If you’re like many sports bettors in South Africa, you come across betting adverts regularly. Every sportsbook wants you to choose them over their competitors. And so, they entice you with betting bonuses.
Betting bonuses come in different forms and shapes. They also have terms and conditions. As such, it’s in your best interest to know everything there’s about these offers before you use them.
Importance of Betting Bonuses when Choosing an Operator
Bookies give you bonuses so that you can become their customers. But what benefit do you get for claiming a free bet? Should you pay attention to bonuses when choosing a betting website?
Bonuses play an important role in your betting experience. A good bonus helps you build trust with a bookmaker. It also increases your bankroll. What’s more, it reduces the risk of losing cash when betting.
To be clear, a bonus is only great if it comes with fair terms and conditions. That means you shouldn’t pick a sportsbook just because it has a bonus. Choose a quality bonus.
To find the best betting bonuses for South African players, check out https://www.bestbettingsites.com/south-africa/bonuses/. The website not only shows you the bonus amount you get from each bookmaker, but it also includes important details like the minimum odds to use and the validity time for each offer.
Best Betting Bonuses
As mentioned, there’s a huge range of betting bonuses out there. You can’t claim all of them. But you can focus on the following value-for-money bonuses:
- Stake Not Returned
In this promotion, a bookmaker welcomes you with a bonus. It could be R10 or R100. You can use this money to bet on a game with specific odds, say 1.50 and above. If you win, you get to keep the profits but not the stake.
- First Deposit bonus
This is arguably the most popular betting bonus in South Africa. It is straightforward. You make a deposit and receive a bonus in return. Usually, operators match your first deposit 100%.
If you’re lucky, you could find a bonus that matches your deposit amount of 200% or 300%. However, don’t get too excited about the bonus amount. Also, pay attention to its terms.
- Qualifying Free bet
This is a popular bonus type that awards you free betting money only after you deposit and make your first deposit. For example, a sportsbook might ask you to deposit €10 to receive a €10 bonus.
A qualifying free bet is great in that you can use it to place matched bets—wagers that guarantee profits regardless of the outcome. To expound more, you need accounts at two bookmakers. And you need bonuses from both accounts for you to succeed in a matched bet.
- Money-back bonus
With this bonus, you place a sports bet using your money. But if you lose, the bookie refunds it through a bonus. The benefit is that you get some sort of insurance on any loss you may incur.
- Early Payout Offer
More and more bonuses are introducing this offer, especially to accumulator/parlay bettors. Let’s say you have an ACCA bet on five teams. The first four games are over, and your predictions are correct. Some bookies may give you two-thirds of your expected profits if you cash out before the final game is over.
To be clear, early payout isn’t limited to ACCA bets. You can also get this offer if you wagered on a single match and the team you picked is leading by two goals or more.
- Cash backs
If you shop online regularly, you probably already know how cash backs work. You spend money on a website. In return, you get a small refund. In the betting space, you get a cashback based on your losses.
Let’s say you’ve spent R200 in a month and lost all of it to bad bets. If the bookie offers a 20% cashback, you’ll get R40 as a kickback.
Factors to Consider when Finding a Betting Bonus
We’ve already told you why bonuses are worth it. We’ve mentioned some of the best free bets to find online. Now, let’s take a look at what you should look in a quality sports betting bonus:
The Bonus Amount
This is the first thing most people look for. You want to ensure you get a generous bonus. Although the bonus amount matters, focus more on whether the bonus is great value for your money.
If you’re depositing R50, you want to get at least R50 back as a bonus. If you can get R100 or more—that’s even better.
Wager Requirements
After you identify a bonus you like, look at its wager requirements. This will help you know how much you must spend at the sportsbook before you cashout your profits.
The best bonuses have 1X to 5X wager requirements. Pick a bonus with a small number of wager terms—it will be easier to cash out your bonus profits.
Event and Odds to use
This may come as a surprise to some, but most free bets specify the match or event you must bet on and the minimum odds to use. Bookies do this to lower their risk of losing money.
Let’s say you earn a stake not returned bonus worth R20. They might require you to bet the money on a football game with odds of 1.80 or above. Logically, you want a bonus whose odds requirement don’t limit you to the most competitive matches.
Cashout Limit
Another popular bonus rule applies to the maximum you can win. The best bonuses come with no withdrawal limit. However, some bookies have a limit of €500 to €5000.
Validity Time
It is crucial to beware of a free bet’s validity time to avoid losing unnecessarily. Some bonuses have a short validity period of one or two days. However, some bonuses remain valid for up to a month. Take note of the expiry date so that you can use your bonus before then.
Your Turn
Every betting website in South Africa has a betting promotion. Take time to compare a few bonuses before you make your decision. Read the bonus terms and only claim an offer if you like its conditions.
