In the constant fight to grab new customers’ attention, bookmaker sign-up offers have become a battleground as operators offer bigger incentives to new players.
Joining a new betting site Is the easy part, with the glitzy advertising promising you “£50 in free bets”, or “money back” if you lose and so on, but for many punters, the reality far outweighs the promise, with disappointing terms and conditions or minimum odds requirements ruining the bonus before you even start.
What Can You Do?
Independent comparison sites can help guide players to find the best betting sites around, but what can players look for to help make an informed choice?
There are a handful of things to consider before you sign up for any bookmaker, with the following information arguably the most important to consider before joining a new online sportsbook.
Wagering Requirements:
Fortunately, most reputable bookmakers require you to stake the free bets just once before you can withdraw any winnings.
Simply place a bet and get the winnings back barring the free bet stake. However, some sites do require players to turn over the free bets more than once, so always check the T&Cs to make sure.
Qualifying Bet Minimum Odds:
Bookmakers require the player to back a market at minimum odds to qualify for the free bets. Ideally, the shorter the odds, the better, with a general rule of thumb being anything shorter than Evens (2.0) is ideal for a betting offer.
Exempt Deposit Methods:
Despite the increase in depositing methods, many bookmakers still want the most guaranteed way of taking your money, which is a debit/bank card.
This can significantly limit the options for e-wallet users, with the likes of Neteller and Skrill ineligible to qualify for betting bonuses, so always double-check the T&Cs before making that first deposit, or you may end up without a bonus!
Eligible Bet Types / Markets:
Many bookmakers hook players in with the promise of big incentives, but the problem comes when those free bets are limited to specific markets.
For instance, one such site offers £/$50 in free bets, but when you look closely, these are split between horse racing (£/$20), football (£/$20) and casino (£/10), which is great if you are a fan of these sports and have significant knowledge, but useless to someone who only enjoys or bets on American sports for instance.
So always make sure you know the exact free bets you will receive before signing up or you could find yourself disappointed.
Expiry Date:
This covers both the qualifying bet and the actual free bets you receive.
Many bookmakers will ask players to make a qualifying bet within a specific period, which can range from 7-28 days, while the free bets that you have been awarded also have an expiry date, which again can range from 7-28 days, although some last even longer.
When The Free Bets Are Awarded:
Some bookmakers will award the customers free bets once a qualifying bet has been placed, however, the majority will hand out the free bets once a qualifying bet(s) have been settled.
So, bear this in mind if you use your free bet to pick the EPL title winners at the beginning of a new season, it may take a while to get your freebies!
Free Bet or Free Bets:
How you receive your free bets is something that gets overlooked often by players, who are just interested in the overall amount they can claim.
This is subjective to each player, but it is wise to think about how you will receive your free bets. If the site promised £50 free, is this in one single bet? Or is it split into several bets?
Receiving the funds in one large free bet can be great. Picking a winner at 2/1 with a £50 free bet would net you £100, once the free bet stake has been removed, but if that selection fails to win, well that is your lot!
So, rather than go for the moonshot, picking a bonus that splits your free bets into 3,4 or even 5 separate stakes gives the player more freedom, but also negates the risks to an extent.
Have Fun!
The most important factor for any gambler is to have fun.
Enjoy the moment, only spend what you can afford and remember that there are things in place to protect players, including spending limits, timeouts and even the ability to disable or close betting accounts.
