activated after three scatters or other special symbols appear on the right field. To get these images on the reels, users often have to make dozens and sometimes hundreds of spins. Since the results of each subsequent spin are not related to the previous ones, and the probability of getting three scatters is small, it is not uncommon for players to spend their entire bankroll without even activating the free spins.
There’s an alternative to long spinning in modern slots – an opportunity to buy a bonus instead of activating it. It allows the user to start using free spins instantly after paying for a certain number of bets. The process is simple: the user needs to click on the corresponding button, set the cost of the spin, spend the specified amount, and they can immediately start using the free spins.
Please note that the purchase of free spins does not provide any additional benefits to the user, except for their instant activation. The payoff of the free spins series will be the same as if they were triggered by three scatters in the usual game.
The casino users like the opportunity to buy free spins so much that many have switched to this format completely. The providers reacted accordingly and massively introduced this feature into their developments. For example, Pragmatic Play has added the option to purchase bonuses to most new and pre-existing slots.
Next, we will look at various developers’ most popular slot machines that allow the users to activate the free spins immediately.
Money Train 2
A hit from the Relax Gaming provider, released in 2020, which has received the title of the slot of the year. It attracts players not only with its bright design and pleasant soundtracks but also with the opportunity to receive a payout of up to x50,000 bets.
Most of the fun happens in the bonus round. It is activated if there are three scatters on the screen. It can also be activated instantly if the user pays an amount of money equal to 100 bets.
After the free spins are launched, the game switches to a new screen with five reels and four rows. The initial reeland consists of empty cells, and the user has 3 free spins at their disposal. If any symbol appears on the reels as a result of a spin, the counter resets to zero, and the number of attempts goes back to the starting value.
The bonus payouts are not based on identical images. Instead, they depend on the multipliers. There are also special symbols that start various mechanics:
- Regular and gold multipliers. The former add up to x10 to the total winnings, and the latter add up to x200.
- Payer. Adds its own value to all multipliers already on the screen.
- Collector. It creates the coefficient based on the sum of the values of all multipliers on the reels.
- Sniper. Doubles the value of 3-8 random characters on the reels. The same image can be multiplied several times in a row.
- Necromancer. Repeats the action of 1-6 symbols that were shown earlier. It can be either a regular multiplier or a payer/collector.
- Extra spin. Adds another rotation to the initial counter.
- Regular payers, snipers and pickers. They act similarly to the usual ones but are launched after each spin.
If one of the reels is completely filled, a one opens up. This mechanic can be activated two times max. That is, the initial field of 5×4 can be increased to 7×4.
The bonus feature ends if no symbol appears on the screen after three or more spins in a row.
Sweet Bonanza
This is one of the most popular Pragmatic Play slots that takes the player to the world of sweets, candies and fruits. The device was released in 2019. With an RTP of 96.51%, the slot allows you to get a payout of more than x21,000 bets. The main feature is the mechanics of cascading rotations. If a combination is created on the screen, the symbols that have played will disappear, and new ones will fall in their place. The same feature is implemented in free spins.
If there’s a combination of the same symbols, they will disappear, and new ones will appear in their place. The same thing happens with free spins.
Buying a bonus for Sweet Bonanza costs 100 bets. Originally, the client receives 10 spins, and if three scatters fall out during the free spins, 5 additional spins are awarded.
In general, all the basic mechanics of the slot are kept the same in the bonus round, the symbols are also paid for in accordance with the standard prize table. However, in addition to regular symbols and scatters, there may be multipliers that randomly appear on the screen. They increase the payout from the current spin.
The multipliers range from x2 to x100, but the maximum number that can appear in one spin is not limited.
Fruit Party
Another Pragmatic Play development released in 2020. The slot has a second version, but, oddly enough, it is its original that is more popular among players. The maximum payout here is relatively small and amounts to x5000 bets. But the volatility is noticeably lower than in many other devices. It can be described as medium-high.
In the game, the layout consists of 7 reels and 7 rows. Payouts occur if 5 or more identical symbols appear vertically or horizontally. The bonus is activated when three scatters appear – the user receives 10 free spins. The rules for free spins are standard, but with one exception – the symbols may contain multipliers that increase the payout for specific combinations.
They fall out randomly. Their number also determines the RNG. However, the multipliers have an impact on each other. For example, if a double coefficient falls out three times in a combination made from five identical symbols, the payout will increase by 8 times (2x2x2)
Gates of Olympus
This Pragmatic Play slot, released in 2021, quickly became popular in most online casinos.
It offers users the Pay Anywhere mechanic, which is well known from other devices of the provider. According to this mechanic, the same symbols are paid for regardless of their location on the screen. All you need to receive the prize is to collect 8 or more identical images on the reels.
The maximum payout of the slot is x5000 bets. To enter the free spins mode, you need to collect 4 scatters. After their appearance, the player receives 15 spins.
The rules are the same in the bonus game as in the regular one, but there are additional multipliers. They affect the payout in the specific spin they land on and in subsequent ones. If a combination of the identical symbols had been created and a multiplier was present on the screen, the final payout will increase by the corresponding number of times. Then the coefficient moves into a kind of “piggy bank”. As the game progresses, it gradually increases. The current spin multiplier is added to the total after each successful spin.
If spins do not show a single coefficient, the accumulative one will remain passive even when the prize combinations are created.
These slots are just a few out of those that are popular among the fans of purchased bonuses. There are many other slot machines.
In general, hundreds of devices let you instantly activate free spins. This feature is one of the most popular today, so providers implement it not only in new machines but also in those that were released previously.
