There is a daily thread for bonuses, and the useful part is not the offers. It is the people working out which ones are actually clearable.
r/sportsbook runs a recurring thread called Sportsbook and Apps Promos & Bonuses Daily Discussion, posted fresh each day like the rest of the dailies. It is where offers, reloads and boosts get posted and, more importantly, taken apart.
Anyone can find a list of bonuses. What that thread provides, and what almost no affiliate page provides, is people doing the arithmetic on whether the offer is worth claiming.
The number that decides everything
Rollover, sometimes called playthrough, is how much you must wager before you can withdraw. It is the single figure that determines whether a bonus is generous or a trap, and the headline percentage tells you almost nothing without it.
Here is a real comparison, from the offers documented in our Bookmaker review.
| Offer | Bonus | Rollover | You must wager |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100% free play, up to $400 | $200 | 1x on deposit plus bonus | $400 |
| 25% cash bonus, up to $500 | $50 | 8x on deposit plus bonus | $2,000 |
The second offer has the higher maximum and looks better on a landing page. It requires five times as much wagering to unlock a quarter as much bonus money. That is the sort of comparison the promo thread does constantly and marketing pages never do.
Free play is not cash
The distinction that catches out most new players. A free play bet returns your winnings but not the stake. Bet $100 of free play at even money and win, and you receive $100, not $200.
A cash bonus adds real money to your balance, which sounds better and usually carries a much heavier rollover, as above. Which one suits you depends entirely on how much you were going to bet anyway. If you plan to put through significant volume in your first fortnight, the cash bonus may clear. If you do not, the free play with low rollover is the cleaner path to actually withdrawing something.
Sportsbook rollovers of one to eight times are normal. Casino bonuses at the same operators commonly run 50x on slots and 80x on table games. On a $100 table games bonus at 80x, you would need to wager $8,000 in qualifying hands before withdrawing anything. Those are not typos, and they are the reason experienced players in the promo threads generally advise skipping casino bonuses entirely.
The rollover nobody warns you about
This one produces more confused posts in complaint threads than anything else. Several sportsbooks apply a one-times rollover to your deposit even when you have claimed no bonus at all. You must wager the deposit amount once before a withdrawal will process.
People deposit, decide not to bet, request the money back and find the withdrawal held. It looks like a book refusing to pay. It is a term they agreed to. We cover how these situations usually resolve in our piece on the payout complaint boards.
How to read the thread usefully
- Ignore the headline percentage. Find the rollover, the qualifying odds and the expiry.
- Check whether the rollover applies to the bonus alone or to deposit plus bonus. The difference is large.
- Look for the minimum odds. A bonus that only counts bets at -200 or longer is a different offer from one that counts anything.
- Note that bonuses at most books must be selected during the deposit and cannot be applied afterwards.
- Remember that everybody posting a referral code has been removed. Promo codes published by the book are fine; personal referral links are banned across every major betting community, as we cover in the r/sportsbook rules.
Our own bonus listings set out the current offers with their terms, and our rating standards explain how we weigh them.
Questions people ask
What is rollover on a sportsbook bonus?
The amount you must wager before withdrawing. A 1x rollover on a $400 combined deposit and bonus means wagering $400. An 8x rollover on a $250 combined total means wagering $2,000. It matters far more than the headline bonus percentage.
What is the difference between free play and a cash bonus?
Free play returns your winnings but not the stake, so a winning $100 free play bet at even money pays $100 rather than $200. A cash bonus adds real money to the balance but usually carries a much heavier rollover requirement.
Why can I not withdraw my deposit if I did not take a bonus?
Some sportsbooks apply a one-times rollover to plain deposits, meaning you must wager the deposit once before a withdrawal processes. It is a standard term rather than a refusal to pay, and it catches out people who deposit and then change their mind.
Are casino bonuses worth taking?
Usually not. Rollover requirements of 50x on slots and 80x on table games are common, meaning a $100 table games bonus could require $8,000 of qualifying wagering. For most players, playing without the bonus is the better option.
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