Wincake welcome bonus and review

The name probably doesn’t sound too familiar to sports betting and online casino enthusiasts, but Win Cake is one of the most respected brands in poker. These guys have been around for a long time and were previously known as Cake Poker, with their network including several poker rooms. Most of their customers are still focused almost exclusively on poker, but many make the transition to sports betting and the unified wallet is one of the reasons for why they chose to make this move.

Regardless of what type of gambling you fancy, the online gambling operator will provide you with a safe environment where you can wager on real money or virtual currency. The poker room presents players with the option of choosing between Omaha poker, Texas Hold’em and Omaha Hi-Lo but also other types of poker. The online casino is also on an accelerated expansion, with the number of slot machines increasing a lot in 2014.

As far as punters are concerned, Win Cake managed to bring its bookmaker section up to date, by including new sports in addition to popular ones. At the time of writing they can wager on as many as 20 sports, with the emphasis being on soccer and tennis, but also American sports. The nice assortment of payment methods, the reliable customer support and the overall user-friendly experience are all good reasons in favor of opening an account here.

Sports betting at Win Cake

Win Cake didn’t make too many changes to the website prior to rebranding, but since changing their name they also came up with an entirely different layout. The sports betting section might seem a bit underdeveloped, but that is simply because they chose to highlight the sports, rather than expand the entire collection of games. Once players decide for one league or the other, they get to choose between all the corresponding markets, by making good use of drop-down menus.

American sports have been right from the start the ones that enjoyed the most comprehensive coverage, which is hardly a surprise given the fact that they focus on the North American market. Betting in real-time on basketball, baseball and ice hockey will also result in the best odds, yet they are compatible with the ones available prior to kickoff. The most popular markets are spread bets and Moneyline wagers, followed closely by game totals and special bets on top scorers.

On the other side of the Atlantic, the English premier league and their German, Italian and Spanish counterparts are the ones that spend most time in the spotlight. There is no difference between the odds offered on the first divisions and lower leagues, with coin flip events being priced at 1.92. Asian handicaps can help players slightly improve the odds while decreasing the bookmaker margin and they are available on all soccer leagues.

Win Cake used to run special promotions whenever major poker tournaments were about to start and apparently they have the same attitude towards sports betting. In the days and weeks preceding champions League and Europa League fixtures, as well as in anticipation of Grand Slam tournaments, the bookmaker enhances the odds on the favorites, promotes cashback deals and offers special bonuses.

These are also the competitions that are available for live betting from day one, with players being free to combine events from different sports. Win Cake has an interesting take when it comes to the live betting module, which looks and feels very different from what regular bookmakers offer. On the bright side, the functionality is enhanced and once you get the hang of placing bets in real-time, you will have a hard time going back to the standard format.

Welcome bonuses and free bets at Win Cake

Win Cake has enough players on its poker network not to worry too much about attracting new customers, because word-of-mouth works like a charm. On the other hand, it is hard to forget the fact that when they launched this new product, they offered a nice assortment of bonuses and promotions. This makes it even more surprising that they don’t have the same attitude in regard to sports betting and present new customers with no cash or free bet bonuses.

The first deposit is not going to be matched and no free bets are offered regardless of the amount you are willing to commit, therefore there are no wagering requirements to worry about. Savvy punters might not care too much about this deficiency, because they know that only a fraction of the free bets are actually redeemed for real money. On the other hand, Win Cake is not exactly a household name in the niche of sports betting and these professionals don’t have that many reasons to switch sides.

The thing that will be equally frustrating on sports betting aficionados regardless of skill levels and expectations is that Win Cake has no loyalty scheme. You can improve your status and climb the ladder if you play poker but there is no correspondent for sports betting or casino games. The number of players betting here is unlikely to grow as a result of referrals, because players who bring their friends along are not going to collect any reward for the effort.

Other gambling options at Win Cake

Win Cake invested heavily in its online casino section and managed to close the gap separating them from some of the veterans in this industry. They benefited from the backing off a solid poker program but it also helped that their welcome package consists of $5000. You don’t even need to invest as much money, because the first deposit will be matched by 200%, so $2500 is enough to cash in on the maximum prize.

This is exactly the same package that is currently available for those who plan on playing poker and don’t have an account here yet. The difference between these two bonuses is that the one awarded to casino players is released at once, while the poker bonus is released incrementally. Casino fans will have to meet wagering requirements in order to clear the entire amount and convert it into cashable funds, while poker enthusiasts will unlock smaller chunks as they accumulate the necessary points.

It is not permitted to divert the money awarded in the poker section to play casino games or the other way around, prior to meeting the wagering requirements. This is only the tip of the iceberg, because Win Cake is famous for launching generous promotions at the beginning of each month, with tens of thousands of dollars up for grabs. Poker players will also compete for all expenses paid trips to some of the biggest live tournaments, including the World Series of Poker, European Poker Tour and World Poker Tour.

Pros and Cons for playing at Win Cake

As online poker rooms go, Win Cake remains one of the best choices after the rebranding, as they managed to preserve all the good things and adds new ones. The bonuses are comparable to the ones offered prior to the major changeover, while still greatly exceeding what their competitors currently offer.

The company also has the potential of becoming a major player in the online casino industry, with a generous welcome package and the nice assortment of games. Most of them are developed in-house, which means that players are guaranteed to enjoy truly original titles. The upside is that they can still compete for progressive jackpots against thousands of their counterparts, given the fact that Win Cake runs on a wide network that includes several operators.

Win Cake made their baby steps in the sports betting industry and even though they did a pretty good job at covering the popular sports, they have plenty to work on bonuses and loyalty promotions. They didn’t put enough thought into crafting a long-term strategy that will attract new customers while improving customer retention.

Banking and customer support

Win Cake had an extensive assortment of payment methods back in the day when it catered exclusively for poker players and their collection grew a lot over the last 12 months. Visa, mastercard, entropay, skrill, sofort, eco, webmoney, ukash and paysafecard are currently all available and they have the same minimum deposit of $25. You can cash out significantly larger amounts, but the first time you try to make a withdrawal, you will be asked to provide identification documents.

Electronic wallets and credit cards will complete transactions in less than five banking days, but if you prefer Eco or Webmoney, you will have to wait up to five days. No commission is charged and there are no hidden fees, so even though it will take slightly longer for Win Cake to operate cash outs, the money will get to the accounts of the rightful owners.

The website is available in English and customer support is offered only in this language, but at least you don’t have to worry about interacting with non-native speakers. This wouldn’t make much of a difference though, because unfortunately neither email nor telephone support is currently offered. Email is pretty much all you’ve got to get the bottom of problems, besides Twitter, which truth be told, is more of a gimmick.