How Bonus Bets Work
A classic bonus bet (see below for the different types), is a bet that is staked by the sportsbook. You are given a fixed bonus that has some monetary worth, such as $10, and you can use this to stake your next bet. The bonus bet cannot be exchanged for real cash, nor can you withdraw the $10 (or however much it is worth). Instead, you have to use this, and whatever it makes is yours to keep.
If you get that $10 bonus bet and use it on a wager at odds of +100, the bet stands to win $10. The total returns would normally be $20 ($10 profit + $10 staked money), but you are not playing for the stake itself. This always returns to the sportsbook. You are playing the bonus bet for however much it can make beyond the stake. So if your bet has odds of -1000, your $10 bonus bet would stand to win a mere $1.
Best US Sportsbooks for Bonus Bets
The first bonus you get at a US sportsbook is the welcome offer, which is designed to attract new customers. By design, these are generally the largest single offers you will find at a sportsbook, which is good for getting a flying start to your sports betting, but you may ask – what value do the sportsbooks give beyond that?
At the top books, there are plenty. Recurring bonus bet offers, various types of boosts, free picking games or survivor pools, and even loyalty programs all build a more rounded experience for bettors, rewarding you for your commitment and hyping up big sports games with excellent promotional offers.
Back to welcome offers, these enhance your bankroll to the point that you can fully test out the books. A lot don’t even require big money investments to get started – you can find out more about that in our best minimum deposit sportsbook guide.
Claiming Your Sign Up Bonus
Claiming a sign on bonus bet doesn’t take much time at all. In fact, a complete beginner with no sports betting experience is only a few minutes away from redeeming their bonus bet, and staking their next wager. The steps are simple, and you shouldn’t runb into any problems setting up your account.
Using Bonus Bet Promo Codes
But, to claim your welcome bonus, you will need to copy our welcome bonus promo code onto your clipboard. You may be asked to submit your promo code:
During account registration
When making your first deposit
No promo code – it is already applied if you follow our sign up link
Promo codes are not just offered for newcomers. Some sportsbooks may also have recurring bonus bet offers that you can get promo codes for. These are most often supplied through:
Social media giveaways
Dropped into your gaming account
Sent to you via email
As a registered member, you will be notified whenever the promo code is delivered via email, or is dropped into your betting account. For social media giveaways, it is worth following your sportsbook on X (Twitter), or other media channels.
Or,
You can follow us on X (Twitter) at OddsPlays for all the latest bonus bet offers and sportsbook promotions. It’s also useful for checking bonus bet offers at rivaling sportsbooks – so if your book doesn’t have any ongoing offer – you may find one at another sportsbook that we have reviewed.
Choose a Sportsbook and Sign Up
First, you have to pick a sportsbook with a welcome package comprising a bonus bet. Make sure to do your research, don’t pick any unregulated sites or ones with dodgy reputation. If you stick to the sportsbooks we review, you will avoid signing up to any blacklisted or illegal sportsbooks.
Next, click on the Sign Up or Join button. Then, you have to fill in a few forms that will ask you for a username and password, contact information and some personal details. Licensed US sportsbooks have to ask you for the last 4 digits of your SSN. This is necessary for them to verify that you are eligible to bet on sports, and you meet the eligibility requirements.
Eligibility Requirements – you are of legal gambling age (21+ in most states). You don’t already have (or had) an account at the book
Promo Code Submission:
Be careful to also keep an eye out for the Apply Promo Code tab when signing up. It may be logged in the account creation form, in which case you should copy and paste our Promo Codes and submit them upon sign up. Otherwise, hold onto your promo code – you may be asked for it later instead.
Make Your First Deposit
Some sportsbooks may offer no deposit bonuses, where you don’t need to make a deposit to claim a bonus bet. But this is not typically offered for welcome bonuses. Welcome bonuses generally require you to make a qualifying deposit, and perhaps even a first bet to claim your offer.
Once your account is set up and fully verified, you can head over to the Cashier, and open the Deposit portal.
Make sure you check any deposit conditions, such as Minimum Deposit and Deposit Method. There may be a higher minimum limit to claim the bonus, and in some cases, you have to make deposits through specified payment gateways (a qualifying bet requires bank card, AmEx, PayPal or other deposit method).
