Safe and reliable sports betting bonus information from BettingTop10 

Betting bonuses are one of the main ways that betting sites look to attract and retain new customers, and while for the bookies they’re essentially a marketing tool, for bettors they can be a great way to improve your chances of winning. These bonuses can come in a variety of shapes and forms, and at BettingTop10, we want to educate you about all these types of bonuses, and which may be the most beneficial to you. On this page, we’ll look to enlighten you on all things betting bonuses, helping you to get the most out of them.

A sports betting bonus is an incentive that betting sites use in order to attract and reward customers. They can come in many forms, including bonus back for bets which narrowly fail to hit, deposit bonuses, and odds boosts to name just a few. The exact selection of bonuses available depends on the bookmaker, and even within individual betting sites they are being constantly updated, though there are certain bonuses which are particularly prevalent.

Betting bonuses can act as both a method to attract new customers, and a method to retain existing bettors. An example of the former is when betting sites advertise promotions specifically targeting individuals not currently signed up with that bookmaker, such as a first deposit bonus. (find out more information about bookmakers reviews here)

The quality of betting bonuses can vary significantly, with some capable of adding a lot of value to your bets and some not as good as they first appear. If used wisely, however, they can be a great way to minimise risk on individual bets and maximise your chances of coming out a winner. Deposit match bonuses, for example, essentially give you extra bites at the cherry, while cash back for bets that just miss can be particularly advantageous if you leverage them in the correct way. Early payouts are another which can be particularly good – using these and betting on both teams in an event with two outcomes, for example, is a good example of arbitrage betting, allowing you to give yourself a chance at winning without any real risk. We’ll talk more about each of these individual bonus types in the below section.

With so many different betting sites out there, at times it can be difficult to differentiate between them. Betting bonuses is one of the main ways that bookmakers attempt to stand out from the crowd, and if used wisely can be a great way to increase your winning chances. 

As mentioned above, there are a wide array of different betting bonus types, some rare and some common, some very helpful and others not so much. Below, we’ll take a look at some of those that you’re most likely to come across.

Welcome Bonus

Many betting sites offer welcome betting bonuses for new bettors as a way to grow their customer base. These can come in many forms, but will often be a deposit match – meaning you get bonus bets of a certain value relative to how much you initially deposit.

No Deposit Free Bet

No deposit free bets won’t usually be huge bonuses, but a free bet is a free bet. These often come when you first sign up, enabling you to test out a new bookie before actually depositing any money. These aren’t always available and plenty of betting sites won’t offer them, but when they are available we’ve found them to be a great way to try before you buy.

Deposit Match

Deposit matches are another type of betting bonus that you’ll likely come across pretty regularly. They can come in various forms; sometimes they’ll be for the first deposit of a new customer, other times they might be a reward for loyalty. They’ll also vary in what percentage of deposit the bookmaker will match; at times you might have a 100% deposit match (for example, if you deposit $50 you’ll get $50), other times they might be 50% (for example, if you deposit $50 you’ll get $25). Note that the deposit matches typically come in the form of bonus bets and there will usually be a maximum amount that will be matched.

Cashback on Losses

This betting bonus is often, but not always, related to multis. It’s a really common one that bookmakers use to entice punters into multi betting, and generally works by giving the bettor the money they staked on a bet back as a bonus bet, if their multi loses by just one leg. There will always be stipulations, such as needing to have at least three legs and the legs needing to be at least of a certain value, but if used wisely this can be a good way to get a bit of bonus bet money.

Odds Boosts

Odds boost offers are a really common bonus type, and the way they work is pretty simple, though it can vary a little depending on the bookmaker and specific bonus. As the name suggests, they give you enhanced odds on particular bets, increasing your payout if you win. Some bookmakers will give a pre-determined number of odds boost offers for you to use on markets of your choosing, while on other occasions the markets for which the boosts apply might be pre-determined.

Parlay Bonuses

Many bonuses offered by betting sites will relate to parlays, or multis. These can come in a few different forms – often you’ll have the ability to boost the value of your bet if you have enough legs, while on other occasions you might get your money back as bonuses in the event of close losses, as discussed in more detail above.

Early Payout

This one isn’t quite as common, but there are still plenty of bookmakers that will offer early payouts at time. As the name suggests, this entails paying out a bet prior to it being officially decided – for example, if a team you bet on is winning by a certain margin at half-time. How valuable these bonuses are varies – often the team that bettors get an early payout for betting on end up winning regardless, so it doesn’t change much. However, as mentioned, this can be a good opportunity for arbitrage betting by punting on both teams – most of the time you’ll get paid out on one and nearly break even, but on the odd occasion, if the early payout is fulfilled and the other team comes back and wins, you can get paid out on both.

