Best Welcome Bonuses in India

What is a Welcome Bonus?

The simplest way to describe betting bonuses would be to say that they are a set of perks, privileges, and benefits offered by bookmakers to attract new users and ensure they continue spending money on the site.

Some betting bonuses are offered specifically with new users in mind. They are called welcome bonuses or sign-up bonuses. But there are many other bonuses relevant to existing users, as you will see in the next section.

Types of Welcome Bonuses in India

You can find some of the common betting bonuses listed below.

No Deposit Bonus

These kinds of bonuses are some of the most attractive ones for new users. They are mostly offered to new users as welcome bonuses or sign-up bonuses.

As their name suggests, they enable you to place bets with funds provided by the sportsbook, at least initially. This is to let you get a taste of the bookmaker’s usability, suitability, and offerings before you decide to pour your own money into it.

However, the downside is that no deposit welcome bonuses are still quite rare and tend to come in very small amounts. Especially for sportsbooks, they are pretty much nonexistent. They also come with some of the most stringent wagering requirements.

Deposit Bonus

If you are willing to deposit your own funds, deposit bonuses are the kind of welcome bonuses that you will most benefit from. The basic concept with such bonuses is that the bookmaker rewards you for depositing by matching that deposit with a bonus amount.

So, for example, a sportsbook may offer a 100% deposit bonus for amounts up to ₹1,000. If you deposit ₹1,000, you will get another ₹1,000 from the sportsbook. That will bring your total account balance to ₹2,000.

However, they do require you to make substantial deposits before you can avail them. They also have wagering requirements that you need to fulfil before you can withdraw them.

Free Bets

You may also find many bookmakers in India offering free bets as part of their welcome bonuses package. These let you bet on your favourite sporting events for free up to a certain amount.

Like no deposit bonuses, they are also typically low in terms of their value. But some bookmakers may offer a considerably high number of free bet tokens.

If you take advantage of the free spins or free bets welcome bonuses, you will have to meet the wagering requirements before withdrawal.

Cashbacks/Rebates

You have so far heard about welcome bonuses, that is, bonuses designed for users who have newly signed up to the site. However, the cashbacks are applicable for both new users as well as old users.

Bookmakers in India often advertise their cashback bonuses as rebates. Generally speaking, they mean the same thing.

Cashbacks or rebates are usually offered to offset some of your losses and ease the burden for you. So that you can continue to enjoy gambling.

When offered as compensation for losses, cashbacks are not affected by wagering requirements. In some cases, sportsbooks may offer cashbacks against deposits. In those cases, the wagering requirements may kick back in.

Referral Bonus

Even if you are a newbie in the world of online sports betting, you are most likely to be familiar with the concept of referral bonuses. Many other business models offer you some benefit if you bring in your friends or family as customers.

The basic concept is the same with online sportsbooks. You can refer the site to friends or colleagues or whoever else you choose. The way you do that is by sending a unique link for them to sign up through.

If they sign up through your unique link and deposit, you are given rewards. These rewards can come in many varieties. You may receive free bets, bonus amounts in your balance, and other similar perks.

Referral bonuses are not strictly welcome bonuses. You can benefit from them even if you are a very old user of the site.

Wagering

Now, let us talk about wagering requirements. Some bookmakers may refer to it as a turnover requirement or playthrough requirement. There is no need to get confused. They all mean the same thing.

When bookmakers offer you tempting welcome bonuses to inspire you into their site, they need to make sure you play on the site with your own money eventually. They also need to make sure that you do not misuse the welcome bonuses.

That is why they enforce wagering or playthrough requirements. They make it mandatory for you to wager a certain amount of your own funds before you can withdraw the bonus amount or any winnings generated from it.

The playthrough requirements are typically a multiplier of your bonus amount only or your bonus plus the deposit amount. Thankfully, sports betting wagering requirements are easier to comply with than online casino bonuses.

Withdrawal

With most welcome bonuses, you cannot withdraw your betting bonus immediately. Also, there is a maximum cap on how much you can win from a particular offer. For example, the winnings from a free bet bonus may only go up to ₹1,000.

Minimum Odds

Yes, odds can be a crucial factor in determining whether you can enjoy certain welcome bonuses or not. Many sportsbooks restrict the use of free bets to bets with certain minimum odds. For instance, they may only allow you to use your free bets to place bets at odds over 1.5.

