Autoplay, jackpots and bonus buy: what German slot rules prohibit

Autoplay, jackpots and bonus buy are three features that many players know from international slot versions. In Germany, § 22a GlüStV 2021 governs how a virtual slot game may run, and in 2024 the GGL set out these requirements in more detail in its interpretation notes for individual slots. Two of the three features are covered by a clear rule: autoplay is not permitted, and jackpots are prohibited. For the third, buying a feature, the provisions quoted here contain no rule of their own.

These features belong to the same set of rules as the minimum duration per game, the maximum stake and the ban on parallel play. The overview of that rule, and of the operators where it does not apply, is on the page about casinos without the 5-second rule. This page looks at the three features one by one: what the provisions say word for word, where they are silent and what the data on the 5 casinos Tsars, Goldenbet, Slotum, Rabona and Spinsy show about autoplay, jackpot games and bonus buy.

IIAutoplay ban (§ 22a GlüStV, GGL notes 2024)

The legal basis is § 22a (4) GlüStV 2021. Program sequences that, once a game has ended, “selbstständig ein weiteres Spiel beginnen lassen” (start another game on their own) are not permitted; a game only begins on the player's declaration. That is exactly what autoplay does: the slot starts the next spin after the result without the player triggering it again. Under the wording, this feature is not provided for in virtual slot games in Germany.

In its notes on interpreting the GlüStV 2021 for individual virtual slot games, the GGL goes one step further. Autoplay, including serial automatic play, is prohibited. A slot in its German version therefore requires a separate player declaration for every spin.

This answers the search “casino ohne autoplay deaktivieren”: at permitted German operators there is no autoplay button to switch off, because the feature is not there. A player who sees autoplay in a slot is playing a version that is not built to the GGL requirements.

Closely related is § 22a (10): “Das gleichzeitige Spielen von mehreren virtuellen Automatenspielen ist verboten.” Playing several virtual slot games at the same time is prohibited, and this also applies to several windows of the same game. Autoplay and parallel play both increase the number of games per unit of time; the law rules out both.

Technically, autoplay has nothing to do with the limit system: LUGAS consists of the limit file and the activity file and records deposits and gaming activity, not the features of an individual slot. What makes casinos without LUGAS different and which casinos are not connected is explained on a separate page. The autoplay ban sits inside the game, the limit file sits outside it.

IIIJackpot ban: fixed win multiples (§ 22a (8))

§ 22a (8) GlüStV 2021 carries the addition “(Jackpotverbot)”, the jackpot ban. In substance the provision requires two things: wins must be a predetermined multiple of the stake, and accumulating stakes or wins for future wins is prohibited. A progressive jackpot that grows from the stakes of many spins or many players contradicts both parts.

The GGL took up this point in its notes for individual slots. The key sentence reads: “Das Ansammeln über einen Spin hinaus ist nicht zulässig.” Accumulating beyond one spin is not permitted. This affects not only classic jackpots but any mechanic that stores values over several spins and pays them out later. In addition, the GGL requires multipliers to be listed exhaustively. A player should therefore be able to see in advance which multiples of the stake are possible at all.

Under § 22a (3), the probability of the top win and the average payout ratio must be clearly displayed; in its notes the GGL requires this display permanently at the stake level. The rules of the game must also be understandable. A win whose size depends on the level of a growing pot does not fit this model of fixed multiples known in advance. That is why a slot in its German version shows no jackpot display that rises from spin to spin.

The rules on the machine are separate from the rules for the money in the player account. At connected operators, the monthly €1,000 deposit limit under § 6c applies across operators and is checked via LUGAS. The jackpot ban determines how a win comes about; the deposit limit determines how much money enters the cycle in the first place.

Which of the 5 brands on this page offer jackpot games, and where the sources disagree, is shown in the section on the 5 casinos below.

IVBonus buy: what the data show

Bonus buy, also called feature buy, is the option to buy a slot's bonus round directly instead of waiting for it to trigger in normal play. Unlike autoplay and jackpots, the provisions quoted here have no paragraph of their own for it. § 22a does not name feature buys explicitly, and the GGL notes quoted here do not mention them word for word either.

This page therefore does not claim an explicit statutory ban. What is certain is only what the other requirements demand for every spin: under § 22a (7), “Der Einsatz darf einen Euro je Spiel nicht übersteigen.” The stake may not exceed one euro per game. What casinos without the 1-euro limit means and what applies to the stake per spin from July 2026 under the conditions of the GGL is covered on the page about the stake limit.

The data on the 5 brands, by contrast, show a clear picture: bonus buy is documented at four of them as a category of its own or as a group of slots. The details per brand are in the next section.

The brands name the same feature differently: “Feature buys” at Tsars, “Bonus Buy” at Slotum, “Bonuskäufe” at Rabona, bonus buy slots at Goldenbet. Whether an individual title within these categories runs in a German version with fixed win multiples cannot be seen from the category names.

Another feature often mentioned together with bonus buy is turbo spin, a shortened reel animation. There is no information on it for any of the 5 brands. The provisions quoted here do not regulate it separately; for the duration of play, the minimum duration under § 22a (6) applies.

VJackpots, bonus buy and autoplay at the 5 casinos

Tsars is the only one of the 5 brands where autoplay appears in the data: a player report on AskGamblers describes autoplay being used in slots. According to AskGamblers, Tsars offers progressive jackpots, and according to a player report there is a “Feature buys” category. There is no information on turbo spin.

Goldenbet has bonus buy slots. On jackpots the sources disagree: according to casino.guru there are jackpot games, according to the AskGamblers data sheet there are no progressive jackpots. There is no information on autoplay or turbo spin.

Slotum has a filterable “Bonus Buy” category. In addition there is a jackpot category and the operator jackpot “Fairy Secrets”; according to the AskGamblers table there are no progressive jackpots. There is no information on autoplay or turbo spin.

Rabona has a “Bonuskäufe” category and a “Jackpot-Spiele” category, including Drops & Wins and Tägliche Jackpots. According to AskGamblers there are no progressive jackpots. There is no information on autoplay or turbo spin. Whether the slots at Rabona or the other brands keep to the minimum duration per game is not stated in the data; what the 5-second rule on slots means for every spin and why it is linked to the autoplay ban is explained on the page about game duration.

Spinsy has the “Jackpot-Spiele” category with Heisse, Neue and Lucky Jackpots, Jackpot Play, Tägliche Jackpots and Drops & Wins. According to AskGamblers there are no progressive jackpots; jackpot games cannot be played with bonus money. There is no information on bonus buy, autoplay or turbo spin.

In short: according to the data all 5 brands offer jackpot games, at Goldenbet only according to casino.guru, bonus buy is documented at Tsars, Goldenbet, Slotum and Rabona, and autoplay only at Tsars. On the minimum duration per game, the data contain no statement for any brand. A German GGL licence is not documented for any of the 5 brands.