Who should make use of the comparison? This guide to sportsbook bonuses is for everyone
Almost all operators will offer you a betting bonus for signing up with them; however, not all offers will be right for everybody. This is what makes finding the ‘best’ sportsbook bonus a difficult task, because depending on your ability and experience, what’s best for someone else may not be what’s best for you.
So, the short version is that this guide is for everybody, but it will be useful in different ways depending on whether you are a brand new or a more experienced sports bettor.
What experienced users can get from this online betting bonus guide
If you’ve had a sportsbook account before, you’ll know what bonuses are, how they work, and which type you prefer. So, this guide can help you to find more
sports betting sites
with bonus offers you want, saving you from wasting time looking around each one individually, which you’ll also know from previous experience, can take hours.
By knowing exactly where to look, you’ll be able to see at a glance what the offer is, and then take a closer look to see what the wagering requirements are, so you know exactly what you are signing up for.
What brand new bettors will find in this guide sportsbook deposit bonus offers
If you are new to the concept of sportsbook bonuses, then you might not have the first idea what you are looking at. You might not know a deposit match from a free bet, and you probably won’t understand what operators mean by a ‘risk-free’ bet. If this is you, then this guide will take you through how to find the right place to open your account, and what to look for in the right sports betting bonus for you.
Beginners often find the more straightforward bonuses more appealing, even if the sums involved are sometimes smaller, or you might feel you have the confidence to go for a big offer right from the start. Either way, this guide will show you how to find exactly what you are looking for.
Operator checklist: 5 things we look for when rating operators – how we review and rate betting sites with bonus offers
To start that process off, we need to explain a bit about our reviewing procedure. We will review all of the operators you are likely to find and provide you with a report of what we have found. As all of our expert reviewers are experienced bettors themselves, they know what makes a good
Canadian sports betting site
(and a great bonus) so you can be sure they will leave no stone unturned.
As well as being objective and in-depth, all our reviews are also carried out using the same checklist so that you know that you can compare them easily if you want to. (More on that in a minute.) While we do check everything, here is what provides the backbone of what we look for:
Is the operator legit?
Because of the large number of offshore options that Canada has, it is especially important that the operator is correctly licensed, and that your data and money is going to be secure. For that reason, we look into the operator and the company behind them, as well as how their operations in other territories are seen.
User reviews
We’ll also see what other users say about them. When doing this, however, we take into account the fact that many user reviews are written because something bad has happened. So, while we know that most of what we see online is likely to be negative, it does not necessarily reflect the whole experience of everyone who has used that operator. A lot of negative reviews about the same thing, however, is something we will highlight and take a close look at ourselves.
Security and encryption
As mentioned above, we check your data and money is going to be as safe as it can be. We check the operator’s HTTPS compliance is up to date and that they have done whatever they can to keep your data away from those with malicious intent. We’ll also report back on encryption in place to keep transactions safe and secure, and that all payments go into your account and no one else’s.
Payment methods and withdrawals
Another key area is the ways in which you can fund your account. We report back on what is available so you can see if your preferred method is included. We’ll also look at any fees or delays that might be involved, as well as any known issues associated with withdrawing any winnings from your account.
Customer service
We take a look at customer service as well, because, as you might already know from bitter experience, things don’t always run smoothly. We let you know how good the FAQ section is (so you don’t need to contact them in the first place) and which methods are available for you to get in touch with them, as well as the times they are available and any delays you might expect.
As mentioned above, these five aren’t the only areas we look at, and when deciding on the right sports betting bonus it’s also vital that we look at the welcome offer as well:
Deposit bonus
One of the main reasons you’ll join an operator is for the bonus. So, along with all of the other factors covered above, we take a look at the bonus offer, and sometimes even prepare an additional review focused on just that. We look at the type of sportsbook deposit bonus on offer, whether it is a deposit match, a risk-free bet or just straight free bets and report back on what you need to do to activate it (like using the right promo code) and any wagering requirements you need to meet before you can withdraw any of your winnings.
Sportsbook reload bonus
Another thing we check when looking at a bonus offer is to see if there is a reload bonus. Operators realize that after you have used your welcome bonus you might leave, so some will offer extra rewards if you hang around. A reload bonus is an offer that will be applied to your second, third, or in some cases, any future deposits you make into your account, and we report back on what is involved, so you can decide if you want to stay or see what is on offer elsewhere.
Editor’s recommendation – who is the best sports betting bonus operator?
By now, you might be thinking that there is a whole lot more to picking the right betting sites with bonus offers than you thought, and you just want to get started. If this is you, then you might want to start with our editor’s recommendation.
When making a recommendation, we don’t simply look for the biggest bonus, but several other factors as well. When we review operators, we give each one a rating, as an easy way to see which one is best. While the best rated operator overall doesn’t always have the best bonus, on this occasion, our editor found that LeoVegas topped both lists.
