A welcome bonus is a type of promotion offered by online casinos. The reason it’s got the word “welcome” in the name is that it is a promotional offer aimed at new customers. This bonus should be the best thing the casino can offer because it’s supposed to attract new players. It helps the casino increase its popularity in the gambling world. It’s rare to see an online casino that doesn’t offer a welcome bonus because customers prefer to join ones that do have these offers. We are sure that all types of players, new and experienced ones will agree that it’s good to get acquainted with the bonuses a casino offers before making a commitment to that casino.
Increasing your cash balance is never easy but it’s always better when a casino operator gives you some extra cash to play with. These bonuses often double or triple your first deposit. Some of them are evenly spread out over the first two or three deposits that you make. In this article, we will cover all the details that surround a welcome bonus.
Types of Welcome Bonus
There are different types of welcome bonuses available in the gambling world. Some casinos pick one type and offer it to their customers. However, some of them combine the different types to create a superior bonus offer. Below, we will explain these bonus types in proper detail.
Deposit Bonus
This is the most basic form of bonus available in the gambling world. Every casino has a deposit bonus even though it’s not always connected to the welcome bonus. This bonus type goes together with the deposits a customer makes in the casino. It’s a bonus that matches your deposit up to a certain percentage, depending on the casino. For instance, 100% match up to 20,000 KES on your first deposit. However, keep in mind that a deposit bonus doesn’t have to be connected with the first deposit. Depending on the casino, it might count for consecutive deposits, up to the 3rd or 4th one.
No Deposit Bonus
As the name suggests, there are casinos out there that offer bonuses that don’t require a deposit. Usually, such a bonus can be triggered right after you open an account. The idea behind such a bonus is that a player can try some of the games without having to spend any cash. However, the bad side with such bonuses is that they have high wagering requirements which makes sense since you get the bonus without spending any money.
Free Spins
In most cases, when it comes to a welcome bonus, free spins come in combination with a certain cash reward. Nevertheless, we have to mention free spins in this category, because they are a whole different type of bonus. In most cases, a welcome offer will offer between 10 and 100 free spins on certain slot games. There are rules behind free spins but every casino has different wagering requirements when it comes to free spins.
Mobile Bonus
Some casinos offer a bonus when a customer downloads their app or uses his mobile device to play their games. Usually, the mobile bonus is just a small promotion that casinos run for marketing purposes. However, there are casinos out there that have a whole welcome bonus connected with their mobile app or mobile version of the website.
Welcome Bonus Package
Last but not least, we have to explain the combination of two or more bonuses which we mentioned at the beginning of this section. Welcome bonuses are almost always the best and biggest offer that a casino will have. For that reason, they usually combine two or more types of bonuses to create a whole welcome package. Additionally, unlike the deposit bonus which usually works only on the 1st deposit, the welcome package can be spread over the first couple of bonuses, sometimes even up to the 4th one. Here is an example of how a welcome package can look – 100% match up to 100,000 KES + 100 Free Spins on Starburst:
- 1st Deposit: 100% match up to 30,000 KES + 25 Free Spins on Starburst.
- 2nd Deposit: 100% match up to 40,000 KES + 35 Free Spins on Starburst.
- 3rd Deposit: 100% match up to 20,000 KES + 25 Free Spins on Starburst.
- 4th Deposit: 100% match up to 10,000 KES + 15 Free Spins on Starburst.
How Does a Casino Welcome Bonus Work?
The principles behind a welcome bonus are rather simple. It’s meant to bring new customers to the casino by offering them lucrative deals. However, the catch is that the bonus can’t be withdrawn immediately. Players have to meet all the wagering requirements before they can withdraw the bonus cash. It wouldn’t make sense for players to be able to withdraw their welcome bonus right away because the casino would go bankrupt. For that reason, it’s best to check all the conditions behind a bonus before opting to use one. Make sure you will be able to meet the wagering requirements before committing to a certain bonus package.
The first step is obvious, find a casino that offers a welcome bonus that perfectly suits your needs. Once that decision has been made, you can go ahead and accept the bonus. Usually, you are required to register an account and activate it by sending the casino your ID plus other documents they might request.
How to Claim the Welcome Bonus?
Once your account is ready to go, you will have to accept or activate the welcome bonus. This can be done in a couple of ways. Some casinos attach the bonus with the registration, so as soon as you create an account, the bonus will be automatically credited to you. Next, we have activation through a bonus code. Some casinos will have a bonus code which you will need to enter when making a deposit in order to activate the welcome bonus. However, the most common way of activating a bonus is doing it through the bonus section. Most casinos have a special category where all their bonuses are located. Once you enter the category, you can just accept any bonus from there.
Wagering Requirements
Before triggering the welcome bonus a player must fulfil the wagering requirements. Sometimes even though a bonus seems lucrative, the wagering requirements might be near impossible to fulfil. For that reason, you need to learn everything about those requirements before activating any bonus. Wagering requirements show how many times the bonus amount needs to be wagered within a certain time period. The wagering number will always depend on the bonus and on the casino that is offering the bonus. Usually, the wagering requirements range asks the player to wager the bonus amount between 20 and 40 times. If the casino has higher requirements, it’s either because it’s a large bonus or simply a promotion that should be ignored because the wagering requirements are too high.
