It makes little difference whether you’re completely fresh to sports betting or you’ve been backing your favorite soccer, NFL, or baseball team online for yonks, I’m sure you’ve noticed something about online betting bonuses by now. Yup, that’s right – the largest, most outlandish and overall most generous ones are usually aimed at new sign-ups.
There’s a reason for this, and it’s all simple stuff. Basically, bookmakers take great care to ensure their sportsbook sign up offers pack a real punch purely because they rely on these bonuses to bring new bettors to their platforms.
Of course, this is epic news for any of you who are currently shopping around for a new place to bet. Ultimately, it means you guys will have ample choice to secure the following kinds of bonuses, and more:
- Generous free bet offers.
- Free spins at casino games.
- Matched deposit bonuses.
- “No deposit” promotions.
Why should you claim a new user bonus?
Well, if you’re a new user registering with a betting brand for the first time, why wouldn’t you? These promotions serve-up all the benefits I outlined above, and then some.
In my many years of betting, I’ve found that the very best new user sportsbook promos will offer you a chance to try out a new online sportsbook’s odds, betting tools and all-round offerings with some free bets.
If the brand also offers casino games, you might even get some free spins or casino chips thrown in for good measure, too. And if they have an app available, or they offer sports live-streaming capabilities, you might also be able to test out:
- iOS/Android betting experiences.
- Live/in-play betting software.
But of course, all new user sportsbook promos come with their unique pros and cons. And while these differ from one offer to the next, it’s essential you guys understand the general ins and outs to watch out for.
The ups and downs of claiming a new user bonus
Advantages
- Sample a betting site’s offerings
- Unlock free bets/spins
- Claiming is usually dead-easy
- It’s a whole lot of fun
With near enough every betting brand out there offering some kind of first-timer bonus, you’re going to be pretty spoiled for choice if you live in a country or region where online sports betting is legally permitted.
On this page, I’m sure you’ll already have noticed that my banners display details of some of the
best sportsbook bonuses
available where you live – and believe me, all these are worth checking out. But to be honest, it’s good to have a solid understanding of what kinds of bonuses are out there and how they work if you want to make a sensible, informed decision RE which offer’s best for you.
So, here goes a quick rundown of some of the popular new user bonus offer variants I mentioned earlier. You ready? Let’s go.
| Bonus type | How it works | Tricky T&Cs to watch out for |
| Free bet offers | These typically quite simple offers grant you one or more free bets playable on selected sports – though you’ll usually need to drop a qualifying deposit first. | Your initial deposit might need to exceed a certain amount (e.g., $20), and you might only be able to bet on one specific sport or team on odds exceeding a certain amount, too (e.g., you must bet on New York Yankees odds of 3.0 or greater). |
| Free spins at casino games | You’ll get some free spins (i.e., “goes”) on one or more slots games. | Again, watch out for restrictions that limit you to playing only certain games (e.g., 100 free spins on Starburst). You might also need to wager your spins a set number of times pre-cashout. |
| Matched deposit bonuses | With these, making a deposit with the bookmaker or casino entitles you to a percentage match in bonus bets – e.g. “get 100% up to $200 when you deposit $20 or more”. | The biggie here is you’ll usually need deposit the absolute maximum permitted to unlock the full amount of bonus bets on offer. E.g., with the bonus in my example, you might need to drop a full $200 to actually get $200 worth of bonus bets. |
| No deposit promotions | These are much like matched deposit bonuses, except you’ll unlock your bonus without having to part with any cash. If casino games are offered, you might get a mix of bonus bets and free spins. Wowzers. | As these offers are “free” at the point of claiming, they tend to come with stricter wagering requirements than other bonuses. You might also be limited to specific games, sports or odds, again. |
Whichever kind of offer you come to claim, the key to using it effectively basically just comes down to reading. You see, giving an offer’s T&Cs a proper good gander will help you to know exactly what to expect in terms of potential pitfalls and how to safely swerve them. A few classic caveats to watch out for, include:
Special promo codes are required
To get your hands on the cream of the crop of today’s welcome bonuses, you might sometimes have to enter a
sportsbook promo code. If one’s required, it’ll usually be clearly displayed either:
- In the ad for the offer.
- In the bonus’ T&Cs.
Using promo codes is painless. All you need to do is literally punch in the correct promo code for your region when signing-up with the brand and claiming your new customer bonus.