Odds can also be an important factor in fulfilling your wagering requirements. Only bets with odds over a certain minimum limit may be counted towards your playthrough requirements.

Examples of Welcome Bonuses in India

Let’s take a look at some examples of what sports welcome bonuses may look like in India.

Deposit Bonus Example

Let us start with deposit bonuses. Almost all major bookmakers in India offer to match your deposits as part of their welcome bonuses. So, you will encounter them quite frequently. But how exactly do they work?

Assume for the sake of this example that the deposit bonus being offered is a 100% deposit bonus for amounts up to ₹10,000. So, if you deposit any amount up to ₹10,000, you will receive a 100% match from the sportsbook. Your total balance will be twice your deposit amount.

But the bonus amount and the deposit amount will appear separately in your account balance section. That is because your bonus plus any winnings are not available for withdrawal unless you have fulfilled the playthrough requirements.

An example of a common playthrough requirement is 5x your deposit plus the bonus amount. In other words, 5x your total balance. If you deposit ₹10,000 and you get another ₹10,000 as a bonus, your total balance will be ₹20,000.

Your playthrough requirement will be (5 x ₹20,000) = ₹100,000.

Free Bets Example

Now let us move on to free bets. The way the free bets welcome bonuses work is pretty straightforward. The terms and conditions are quite clear.

A bookmaker may give you the chance to place free bets on any sporting event of your choice or a specific sporting event for an amount up to ₹1,000 at odds over 1.5.

There could be some additional terms and conditions unique to the bookmaker that is offering the free bets. So, it is always a wise decision to read through the terms. A common term is that you may have to place bets on at least 3 events.

Cashback/Rebate Example

Another very common type of betting bonus that you will encounter includes cashbacks or rebates. They are typically offered against your losses. They can be in the form of free bets or a bonus amount added to your account.

So, for example, a sportsbook may offer you a free bet equivalent to your stake for up to ₹1,000 for losing bets. If you place a bet worth ₹1,000 on an eligible IPL match and you lose, the sportsbook will give you another bet of the same value for free.

How to Find the Best Bonus in India

With welcome bonuses or any other bonuses, the devil is always in the details. The minor differences actually help you determine whether a bonus is better than another.

That said, there are some basic guidelines that you should keep in mind when evaluating betting bonuses. First of all, no deposit bonuses are generally quite low in value. If you find a no deposit bonus of around ₹1,000, you can consider that to be quite a good offer. Free bets are also generally restricted to small amounts. A good range would be between ₹1,000 to ₹2,000. You can generally only use them on bets at minimum odds of over 1.5.

Deposit bonuses can range from ₹1,000 to over ₹2,00,000 depending on the bookmaker. Offshore ones can often provide colossal bonuses. The wagering requirements can also diverge quite a bit. They can start from 5x or 6x your bonus amount to over 20x or even 30x. It completely depends on no the operator’s bonus policy. When compared amongst themselves, deposit bonuses tend to be the most rewarding. They give you more money but they also require more investment from your end. A ₹20,000 deposit bonus with 20x wagering requirements can set you back ₹4,00,000 plus your initial deposit.

By contrast, free bets and no deposit bonuses give you less but you can withdraw them by pouring in much less money from your pocket.

5 Betting Bonus Tips for Punters

You can use your bonus amounts to take bigger risks. Whether you want to go for a high-risk but high-reward bet or you are testing out some new strategy, bonuses are a safer way to implement them.

Remember to Read the Terms and Conditions

With bonuses, always remember to not miss the details. You should read the terms and conditions as carefully as possible to know exactly what you will get and what you have to do to get it.

Don’t Always Settle for Biggest Bonus

The biggest bonuses can have the biggest wagering requirements. They can end up costing you a lot. Whereas, the bonuses that do not give you a lot of money or rewards can be the easiest to take advantage of.

Don’t Always “Go for The Gold” When Utilising a Bonus

All that glitters is not gold. If something appears too good to be true, be sure to check the terms and conditions carefully. Double-check the wagering requirements as well before you decide to utilise a huge bonus.

Stay Within the Terms and Conditions, So the Bet Doesn’t Get Invalid

Once you have gone through the terms and conditions, make a mental or actual note of all the important points. Stick to them so that you do not lose out on the benefits of the offer.

Terms and Conditions Regarding Betting Bonuses

You will find many terms and conditions attached to betting bonuses. What is even more confusing is that they are so different at different bookmakers. However, you can find a list of the most common ones that you are likely to find no matter where you go.

