Free Bets for US Bettors
This page will list the best and safest sportsbooks offering free bets to US customers, betting sites which are licensed and legally able to cater to American bettors. Thanks to GamblerSaloon you can get free bets at every bookmaker, bookies, sports betting site and sportsbook online!
What is a Free Bet?
Free bets are what the best betting sites offer to entice you into betting with them and enjoy the fun of betting without having to risk your own money.
In reality though it is more complicated than that with terms and conditions varying with every bookmaker around their free bet or sign up offers.
Example of free bets are “Bet $10, Get $50” or “100% bonus up to $100 in free bets“
How Do Free Bet Bonuses Work?
Generally speaking, you can’t just simply claim a free bet and cash it out. Instead, use the free bet credit to wager. In most cases, when you place a free bet wager – the winnings will be the profit from the bet and don’t include the original stake. In other words, players can claim free bets at online sportsbooks, making it possible to place a wager without incurring any inherent risk.
For example, let’s say you receive a $50 free bet, and decide to take a shot on the Los Angeles Lakers, which are going off at +200 against the Chicago Bulls. If the bet wins, you will secure only the $100 payout. Meaning, you will not get back the initial $50 stake. Whereas, if the bet loses, you will not lose any real money from your end. Hence, there is no risk to wager using a free bet bonus.
We suggest reading the terms and conditions of all free bet offerings. Remember that there will be an age restriction to create a sports betting account and claim the free bet offers.
Here is how the different types of free bets bonuses work:
- Bet & Get Free Bets: This is the most popular type of free bet. Bettors must first place a real-money wager, and sports betting sites match the bet with a free bet of the same amount, up to a predetermined value.
- Deposit Match Free Bets: The deposit free bet bonus is mostly applicable for new customers. The sports betting sites match the free bet against the size of the new player’s deposit(mainly first deposit), up to a certain amount.
- No-deposit Free Bets: In order to claim these free bets, players don’t have to place a wager of any kind. The only requirement will be to create a valid sportsbook account.
How To Claim a Free Bet
We do understand that the world of Sports betting can be very confusing these days with dozens of different brands and thousands of events to bet on. This is mostly due to the complex state-by-state sports betting laws that differ greatly from one another. That’s why we decided to compile a list of the unmissable free bets you can claim in the United States.
Our dedicated team are experienced and put together all the latest bookmaker sign up offers for you, matched free bets on first deposit or even no deposit offer. Take a look at the next section…
Best Free Bets For US Players
We list below the best betting bonus promotions and free bets deals being offered for US customers. To take advantage of the very best sign up bonuses you can click through our links, so you are assured to get the highest free bets offered to new bettors!
BetMGM Betting Bonus Up To $600 In Free Bets
Unibet NBA Playoffs Second Round Offer – Win $10 for every 3-pointer
Unibet 76ers Second Round Offer – Bet $20 to Win $6 for Every 3-Pointer
Borgata Sports Betting Bonus – Bet $20 Get $100
Unibet Indy 500 Exclusive Offer for New Players – Bet $20 to Win $200 (IN)
UFC 262 Knockout Special by Unibet – Get $10 for Every KO on Main Card
Unibet IN Stanley Cup Special Bonus- Bet $20, Win $100
BetMGM Special Offer – Bet $20, Win $100 on Any Event Regardless of Outcome
Unibet $20 No Deposit Free Bet + $250 Risk-Free
Unibet March Madness Final Four Special Offer- Bet $20, Get $100
BetMGM HR Boost on MLB Opening Day – Get $1 for Every Home Run
Unibet March Madness Elite Eight Special – Bet $20, Get $100
Types of Free Bet Bonuses
There are a number of different types of free bets and to the beginner it can be overwhelming to know what the difference is, so we’ll explain it below.
Deposit Bonus Free Bet
This is a bonus applied on your first deposit. The bookmaker will give you a bonus up to a certain amount. For instance, you can get a 50% bonus up to $100 on your first deposit. If you deposit $50, you get $25 bonus. If you deposit $500, you get $100 bonus since this amount is the maximum amount.
Matched Free Bet
A matched free bet is a 100% bonus on your first wager (not on the deposit as some websites state). For instance, you can get a matched free bet of up to $25 on your first bet. If you wager $10, you get $10 as bonus. If you wager $50, you get the maximum bonus, $25.
Risk Free Bets
Many sportsbooks are offering the chance to place a bet and get a 100% refund (up to a certain amount) should your first bet lose. Eg. a $20 risk free bet means you will get up to $20 if your first wager doesn’t win.
Enhanced Free Bets
Enhanced offers are becoming increasingly popular. An example of this type of betting offer would be that you could get +1000 (wager $100 to win $1000) on the Patriots to win the Superbowl, altough the standard price is much lower (eg. -150).
Free Bets Bundle or Bet Credits
Many bookmakers release free bets step by step. So it could be bet $20 and get a $20 free bet, bet another $20 and get another $20 in free bets, until you reach the maximum allowed.
No Deposit Free Bets
Free bets without placing a deposit are extremely popular of course as bettors have the chance to try out a bookmaker and win some real money without the initial risk, as they don’t need to deposit their own money to start betting. You can find a dedicated section where we collate all the available no deposit free bets here!
How we pick the best free bets offers?
Thankfully there are some highly-rated online sportsbooks with great betting markets and even better promotions to take advantage of and maximise your wagering experience. We have ranked all the offers depending on how good we feel the brand and offer is and other factors such as:
- maximum amount
- wagering requirements
- no hidden conditions
- ease of use
- range of betting markets
- secure banking
- customer service
Are Free Bets Legal in the United States?
The Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), whose goal was the ban of sports wagering on a national scale (with the exceptions of Delaware, Oregon, Montana, and Nevada) has been overturned by the Supreme Court. This has opened the door for more states to pursue legalization in the near future.
Of course, new sportsbook are fluorishing and each bookmakers is offering its welcome bonus to attract new bettors. And this is totally legal.
Can Existing Customers Get Free Bets?
Most of free bets available, including the abovementioned, are indeed for “new customers” but there are a plethora of promotions aiming to keep customers loyal in a variety of ways.
Reload Bonuses
Some betting site give you a bonus every time you deposit. For instance, you can get a 10% bonus on every deposit up to $500 monthly.
Loyalty Bonuses or Rewards
Best customers usually get rewarded by bookmakers. This could be a bit random and with no explanation sometimes. For example, you can receive a $5 free bet after a period of inactivity or when a big sporting event is approaching.
Money Back Free Bets
Many bookmakers offer money back on specific events. For instance, you can get a refund if your horses finished second or if a match goes to overtime.
Free Bet Clubs
Bookmakers are becoming better at rewarding the loyalty of their customers and many have set up free bet clubs. Essentially what these do is provide free bets after the customer has placed a number of wagers. An example could be “Place 5 x $10 parlays and get a $5 free bet“.
Free Bet Offers by Sport
A free bet offer is one of the most popular bonuses in the online sports betting market. The majority of sportsbooks offer the free bet bonus to compete with other bookmakers and attract new customers. You can find that some betting sites offer their players to bet on a specific sport for free.
Also, whenever you receive a free bet, it’s important to understand what you can do with it. So, you’ll need to check which sports you can use your free bet on. At the best US betting sites, you’ll get quite a lot of freedom.
Horse Racing Free Bets
Taking advantage of free bets is a great way to enjoy betting on horse races while keeping your spendings low. In fact, horse racing free bets are part of the culture for many operators and sports bettors. With so many races to pick from, bettors can enjoy the free bet offerings from the sportsbooks to try wagering on more events throughout the year.
Bettors can use a free bet offer on horse racing very differently to that of betting on football or rugby with so many different markets within the sport. You can use them to bet on the outcome of a race, horse to finish in the placings, win the race by a certain amount of lengths, or fore-casts and tri-casts.
Golf Free Bets
Utilizing free bets on golf is a great way to make extra profit for simply betting on golf as you would normally do. Though betting on golf is massively popular, golf free bet is mostly reserved for bigger occasions.
Most of the sports betting sites we partner with offer golf free bets. All you need to do is sign up to the sportsbook, fund your account, and you will receive free bets to place on golf tournaments such as the Masters, US Open, Open Championship, and PGA Championship. Betting on the golf tournament winner is the most popular choice for placing a free bet.
NBA Free Bets
Bookmakers always look to find a way to add new customers and NBA free bets are one way to attract bettors. NBA is the biggest basketball league with popularity all around the world. There are plenty of opportunities to make money out of it with a range of NBA free bets markets.
Simply create an account with the NBA betting site of your choosing, fund your account, and receive NBA free bets to place before or during games as in-play bets. The biggest games in NBA are often promoted by leading sports betting operators.
Advantages of Free Bet Offers
A free bet is more than just a bonus. Everybody has to agree that free bets are the most useful bonuses out there when it comes to betting. In general, the following advantages can be noted:
For the player:
- Bet without any risk
- Chance to evaluate different betting opportunities
- Turn high odds into your favor
- Try new betting strategies
- Due to increase in popularity, bo0kmakers could offer generous terms
For the bookmaker:
- Attract new players
- Retain existing players
Disadvantages of Free Bets
It is strange to talk about disadvantages when it comes to free bets, but there are some drawbacks compared to other bonus offerings:
- Cash withdrawal not possible
- Huge playthrough requirement
FAQs
Can you withdraw money from free bets?
Most of the time, you cannot directly withdraw money from free bets. Withdrawing real money from free bets depends upon the wagering requirement set by the sportsbook. You’ll find all details regarding the rollover requirements in the Terms and Conditions section. To convert the free bet to withdrawable cash, online sportsbooks may require you to stake anything between 1 time to 50 times the value of the free bet.
Very rarely, you can find a free bet that offers real cash profits if you win. If you come across any free bet offers like this, take it quickly.
How does a risk-free bet work?
The risk-free bet bonus is one of the most popular welcome bonus offerings by online betting sites. Here is how you can claim a risk-free bet:
First, make an initial deposit and then place that first wager. If the bet wins, you’ll receive the usual payout. But, if the bet loses, the ‘risk-free’ part comes in – the sportsbook will refund your stake in the form of a free bet.
For example, FanDuel online sportsbook offers a risk-free first bet of $1000 for its new players. Meaning, if the first real-money bet loses, FanDuel refunds your first bet up to a maximum of $1000.
Can free bet offers expire?
Yes, just like any other bonus or special offer, free bets come with terms and conditions. These will always include an expiry date. Therefore, make sure to take advantage while your free bet is still valid.
What is a fair wagering requirement on a free bet?
The wagering requirement depends on the sportsbook and the type of free bet you are looking to claim. Usually, a free bet can have anything from no rollover requirement to a 40x wagering requirement. Anything less than the 10x wagering requirement on a free bet is considered fair.
Can I win big with a free bet?
Yes, you can win big if you utilize the free bet on a high odds wager. However, some sportsbooks may limit your eventual payout. Since there is no risk in losing your personal real-money, it may be worth it to go big like in a multi-parlay bet.