LeoVegas is an established operator with a track record of offering great bonuses, with the latest one on offer looking like it could be the best one yet. In a nutshell, it’s a ‘best of both worlds’ offer which hands you a deposit match as well as a free bet. This should be a good fit for almost all sports bettors, both new and old.
Finding the right operator for you – helping you make sense of all of the sportsbook bonuses available
Of course, if you are looking for something specific, our editor’s recommendation might not be right for you. If you are a new user, you might want a straightforward risk-free bet, or to look for a no deposit bonus to ‘test drive’ an operator before risking any of your own money. You might have a specific sport you wish to wager on, and make sure that the operator has offers that cover that sport.
As our reviews all follow the same pattern, and by looking at the same features in the same order, making a comparison easy if you are looking for just one detail. For instance, if you want to use PayNearMe to fund your account, by checking the payments section of the user reviews, you’ll know exactly what is involved. Alternatively, if you wanted one with good out of hours customer support because you mostly place wagers on foreign sporting events, then you’ll be able to find that information too.
Looking at each operator yourself can take a long time, but by using the resources on this site you can make sense of what you are seeing easily.
5 ultimate tips for using the best operators – what you need to do when you’ve found the right betting bonus
While the right sports betting bonus is a great way to get your online wagering off to the right start, you shouldn’t really go at it like a bull at a gate. Of course, if the whole reason you picked the operator and the bonus was so you could have fun, then all well and good. However, if you want to make the most of your experience with your new operator, both during and after you’ve used the bonus, here are 5 ways you can make that easier.
It doesn’t matter who you are with, or how your bonus works, you need to plan what you are going to bet on. Betting on something you know nothing about is normally a recipe for disaster, so sticking to sports you have some knowledge of is definitely the way to go.
As you are using a bonus, you can’t exactly shop around for the best odds, but what you can do is time your wagers. In general, the odds for an event will tend to settle as the start approaches, so if you are going to get the best odds, you might need to get in early. Because you are betting on what you know (see above) you will be able to recognize value when you see it.
#3 Don’t forget the live betting options
As well as betting early, there are also plenty of opportunities to use your bonus in the live markets. Live betting is increasing in popularity and the number of markets available for live betting is likely to be the same as before the event started. Before you dive in though, check the restrictions of the bonus, to see if there are any features that are out of bounds like a ‘cash out’ button.
#4 Check for other offers
It doesn’t have to be all about the welcome bonus either, you might find that there is a sportsbook reload bonus available for your second deposit, even if it is not as large as the first. There will also be other offers for specific events that could unlock other free bets as well. (You can find more information about these in our operator reviews)
#5 Take a look at the loyalty program
If you feel at home with the operator after using the bonus, you might want to carry on betting there. If that’s the case, make sure you see what is available as part of the loyalty program, as they often offer rewards like more free bets or cashback in your account.
Conclusion – use our expert reviews to find the operators with the best sportsbook bonuses
After reading this guide, you’ll know that the business of finding a reliable, safe and secure operator with an excellent bonus is not as easy as just picking the first one you see. This can often be a big mistake if the operator hasn’t got their paperwork in order, or the bonus is wrong for you.
Instead, by using the resources on this site, you not only have the editor’s recommendation if you want to get started right away, but also the online reviews which you can use to pinpoint a specific feature you are looking for. Whichever route you choose, you then have our tips to make the most of the operator, whether you are an experienced bettor, or this is your first time opening an sportsbook account and using a betting bonus.
Our top 5 sport betting bonuses
Sportsbook bonus FAQ
🤔 How do I know if a sportsbook bonus is legit?
Operator offers often involve large sums as deposit matches or risk-free bets, which to the untrained eye can look too good to be true. While very few of these are actual scams, some are definitely better than others and without an expert eye, you might not know which is which. To get the lowdown on betting sites with bonus offers, check out our online guide.
💡Are all sportsbook bonuses the same?
Looking at all of the different offers from various sportsbook operators, it can be hard to remember which is which, and after a while it might seem like they all merge into one. However, there are some important variations between them, and those variations can mean the difference between a good deal and a bad one. To easily compare what those differences are, read our range of online operator reviews.
Operator offers come in all shapes and sizes and involve different types of bonuses. They are activated in many different ways and getting this part wrong can mean that you don’t get the right offer, or you get nothing at all. To avoid this happening, check out our online reviews which will tell you exactly what you need to do, including whether or not you need a promo code.
🙋 Is a welcome bonus the only sports betting bonus available?
Operators use bonuses to attract customers, so when you first visit a sportsbook, this is all you will see. There can be other promotions available later on when you’ve used the bonus, so to find out if an operator has other promotions or a reload bonus, read our handy online reviews.
🏆 Which are the best betting sites with bonus offers?
Welcome bonus offers are available almost everywhere, and what might be a perfect fit for one person won’t work at all for somebody else. To find the right bonus that works for you, check out our online reviews which should tell you everything you need to know about all of the
best betting sites in Canada
and the bonuses they offer.
