What Is a Betting Welcome Bonus?
In today’s competitive market, betting welcome bonuses set sportsbooks apart and often help bettors decide where to open an account. Offering a good welcome bonus has become essential when attempting to attract new bettors. It is a promotional offer designed to give bettors a certain advantage or benefit when they join a sportsbook.
A sports betting welcome bonus is a one-time offer to claim a promotion upon signing up with the sportsbook. It has become much more popular since betting activities moved mostly to the online space, prompting every player to register an account before making a deposit and placing their first bet.
Different Types of Betting Welcome Bonuses
Similar to online casino welcome bonuses, betting welcome bonuses come in different forms, allowing bettors to choose the type that best suits their betting preferences. Some of the most common types of sports betting welcome offers include free bets, first deposit bonuses, and no deposit bonuses.
Free Bet
A free bet bonus means that you get a certain amount of funds in free bets when you make a first deposit. For example, the sportsbook can offer you €20 in free bets after making a €10 deposit, but potentially conditional upon whether your first bet is successful.
Some bookies require that your first bet be wrong for you to receive the free bet funds, meaning that if you make a bet and lose, you will lose your deposited funds but get the free bets to try again. Others can set the minimum odds for using the free bet funds, and others can impose wagering requirements before you can make any withdrawal requests.
If the online betting welcome offer you want to claim includes a risk-free bet bonus, that means that if you make your bet and lose, you get your money back, and if you win, you get to keep your winnings without any deductions.
First Deposit Bonus
A first deposit bonus can come in the form of free bet funds that we already mentioned, or it can be a deposit match bonus. What that means is that the bookie will match your deposit for a certain percentage and up to a certain amount. For example, the bonus could be a 100% deposit match up to €/£200, and here’s how that would work:
- You make a €/£100 deposit with a betting site and claim the match deposit welcome bonus
- You receive another €/£100 in bonus funds to make your bets
Note that all welcome bonuses come with their own terms and conditions, so there could be some limitations and playthrough requirements for the bonus funds.
No Deposit Bonus
No-deposit bonuses are very popular among punters because they allow them to test a sportsbook without investing any money. All you have to do to claim this bonus is register your account with a sportsbook and claim the bonus offer. Before claiming the bonus funds, make sure you read the terms and conditions so you know what kind of bet you can make.
If your bet is successful, you’ll get to keep your winning, and the terms and conditions will indicate if you can withdraw the money or if you need to keep on playing. If you lose, you don’t get any funds in free bets.
How Does Sports Betting Welcome Bonus Work?
Let’s say that you have checked the welcome bonus offers beforehand and decided to register an account with a betting site that provides the most attractive offer for you. The first thing you need to do is sign up and complete the verification process if the site has one, and then you are ready to make your first deposit (or not make it) and claim the welcome bonus.
Depending on the sportsbook and the bonus, you could receive all the bonus funds at once, or they could come in instalments. The bonus could also be extended to more than one deposit, depending on its terms and conditions.
Here’s a brief overview of how the process works:
- Register an account with the sportsbook of your choice
- Pick the sports betting welcome bonus you’d like to claim
- Head to the cashier and make the deposit (make sure to meet the bonus requirements)
- Claim the welcome bonus offer
- Place your first bet
As we have mentioned a few times, most bonuses come with attached terms and conditions, and we recommend that you read them thoroughly before claiming the bonus so there won’t be any surprises later.
Betting Welcome Bonuses Terms & Conditions
Since we have pointed out the importance of reading and understanding the bonus terms and conditions, we will also walk you through some of the most common requirements you can expect bookies to set for a bonus.
- Wagering requirements: When a betting site indicates a wagering requirement (also known as playthrough or rollover requirement) in the bonus terms and conditions, that means that you will need to wager the bonus amount a certain number of times before being able to make a withdrawal request. Wagering requirements range anywhere from 1x to 50x, sometimes with additional requirements for minimum odds or wagering the winnings from the bonus before making withdrawal requests.
- Minimum odds: Bookies can also set the limit for minimum odds you can wager your bonus funds on to be able to withdraw any potential winnings. Typically, the minimum odds range from 1.40 (2/5) to 2.00 (1/1), and sometimes, the sportsbook doesn’t set any minimum odds for the bonus funds.
- Validity Period: When you claim a sports betting welcome bonus offer, you could have limited time to use the bonus funds for your bets. The expiration date on the bonus is often up to 30 days, but it is usually shorter. Typically, it’s set to seven or 14 days after activating the bonus.
- Minimum deposit: Upon registering your account and before claiming the betting welcome bonus, you might need to make a minimum qualifying deposit. Minimum deposits can range from €/£5 to €/£20, for example, as sportsbooks requiring to wager as little as €/£1 are very rare these days.
These were the most common requirements from the bonus terms and conditions, but there are a few more that bookies insist on, like excluding certain payment methods from the bonus offer or limiting the markets. To avoid any misunderstandings, make sure to read the small print on every bonus offer before you claim it.
Choose The Best Welcome Betting Offer
If you are just starting out in the sports betting world, you might want to try out a few different bonuses before finding the best betting welcome offer for you. You might still be discovering your betting style, and whether a deposit match or free bets bonus is more suitable for you is something you are yet to discover.
Whatever type of sports betting welcome bonus you choose, pay attention to the wagering requirements and the expiration date and compare them to other bonus offers. These can sometimes be somewhat unreasonable, especially for a beginner, so be careful when reading the terms and conditions.
Ultimately, the best betting welcome bonus is the one that will allow you to test the betting site and make the best out of your betting experience. Take a look at the welcome bonuses listed on this page, they are all safe and verified, and pick the ones you’d like to try.
