How to Bet on US Sports with a No Deposit Offer

Online sports books have to create a constant flow of new and returning gamblers if they want to stay profitable. It’s not always and easy thing to do, but they have an important weapon in the arsenal. When things are slow, they put out a series of free bet offers with no deposit required. Before we begin a discussion on how to use free bet offers to bet on US sports, it’s worth noting that any offer put forth by an online sports book is going to be subject to interesting terms and conditions. This is something we will discuss below.

Distributing No Bet Offers

Once an online sports book has a potential bettor’s contact information, they have an opportunity to try to entice that bettor to join in the fray. Sometimes, a no deposit required free bet allotment is advertised to the general public to draw new customers. A lot of the time, such offers are made on an interim basis to dormant customers. When feeling generous, some online casino will even make such offers as a reward for loyalty. No matter how someone gains access to free bets, t’s up to them to accept the challenge and see if they can somehow turn free bet monies into real cash winnings.

Understanding Point Spreads

Betting on US sports is a little different than betting on the most popular sports in Europe. Europeans prefer to focus on European football or soccer. They aren’t used to using point spreads, instead focusing on money-line wagers. The most popular betting sports in America are American football and basketball, both at the pro and college levels. Betting on these sports requires an understanding of using points spreads combined with an associated money-line that includes the bookmaker’s commission. US bookmakers use point spreads to level the playing field between two teams that may not have equal talent. A superior football team might be three touchdowns better than an opponent, but a bookmaker can offer 21 points on the underdog, making the game just as interesting as a game between evenly matched teams. Creating this balance is the underlying reason for using point spreads.

How to Approach Using Free Bets

On the surface, free bets look quite attractive. Unfortunately, they also come with some rather restrictive terms and conditions. It’s not uncommon to see a free bet offer that carries a 20x or 25x rollover requirement. Let’s say you visit a sports book and they offer you $50 in free bets with no deposit required. If you get a no deposit offer like this and it stipulates a 20x rollover rate, you will be required to make $1,000 in sports bets before you can withdrawal any funds. Plus, you don’t get to keep the $50. You only get your net winnings from any free bets you make. That’s the start of your bankroll.

With that in mind, here’s the best betting approach. You need to generate betting capital to get past the rollover requirement. It’s time to take a shot in the dark instead of trying to grind out winnings. A 5-team accumulator or parley in the US pays around 20-1 odds. Take your lump sum free amount and play such a bet. If you win, you will certainly cover your rollover rate with subsequent bets. If you lose, you’re no worse for wear, the money was never yours to begin with.