Promo Code Submission:
Some sportsbooks will ask for the promo code right before you make your first deposit. It is rare, and something we have seen more of at online casino platforms, but there are a few books that may require the promo code right before you make your first deposit.
Complete Any Necessary Action and Claim Your Bonus
By necessary action, most sportsbooks require you to place an initial bet to qualify for the bonus. Read the conditions carefully, as there may be stipulations such as:
- Odds have a minimum threshold
- Specific betting markets are not allowed (live, futures, etc)
- Bet minimum stake
- Conditional: the bet must win
Place an appropriate bet, meeting the odds requirements, minimum stake, and only place a bet that is allowed by the conditions. Most books allow parlays or even live bets, but just bear in mind that some may require simple straight bets on standard markets (moneyline, point spread, total).
Another thing to note is that some offers are tied to the outcome of your first wager. Some offers require you to win – so be very cautious and don’t take any big chances. Others may stipulate that you get the bonus bet only if your first bet loses. These are typically called no sweat bets. But there are some offers that don’t have any requirements about the outcome of your bet – win or lose, you will get your bonus bet if you meet the qualifying requirements.
How to Use Your Bonus Bet
The bonus bet should hit your account as soon as you make the qualifying action, and then you will be able to view it in your account. To use it, simply create a bet on your bet slip, and then when you want to stake it, tick the Bonus Bet button to fund your wager using your bonus bet.
You cannot break the bonus bet into smaller denominations, unless your sportsbook allows you to do so. But if the bonus bet is not big enough, you can always partially fund the wager with your bonus bet, and the rest with real money.
For example, you stake a $50 bet with a $20 bonus bet, and the $30 remainder you stake with real money. If the bet has odds of -110, the payout will be $75.45. That is, $27.27 + $30 (return + stake) from the $30, and $18.18 (return) from the bonus bet. The $20 stake will not be included in the payout.
Another thing to note is that sportsbooks generally do not allow bonus bets to be placed in conjunction with:
- other bonus bets
- boost odds offers
So you cannot place 2 bonus bets in one wager. Or, stake a boosted odds bet with a bonus bet.
Different Types of Bonus Bets
The best US sportsbooks provide bonus bets, but they don’t stick to one formula or a solitary approach. They mix things up with different offers and types of bonuses, all of which have their own uses. We will run through these various types of bonus bet, and show you how to make the most of them.
Classic Bonus Bet
No one calls it a classic bonus bet, but we are refering to a generic type of bonus bet. This is a stake that you can use on any wager you like – so long as it meets the odds/market requirements – and any money it makes is yours to keep. The bonus bet stake always returns to the sportsbook.
No Sweat Bets or Second Chance Bets
These terms are used to describe a type of bonus that you can unlock if you lose your qualifying bet. The bonus bet is offered to you as a backup, or a second chance if you like, that will reward you with a bonus bet if your qualifying wager loses.
When you claim a second chance bonus bet or no sweat bet bonus, you can simply create a wager and then activate the bonus on that wager. Then, all you have to do is sit back and wait for your bet to settle. If you win, you get your money from the bet. Should your bet settle as a loss, then the sportsbook will give you a bonus bet (your second chance), and you can use this.
Winners take note here – if you win then you won’t get your no sweat bet. But you still activated it, so the bonus is no longer available. This is simply a safety net that you are offered.
This is why most bettors pick out a more ambitious and longer odds bet to use their no sweat bet bonuses on. If it wins, you get rewarded with mighty returns on a longshot. If you lose, you get the bonus, which can hopefully bring you back to square one or even put you onto the green.
Bet & Get Winner
There are many bet and get offers, but here we are referring to the bonus bet that requires your qualifying bet to win. It’s great because, unlike no sweat bets, you want a win-win scenario (win the qualifying and the bonus bet). But you need to win that qualifying bet to get the bonus, so the pressure is on.
Most of these win-win bonus bets or Bet & Get winners have odds requirements, just so you don’t pick something outrageously easy to win. Such as “LA Rams with a +14.5 spread @ -1000”. You can’t pick a bet that 99.9% likely to win with your qualifying bet, there will be odds requirements.
