What is a Rollover in Sports Betting? Rollover Guide & Best Sportsbook Bonuses 2023

One of the biggest advantages of betting on sports on the internet is that online sportsbooks offer large bonuses to attract new customers and maintain their current ones. However, these bonuses are not straight cash and the money you receive will be subject to certain wagering requirements such as a rollover.

In this article, we will explain what a rollover is, how to meet rollover requirements and turn the bonus cash into real money, and what kinds of bonuses you can find at online sports betting sites. In addition, we review the safest and best online sportsbooks for rollover betting and how to claim a wide variety of bonuses worth thousands of dollars.

What is a Rollover in Sports Betting?

A rollover also known as playthrough in sports betting is the wagering requirements placed on a bonus before it becomes eligible to be withdrawn. All welcome bonuses are almost certainly going to have rollover requirements attached as well as many other bonuses a sportsbook offers.

The rollover requirements are shown on a site as a number plus x. The amount differs but the average sports betting rollover is 10x, meaning you must wager the bonus amount ten times before you can withdraw your funds.  Most sportsbooks include your initial deposit and bonus amount in the total rollover required to clear the bonus.

For example, if a sportsbook offers a 50% deposit match welcome bonus with a 10x rollover and you deposit $100 you would receive a $50 bonus and have a total of $150 (deposit + bonus). This means that you would need to bet $150 x 10 = $1,500 before the funds could be withdrawn.

Do All Bonuses Have Rollover Requirements?

Online sportsbooks offer a wide array of bonuses both to attract new customers and reward their loyal patrons. Below we give you the rundown on some of the most common bonuses sportsbooks offer and what kind of rollover requirements are usually attached to them.

Welcome Deposit Match Bonuses

BetOnline welcome bonus rollover

A deposit match is the most common welcome bonus that offshore sportsbooks offer. They reward you with a percentage match of the first deposit you make, up to a certain amount. There will always be rollover requirements with these bonuses. The industry standard is 10x for sports but can be slightly different. You will usually find that the higher percentage match and maximum dollar amounts will have higher wagering requirements

Reload Bonuses

Reload bonuses also known as re-ups, work in much the same way a welcome bonus works but they are for existing customers. You are granted a certain percentage match of your deposit amount. The percentage and maximum amount are usually lower than a welcome bonus. However, the good news is that the rollover requirements are usually lower than those placed on welcome bonuses as well.

Risk-Free Bets

What is a Rollover in Sports Betting? Rollover Guide & Best Sportsbook Bonuses [cur_year]

Some sportsbooks offer risk-free bets on certain sports or for certain events. The way they work is that you use your own money to wager but if the bet loses you will be credited the amount of the wager you placed (up to a maximum amount) in free-play bets. There will usually be rollover requirements but these are often quite low around 5-8x.

Rebates

These bonuses are usually for horse racing, although you can occasionally find them offered for casino games and certain other sports. They work by returning a percentage of money placed and often whether your bets win or lose. These bonuses may or may not come with rollover requirements but you will probably be required to bet the amount at least once before cashing out.

No Deposit Bonuses

These are the holy grail of bonuses and you won’t find them that often so if you do make sure to claim them quickly. These bonuses require you to make no deposits and wager none of your own money. A sportsbook will grant you a certain amount of cash to wager, usually, the amount is low $25 or less. If the bet wins you keep the profits only and not the original stake. The winnings you receive will then have some rollover requirements attached.

Do Betting Bonuses Have Other Requirements as well as Rollovers?

Whenever you receive a bonus from a sportsbook there will almost be more requirements than just the rollover the requirements. These will vary from site to site and between the different types of bonuses, that’s why it’s important to check the terms and conditions before you start placing bets. You can check out the most common additional requirements below:

Minimum Deposits

The first requirement to even get the bonus is to deposit the minimum amount to qualify. For most sites, this is usually the minimum deposit they allow so it’s not an issue. However, at some sites, the minimum deposit limit is lower than the minimum qualifying deposit for the bonus so make sure you check this before depositing.

Time Limitations

The majority of sites put a time limit on how long you have to meet the rollover requirements. This can range from as little as a week up to months and some sites such as BC.Game puts no time restrictions on achieving the rollover. If you have not cleared the rollover in the time limit set, the remaining free play balance will be removed from your account.

