What is a Free Bet?
A free bet is a type of promotion offered by betting companies to their customers, usually as a way to incentivize them to sign up, deposit money, or continue using their platform.
A free bet allows you to place a wager on a particular event without risking your own money. The betting company will cover the cost of the bet up to a certain amount or percentage, and if your bet is successful, you get to keep the winnings, but not the stake. If your bet is not successful, you will not lose any of your own money, but you will not receive any winnings either.
It’s important to note that free bets often come with terms and conditions, including expiration dates and restrictions on which events or markets you can use them on. Make sure you read the terms and conditions carefully before using a free bet to ensure you understand how to use it and what you can and can’t do with it.
Bongobongo
Bongobongo is offering an enticing promotion for new players called the “100% Risk-Free First Bet Up to KSH 800.” The concept is refreshingly straightforward: new users need to register, make a deposit, and place an initial multiple bet that adheres to certain criteria. To qualify, the first bet must have a minimum stake of KSH 1, include at least four lines, and each line should have minimum odds of 1.35. The eligible bets can be placed on pre-match or live football matches, specifically in the Win (1X2 market) but not on virtuals or casino games.
If your first bet loses, Bongobongo will match your stake amount, ranging from a minimum of KSH 1 to a maximum of KSH 800, in the form of a free bet bonus. For instance, if you wager KSH 800 and meet the bonus criteria, you’ll receive KSH 800 in free bet bonus if your initial bet loses. However, if your first bet is a winner, no bonus will be granted. It’s a fantastic opportunity for newcomers to try their luck without the fear of losing their stake. Join Bongobongo today to take advantage of this user-friendly promotion and enhance your betting experience.
Dafabet
Dafabet will give you Kshs 500 for getting the right correct score for any AFC Bournemouth, Celtic FC, or Cadiz C.F. game.
These are the teams they sponsor by the way.
Helabet
Helabet will give you a bonus of Up to Kes 10,000 after registering
ChezaCash
ChezaCash will give you a bonus of up to Kes 17,500 after making the first deposit
William Hill
William Hill gives Kshs 26,000 (in free bets) for correctly picking 6 matches that will all end in 3 or 4 goals. No deposit is required to take part in this challenge
What is a no deposit free bet?
Just as the name implies this is a free bet where you’re not required to make a deposit to claim it. Bookies and especially ones running casinos are kings at arm twisting. They’ll give you a free Kes 1,000 free bet ONLY AFTER you’ve wagered 100 times that; this is the wagering requirement. A no deposit free bet is no strings attached in that you won’t be required to deposit X amount, wager X times, wait X days or invite X people with your link before claiming it. The only requirement is that you have to be a new customer and they’ll choose an event of their liking – usually the 1X2 market on that day’s most popular game – where you have to use it on. The typical free bet has Kes 20 to 30 stake. Winnings can be withdrawn too. I find them generous in that you get to test and feel a bookie before committing.
Types of free bets given by bookies to Kenyans
No deposit free bets
This is what we’ve gone through. Unlike Sign up free bets, these may be given to existing customers too. Crafty bookies like Betin and betWay used to give them after they noticed that you hadn’t wagered in a few weeks. These are a marketing tool used by betting sites and they may see you ending a planned sabbatical leave.
Deposit free bets
This is where the bookie will give you a bonus that’s proportional to your first deposit. They usually give a 100% bonus on your first free bet. The typical deposit free bet has a mimimum deposit requirement – usually Kes 300 – and a maximum deposit they’ll give – usually Kes 5,000. This bonus is stored in a bonus account that’s separate from your main account. There may be wagering requirements you’re supposed to fulfil before withdrawing proceeds from this bonus. There are rules on how you can use this bonus too. Typically, you’re supposed to use it on bet slips exceeding 2.5 odds and there’s no cash out on such slips. This is to prevent abusing the bonus team where cunning players may try to get around the set wagering requirements.
Cash back free bets
This is where you get a certain percent of your past stakes (usually losses) as a free bet. They are usually very tight and you’ll be lucky to get more than 3% of the stake used on a losing slip.
Sign Up free bets
This is a no deposit free bet except that it’s exclusive to new players only.
Matched bet bonuses
These are very rare and I’m yet to see a Kenyan betting site with one. A matched bet is one where you’re guaranteed profit irrespective of the event’s outcome. Let’s look at the BTTS (GG) market. Let’s say that bookie one had these odds
GG 2.06 odds
NG 1.65 odds
Bookie two
GG 1.54 odds
NG 2.2 odds
If you could bet GG with the first bookie and NG with the second, you’d be guaranteed a profit. Of course this never happens as they all get them from the same bookmarker (an odds provider like Odds Portal) and they use mathematical models to safeguard against this.
How to claim your free bet offer
This will vary by bookie and the type of bonus I question. The good news is that they’re almost always pushing these offers down your throat and you’ll never miss them. Sign up free bets are displayed on the registration page. No deposit free bets are communicated by SMS and you’ll get a notification on the betting site’s dashboard on the same. Deposit free bets will either be added to your main account or be credited to a bonus account. Cash back free bets will be credited to your account.
