Navigating the world of online sports betting can be quite confusing. There are various offers, bonuses, promotions, and free bets available. At first glance, it might seem great—who wouldn’t want to take advantage of the best free bets? But it’s essential to dig deeper to ensure these are truly the best online betting offers available.
When evaluating promotions in online sports betting, there are a few critical questions to consider:
- Is the stake returned to you in risk-free betting in the form of a free bet?
- How can you use an online bookmaker’s free bet welcome offer to your advantage?
- Where can you find some of the best online betting offers just by opening an account?
- And more!
Why Online Bookmakers Offer Promotions
You might wonder why online bookmakers invest significant effort into creating the best free bets or online betting offers. Doesn’t this cost them money? The primary goal of these promotions and bonuses is to encourage you to return to the site repeatedly. It’s easy to see why bookmakers offer the best free bets when you first join—however, the ideal sports betting customer is one who remains loyal to the site over time.
The best online betting offers should not be fleeting, one-off deals. Instead, these offers should reflect a concerted effort by the bookmaker to win your continued patronage.
However, it’s important to be smart about how you play. The best free bets often come from signing up with multiple betting sites simultaneously, allowing you to shop around for the best deals.
The Different Bonuses You Can Expect
There are various types of bonuses available, and here’s a quick overview of the kinds of promotions you can expect:
Deposit Match
This is where the site offers to match a percentage of your deposit. This might be offered when you first join the site or during specific times when the site is likely to be less busy. This is essentially a real money top-up for your betting account. Typically, you can only claim this once, and the incentive for the bookmaker is clear—you are likely to deposit more when such an offer is available.
We explore which online sports betting sites offer the highest percentage deposit match. Some offer as much as 100%, with others potentially tripling your initial deposit.
No Deposit Bonus
To get you started, some sites offer a bonus without requiring a deposit. This is usually a reward for opening an account and is an essential feature in the best online betting offers. It often comes in the form of a free bet, but it’s crucial to check if you can actually withdraw your winnings if you win using this bet.
Free Bet Bonus
Free bets are one of our primary interests because they are among the most common promotions offered. The best free bets are usually around a certain amount, so we’re not talking about massive sums—but when the amounts are higher, it can often be more challenging to withdraw any winnings. Some sites may require that the stake remains in your account if you win, and others may even require you to keep the winnings for future bets. We check to ensure that the best free bets allow you to cash out some money for your effort.
Risk-Free Bet
This is a specific type of bet where you fund the bet yourself, but you get your stake back if you lose, meaning the only thing you risk is not winning. This makes losing a bit easier to handle. It might seem similar to the best free bets on offer, but here the site still encourages you to deposit, as the stake needs to be available on the site, and they will refund it if you lose.
Be aware that some of the best free bets come without restrictions. We ensure that you can use your risk-free bet in any sport and on the best odds. Some sites have a minimum odds clause, which means you may not get the best prices.
Tournament/Sports Promotion
In high-interest sports such as boxing or football, the best online betting sites often run tournaments or promotions over a set period. The only requirement to participate is usually to be an account holder. The best online betting offers will show some creativity in these promotions, aiming to create a greater sense of community among their clients.
Bonuses: The Terms and Conditions
Our role, when reviewing the best online betting offers, is to sift through the terms and conditions to ensure you’re getting a genuine deal. In online sports betting, the biggest offers and promotions are rarely the best. Often, there’s a clause that means you only receive payouts in free bets, or there’s a redemption clause you weren’t aware of.
The best online betting offers should not be riddled with tricks and pitfalls. We ensure that you can claim the offer within the stated period, use it without too many restrictions, and retrieve your winnings without tripping over various clauses. The best online betting offers should be genuine ways to enhance your experience on the site.