What is Bonus Buy Exclusion?

A bonus buy exclusion is the term that stops you using a game's feature buy while bonus funds are in play. Operators write it in one of three strengths, and the difference between them decides whether a mistake costs you progress or costs you everything. The weakest version contributes nothing: pressing buy is allowed, but the stake does not count towards the wagering requirement. The middle version blocks the button while a bonus is active. The strongest version treats a buy as a breach of the bonus terms and voids the bonus and any winnings from it, which is the same forfeiture rule that applies to exceeding a maximum bet. The reasoning is the same in all three cases. A wagering requirement is priced on the assumption that turnover happens at roughly the game's ordinary pace and volatility. A feature buy puts a large stake through in a single click at a different volatility, which either clears a requirement far faster than intended or produces the large swings the requirement was designed to sit through. From the operator's side it is a way of shortcutting a bonus; from the player's it is often just a button on a screen with no warning attached. The advice is dull and it is the right advice. Check the bonus terms for the words buy, purchase or feature buy before playing a bonus balance, and if the terms are silent, treat that as unresolved rather than as permission. This clause sits alongside the maximum bet rule as one of the two most commonly triggered forfeiture terms in online casino bonuses, and both are triggered by a single click without any confirmation step.