Welcome bonuses are the main promotions that convince sports bettors to wager for real money at US online sportsbooks. Often, a bookmaker’s welcome bonus package includes a first deposit bonus and a risk-free bet. Because it has several aspects, it can be hard to determine which US sportsbook’s welcome bonus is the best.
In this guide to US welcome bonuses, we compare the welcome bonuses at three of our favorite sportsbooks: BetUS, MyBookie, and Bovada Sports. Using these examples, our guide shows bettors how to evaluate bonus offers. Once you finish reading below, you’ll have everything you need to find the best welcome bonus at US online sportsbooks.
Here is an overview of the three welcome bonuses in question:
The Best US Online Sportsbook Welcome Bonuses
| SPORTSBOOK | WELCOME BONUS | REQUIREMENT | BONUS CODE |
| BetUS Sports | 100% up to $2500 | 10x/30x | JOIN125 |
| MyBookie.ag | 50% up to $1000 | 10x/1x | MYB50 / 200CASH |
| Bovada Sports | 75% up to $750 | 5x/5x/30x | BTCSWB750 |
BetUS Sports: $2500 Welcome Bonus
The BetUS 125% Sign-Up Bonus is the main welcome bonus offered to sports bettors who make a first deposit. This offer is complex, meaning it includes two separate benefits. The first is a 100% sports betting bonus of up to $2500. If you deposit $2500, you’ll receive an additional $2500 in bonus cash in your player account (for sports betting). This part of the offer has a 10x wagering requirement and a 14-day expiry term. Eligible sports bets apply to clear the requirement.
New depositors receive more at BetUS, though. The same welcome bonus includes a 25% Casino Bonus up to $625. If you make a $2500 deposit using the JOIN125 promo code, you’ll receive a $625 in bonus cash for real-money casino play. The casino bonus has a 30x wagering requirement and a $2500 max cashout stipulation. Craps, roulette, baccarat, and Pai Gow poker do not apply to the wagering requirement. All other casino games do.
Finally, to receive the sports betting bonus, the bettor must request the bonus within 48 hours of the first deposit. To receive the casino bonus, the depositor must contact BetUS Support on the day that you made the first deposit.
First Impression: For the US sports betting market, this is a huge bonus offer. If you don’t like playing casino games, then the $2500 sportsbook bonus beat most of the competition by a mile.
MyBookie Sports: $1000 Welcome Bonus
The $1000 MyBookie Sign-Up Bonus is the main sports betting welcome bonus for new depositors at MyBookie. This offer matches your deposit at 50% up to $1000. If you make a $2000 deposit, you’ll receive an additional $1000 in cash in your player account. This offer has a 10x rollover requirement, so a bettor who receives $1000 would need to make $10,000 in qualifying sports bets before withdrawing the cash. The minimum deposit required is $50.
New signups can choose an alternative first deposit bonus at MyBookie Sports. If you want a smaller bonus with a lower rollover and shorter commitment, you can choose the $200 First Deposit Cash Bonus. This is a 10% match bonus up to $200 when you use the promo code 200CASH. This offer has a 1x rollover requirement and a minimum deposit requirement of $45. Qualifying sports bets clear the requirement, though casino play and horse action do not.
First Impression: The bonus offered is much smaller at MyBookie, though still better than many competitors in the US sports betting market. The flexibility of having two offers is nice, especially for low rollers. Depositing $100 in the sportsbook gives you an extra $10 in bonus cash. The wagering requirement is only $100, too.
Bovada Sports: $750 Welcome Bonus
Bovada’s $750 Sports Welcome Bonus is the main promotion for sports bettors. This is a 75% match bonus up to $750. If you make a $1000 deposit, you’ll receive an extra $750 in your player account. This offer has a 5x rollover for sports bets and 5x rollover for horse racing bets. If you choose to clear the requirement with real money online casino games, this also is allowed. In this case, the rollover is 30x the bonus. It is available with crypto deposits using Bitcoin, USDT, Litecoin, Bitcoin Cash, or Bitcoin SV.
Once again, Bovada can’t match BetUS when it comes to bonus cash. At the same time, Bovada offers more flexibility when it comes to clearing the requirement. If you prefer to clear rollover with sports bets, the wagering requirement is 1/2 of what it is at BetUS or MyBookie.
First Impression: At first glance, Bovada’s sports betting welcome bonus is far inferior to its competitors. Once you realize the wagering requirement is 50% of what the competitors’ requirements are, then it becomes a good offer for mid-stakes players who want to either (1) withdraw their bonus quicker or (2) have welcome bonus cash to withdraw at all. Quiet frankly, Bovada sports bettors have the best chance to withdraw winnings, unless you consider the low-roller offer at MyBookie.
Comparison: US Online Sportsbooks’ Welcome Bonuses
| SPORTSBOOK | WELCOME BONUS | TYPE OF SPORTS BETTOR |
| Bet US Sports | 100% up to $2500 | Best for High Rollers |
| MyBookie.ag | 50% up to $1000 | Best for Low Rollers |
| Bovada Sports | 75% up to $750 | Best Chance to Collect Winnings |
Conclusion
As you can see, first impressions are not always correct impressions. The biggest welcome bonus is not always the best. If the terms of use are good enough on a lesser-seeming promotion, then the smaller cash bonus could be the best one of the bunch. As they say, the devil is in the details.
Often, the comparison isn’t an either/or proposition. Depending on your financial situation, aversion to risk, and gambling bankroll, one sportsbook’s welcome bonus might be better than the others. For other people, the preferences might be different. BetUS, MyBookie, and Bovada are good examples of this. One size doesn’t fit all, while the welcome bonuses at all three sportsbooks make sense — if you are the type of bettor each site wants.
Welcome Bonuses Online Sportsbook FAQ
What does “Stake Not Returned” mean when I accept an online sportsbook’s welcome bonus?
It means that you receive the payout from a winning sports bet but not the original stake. Let’s say you receive $100 in welcome bonus money. You make ten $10 wagers and win 5 of them, so you end up with $50 in payouts. If the stake isn’t returned, you wouldn’t have $150 in bonus cash in your account. Instead, you would have $50. That original $100 in bonus bankroll goes back to the sportsbook.
What are flexible bet credits?
When a sportsbook stipulates flexible bet credits, it means you can bet in any increments you want. If you have $100 in flexible bets credits, it means you can make one-hundred $1 bets, fifty $2 bets, twenty-five $4 bets, ten $10 bets, or one $100 bet.
What are semi-flexible bet credits?
This means you can bet in several different increments, but only the increments that the sportsbook allows. For instance, if you have $100 in semi-flexible bet credits that is split into 5 bets of $20 apiece, then you must make five separate bets using $20. You can make ten $10 bets or any other non-approved increment.
What is a minimum odds rule in an online sportsbook’s welcome bonus terms?
Some sportsbooks implement a minimum odds rule when players are satisfying a bonus’s terms. For instance, if you see a -200 minimum bet rule, it means you must place bets on -200, -150, -100 propositions while clearing the wagering requirements. You couldn’t make a bet on a -500 favorite.