Online gambling is a worldwide phenomenon that has doubled in volume in the last ten years. Practically anybody that has ever gambled on sports, has used an online bookmaker at some point. Even gamblers that live in Las Vegas use the online sportsbooks. This is an extremely popular practice because it gives the player choices and keeps the “superbooks” on the strip; it keeps them honest.
Player bonuses as we know them and speak of them here, they do not exist in Las Vegas sportsbooks or in any sportsbook in the United States. Many of the books in Vegas have gone to a player loyalty-rewards program. This is not a bonus, this is a “meal ticket” or a “free drinks” card, it is a way to make you feel appreciated and a way for the sportsbook to hopefully retain your business. In Las Vegas, there is competition on every block and it’s the same online.
Brick and mortar sportsbooks see the world differently than do their online counterparts. The Las Vegas-style sportsbooks have no desire to give their clients free money to beat them with! They would go broke in a hurry and even if they were to not go broke, the accounting nightmare is simply not worth the hassle. Not to mention the client services nightmare that the books would be presented with. Every time someone took a bonus and lost or won and didn’t get paid on time or felt as if they were somehow cheated; just imagine the hassle and stress of the bookies.
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Bookies do not make it a habit to give away money that could potentially beat them. To this very day, many folks that enjoy sports gambling, they use a local bookie—the guy on the corner. That local bookie gives nobody a bonus. The local bookie is just like Vegas but on a much smaller scale, they are both fighting to stay marginal. The grand misnomer in sports gambling is that every bookie the world over, is getting rich, this is simply not true. Now, of course, there are rich sportsbooks and they are usually rich for one reason; they are connected to a very large casino that generates enormous profits, thus allowing the casinos to back up the sportsbook. The sportsbooks are bailed out on a regular basis by the casinos and of course, the general betting public never hears of this. Folks are led to believe that sportsbooks are rich and have all the money in the world—point blank, they don’t have all of the money in the world and this is a misnomer.
One would think that the sportsbooks in Las Vegas would follow suit in the “bonus wars”. Nobody seems to really know why they don’t, but the best guess would be that due to the simple fact of walk-in traffic, they simply don’t care. Also, as we talked about, the accounting hassles.
Bonus facts: The facts are this; Las Vegas shies away from giving any kind of bonus simply because they do not want to risk getting burned by smart players. The bookies get burned enough the way it is now, and they simply do not want the financial risk. The online bookies are willing to take the risk because they need the money. They need your money and they need all the action they can get.
Are bonuses worth taking?
Absolutely, again, it’s free money! Why not take free money from a bookmaker that is willing to loan it to you on the very premise that you can use that free money to beat them with? The “smart” player, (wise guys) this is how they became wise! They figured out a way to beat the bookies at their own game. Wise players are not wise players because they know everything there is to know about sports. No, they are wise players because they know exactly what to do with their money. They know how to budget, they know how to spend it and when to save it. They have learned over time that bonus money is a winning formula if used correctly.
How do bonuses work?
Most of the topnotch online sportsbooks offer very similar bonuses and most of them offer the bonuses on the major sports such as football, baseball, basketball, hockey and even on sports such as golf, auto racing, and rugby. Along with the offerings, come similar terms and conditions. The most important thing that you can do when deciding to take a bonus, is to know the rules and know the terms and conditions. Do yourself a favor and read the fine print, take the time to read the bookies website, read all about the bonus and the rules attached to the bonus that way, there will be no surprises when you want to request a payout. If the terms and conditions of the bonus are unclear or you simply can’t find enough information; call the bookie. Do not hesitate to call them, you should call them, and you must ask questions before making the deposit. The best bookies on the internet—the bookies that are worth their salt, they will have a toll free number that can be accessed from the United States and their friendly agents will be more than happy to answer your questions. If none of this applies; move on to another bookie that will answer your questions.
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Bonuses are usually structured like this:
• 100% FREE PLAY
10X ROLLOVER
• 90% FREE PLAY
9X ROLLOVER
• 80% FREE PLAY
8X ROLLOVER
• 70% FREE PLAY
7X ROLLOVER
• 60% FREE PLAY
6X ROLLOVER
• 50% FREE PLAY
5X ROLLOVER
• 40% FREE PLAY
4X ROLLOVER
• 30% FREE PLAY
3X ROLLOVER
Most of the sportsbooks out there will work with you. If you want something that is not on the menu; ask them! They are there for you and they are usually more than willing to accommodate you. Bonuses are not only for new players, they are for returning players as well. Hopefully, you do so well at this sports gambling hobby that you don’t ever bust out. Hopefully you are always requesting a payout, however, every seasoned gambler knows that losses happen. When you do bust out and you are at ground zero, your sportsbook will allow you to take a new bonus. Usually, the same rules apply for a returning player as if you are a new player.
As with anything in life, sportsbook bonuses are not free. A bonus is a loan and you must repay the loan. Generally speaking, this is how a bonus works in terms of repayment:
Example:
• Deposit = $100. You decide that you will take the 100% bonus. Deposit $100 + Bonus $100 X 10 (rollover amount) = $2,000.
• This rollover structure works the same way for each amount… i.e. if you decide to take the 90% bonus, this bonus will be calculated the same as with the 100%. Deposit + Bonus X 9. Deposit + Bonus X 8 and on down the line it goes all the way to 30%, 20% or possibly even 10%.
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Let’s take the first example (in the above example) as a case in point… If you decide to deposit $100 and you want the 100% bonus, you will need to pay back $2,000 in qualifying, cash-gambling action. The word qualifying is a keyword to remember. Most sportsbooks require that you play through the rollover with certain bets only, and they usually consist of straight bets, teasers, possibly special teasers and possibly limited parlays (maybe no more than a 2 teamer). This is another perfect example of when you should ask questions. Ask the sportsbook exactly what you can wager that will go against paying off the rollover, ask them what wagers count.
What happens when you win with bonus money? Continuing to use the example above, let’s talk about winnings. What happens to your winnings and what happens to the bonus money?
You have made a deposit of $100 cash, into your sportsbook account, you have also elected to take the matching 100% deposit bonus of $100. The $100 goes directly into your cash account and you may play that $100, however, you like, within the general rules of the book. This money is cash and is completely separate from the bonus. The bets that you win from cash go directly to your cash balance and your risk amount is returned to the cash balance as well.
The bonus money of $100 will go into your bonus account and will show up on the account (the website) as (bonus available) $100. You do not have to spend the entire amount on one wager, you can stretch it out however you see fit, as long as you are wagering the house minimum on any given qualifying bet. When you win using this bonus money, the win amount turns into cash and it will be placed in your cash balance. That money no longer has anything to do with any kind of bonus; it’s cash and may be used as cash to bet however you like and within the general rules. The bonus goes away. If you spend $10 on a bet using bonus money and you win $10, the $10 winnings will be deposited in your cash account and the $10 portion of the bonus money goes away forever. You now have $90 of bonus money left in your bonus account.
Remember, sports bonuses are well worth the money and the rollover will go away very quickly, especially during the busy football season. There are so many games being played between Saturday and Sunday alone that a rollover can be gone in a blink. Then you have Monday nights, you have Thursday and Sunday night and don’t forget about baseball, basketball and all of the other sports available to bet on. Make the bonus work for you. You can make a lot of money if you play this right.
