
Ever wondered how to claim, use, and take full advantage of a Canada sports betting bonus? Well, thatâs precisely what Iâm going to walk you through in this guide.
Put simply, though, all you really need to know is what an offerâs wagering requirements are, how long youâll have to play through your bonus bets, and which sports markets the betting brand will let you bet on. If that all sounds like gobbledegook for now, donât worry â jargon-buster incoming.
Requirements (WR): | – |
Min. Deposit: | – |
Cashable: | Yes |
Requirements (WR): | – |
Min. Deposit: | – |
Cashable: | Yes |
In Canada, sports betting bonuses are common among the Great White Northâs hottest iGaming sites and apps. What are they? Well, in a nutshell, a âbonusâ is just a special offer granting you, the bettor, a few free or risk-free bets.
Most of the time, sports betting sites in Canada will offer-up a bonus to new customers who are registering with them for the first time. Sometimes, existing punters can get their hands on free bet bonuses too. Generally, there are four key kinds of sports betting promotions Canucks can claim. In the table below, Iâll reveal a bit of information about each one, as well as how it works:
Type of bonus | What you get | How it works | What to watch out for⊠|
---|---|---|---|
âFree betâ bonuses | Well⊠a free bet. Though usually, youâll have to fork out some cash of your own to unlock it. | The betting site will expect you to make an up-front deposit above a qualifying amount (e.g., $10). Once youâve done this, youâll receive a âfree bet tokenâ to be played at selected sporting events. | You might need to âwagerâ or play through your free bet a certain number of times before you can cash out. |
âRisk-free betâ bonuses | Ordinarily, youâll be able to claim a free bet if your first cash bet at the site loses. | Letâs say you deposit $10, then bet your $10 on the Toronto Blue Jays to win. If they donât, a free bet token of equal value to your stake (in this case $10) might come your way. | If your first bet doesnât lose, you wonât get a free one. |
âMatched depositâ bonuses | Upon making a deposit, the bookmaker will âmatchâ said deposit up to a certain amount â e.g. âget 100% up to $100 when you deposit between $10 and $100. | Put down a deposit above the qualifying threshold, and youâll receive your âmatchâ as bonus bet tokens. | Usually, youâll need to put down the maximum deposit allowed to receive the full amount of bonus bets on offer (e.g., youâd have to deposit $100 to get the full $100 worth of bonus bets in my example). |
âNo depositâ bonuses | Basically, youâll get bonus bets for free â with no up-front deposit requirement. | These are the easiest kinds of bonuses around â simply sign up, and youâll be awarded your bonus. | Wagering requirements and time limits are usually stricter on free bonuses â but more on that later⊠|
Now, I know this is a lot to take in, but itâs important to understand what kinds of deals are out there before you get to comparing the market.
Nine times out of ten, youâll be able to get a decent sign up bonus with betting sites across Canada. But why are these offers so darn popular? You see, brands compete fiercely between one another to attract the attention of fresh bettors â and these bonus offers are their primary mechanisms for doing so.
But a word of warning, due to licensing laws at a provincial level, the sites and bonuses on offer in your region are going to differ from those available in the next. The best way around this is to simply take a look at the betting bonus banners displayed on this page â which Iâve set-up to automatically update depending on where youâre visiting my site from.
Here, youâll see listings for new betting sites in Canada, as well as established brands that are a little longer in the tooth, each offering great bonuses for your region. My advice would be to spend a bit of time comparing them, and thinking about which might be a good fit for your personal betting tastes.
Right, now you know what kinds of sports betting bonus offers are potentially up-for-grabs in Canada, allow me to shine the spotlight on what you need to do to claim and activate one.
Getting your hands on a bonus is usually pretty simple. Of course, all sites set their own processes and procedures for claiming their latest and greatest offers. but generally, youâll just need to follow a few simple steps that look something like this:
To be honest, itâs difficult for me to give a one-size-fits-all answer here due to the provincial licensing regs I mentioned earlier. But donât worry, regardless of where you live, there are plenty of great sports betting sites for you to choose from. Also, and as I said earlier, youâll see geo-targeted banners for the best ones in your province right here on this page.
When weighing up which might be right for you, though, be sure to look at things like:
Right, then. This right here is quite possibly the most important part of my guide. You see, every Canadian sports betting bonus comes with caveats â and before you claim one, itâs important to know what kinds of potential pitfalls you may face, and how to navigate them smoothly.