A requirement to “wager” your bonus a set number of times
Wagering requirements come attached to practically any and every bonus you’ll find. They’re simple enough to understand – if your new user bonus bets have a 5x wagering requirement, for example, you’ll need to play through those bets on eligible games or sports five times before you can cash out.
For obvious reasons, it’s important to read-up on any wagering requirements before you actually start betting.
The necessity to satisfy said wagering requirements within a time limit
Many of the best new user sportsbook promos out there, including those mentioned in my banners, demand that newbies play through their bonus bets within an allocated time limit, too.
It’s important to note that for bonuses that serve-up mixed bags of goodies, the time limits might be different for different parts of the bonus – e.g., bonus bets might have a 7-day expiry date, while free spins need to be wagered in just 2 days. Watch out for this.
Restrictions on where you can and can’t bet
The best new user sportsbook promos tend to come with sport or game-related restrictions, too. For example, the T&Cs of a bonus might dictate where you can and can’t bet in terms of:
- Sports markets.
- Casino games.
- Odds.
It’s common for sportsbook offers to be limited to certain sports, like soccer for example, while free spins bonuses might only be playable on a specific slot game, like Sweet Bonanza. Again, the devil’s in the detail.
Limitations on deposit and withdrawal methods
This one applies more to any of the best new user sportsbook promos around that require an up-front deposit. You see, sometimes, the T&Cs might state that you have to deposit via a certain payment method to qualify for your bonus. Oftentimes, you’ll need to cash-out using the same banking option to boot. Free bet bonuses that are only available to, say, PayPal users, for example, are pretty darn common – so be careful.
On this page, I’ve collated the biggest, juiciest bonus offers that are currently available to players in your region. All the banners promoting new user bonuses you’ll see here have been geo-targeted using your location, and each one hails from a betting site that I can assure you is:
- Properly licensed.
- Great for new customer offers.
- Easy to register with.
- Safe and fun to bet at.
Final takeaway – prep is everything when activating a
new user bonus
Ready to claim and activate one of the best new user sportsbook promos from my banners? I bet you are. But before you do, I really can’t stress the importance of planning ahead.
As I’ve shown throughout this guide, pretty much any bonus you encounter out there in the big, bad world of online betting is going to have T&Cs – and you need to know exactly what to expect before unlocking your bonus bets if you really want to have maximum fun, and not inadvertently catch yourself out somehow. So, always be on the lookout for:
- Wagering requirements.
- Time restrictions.
- Game limitations.
- Expiry dates.
- Restrictions around payment methods.
And above all else, be prepared. Ultimately, so long as you know what you’re dealing with before you’re dealt your free bets, you’re going to have a killer time, I’m sure. Especially if you roll with one of the awesome bonuses from my banners right here.
Discover the sportsbook bonuses we recommend
1.
100% up to 500$
Requirements (WR): 10x Bonus, Min. Deposit: 10$
2.
100% up to $1000
Requirements (WR): 15x Bonus, Min. Deposit: $20
3.
15% Rakeback Bonus
Min. Deposit: 1
No wagering requirement. after the first week Rakeback will start again from 6% go up by the different levels.
4.
200% up to 1?
+ 50 Free Spins
Requirements (WR): 35x Bonus, Min. Deposit: 20?
5.
200% Bonus up to 25,000 EUR + 50 Free Spins
New user bonus
FAQ
?? How do I claim a new user bonus with my online sportsbook?
That’s easy. You just need to locate the ad for their latest welcome package, click it, and punch in a few details. Depending on the offer’s T&Cs, you might also have to enter a promo code or make a qualifying first-time deposit exceeding a certain amount, too. Having trouble? Come and check out my expert betting bonus guides, that run through
absolutely everything
you’ll ever need to know.
?? Should I claim a bonus with an unlicensed betting site?
It’s a hard no from me. No matter where you live in the world, it’s absolutely vital you only ever bet with online bookmakers that hold a legit license from an institution you can trust – like the UK Gambling Commission or Malta Gaming Authority, for example. My guide right here runs through how you can double-check whether a betting brand is legal in your area.
Ordinarily,
no. Welcome bonuses and sign-up offers tend to be reserved solely for newbies, I’m afraid. But on the upside, most betting sites will run regular offers aimed at their existing customers over on their “Promotions” page, or perhaps via social media. Get acquainted with some of the best existing customer promos by reading my detailed betting brand reviews.
