A new player free bet is an online sportsbook bonus that encourages new player signups. However, only a few online sportsbooks welcome new customers with free bets that require no deposits because players tend to abuse such bonuses. Most sportsbooks stay on the safe side by offering other types of signup bonuses like deposit bonuses and risk-free bets.
First off, to claim a new player free bet bonus, you must register at the online sportsbook offering it. You may or may not have to make a qualifying deposit to claim a free bet bonus, depending on its T&Cs. Unlike risk-free bets, you don’t have to lose your first bet to become eligible to receive free bet bonuses.
Sign up at the following online sportsbooks and claim your free bet signup bonus:
Bet365 – Get 15% of your qualifying deposit in bet credits when you make qualifying bets equal to 12x your qualifying deposit amount.
SI Sportsbook – Deposit at least $10 and get $50 in free bets.
WynnBET – Place bets worth $100 with -120 odds or greater and get a $100 free bet.
Barstool Sportsbook – If you lose your first bet, you can claim a free bet equal to the value of your lost bet, up to $1000.
Free bet signup offers are exciting, but they apply only to new players. Moreover, you can claim and use them only once.
The absence of bonuses makes the betting experience bland for existing customers. Online sportsbooks, therefore, regularly offer free bets to their existing customers.
Free bets give existing customers the incentive to log in frequently and make bets at the online sportsbook. The main reason such bonuses are there for existing customers is to help customer retention and retain player loyalty, thus help online sportsbooks earn profits in the long run.
Online sportsbooks run free bet promos based on sports events like March Madness and the Olympics or on sports in which they have sponsored interests. Sportsbooks featuring pool betting may offer free entries into their daily pools, enabling punters to win money without spending their own.
If you want to participate in a free bet promo, you have to opt into the offer or complete activities such as using a sportsbook feature for the first time or referring a depositing player to the site.
The following sportsbooks run free bet promos for existing customers:
Risk-free bets are the most popular online sportsbook bonus offers because they give the best value for both sportsbooks and customers.
You have to qualify for a risk-free bet by betting real money on a game. You don’t get the bonus if your bet wins. If you lose the bet, the sportsbook will refund your bet with bonus credits, up to a certain amount.
On the surface, risk-free bets and free bets look similar.
But on a closer look, you can notice the following differences:
- You have to qualify for a risk free bet by betting money of your own on a game. The online sportsbook gives you free bet credits only if you lose your bet.
- You don’t have to make a qualifying bet to claim a free bet. Moreover, some online sportsbooks offer no deposit free bets, enabling you to claim the free bet without making a deposit.
- Online sportsbooks prefer offering risk free bets instead of free bets because the latter have user-friendly terms and favour players. On the other hand, risk-free bets offer insurance on lost bets, enabling you to get benefits only if you lose the bet.
Choose from the following top risk free bet offers:
Caesars Sportsbook – Bet up to $1500 risk free.
BetMGM – Get risk-free bets regularly for referring friends and making bets on selected games.
PointsBet – Get daily cashback as free bets on losing bets made on selected games.
Unibet – Get risk-free bets every day.
FanDuel Sportsbook – Bet over $200 and get a risk free bet of $20 every Friday. Claim limited-time risk free bet offers throughout the week.
Online sportsbooks offer free bets to new and existing customers because there are many benefits to doing so.
Online sportsbooks benefit from free bets in the following ways:
- Attract new customers and retain existing ones.
- Promote their products and services.
- Get a competitive edge over rivals
Here are the advantages of free bets for players:
- Certain free bet offers at sportsbooks don’t require a deposit.
- No need to risk their own money.
- Win real money and boost their bankroll.
A no deposit bonus is a free bets bonus that doesn’t need a qualifying deposit. Since it’s free, it gives great value to players who have just signed up. A no deposit free bets bonus gives you a free trial of the online sportsbook. You can test the sportsbook features without risking money of your own.
If you win money while using a free bet, you can withdraw it to your account after meeting the turnover requirements, which vary from one sportsbook to the other.
The procedure to claim and use free bets varies from one sportsbook to the other.
You can unlock free bet offers and use them in different ways:
Free Bet Qualifying Requirements
No deposit free bet offers are rare because in theory, sportsbooks cannot profit from them. Although they attract new customers, sportsbooks can do little to stop bettors from abusing them.
Sportsbooks want bettors to bet real money on the games. To convert new customers into loyal customers, they require potential bettors to make a qualifying deposit to get the free bet. The qualifying deposit is as low as $5 or $10 and guarantees profits for sportsbooks.