Here, Iâm going to talk a bit about the three key things that frequently crop up in bonus T&Cs at Canadaâs gambling sites and apps. So, take a deep breath and grab a pen and paper â note-taking here is a must.
First-up, letâs look at wagering requirements. Now, Iâve mentioned these one or two times already, but for those of you who are new to the betting game, hereâs a brief explainer. Wagering requirements or âplaythrough requirementsâ refer to the number of times youâll need to âwagerâ any free bets granted to you as part of a Canadian sports betting bonus.
If youâre claiming a deposit bonus, wagering requirements are likely to apply to your initial deposit, too. Letâs look at how this works:
Imagine youâve claimed a sports betting bonus in Canada offering a $100 free bet on UK soccer club Manchester City eligible at an upcoming Premier League game and you deposited $10 of your own cash to unlock the bonus. If the T&Cs state that â3x wagering requirements applyâ, youâll usually need to play through your free bet, your initial deposit and any funds accumulated via your initial stake on Man City 3x before you can cash-out â and thatâs it! So, go ahead and memorize how it works, then plan your bets ahead accordingly.
In the world of iGaming, wagering requirements and deadlines go together like pancakes and maple syrup. Basically, if betting apps in Canada decide to include wagering requirements in their bonus T&Cs, thereâs a good chance youâre going to need to play according to a time limit, too.
Allow me to backtrack to the Man City example. This offer could very well state that your 3x wagering requirement must be satisfied within seven days before youâre allowed to withdraw. If the bookmaker isnât feeling so generous, perhaps itâll be three days, or even two. OuchâŠ
Whatever the lay of the land here, youâll need to make sure you play through your Canadian sports betting bonus the correct number of times and within the correct time frame. Why? Well, a failure to do so will usually disqualify you from the bonus, thatâs why. My advice? Keep a journal or diary to track your wagering, or plan out how often youâre going to bet, where, and when, ahead of time.
Next up, letâs talk about game, match, and market restrictions. What I mean by this is simple â bonuses can often only be played on selected sports markets, or sometimes only on specific games, as is the case with my Man City Premier League example.
Remember those no deposit bonuses I mentioned earlier? Well, those kinds of promotions â that are offered for free with no up-front deposit â are the closest thing youâll find to Canadian free betting sites. That said, âfreeâ bonuses will usually come with tighter restrictions than other offers in terms of what you can and canât do with your free bets. So, this point is especially important here.
If a bonus says itâs restricted to a certain sport or game, youâll need to abide by the rules if you want to unleash its full potential. Youâre probably seeing a pattern here by now, but basically, if you fall foul of the rules, youâll invalidate your bonus. My advice? Well⊠just stick to the rules, basically.
When you take a second to stop and think about it, maximizing the potential of any half-decent sports betting bonus in Canada basically just boils down to understanding the rules, restrictions, and limitations of the offer, and being careful not to put a foot wrong when claiming and using your free bets.
So, before you go clicking my banners and exploring the best bonus betting options available in your province, make sure youâre a-okay on how wagering requirements, time limits and sports market restrictions work â and save some time to have a good dig around the T&Cs of any offer that catches your eye to make sure itâs not overly restrictive. Oh, and of course, once youâve activated your bonus, be very careful to follow the rules. Or else, there goes your bonus, basicallyâŠ
Simple. Start out by double-checking that the betting site offering it holds a provincial license thatâs valid where you live, then have a quick glance at the bonusâ T&Cs to see whether the wagering requirements and game restrictions are fair. My expert guides right here at Jaxon contain everything you need to know to get more out of iGaming today.
My advice would simply be to visit my site, where youâll find geo-targeted banners promoting the best bonuses currently up-for-grabs in your region. If youâre looking around elsewhere, though, Iâd suggest doing a bit of background research on any bookmaker youâre potentially interested in before you sign up and make a deposit.
Usually, youâll disqualify yourself. This is why itâs super-important to follow any bonus T&Cs to the letter. Check out my latest guides on how to get more out of sports betting bonuses now.
Players must be 21 years of age or older or reach the minimum age for gambling in their respective state and located in jurisdictions where online gambling is legal. Please play responsibly. Bet with your head, not over it. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, and wants help, call or visit: (a) the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey at 1-800-Gambler or www.800gambler.org; or (b) Gamblers Anonymous at 855-2-CALL-GA or www.gamblersanonymous.org.