Minimum Odds

Almost all online sportsbooks will place minimum odds terms on their bonuses. This means that if your bet odds are shorter than the minimum odds the bet will not count towards the rollover requirement. The minimum odds differ between sites but are usually at least -250 or higher. These restrictions are applied to stop people from betting on sure-fire things and easily clearing the bonus.

For instance, it would be easy to place a large bet on Novak Djokovic beating his first-round opponent who is ranked 200th in the world at odds of -5000, as this is almost certainly going to be a winning bet. It would be far too easy to clear the requirements and would essentially make the rollover redundant and mean the sportsbook is virtually handing out free cash.

Restrictions on Games and Sports

Some sportsbooks specify certain sports or games that do not count towards rollover requirements. The games and sports will be specific to each website so you will have to check the terms and conditions.

Maximum Bet Amount

This is another common requirement for deposit match bonuses.  This requirement means that bets that count towards the rollover will be capped either at a set amount or a percentage of your original deposit. For example, Bovada sets the cap at 50% of your original deposit so if you deposit $100 the maximum bet amount that will count toward the rollover is $50.

Why do Sportsbooks Apply Wagering Requirements to Bonuses?

The reason why sportsbooks apply wagering requirements to bonuses as if they didn’t there would be nothing stopping someone from signing up, depositing the amount to claim the maximum bonus, and then immediately cashing out everything, essentially just getting hundreds or thousands of dollars of free money.

While these sportsbooks want to please their customers and give them a great experience, they are not stupid and are definitely in the business of giving away millions of dollars for free and if they were they wouldn’t be in business very long.

How to Sign Up and Claim a Welcome Bonus

If you are ready to start rollover betting our guide below will walk you through how to sign up for a sportsbook and claim your welcome bonus. We are going to use our favorite site BetOnline as an example but all sportsbooks have a very similar process.

1. Visit the Website

The first thing you need to do to claim your welcome bonus and start making your way through the sports betting rollover requirements is to visit the BetOnline sportsbooks and click the “Join Button”. You can easily access the website using the link at the top of this page.

BetOnline sign up homepage

2. Sign Up for an Account

You will then be required to input some personal information including your name, email address, phone number, and DOB. Next, you will need to choose your username and password for your account.What is a Rollover in Sports Betting? Rollover Guide & Best Sportsbook Bonuses [cur_year]

3. Select the Deposit Method 

Once your account is created it will automatically take you to the deposit screen and here just select what method you would like to deposit. We suggest using Bitcoin or another crypto if you have access to it, as there are no fees but you can also use a credit/debit card.BetOnline Select Depsoit Method Sign up 3

4. Enter the Deposit Amount and Bonus code

Now all you need to do is select or manually input the amount you would like to deposit and below the amount input the promo code BOL1000 to claim the standard bonus. Alternatively, you can also select the view promo code button to the right and select your desired bonus.BetOnline select amount and enter promo code Sign up 4

Finally, all you need to do is click continue deposit and then confirm and you are already to start sports rollover betting to clear your bonus amount.

Where do I Find Rollover Requirements at a Sportsbook?

Online sportsbooks usually make it easy to check the rollover requirements and other terms and conditions of their bonuses.  If you navigate to the promotions page of the site, which is usually prominently displayed somewhere on the homepage. Fom there you can click on the promotion and there will be a “Read More” or “T’s and C’s” button that you can click, which will display all the relevant information.

What is a Rollover in Sports Betting? Rollover Guide & Best Sportsbook Bonuses [cur_year]

 

If for someone reason you can’t find the requirements, you can contact customer service at most sites via live chat and they will be happy to send you the information.

How to Check the Rollover Status

You can check the rollover status at most sportsbooks by clicking on your profile button or icon, which is usually located at the top of the homepage. From here most sites will have a rewards tab or something similar and if you click on this then you can check how much of the rollover requirement is left and how much you need to wager.

What is a Rollover in Sports Betting? Rollover Guide & Best Sportsbook Bonuses [cur_year]

If you are unable to find it yourself, use the FAQ section of the sportsbook or contact customer service who will be able to direct you where to find it on the site.

Tips For Successfully Playing Through A Rollover

At first, it can seem a tough task to clear rollover requirements as it’s going to involve placing hundreds or thousands worth of bets. However, achieving rollover requirements is not that difficult a task if you approach it in the correct way. Our top five tips for clearing a rollover can help you in your goal of turning that bonus into real money in your hand.