To explain things better, we will share with you an example of a deposit bonus and how the wagering requirements usually look. For instance, let’s imagine a 100% match bonus and you deposit 20,000 KES. The 100% match means that the player will get another 20,000 KES in bonus cash. Now let’s say that the wagering requirements for this example are 35x. This means that the funds will have to be played through 35 times before a withdrawal is possible. So, 35 x 20,000 KES = 700,000 KES. This is the amount of money the player has to go through to meet the wagering requirements. Once the requirements are met, a withdrawal of those bonus funds will be made possible.
Putting the wagering requirements aside, there are other Terms and Conditions that have to be met before a player can make a withdrawal. We will explain all those requirements below.
Maximum Bonus Amount
All casino bonuses out there have a maximum amount of bonus cash/free spins that can be won. The amount will almost always be listed in the name of the bonus. So, even if you make a deposit bigger than what the offer asks for, you will get only the amount listed in the promotion. For example, a casino will offer a 100% match to your deposit up to a fixed amount. Let’s imagine it’s a 100% bonus of up to 20,000 KES. In this case, any amount the player deposits, up to that fixed amount, will be doubled by the casino because their bonus offer says 100% match.
However, you won’t get extra for going over that amount. For instance, a deposit of 5,000 KES will give you an extra 5,000 KES in bonus cash. However, if you deposit 25,000 KES, you will still only get 20,000 KES (which is the maximum amount) as a bonus.
On the other hand, for bonuses for existing customers, ones that don’t have anything to do with deposits, the maximum bonus amount has a different meaning. These bonuses are usually not as lucrative as the ones new customers get. For instance, free spins are often awarded to existing customers. A free spins bonus has a limit on how much you can win through one of the free spins. So, even if you win more through the spins, your account will be credited only with the maximum amount that the casino mentioned in their promotion beforehand.
Minimum Deposit & Bet
The maximum casino bonus amount is not the only limit a casino will set. They also have minimum deposits and minimum bets for their bonuses. For example, to get a 100% match bonus up to 5,000 KES, the minimum amount you can deposit is 500 KES to trigger the bonus. However, that’s just one part of it because these bonuses and promotions have a minimum bet amount too. To explain further, if you activate a certain bonus, the bets can’t be lower than what the casino has set in place if you want those bets to count towards the wagering requirements.
For example, for a bet to count towards the wagering requirements, the minimum bet on any casino game can’t be lower than 100 KES. Remember that the minimum amount will always be low. That way every player can take advantage of the promotion.
Other Casino Bonus Conditions
All the terms and conditions we mentioned so far are to be expected at any casino. Bonuses and promotions always have conditions attached to them. Nevertheless, sometimes additional conditions have to be met and we have to mention them in the article. The first rule that almost every bonus out there will have is the one bonus per user rule. This rule is introduced by casinos and the idea is to protect themselves. Without such a rule, a player could create 50 different accounts and activate bonuses on all those accounts. That’s why casinos require proof of ID and they make sure that a bonus can be activated only once per account.
Restricted Countries
Last but not least, we are going to talk about the restricted countries rule. Casinos run marketing campaigns during the year and in them, they always mention the bonuses and promotions they are currently offering. However, there are countries that have banned some casinos. On the other hand, there are casinos that ban players from certain countries. This means residents from those countries either can’t create an account in the casino or they don’t get the full casino offer. For that reason, some bonuses won’t be available to players that currently live in those restricted countries. Players should always check whether they live in one of those countries before trying to create an account in any casino.
Finding the Best Casino Welcome Bonus
A simple search through gambling sites in Kenya will show you that there are hundreds of different bonus offers out there. For that reason, it’s important to find an offer that best suits your needs. The best way to do that is to read through the fine print before picking a certain welcome bonus. This is the only way to know all the terms and conditions that a bonus requires. Nevertheless, that’s not the only thing players should be looking for. The number of online casinos out there is huge and before looking for a bonus, a player needs to find the perfect casino.
We suggest checking the best betting sites with welcome bonuses in Kenya and making your decision based on that. Once you pick a casino based on our reviews, track their welcome offers and then compare them to offers from other casinos. Once you have picked a casino, make sure you check the offered bonus percentage. Compare the bonus percentage to other casinos that have similar offers and then make your decision.
Registration Bonus
Another important thing we will mention is registration bonuses which can help you pick the perfect casino. A lot of gambling operators in Kenya give out bonuses right out of the gate. Basically, the only thing you need to do is register on their website and you will receive a certain bonus, whether that is bonus cash or free spins. These offers are perfect for attracting new customers but they can often be a way for the casino to catfish you into joining them. To protect yourself, make sure to check all the betting sites with a registration bonus in Kenya. Go through all their wagering requirements and other conditions before making a decision. Basically, the only tip we can give you, as per this article is to always check everything.
Knowing all the details that surround an online casino and the bonuses it offers is the only way to make an informed decision. Additionally, when you pick a casino/bonus that fits all your criteria, chances are that you have landed at one of the best casinos in the gambling world.