How many times have you found yourself amazed by the generous welcome bonus offer a sportsbook has prepared for you, only to realize at the end that this was only a decoy for naive rookies? If the answer is once too many, you are at the right place.
We are going to try and give you all the info you need regarding sports betting bonuses so you won’t fall for the same scam ever again.
Sportsbooks Are Not Charities
This is something you should carve into your memory as soon as possible. All betting sites have welcome bonuses on offer to newcomers. The question is — what kind of wagering requirement is hiding behind it?
Many shady betting sites attach high wagering requirements that you need to fulfill to be able to claim your winnings. You can easily end up spending more money than you’ve actually won betting.
If you want to avoid making this mistake be sure to read the terms and conditions section for welcome bonuses before you hit that “claim” button.
There is yet another requirement that bookmakers may have when bonuses and free bets are in question. They may demand you to use up your bonus money on games that carry certain odds like 1:2 or higher. The catch here is that the higher the odds, the harder it is for the bettors to win money off of them, consequently, it is harder to play through the whole wagering requirement.
You should also double-check which sports are eligible for free bets and bonus money.
If you are keen on hockey then you won’t claim the bonus that is valid for betting on cricket games, for instance.
Different Types of Bonuses You Can Expect at Sportsbooks
1. Deposit to Bet Bonuses
Most betting sites will ask you to place a deposit first, in order to claim the bonus that they offer. After making an initial deposit, they will usually offer you a match bonus. This is how it should look like: for example, if you place a $100 deposit, they will give you a $100 bonus to match your deposit. In other words, in this particular case, they give you a 100% match bonus; they can go even higher (200%, 300%, etc.). However, make sure to check what the bonus terms and conditions say about the minimum and the maximum amount of money a bettor can place as a deposit, to be on the safe side.
2. Bet to Get Bonuses
Sportsbooks will usually offer the bonuses after you open an account and place several bets on different sports events. Then, and only then, the ‘free money’ will become available to you. The only thing you need to do is type the promo code, place your bet, and get the juicy bonus.
Sportsbooks usually attach rigorous wagering requirements to these bonuses, so you should definitely check out the terms and conditions carefully before you fall for these offers.
3. Promo Bonuses
If you are already a faithful customer of some online betting site, they often offer some appealing sportsbook bonuses to promote a new betting option. The most common promotional bonus is related to accumulator bets where you can expect the bonus amount to match your original bet if you make a selection of four games or more. This promo bonus will act as a safety net if some of the games fail to play through.
4. Loyalty Bonuses
As their name suggests, bookmakers design special offers for customers that leave huge amounts of money there. They offer monthly or weekend bonuses to people who spend the targeted amount of money per week or month. For example, if you spend $50 on betting, you will find an additional $10 you can spend on bets that week.
Numerous online betting sites keep track of novelties the online gambling and betting scene has to offer to players. They tend to develop mobile apps so that people can place their bets on different events on the go.
With the appearance of different sportsbook mobile apps, there are various bonuses for mobile sports bets. For example, you will receive a $50 bonus once you start using the mobile platform the sportsbook has to offer. In addition, most of these sites will provide you with detailed instructions on how to download the mobile app and start using it.
Why Are Deposit Free Bets a Thing of the Past?
The answer is simple, and it is closely related to the legislation that regulates online gambling and betting. Namely, numerous betting sites used to offer deposit free bets to their new customers. All you had to do is to visit a betting site, open an account and claim the free betting money.
This was a major incentive for people who wanted to cash in their knowledge and passion for sports. However, sportsbooks often used their “no-deposit” bonuses to hide incredibly high wagering requirements that sports bettors had to fulfill to claim their winnings.
Needless to say, what seemed like a generous gift from the online sportsbooks turned out to be a bitter betting experience that broke numerous bankrolls. Everything changed in 2017 when more restrictive advertising and tax regulations were passed with the sole intention to curb the shady business related to the deposit free bets.
These new advertising laws forced online betting sites to be more transparent when offering free bets to new players. Hence, all the terms and conditions, under which you could use these bonuses and collect any winnings from them, had to be clearly stated. At this point, many sportsbooks decided to leave free bets out of their welcome packages, as a result.
Although you may think that it’s a shame that deposit free bonuses can’t be easily found at online sportsbooks, we think that this is actually a good thing. Now when you decide to open a betting account at a particular betting site, you will know exactly what to expect when you accept the welcome bonus offer. That is, if you take your time and read the terms and conditions carefully.
Deposit Bonuses Vs. Deposit Free Bonuses
When you place a deposit to claim a bonus, you can expect the matching bonus money to land on your account, whereas if you go for a no-deposit bonus you will usually get a certain number of tokens, with assigned values, to bet with. For example, you will get three $10 chips to bet on sports events.
There are still wagering requirements attached to both kinds of bonuses you will have to meet.
Now you see how sportsbooks use the deposit free bets to limit your betting decisions. When you have bonus money on your account you can use it freely to make as many bets you wish at whatever stakes you wish, which is not the case with tokens that have a predetermined value.
In the end, our vote has to go to deposit bonuses that you can use whichever way you want at the sportsbook site.
Let’s Cut The Long Story Short
Deposit bonuses will enlarge your bankroll considerably, so much so that you can place your bets without any severe consequences to your budget.
When you place a deposit on your account you will get bonus cash you can split on bets you decide to make.
Always check out to see what wagering requirements or odds restrictions hide behind the sports betting bonuses. Claim them only when you are sure you can meet these terms. If you are clever enough to take these tips and avoid the obvious traps, we are sure that these bonuses and free bets sportsbooks offer will boost your chances of winning big.