For example, Bet365 offers a 15% deposit free bet on your first deposit, but to qualify for this bonus, you must deposit at least $10.
How to Spend Your Free Bets
The T&Cs for free bets vary from one sportsbook to the next. Some sites give you the free bet in a lump sum and instruct you to use it all on one bet.
The best free bets are flexible and allow you to use the bonus cash as you wish. For example, if you get a free bet worth $10, the sportsbook may allow you to place one bet of $10 or ten bets of $1 – or anything in between.
These free bets are flexible and give you more value for money. Instead of calling them “free bets,” online sportsbooks call them “bet credits.”
Sportsbook free bets expire after a few days, weeks, or months, which means that you must use the free bet before it expires.
While the free bet offer at Barstool Sportsbook expires one year after your open your account, you must use the free bet offer at Bet365 within ninety days of registration.
Free bet expiry dates vary across sportsbooks. We recommend reading the free bet T&Cs to avoid disappointment in the future.
Sportsbooks don’t allow you to use free bets and bet credits any way you please. Although Bet365 and Barstool Sportsbook allow you to use your bet credits on multi-leg wagers, some sportsbooks restrict free bets to only straight bets and prohibit you from making parlay bets with bet credits.
Generally, you cannot use sportsbook free bets on online casino games or pre-existing promotional bets like multipliers and odds boosts. Also, you won’t qualify for other bonus offers as long as you have an active free bets bonus.
For example, Bet365 allows you to use its bet credits on parlay bets. However, the parlay bet you make with bet credits will not be eligible for parlay bonuses available to existing customers at the online sportsbook.
How do you pick the best free sports bet offers? All free bet offers have T&Cs. We advise bettors not to claim a free bet without first reading the fine print. Here’s a pro tip to help you choose the best sportsbook free bet offers.
Pro Tip: Use Minimum Odds to Your Advantage
The minimum odds requirement of the free bet bonus offer is an excellent guide to converting your bonus into cash. Study the odds requirement well before playing with your free bet. Doing this will help you find the most player-friendly odds and make profitable betting decisions. By following this pro tip, you’ll take minimum risk while converting the free bet bonus into cash.
No deposit free bet bonuses are very popular among new bettors, but online sportsbooks rarely offer them because new players tend to abuse them.
When they cannot find any no deposit free bet bonuses, bettors look for other types of sportsbook bonuses. Deposit bonuses are the second most sought bonuses at online sportsbooks. While offering a deposit bonus, the sportsbook matches a percentage of your deposit up to a certain amount and credits it as a bonus into your account.
The terms of deposit bonuses are more player-friendly than those of risk free bets, but the latter is more generous than deposit free bet offers.
Generous deposit bonuses are available at top-rated online sportsbooks like BetRivers, Caesars Sportsbook, and DraftKings Sportsbook.
- Caesars Sportsbook – Get a deposit bonus of 100% of up to $1,500
- BetRivers – Redeem the bonus code 250MATCH to get a 100% deposit bonus up to $250
- DraftKings Sportsbook – Get a 20% bonus up to $1000
Online sportsbooks lock some signup bonuses till you place a bet on a game. ‘Bet$10 Get $50’ is a typical example of such locked signup bonuses.
Bet $10 Get $50 bonuses reward you with a $50 free only if you make a bet of $10 on the sportsbook. You get your bonus irrespective of whether you lose or win your $10 bet.
Usually, online sportsbooks reward existing customers with Bet $10 Get $50 offers on big sporting events. But a few offer such bonuses on signup.
Odds boost bonuses at online sportsbooks give existing customers an incentive to log in frequently, make deposits, and bet on the games. These bonuses boost the existing odds of an outcome to make winning bets more profitable.
Online sportsbooks offer odds boost bonuses on parlays, straight bets, or both. For example, FOX Bet offers super boosts on straight bets, while BetMGM specializes in designing parlay boosters.
Online sportsbooks offer odds boost bonuses to existing customers. So, you cannot combine them with a signup offer. Some online sportsbooks partner with leagues and teams to offer such bonuses.
If you’re looking for odds boost bonuses, we recommend checking out the following online sportsbooks:
- Caesars Sportsbook: Regular odd boost bonuses
- FOX Bet Sportsbook: Daily super boost bonuses
- PointsBet: Odds boost bonuses on select games
- BetMGM: Regular odds boost bonuses on parlays
- DraftKings Sportsbook: Several daily odds boost bonuses
- FanDuel Sportsbook: Dedicates a section of its website to odds boosts