New customer bonus / sign up bonus / first time deposit bonus

A first deposit bonus, which is specifically aimed at new customers, is the classic offer from bookmakers. Usually, you receive information about signup bonus offers when registering an account with a bookie for the first time. See for instance our Vpbet registration guide for reference. As a rule, these signup bonus offers can only be claimed once per player and are subject to certain conditions. This type of promotion usually does not change often, mostly there are only small changes in the conditions. The new customer sports betting bonus is also often advertised and integrated into the registration procedure. See, for instance, this screenshot from the Vpbet registration form, where you get to chose whether you want to opt for the Vpbet Bonus for sports betting or casino, or whether you want to reject the bonus altogether.

Why reject a bonus, you may ask. In many cases, the bonus conditions tie the bonus amount to the deposit amount. That means, that you cannot withdraw any of your winnings until you have wagered both deposit and bonus amount on bets under certain conditions (e.g. minimum odds).

Reload Bonus
Players are usually offered a reload bonus individually. These promotions are sent to the user by e-mail and can then be redeemed during a certain period. The bookmakers reward their frequent players with such promotions, which you should definitely use. The turnover conditions are often easier than with the normal welcome bonus.

Cashback Bonus
With the cashback bonus, the betting provider returns a percentage of lost credit to the user. For example, if you gamble away €200 in a month and you are granted a 20% cashback bonus, €40 will be returned to your betting account in the form of bonus credit. Also these are promotions that are most of the time awarded individually to the players.

Mobile Bonus
Only very few providers have a mobile sports betting bonus in their portfolio. In these cases, a small bonus amount is credited to your betting account for downloading and using the bookie’s native app or the mobile version. However, since almost all users these days access a betting provider’s site via smartphone or tablet, these types of promotions are becoming rarer and rarer.

Friendship bonus
Just like the mobile betting bonus, the majority of bookmakers no longer offer a “refer-a-friend” bonus. In this case, you must recruit a friend to register an account with the bookie, usually via a certain link or using a code. The recruited friend must then deposit a certain amount and also lose their bets in order for the original user to receive his bonus. While this kind of bonus offer is becoming much less frequent, there are still providers who rely on this form of advertising.

Looking beyond the Free Bet Offers: Other things to consider when choosing a Betting Site

Choosing which betting site to sign up with is a big decision, and one that is determined by many factors. Here are some things to consider when you are looking to find the best betting site for you.

1. Welcome Betting Offers – Yes, despite the title we had to start the list with this! The vast majority of bookmakers offer these, and they vary from free bets to bonus funds, enhanced odds betting promotions and much more. The key with these sign up offers is to get one that is as big as possible, but also one you can use in the best possible way based on your own betting patterns. Big free acca bets may look great, but if you’re not an acca punter, these lose value. Match the free bet type with your own betting style to get the best value.
2. Regular Betting Offers – After taking advantage of the welcome offer, many bookmakers offer a number of other betting offers you can take advantage of. Try and match these to your betting style again, acca insurance promotions and boost offers are great for accumulator punters while money back offers are perfect for those who bet on the horses.
3. Odds – Over the course of a year, taking advantage of good odds compared to bad odds can make a huge difference to your profit and loss. Compare the odds on offer across different sports, look at antepost betting, pre-match and live odds, as much as you can to get an idea of how the odds stack up at each bookmaker. Also look out for best odds guaranteed, this is a great offer and results in you getting the biggest price when SP is bigger than the odds you take.
4. Markets – You don’t want to limit yourself when signing up to a new bookmaker, so check out the markets on offer, the leagues and events covered and the general rule is you want access to as much choice as possible. Also look at in play betting markets here, and if you want horse racing, make sure the bookmaker offers it as some smaller bookmakers don’t.
5. Other Features – Things that will make your betting life better, easier and more fun. Cash out on bets, including partial cash out, detailed racing form, free to play prediction games and other things are what you should look out for here.
6. Website Interface – Browse as a punter, try it on mobile and do what you can to make sure you are happy navigating the website and that you can find what you are looking for with relative ease.
7. Mobile Experience – How can you bet on mobile, do they have iOS and Android apps? What is the mobile site like to use? Mobile betting is critical for many punters, and it is only expected to grow further in the coming years.
8. Payment Methods – Does the bookmaker offer ones you have used before and trust online? Can you deposit and withdraw without the need to setup a new account somewhere to send funds? You want to make payments as easy as possible for yourself.
9. Support – The hope is you never need to access the customer support team, but what if you do? When are they available, how do you contact them and do they have a good reputation?
10. Trust – The most important point is this final point. You won’t enjoy your betting experience if you don’t trust the site you are on. Check they are registered properly and show their license number so you can sit back, relax and enjoy your punting rather than worrying.