Sports betting is exciting in many ways. There is the opportunity to test out your sporting knowledge, as well as the chance to use your prediction skills to earn some decent winnings.
Amongst all of these, there is the small matter of betting bonuses.
Almost all betting sites now give out one betting bonus or the other, but are bettors making the most of these offers?
For most people that go into sports betting, their primary aim is to place a bet and hopefully win their wagers. Claiming bonuses is an afterthought.
Many bettors do not bother to compare betting bonuses across multiple sites and simply just join a FanDuel or a DraftKings and start betting. Those two might be the biggest and most popular operators in the US, but they do not necessarily have the best bonuses.
Emerging operators in the market like bet365 and Clutchbet have even better bonuses for new and existing customers.
Given the insanely competitive nature of the American sports betting market, it is easy to dismiss betting bonuses as mere advertising gimmicks designed to lure customers into a particular sportsbook.
While this is not too far from the truth, there is genuine value in these betting offers. In some other countries, sportsbooks can be deceptive with their betting offers. They advertise large bonuses which are almost impossible to claim due to tough terms and conditions.
That is not the case in the United States.
Sports betting regulators in the US have done a great job in ensuring that sportsbooks are as transparent as possible with their bonuses.
For example, the American Gaming Association recently banned the use of the “risk-free bet” terminology in advertising betting bonuses, arguing that there is no bet that is actually risk-free. As long as the customer is required to wager his/her money, there is an element of risk involved.
Measures like this have ensured that American sportsbooks are very mindful of over-advertising their betting bonuses, else they get flagged by the authorities. In most cases, what you see is what you get.
Hence, bettors should pay more attention to betting bonuses, and maximize the numerous offers at their disposal.
The most popular types of betting offers are sign up bonuses, but there are numerous existing customer promos on American sportsbooks. Many operators now have parlay bonuses, referral bonuses and loyalty bonuses.
Referral bonuses are particularly interesting, as they reward customers for bringing new players to the sportsbook. So after opening a betting account, you can get yourself a decent bonus by referring more people to the bookie.
Of course it’s a smart move from the operators to get more customers on board, but it is also a chance for customers to get some nice freebies. Win-win for all parties!
Sports betting bonuses in the US are rarely given out as cash, with most sportsbooks preferring to award their bonuses as bonus bets. While bonus bets cannot be withdrawn, they can be used to place bets on the sportsbook.
When you have bonus bets, you wouldn’t need to deposit money into the sportsbook. It makes perfect financial sense that bettors should make the most of the betting offers available on their sportsbook.
Some experienced bettors even deliberately open accounts with multiple sportsbooks just to claim the different sign up bonuses available on these sites.
So if you have been missing out on betting bonuses, deliberately or otherwise, you may want to take them more seriously as they can help you save some betting expenses.