Loyalty and VIP Betting Club

Some betting sites choose to reward repeat customers by creating some sort of VIP club. The exact format of this will always vary, but generally the way it works is that you will accumulate points of some kind each time you place a bet, which can ultimately be redeemed as bonus bets. This is particularly beneficial if you have a betting site that offers this which you’re very comfortable using regularly.

Referral Bonus

Many businesses offer referral bonuses in some form, and betting sites are no different. These are pretty straightforward – refer a friend, and get a reward, generally a bonus bet. As always, there are stipulations to be aware of – you won’t be able to just get a friend who doesn’t even bet to sign up and expect to get a bonus bet. Generally they have to actually deposit or place a bet before you’ll get your bonus redeemed, but if you’re able to get a friend or two on board this can be a nice way to get a free bet.

Promo Codes

Most times you deposit with a betting site, you’ll notice that there is an option to enter a promo code, which could give you various things depending on the promotion. Often this will be in the form of a deposit match, with the exact amount dependant on the promo.

While bonus bets can be a genuinely good way to boost your odds of winning, there are of course many terms and conditions that you need to be aware of. In this section, we’ll discuss some T&C terminology that you’ll likely come across.

Turnover Requirements

Often, if you win money from a bonus bet, you’ll need to turn it over a certain amount before you can actually withdraw. For example, let’s say you win $50 from a bonus bet – that $50 may have to be bet with on a market of a certain value before you can withdraw it. There will typically be a minimum odds requirement for this turnover – for example, you may have to bet the $50 on a market paying at least $1.25, after which you can withdraw it if you win.

Minimum Odds Requirements

Many bonuses will also have minimum odds requirements as well, in particular parlay-related bonuses. For example, if you have a parlay bonus that gives you your money back if just one leg fails, you probably can’t just select two legs paying $1.01, and another paying $10, and virtually get a free bite at the cherry. Instead, each leg will likely need to be at least a certain value, for example $1.20, to be included, though the exact number will vary depending on the bookmaker.

Eligible Sports & Markets

Many bonuses will only be available to be used on certain sports and markets, so keep an eye out for that. For example, odds boost offers might only be available for a particular sport or sometimes for racing only, while bonus bets might also need to be used on particular markets.

Bonus Expiry Times

Bonuses generally don’t last forever. Not that you’re likely to keep them sitting there for all that long, but if you don’t bet often and want to use your bonus bets make sure you take a read of the Ts & Cs to find out if and when they expire.

Maximum Winnings

There are often restrictions on how much you can win from a bonus. This will vary greatly depending on the betting site in question and the particular bonus, but as an example the potential winning from bonus bets will often be capped at a particular, pre-determined number.

Cash vs Bonus Refunds

This is an important distinction to make. Many bettors fail to realise the difference between cold hard cash, and bonus money. The latter isn’t actually yours just yet – you need to bet with it, and if you win you’ll receive the winnings minus the stake in proper cash. Until it’s been bet with though, it isn’t money that you can withdraw.

At Bettingtop10.com, we want to provide as much value as possible to our readers, so in this section we’ll go beyond simply what betting bonuses exists, and talk about which ones are of the most value to different punters. Many might sound good in theory but not actually offer that much while others can actually be genuinely beneficial, and while some might be best suited for one bettor, another might be the way to go for a different individual.

For beginner bettors, for example, first deposit or no deposit bonuses are particularly beneficial. If this is you, you likely haven’t signed up with many bookies before and will have this type of bet fairly widely available as a result.

In contrast, high-volume bettors are likely best off seeking out things like VIP and loyalty programs. With these types of bonuses, the more you bet the more rewards you receive, so if you’re betting a lot anyway you might as well leverage that to get some bonuses.

If you’re someone who bets mostly for entertainment and tends to put on long odds bets or lots of multis, then accumulators and parlay bonuses might be the way to go for you. These will help to add even more value to these outside bets.

When it comes to betting bonuses, there are a lot of rules and regulations in many parts of the world. These can vary dramatically depending on where you’re gambling though, so if you have any legal-based concerns, research the laws in your own jurisdiction. As an example of these relevant legal issues, in some parts of the world it’s illegal for betting sites to advertise promotions unless you’re a signed up and logged in member, so if you’re struggling to find info on promos, this could be a reason why.

It's also important when utilising betting bonuses, as it is whenever you’re betting, to keep responsible gambling in mind. Betting sites these days are required to be a lot more cognizant of betting-related issues, and have a number of responsible gambling tools available to bettors.

Among the most common of these include deposit limits – as the name suggests, these limit the amount that you can deposit within a pre-determined time period – and self-exclusion periods, which involve essentially banning yourself from a betting site for a decided period of time if you’re struggling to control your gambling habits. There are also the tried and true helplines available – there are different helplines available around the world, and generally you’ll be able to find information about them on betting sites.

To round out this detailed look at all things betting bonuses, take a look at some of the most frequently asked questions that we at BettingTop10 get about them.