What sports can I bet on with free bets
There are no sport restrictions on free bets. Please confirm with your sportsbook. However, they may have wagering requirements such that you must have deposited X amount before being eligible. They almost always have odd-related restrictions on where they can be used such that you must have 3+ picks in your multibet (accumulator) slip with each exceeding 1.5 odds
How wagering requirements work
A wagering requirement or turnover is what multiple of a bonus you’re supposed to have bet before this bonus is unlocked. They’re not common to sportsbooks but casinos love them. The typical casino will ask you to wager 65x to 100x before getting that bonus. If they had promised a 200% first deposit bonus with a 70X wagering requirement and you deposit Kes 1,000 as your first deposit, you’ll be guaranteed a Kes 2,000 bonus. That’s great. Except that you have to wager 2,000*70 = Kes 140,000 before getting this bonus. Modern day slavery if you ask me. You’re almost always getting the shorter end of the stick with bonuses that have wagering requirements from my personal experience.
What is a Free Spins No Deposit?
There are two kinds of betting sites. Sportsbooks and casinos. With a sportsbook, you place wagers on sporting events. These could be live soccer matches, betting on basketball matches before they kick off, betting on virtual matches where the sportsbook is acting as a bookie, or betting on horse racing. With a casino site, you place bets on casino games. The most popular of these games are slots. But there are others such as poker, baccarat, blackjack, and roulette. Some betting sites have both sportsbooks and casinos.
A free spin no deposit is given by casinos where the player is given a set of spins for free. No deposit is required to receive them. They have no wagering requirements and once the spins are used, they can be cashed in for real money prizes. These bonuses can be the player’s only chance to win something from a casino without having made a deposit.
A free bet is given by a sportsbook. With this offer, players are given a chance to place their bets without making a deposit. The sportsbook will give a certain amount of money such as Kes 5,000 to the player’s betting account. This could be used to place wagers on any number of sporting events.
Free bets are tied to sports betting. They usually involve placing a wager on the outcome of a single game, set of games, or the entire tournament. Free spins on the other hand are mostly associated with slots where the online casino will give a set of tokens or spins. This can be used on any number of slots.
Tips for Choosing the Best Free Bet Offers
What’s the best way of finding bookies with the best offers? In this section, we’re going to share a few tips on how to select the best bookies in Kenya and how they can help their players get the most out of their bonus offers.
Look at the minimum deposit required
Is there a minimum deposit required? A minimum deposit is your starting point in most cases. This is because it’s a lot more likely that you’ll meet this deposit than going beyond what it takes to unlock the bonus. If a betting site has a minimum deposit of Kes. 1,000, the only way to get the free bet is by depositing Kes. 1,000 which may be beyond what you’re willing to spend. Keep this in mind when choosing where to bet from.
Look at the maximum bonus amount
This is also important but not as important as the minimum deposit for a variety of reasons:
Take for instance Dafabet’s 50% first deposit offer with a maximum bonus of Kes 3,000. It won’t make sense to deposit more than Kes 6,000 as you won’t get a bigger bonus. So it may not be best to go beyond this. In this case, you might be better off depositing at most Kes 6,000 and getting the free bet.
The reputation of the sportsbook
Different sites have different reputations. This is how they’re perceived in the industry. You’ll learn more about this reputation by asking around, reading what critics are saying, or looking at their reputation on forums. Make sure you select betting sites that have a reputation for paying out their bonuses on time and without any hiccups.
Minimum odds betting requirement
This is a new one but it’s increasingly becoming popular with bookies across the world. It basically means that your bet must be higher than a certain amount (known as the minimum odds requirement) or your winnings will be forfeited when claiming your bonus. Many require that the bet slip h
Bonuses/free bets across popular betting sites
| Bookmarker | Best Offer |
| SportPesa | None |
| SaharaGames | Get a free bet on making the first deposit |
| Betking | Upto 225% bonus on multibets |
| BetLion | FREE to Play. Win Kes 1M for predicting the correct score of 6 games |
| Helabet | 100% bonus on the first deposit of up to Kes 10,000 |
| Jambobet | None |
| ChezaCash | A welcome bonus of up to Kes 17,500 |
| MelBet | 200% first deposit bonus up to 26280 KES |
| mCHEZA | Up to 50% bonus on multi bets |
| BoyleSports | Get a free bet of Kes 750 for every 5 multi bets placed |
| Sportybet | 300% bonus on the first deposit of up to Kes 10,000 |
| Betika | Get a Kes 3 to Kes 5 deposit everyday for making a deposit |
| Bet254 | None |
| BangBet | None |
| OdiBets | Stand a chance to Win Kes 1000 by staking at least kes 49 |
| Betsafi | None |
| Lvbet | 100% first deposit bonus up to 6500 KES |
| Greatodds | Boosted odds on multibets |
| KwikBet | Get a free bet on registering |
| BetPawa | None |
| BetWinner | 100% first deposit bonus up to 15 000 KES |
| Pangabet | None |
| Marathonbet | Get a bonus if upto 7800 Kes for using their app |
| Pitch90bet | None |
| Bambabet | Get a 15% cash back on a losing bet |
| PlayMaster | Get 100 Free spins after depositing Kes 1,000 |
| Hamabet | None |
| Bongobongo | Get a 580% bonus on multibets |
| Scorepesa | Get welcome bonuses adding up to Kes 2,000 on registering |
