Ante bet
An ante bet is an optional extra stake on some slots that you pay on every spin in return for a better chance of triggering the bonus feature. It typically adds around a quarter to your spin cost, does not change what symbols pay, and counts towards the UK’s £5 and £2 per-spin limits.
By the Best Slots UK team. Last checked .
Key takeaways
- An ante bet raises every spin’s cost in exchange for more frequent feature triggers.
- On many Pragmatic Play scatter games it lifts the stake from 20x to 25x the base bet.
- Line and scatter prizes are still paid on the base bet, not the ante-inflated total.
- The ante is part of your total bet, so it counts towards UK stake caps.
- Type
- Optional side stake
- Typical cost
- About 25% extra per spin
- Common on
- Scatter-pays and feature-led slots
- Counts towards cap
- Yes, as part of total bet
- Switch
- On or off between spins
Ante bet meaning in plain terms
The word comes from poker, where an ante is a small compulsory stake paid before the cards are dealt. On a slot it works differently: it is entirely optional, and it is a premium you pay on each spin to tilt the game towards its bonus round. Some studios give it their own label, such as ‘Double Chance’, ‘Bet+’ or ‘Extra Bet’, but the trade is the same. You pay more per spin, and the game adds extra scatter symbols or otherwise raises the trigger rate of its free spins feature.
Crucially, the ante buys frequency, not size. A feature triggered with the ante switched on pays out on the same base stake as one triggered without it.
How an ante bet works on screen
Games that offer an ante usually show a small toggle beside the bet panel. Switch it on and the displayed total bet rises. On many Pragmatic Play scatter-pays games, including Sweet Bonanza and Gates of Olympus, the in-game rules describe the base stake as a 20x bet multiplier, which becomes 25x with the ante on. That is a 25% surcharge on every spin, and the rules say it roughly doubles the chance of landing the free spins trigger naturally.
Whether a given UK casino’s version includes the toggle, and the exact wording, is set out in the game’s help screen. Always read it there, because studios vary the mechanics and the cost.
| Base bet setting | Cost per spin, ante off | Cost per spin, ante on | Extra per 100 spins |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10p | 10p | 12.5p | £2.50 |
| 20p | 20p | 25p | £5 |
| 50p | 50p | 62.5p | £12.50 |
| £1 | £1 | £1.25 | £25 |
| £4 | £4 | £5 | £100 |
Is an ante bet worth it? A worked example
The fair way to judge an ante is to compare the average cost of reaching one feature. Imagine a game where, according to its help screen, the feature lands about once every 400 spins on average without the ante, and once every 200 with it. These are illustrative figures; the real ones vary by game and many studios do not publish them.
- Ante off, £1 base bet: 400 spins × £1 = £400 staked, on average, per feature.
- Ante on, £1 base (£1.25 per spin): 200 spins × £1.25 = £250 staked, on average, per feature.
On those numbers the ante means fewer pounds go through the reels between features. That does not make it a winning move. Where the game’s RTP with the ante on is published in the rules, studios generally set it close to the normal figure, so the long-run cost of every pound staked stays roughly the same. What changes is the shape of a session: more of your return arrives through features, and the base game pays a smaller share of it. You also spend 25% more per spin, so a fixed budget covers fewer spins.
Averages hide long gaps. A feature that lands every 200 spins on average can still go 600 or more spins without appearing. See feature frequency for how to read these figures.
Ante bets and UK stake limits
Because the ante is part of the same spin, the UK’s per-spin stake limit applies to the base bet and ante combined. For a player aged 25 or over, the highest base bet with a 25% ante is £4 (£4 × 1.25 = £5). For a player aged 18–24, it is £1.60 (£1.60 × 1.25 = £2). A licensed slot will block any combination that goes over.
An ante is not a bonus buy. A buy charges a lump sum, often 100x the stake or more, to skip straight into the feature, and it is not offered to players in Great Britain. An ante keeps you spinning normally at a modestly higher price, which is why it can still appear on UK versions of some games.
If you are playing with a bonus that has a maximum bet, remember that the ante counts. A £5 max-bet rule is breached by a £4.50 base bet with the ante on (£5.63). Our max bet rule entry explains what can happen to winnings in that case.
When an ante bet suits a player, and when it does not
Advantages
- More frequent features, so sessions feel less like a long wait
- Lets you see a feature-led game’s bonus round within a smaller number of spins
- Easy to switch off between spins
Drawbacks
- Every spin costs more, so the same budget gives fewer spins
- Does not raise the RTP or the size of prizes
- Pushes the total bet closer to stake caps and bonus max-bet rules
If your budget is tight, leaving the ante off and choosing a lower stake is usually the gentler option. Our guide to high volatility slot play discusses how feature-heavy games eat into a bankroll.
Related slot terms
See also hit frequency, bonus round and variance, or return to the slot glossary.
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Frequently asked questions
Does an ante bet increase the RTP of a slot?
No, an ante bet is designed to change how often a feature lands, not the long-run return. Many games that offer one state the RTP with the ante on and off in their rules, and the two are usually very close. Over thousands of spins you should expect to lose roughly the same share of every pound staked either way. Because the ante also raises your cost per spin, you will usually stake more in total over a session. Our guide to how to find a slot’s RTP shows where the figures appear.
Are ante bets allowed on UK slots?
Yes, an optional ante can still appear on slots offered in Great Britain, provided the total stake stays within the UK’s per-spin limits. This is different from a bonus buy, which lets you pay a large lump sum to start the feature and is not offered to UK players. Whether a specific casino’s version shows the ante toggle is decided by the game’s UK build, so check the help screen. The full set of rules affecting game features is explained in UK slot game design rules.
Do wins pay more with the ante bet switched on?
No, prizes are normally paid on the base bet, not on the higher amount you pay with the ante. If your base bet is 40p and the ante makes the spin cost 50p, a symbol paying 5x returns £2, exactly as it would with the ante off. The extra 10p buys a better chance of reaching the bonus round, nothing more. Our paytable entry explains how prizes are shown for your current stake.
What is the most I can bet with an ante in the UK?
It depends on your age and the size of the ante, because the cap applies to the base bet plus the ante. With a 25% ante, a player aged 25 or over can set a base bet up to £4, making £5 in total. A player aged 18 to 24 is limited to a £1.60 base, making £2. A licensed game will stop you exceeding these amounts automatically. Our explainer on how much you can bet on slots in the UK covers the limits in more detail.
Is an ante bet the same as a side bet?
It is a type of side bet, but specific to slots. In table games such as blackjack, a side bet is a separate wager on its own outcome, like a pair. A slot ante is not settled on its own; it simply changes the reel conditions of every spin while it is switched on, usually by adding more scatter symbols. There is no separate payout for the ante itself. For other optional mechanics that change how features land, see how slot features trigger.
Can I switch the ante bet off mid-session?
Yes, the ante toggle can normally be switched on or off between any two spins, and your total bet updates immediately. It cannot be changed during a spin or while a feature is in progress. Features triggered while the ante was on are paid at the base stake as normal. If you notice you are spending faster than planned, switching it off is a simple way to stretch your budget. Our guide to slot bankroll management covers other ways to keep spending in check.
Which slots have an ante bet?
Ante bets are most common on feature-led games from studios such as Pragmatic Play, including scatter-pays titles like Sweet Bonanza and Gates of Olympus, where the rules describe a ‘Double Chance’ option. Other studios use similar toggles under different names. Whether the option appears in your casino’s version depends on that game’s UK build, so look for a toggle near the bet panel and confirm in the help screen. Our Pragmatic Play studio page covers the developer’s best-known games.