Bojoko: high-percentage bonuses as a powerful tool for increasing FTD in casinos
The Gamblest spoke with Joonas Karhu, the CEO of the British affiliate aggregator Bojoko. The executive explained the advantage of welcome bonuses that allow new users to significantly increase their initial deposit.
To clarify: online casinos use several popular promotions to attract players and retain their existing audience. These include:
- Free spins upon registration;
- Cashback from the amount of the first deposit;
- No-deposit bonuses (for instance, players receive free spins just for registering and verifying on the site, then they get their first prize, but can only withdraw money from the account after making a deposit);
- Bonuses for inviting a friend via a referral link;
- High roller bonuses (that is, for players placing high bets);
- Reload bonuses (for example, gifts upon making a subsequent deposit).
These also include offers where when depositing funds on the site (usually with a limit of around $50 or $100), the player receives additional money—up to 100%, 200%, 300%, and beyond of the initial deposit. These are precisely what Karhu is referring to.
Now, let's briefly outline his findings.
- The Bojoko team observes a pattern: the higher the bonus percentage with an operator, the more seriously players value and find a particular casino attractive. In the current market conditions, percentages of 200% or even 300% with reasonable limits are some of the most effective tools for improving the FTD (First Time Deposit) metric.
- According to him, the reason lies in the fact that players immediately notice a higher bonus percentage in online casinos. It simply appears more advantageous compared to competitors with the standard 100%. Furthermore, its benefit is in accessibility — it's easier for people to deposit $25 instead of the same $100. Altogether, this benefits marketers — click-through rates increase, and conversion grows.
- Karhu provided an example from Bojoko’s experience: operators collaborating with them received 5–12 additional FTDs per month when increasing the bonus from 100% to 200%.
- He is confident that operators can even tighten the promotion conditions by reducing the maximum deposit amount. And it will still work — gamblers will still choose the option with the highest percentage. In their understanding, this signals the company's generosity.
- Karhu's advice for gambling companies is to maintain a balance between the offer and the existing restrictions. They should introduce smart and clear requirements for bonuses. These can involve playthrough rules, time limits from the moment of receiving the gift, or specific games included in the promotion. The conditions must be "transparent, fair, and understandable" for the audience, without bankrupting the casino.