Naturally, you should check this first, and if you find the bet has a requirement of -500 odds or longer, you can use that to your advantage. Pick a wager with odds of, say, -450 or -400 to give yourself an 80-81.2% chance of winning*. Your potential profit margin in this instance won’t be much more than $2 on every $10 staked, but you should get that bonus bet. And then you can add whatever the bonus wins onto that $2-$2.5 (or however much you won on the qualifying bet).
*Want to run the numbers for yourself? Check out our betting calculators for implied probabilities, EV and more
Match Bonus or Reload Bonus
This is not a straightforward bonus bet, it is bonus funds or bonus cash. It is typically offered in welcome bonuses, as a matched deposit bonus where you will get a lump sum of bonus funds proportionate to how much you deposit.
For example, you get a matched deposit sign on bonus of “100% Up to $500”. If you were to deposit the minimum, which let’s say is $10, you will only get $10 in bonus funds. So it is worth going all in and making a weighty initial deposit of $500 to max out the offer and get $500.
Matched bonuses can be offered on sign up, or as recurring promotions for registered customers. The latter are generally referred to as reload bonuses. Some sportsbooks offer fixed weekly reload bonuses, whereas others may deliver them every now and again to coincide with big events or hyped up sports games.
Then, you can use these bonus funds to stake your next wagers, just like a bonus bet. Instead of claiming the winnings, as you would with a bonus bet, you can claim the entire sum, with the stake as well. The only thing you should bear in mind is that there may be rollover requirements for any bonus funds.
Bonus Bet Conditions
Not all sportsbooks pin the same terms and conditions on their bonuses, something that you have to keep an eye on. You could get a $50 bonus bet from two sportsbooks, but they won’t necessarily have the same bonus value. It boils down to a few criteria:
Odds Requirements
The odds requirements generally state the minimum odds the bonus bet can be used for. You can’t use that bonus bet for really short odds, there has to be some risk to meet the necessary requirements.
Betting Type Requirements
We can split this into two categories. One is the actual betting market you pick, and the other is the straight/parlay/sgp and alternate multiples that you can combine on your bet slip.
Betting market requirements can vary greatly depending on the book. They may have restrictions such as “just pregame wagers”, or limit you from using live bets, futures and other types of wagers. There are wagers that relate to specific events. For example, a bonus bet that is tied to an upcoming UFC event, or one that is only for a specific MLB game.
For parlay bettors, the good news is that most sportsbooks allow you to use bonus bets to stake parlays and same game parlays. Some books, however, will draw the line at Round Robins (FanDuel) or Teasers (DraftKings). But it can vary on individual bonuses too, so be sure to read the fine print.
Restrictions on Bonus Bets
Now let’s look at some of the universal rules on using bonuses. Most sportsbooks will have the same restrictions and conditions for using bonuses, just to ensure noone abuses the offers.
- You can’t use bonus bets with other promos (on an odds boost or profit boost)
- Bonus bets cannot be cashed out
- You cannot hedge your bonus bet
- Minimum odds requirements
- Eligible betting markets only
Then, there are other conditions such as maximum win caps and how long the bonuses are valid for, which really depends on the US sportsbook. Win caps can be defined by the max odds or max payout, and the time bonuses are valid from tends to range from a few days to a week (some are longer, but not by much).
Matched Deposit Bonus Fund Rollover
Backtracking to bonus funds vs bonus bets, and you should know how rollover works. This is generally not applied to bonus bets, as they are offered on the condition that you cannot win the stake, but just the returns.
With matched deposit bonuses, you have to clear the rollover. It’s also called wagering requirements or playthrough (though this name is mostly used at online casino platforms). You receive the bonus funds, and then you need to stake it several times to unlock the funds and turn them into cashable winnings.
For example, you may have a wagering requirement of 2x on $100 worth of bonus funds. Technically, you have to wager $200 to unlock that $100. Before you start saying that doesn’t make sense, you will be given a timeframe to do this, like 30 days, and you can stake the bonus funds numerous times.
Here is a potential scenario:
Day 1
- You stake $50 on a wager at odds of +100 and win $50
- Result: You have $150. With $50 cleared from the $200 WR
Day 2
- Now you make 2 bets. $50 on a bet of -110 and another $50 on a bet of +150. The first wins, giving you $95.45 but the second one loses. You have won $95.45 but lost $50 on that day.
