Free Bets and No Deposit Bonuses
When signing up for the first time to a new sportsbook or casino account, most places will offer you Free Bets or ‘No Deposit Bonuses’ which, to put it simply, is free money to play with.
The reason these promotions have caught on so well is extremely simple to understand; the casino or sportsbook does not require you to deposit any of your own cash in order to receive the bonus and therefore you can try the product completely for free.
No Deposit Bonus
Understandably, this is one of the things that has caught on hugely in recent years within the online gambling sector and it has come about simply because of the hot competition between the many available sportsbooks and online casinos. The innovation of so called betting and online casinos without an account has gained huge popularity in Northern Europe and Germany during 2019. This means you can gamble online without having to register thanks to a quick and highly secure automatic ID-verification. The technology will most likely spread across the Atlantic and hit the US states where gambling is legal.
Initially customers were offered nothing, and then came the normal deposit bonus; usually a matched bonus of up to 100% meaning if you put $100 into your account upon joining up then the house will give you the same amount for free.
As the various online foes fight for customers, the No Deposit Bonus has become a popular enticement since it means you need risk none of your own money to play. Just by opening an account, which is valuable to the house right away, you can be eligible for these promotions.
When claiming a no deposit bonus remember that you are offered this to get you playing and tempt you to put in your own money, so be careful not to sign up if you cannot afford to make a real deposit eventually.
Existing Customer Offers
After the initial surge in deposit bonuses the penny dropped on the various online betting foes that they were facing customer complaints because they were only being seen to be looking after brand new sign-ups.
In recent times it has been much more to the forefront of their minds to offer existing customers good deals in order to keep them playing, usually in the form of free bets, loyalty rewards and the like.
These offers can differ not only from casino to casino and sportsbook to sportsbook, but also depend on the type of customer and how much they put in on a weekly or monthly basis.
Some firms then may offer regular players a $10 free bet each week, others will be joined up to a loyalty rewards program (see below) while in some cases preferential odds will be given to regular customers as a thank you for their continued custom.
There is no hard and fast way to tell you what sort of bonus you will receive by sticking with one company but be sure to do a little research before you do deposit real cash to ensure you are getting the most out of it.
Free Bet Offers – Betting Guide
The way to think about free bet offers is; you can’t really lose. The bet you choose can lose, however as it’s free you come away unscathed. If you win of course, that’s a different matter so free bet offers are a no-brainer for bettors.
Free bets are great for newbies just dipping their toes into the online gambling world and looking to see how it all works. Joining up, placing your free bet and then (hopefully) receiving those winnings are a great way to begin to interpret the functions of your chosen betting site.
How To Use Free Bet Offers
It’s a rare beast but when you do find the No Deposit Free Bet then this is the one to take. It may involve a football or basketball game for example and will probably involve you getting vastly increased odds on a certain team, say 10/1 instead of 3/2.
There are always conditions such as a rollover requirement, the small print may read “rollover requirement x 6” in other words although you don’t have to deposit any money at first but you will in the end have to bet 6 times that stake amount before you withdraw any money. This is done to ensure the sportsbook isn’t taken for a ride.
Wait until you are pretty sure about a certain team then take the enhanced free bet offer – a $20 first bet could mean having $100 in your account instead of $30.
Reload Bonuses
Reload bonuses are offered by many sites to keep the regulars happy and simply entail a percentage bonus, say 10%, going on top of whatever amount you ‘reload’ your account with.
So, should you decide to top-up your account with say $50, your sportsbook or casino may add another $5 on top of that as a thank you.
Loyalty Rewards
These take on many forms and are better received in casino accounts than in sportsbooks but usually entail the bettor earning points and climbing the ladder depending on how much they stake. Points are usually then turned into real cash or gifts such as tickets to major sporting events and so on.
Seasonal/Event Specific Bonuses
Sportsbooks are great at cashing in on major events so don’t be surprised to see enhanced odds or percentage bonuses offered on the Super Bowl or the soccer World Cup among other things. Games taking place over Thanksgiving or Easter may be singled out too.