1. Check all the Terms and Conditions

The first thing to do is to make yourself fully aware of all the terms and conditions of the bonus. Check time limits, minimum odds, the types of sports and bet types that count towards clearing the bonus, and the maximum bet amounts. If you don’t do this you could be placing bets that don’t count or the rollover expires before you have cleared all the waging requirements.

2. Be Consistent

As most sports betting rollover requirements have a time limit try and place bets every day or at least a few times a week. If you plan out the games and events you want to bet on over the course of the time limit and make these bets it’s a good way to make sure you stay within the time restrictions.

3. Place Low Odds Bets

As long as the odds on your bets meet the minimum odds requirements it’s better to stick to lower odds bets than go for crazy high ones as lower odds mean there is a higher chance of them being a winner. By all means, if you find a bet with fairly long odds that you think will be a winner go for that, but overall it’s better to stick to shorter odds bets.

4. Avoid Placing Big Bets

Even if a site doesn’t have a maximum limit on bets that count towards the wagering requirements it’s still not a good idea to place large bets as if you wager 80% of your total bankroll and its losses it will be much harder to achieve the requirements and you could run out of funds before you have even come close to achieving the required rollover.

5. Keep Track of your Progress Toward the Wagering Requirements

Finally, keep track of your progress toward the bonus and you can adjust your bets accordingly. If you are only 50% through the requirements and have a few days left then you will need to adjust your betting to give yourself a chance of clearing the sports betting rollover in time.

Types of Bonuses Available

We have created a table below for you to easily see some of the different bonuses offered by sportsbooks and have listed the sites where you can claim the best ones.

Bonus Type About Recommended Site
Welcome Bonus
  • Grants a percentage match of your initial deposit
  • Comes with a rollover requirement
  • BetOnline – 50% up to $1,000 (10x rollover)
Reload Bonus
  • Grants a percentage match of additional deposits you make
  • Usually a lower percentage and maximum amount than a welcome bonus
  • Comes with wagering requirements
  • BetUS – 20% re-up bonus (6x rollover)
Risk-Free Bet
  • Refunds your stake if your bet loses
  • If your bet is a winner you don’t get the bonus
  • The refunded amount has a rollover requirement
  • BetOnline – $25 risk-free player prop( 6x rollover)
Refer-a-friend bonus
  • Grants you a percentage of your friend’s first deposit or deposits if they enter your code when signing up
  • The bonus will have a rollover requirement
  • Bovada – 200% match up to $275 (5x rollover)
Rebates
  • Refunds a percentage of the amount wagered in a given time period
  • Usually for horse racing
  • Rebates are usually between 5-10%
  • Rollover requirements vary and some offers may not have any
  • MyBookie – 8% daily horse rebate (no rollover requirement)

Comparing Sign-Up Bonuses

We’ve provided a brief overview below of the welcome bonuses at our favorite online sportsbook including all the essential information so you can see which one is most suitable for you.

Sportsbook Sign-up bonus Promo code Rollover Minimum deposit Bitcoin accepted? Expiration date
BetOnline 50% up to $1,000 BOL1000 10x $20 30 days
BetUS 100% up to $2,500 JOIN125 10x $100 14 days
Bovada 50% up to $250 BVD1000 5x $20 6 months
BC.Game Up to 360% for the first four deposit N/A BCD bonus released as per the formula: Wager * 1%* (20)% $30 or crypto equivalent No restriction
MyBookie 50% up to $1,000 INSIDERS 10x $50 30 days

BetOnline Sports logo

50% up to $1000 Welcome Bonus

5 Stars Get Offer
BetUS Sports logo

125% Sign Up Bonus Up To $2,500

5 Stars Get Offer
Bovada Sports logo

Get a Welcome Bonus of up to $750

5 Stars Get Offer
BC Game Crypto sports logo

1st deposit bonus up to 180% and 1 BTC

5 Stars Get Offer
MyBookie Sports logo

50% Welcome Deposit Bonus up to $1000

5 Stars Get Offer

FAQs

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Joe is a writer from the UK who holds a Master's degree from Framingham State University in Massachusetts, USA. He specializes in sports gambling but also covers poker and casinos. He is a huge sports fan who enjoys all sports, from the NBA to darts and everything in between. He is also a die-hard Tottenham Hotspur supporter, although he's a savvy enough gambler not to bet on them.