No Duplicate Accounts

When it comes to welcome bonuses, the most common condition that you will find is that you can only enjoy it once. There is no scope for abusing the system by creating duplicate accounts.

There is usually a verification process that you need to go through during registration. That makes creating a duplicate account almost impossible.

However, if you do manage to create one, there will be strict measures taken against you if it is discovered by the bookmakers. Measures can include blocking all your accounts and banning you from the platform.

Wagering Requirement

If you have followed the article this far, you know what wagering requirements are and how important they are. Their purpose is also to prevent abuse of the welcome bonuses system and also as a revenue-generating method for the sportsbooks.

In evaluating the wagering requirements, you should always compare different sportsbooks as they can vary. Some of them will have lower requirements that are easy to meet. Whereas, others can have very stringent requirements.

Minimum Deposit Requirement

You may also face minimum deposit requirements when availing welcome bonuses such as a deposit match.

The bookmakers may be unwilling to give you the bonus if you deposit only a small amount like ₹100 or ₹200. They would like to incentivise larger deposits, so they set a minimum standard. This can start from amounts equal to or higher than ₹1,000, just to give you an example.

Opt-In Requirement

Some bonuses are automatically applied, whereas others you have to opt-in for. Hence, one extremely important point that you should always note with betting bonuses, especially welcome bonuses, is whether they will be automatically applied or not.

If you have to opt-in for a bonus, make sure you do so. Otherwise, you may miss out on the bonus altogether.

FAQ: Welcome Bonuses

What Is a Betting Bonus?

A betting bonus is a special perk, privilege, or benefit given to you by a bookmaker to either sign-up to their platform or as an appreciation for your continued use of their platform. They can include welcome bonuses like deposit bonuses, no deposit bonuses, free bets etc. They can also include loyalty bonuses or referral bonuses for existing users.

Where Can I Get a Betting Bonus?

You can get a betting bonus at almost every major Indian bookmaker. From first deposit bonuses to loyalty bonuses, you will find all kinds of bonuses being offered by the major bookmakers.

Which Betting Bonus Is the Best?

There is no one betting bonus that can be called the best under all circumstances. That is because there are so many terms and conditions attached to bonuses, which vary widely amongst sportsbooks.

So, hypothetically speaking, a small free bet bonus with relatively easy wagering requirements may be better than a large deposit bonus with high wagering requirements.

Can I Use More Than One Bonus?

Generally speaking, you cannot use more than one bonus at any given time. You can certainly use more than one bonus at different times but not simultaneously.
The only time you can use two different types of bonuses at the same time is if they are bundled together. For example, a deposit bonus can often be bundled together with free bets to make a welcome bonuses package. In such cases, you can use both welcome bonuses at the same time.

How Often Will I Be Offered a Bonus?

As far as welcome bonuses are concerned, you can only enjoy them once. That is when you first open an account with the bookmaker.
Other bonuses like referral bonuses and loyalty bonuses depend on how often the bookmakers choose to offer them.
Factors like how often you play, how much you wager, and how many people you refer to can also have an impact on how often you will be rewarded with recurring bonuses.

Is There a Maximum Amount I Can Bet When Utilising a Bonus?

Yes, online sportsbooks typically set a maximum bet amount that is applicable to each bet you place.
This is generally the case with most Indian sportsbooks but some may not have such limits. You should always check their terms and conditions to know whether they have a maximum bet amount and, if so, what the limit is.

Can I Wait Before Utilising My Bonus?

There is usually a time limit within which you have to utilise your welcome bonuses. After that time, the bonuses expire. For example, free bets can remain for a period anywhere between 7 and 30 days depending on the sportsbook.

Pros & Cons of Welcome Bonuses

Betting Predictions

There are betting prediction tools and analyses available on many bookmaker sites today. There are many other sites dedicated to such things. Despite all of that, the best way for you to find inspiration for your next bet would be your own analysis.

You can follow news reports, learn sports statistics, use your knowledge about sports and sporting personalities among other methods. Using a combination of these, you can come up with your own judgments and analysis and that can give you a competitive edge.

Where Can Punters Find the Best Betting Bonuses?

Now that you know all about betting bonuses, wondering where you can find the best ones? Well, you are exactly where you should be.

Our site gathers all the best betting bonuses available to you across Indian bookmakers. It is regularly updated so you always get the most up-to-date information about the latest offers.