Best Bonuses

Best Sportsbook Bonuses

Sportsbook bonuses are not created equal! Some are real cash, some are match plays/free plays and almost all have different rollovers and holds before you qualify to submit for a withdrawl/payout. Although each can have their pros and cons, there is a match out there for everyone.

At Predictem we don’t just rank the bonuses by size and let you figure out the fine print when you get there. We are looking at the total bonus package. Here are the factors that our team considers when listing a bonus.

Cash VS Free-Play?

A cash bonus is what it sounds like. It’s cash in your account balance. The sportsbook essentially pays you to try them out. If you deposit $100 for a 20% bonus, your balance is $120.

A free-play is typically marketed the same way as cash. The sportsbook might have the same type of advertisement around the web or on its homepage: “Get Your 20% Bonus!” But this sucker here is really 20% in free bets. That means the same $20 free play only becomes $20 in your balance if you win $20 betting it. A free-play is roughly worth half of its cash bonus counterpart. If you bet that $20 on an even money baseball team, you have about a 50% chance of winning and therefore 50% chance of turning that free bet into cold hard cash. So, that free-play is worth 10% cash to you. Note: We probably shouldn’t have used a 20% bonus as an example. You can actually grab bonuses offers up to 125% by using sportsbook promo codes that we’ve specially arranged for our readers.

Rollover or “Play-through” Requirement

A single rollover AKA play-through is essentially wagering the amount of your BONUS AMOUNT + INITIAL DEPOSIT AMOUNT. Over the years we have received a surprisingly high amount of emails from players complaining that the sportsbook gave them their bonus, of which they bet and lost, and then those damn sportsbook scammers would not let the player withdraw the deposit! Of course not. That would be silly. The bookmaker can not give you a free shot at their money without a chance to turn a profit. So how many times should you expect to rollover the funds before being able to withdraw?

During the past 15 years I have told players to look at the bonus percentage divided by the rollover required. Players should start by cutting the percentage in half if it is a free play as mentioned earlier.

Using Bovada’s 50% cash bonus as an example:
50% / 5x rollover = 10% cash per roll, or using the max bonus amount $250 / 5x = $50 per $500 bet

Rollovers change along with bonus amounts seasonally. Sportsbooks tend to be more aggressive before football season when player value is the highest. But a good average to expect is around 1.5 times per 10% bonus. You can also look at a bonus as temporary discount of vig per bet. Often times a bonus will equate the price to -105 reduced juice or even plus money as in this case..

A Rollover that is not actually based on what you risk betting?

Unfortunately for every five real gamblers there is about one bonus hunter. A bonus hunter is a person who is a worthless greedy scumbag doing absolutely nothing wrong but is betting out bonuses for the sole purpose of separating the book from these funds. These opportunists have cost the real sports bettors big perks over the years. One of the ways the sportsbook risk managers have countered players who let their deposit and bonus ride on 20-1 favorites is by USING THE LESSER OF THE RISK WIN. This means that if you bet $20 to win $1, you have rolled over $1. If your risked $20 to win $18, you have rolled over $18. These are the types of rules that can leave a bad taste in an unsuspecting players mouth when he finds out he needs to bet a lot more money yet the Super Bowl just ended and he only likes to bet on NFL football Teasers. Take note of these rules to see if your betting habits are in line with the promotion’s conditions. For most players who enjoy straight bets on sides and totals, the added rollover is not noticeable.

No Payouts for 30 Days

A rule that is not uncommon and also in place to mitigate bookmaker risk: No payouts for 30 days. People who have stolen an identity, or just bonus hunt before betting both sides of a game, are less likely to target a bonus that has an initial hold on the funds. It slows down the angle shooter’s operation but rarely bothers the legit sports bettor who was already planning to settle in for a month of betting their favorite sport. But this type of bonus isn’t for everyone and we hate to see people who deposit money they need for their rent get in a jam.

Bonus Maximums

If you are betting $5,000 per game, a 50% bonus doesn’t mean much when you come to find out it has a $200 maximum. 50% is great but its relative to how much you are investing. If Applebees gives my family a free molten lava cake with our dinner my kids and I are high fiving and shoveling it down like Jesus baked it. If BMW gives me a Molten Lava cake with the purchase of my BMW M5, that cake is is going to end up hitting the first speed limit sign at 80mph. If you are a big bettor, you probably care more about the bonus maximum more than anything else talked about in this guide. (Of course I would definitely eat the hell out of that cake in the dealership parking lot.)

Can Be Higher Depending on the Deposit Method

Keep an eye out for higher bonuses awarded to bettors willing to use certain deposit methods. Often times a sportsbook lines up a cheaper way to handle transactions and wants to introduce it to customers. To make that happen you might see higher bonuses and better terms. In the past few years players willing to deposit with bitcoin have been given more bonus cash. Recently newer less expensive cryptocurrency has popped up and books offer a larger bonus for using it. At PredictEm we will add each bonus independently, regardless of if the sportsbook is listed more than once.

Sportsbook Bonuses are Great, But…

A sportsbook bonus is great, as it allows you to win before you’ve even placed your first bet. But it’s actually not the best option, especially if you can beat the bookie.

Let’s say you deposit $100 and get $100 free. Yahoo! You’ve doubled your bankroll! Free money is good money, however… You could be getting SO much more value. A bonus is a one-time thing. If you were to choose a sportsbook that offers reduced juice betting, which allows you to bet on games at -105 odds rather than the standard -110, you’re essentially getting a bonus every single time you bet!  Not just a one-time gratification. The reduced juice lasts forever. A bonus is a one night stand. Reduced juice is the girl you want to marry! Let’s pencil this out so you can see the massive bang you get for your buck, opposed to getting the lesser valued bonus:

Example 1: Deposit $100, get $100 free. You made $100 on this deal.

Example 2: You chose to skip a bonus and roll with reduced odds betting at -105 odds. Let’s say you bet an average of one game per day, risking $105 to win $100. You saved $5 per bet x 7 bets per week = $35. There’s 52 weeks in a year. $35 in vig savings x 52 weeks = $1,280 a year. As you can see, there’s so much more value in grabbing $1280 opposed to a hundred bucks. Not to mention, the savings you’ll accrue over ten years: Over $12K! Skip the bonus and get signed up at BetAnySports. You’ll be so glad you did!

For a full explanation of the ins and outs of a bonus promotion, check out this article on How Sportsbook Bonuses Work.