- Result: You have $145.45. With $150 cleared from the $200 WR
Day 3
- You bet $25 on a +100 wager and $25 on a wager with odds of -150. Both win, so you get $50 + $41.67
- Result: You have $187.12 and have cleared the $200 wagering requirements!
Things are not always going to go your way, but you can see with a little preplanning and taking your time, you can put the matched funds to good use and clear the wagering requirements.
Our tip: don’t rush or make any big/risky picks just to speed things up. Pick straight bets and patiently clear through those requirements.
What About Existing Users?
Sportsbooks are always looking to attract new players, and they usually get the biggest bonus bet offers. As an already registered member of a sportsbook, you are not forgotten either.
The best US sportsbooks have a wide range of recurring promos, seasonal offers or even loyalty programs to keep your business and ensure you don’t end up switching books. You may receive bonus bets when:
- Throughout NFL/NBA/MLB regular season and playoffs: The best sportsbooks provide a steady flow of bonus bets throughout major US sports leagues, so for important MLB series, Sunday Night Football, or key NBA games, you will have incentives to get in on the betting action.
- As a weekly promo to hype big matchups: It doesn’t stop there either. You may get promos tied to UFC events, big soccer leagues or games, golf tournaments, or tennis Grand Slams. It’s worth frequently checking in for new bonuses, or set up notifications to catch hot bonus bet offers as they hit the shelves.
- When you lose big/haven’t won in a while: The very best US sportsbooks, like DraftKings or FanDuel, really do this. If you have been hard on your luck and without a win in a while, they may give you a bonus bet just to give you a break. It won’t happen all the time, but it helps them build customer satisfaction and brand loyalty.
- Loyalty program perks: Many of the top sportsbooks, most notably Caesars and BetMGM, have rewards programs where you can earn comp points for every dollar wagered. These can unlock all kinds of goodies, such as regular bonus bets, enhanced reload offers, and invitations to special contests. The comp points can often also be converted back into bonus bets, at a given redemption rate.
So it’s not all about signing up and getting bonus bets as a freshly signed member. When picking your sportsbook, be sure to check out their existing member bonuses, as these are going to supply the bonus bets long after you have used up your welcome bonus.
Why Your Bonus Bet Was Voided
Bonus bets can be voided or rescinded, though it is quite rare. The biggest reason why a sportsbook may do this is because it suspects you of breaching the terms and conditions. More specifically, of abusing bonuses or using hedged betting strategies such as matched betting or arbitrage betting.
Another reason is that you simply aren’t depositing and spending enough at the sportsbook. If you are just there to claim bonus bets and not spend a dollar, it is not a good business model for the sportsbook, and they reserve the right to cut you off from bonus bets or rescind any offers on your account.
However, these are rarities and don’t happen to the majority of bettors. No, the most common reason why your bonus bet suddenly disappeared or was voided happens when you don’t use it up in the given time. Be sure to use your bonus bet and clear any additional requirements long before the bonus expires. Don’t pick futures or bets that will settle a long time from now – even if they should settle right before the bonus expires. Because bet settlement needs time, and you may end up on the wrong side of the clock.
Tips for Using Your Bonus Bets
There are no right or wrong ways to use a bonus bet, the ball is in your court when making predictions. There are very few cons to bonus bets. If you don’t want to use your bonus bet, you don’t have to.
However, that bonus bet can be a good means to enhance your bankroll. If you don’t have any ideas, you can do the simplest thing and place it on a spread bet @ -110 odds for a 50-50 chance of winning. Or, just use it to fund (or partially fund) your next wager.
There are betting strategies that revolve around bonus bet conversion, and even a handful of betting tools with the software to help you gain high ROI using AI enhanced betting picks. These are highly useful, especially when your book supplies a steady flow of bonus bets. But be careful not to get detected by the books, as they don’t like matched betting or any kind of hedged betting.
You can also use bonus bets to fund high EV wagers, on AI optimized parlay wagers, or on key betting trends (such as in-form players or recurring game props). Using betting software can help max bonus bets just the same as it can help you find high value wagers.
