Cash Bonus vs. Free Play – Which One is Better?

When the gambling industry moved offshore, the whole business changed. The offshore companies expanded and they were no longer bound to a certain area, they found themselves in a position to solicit customers from all over the country.

This created a competition that was not usual, local bookies have a gentleman’s agreement to not steal each other’s clients. This agreement does not apply to the offshore sportsbooks. And it was this new found competition that prompted the creation of the online sportsbook bonus.

In order to attract new customers, the online sportsbooks began offering incentives to players, these incentives consisted of extra money to play with. Thus the free play was born, then the cash bonus followed.

So what is the between these two? Well, as with everything in gambling, it depends. They both have their pro’s and con’s and it all comes down to the type of player you are.

Traditionally sportsbooks only offer free plays, few will offer a cash bonus and when they do, percentage wise they tend to be much smaller than the free plays. Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of each one.

Free Plays

Pros:

1. The percentage awarded is much higher
2. They are offered regularly for both initial deposits and re-deposits
3. Rollovers tend to be smaller

Cons:

1. Cannot be used in casino nor racebook wagers
2. Only the winnings from the free play wager are credited to your cash balance
3. Cannot be used on all sports or wager types

Cash Bonus

Pros:

1. Can be used on all products, sports, casino and horse racing
2. Both the risk amount and the winnings are credited to your cash balance
3. Can be used on all wager types

Cons:

1. Are not offered regularly and most places will not offer them at all
2. Rollovers tend to be higher
3. The percentage awarded is much smaller compared to free plays so you get less money to play with.

If you are offered a cash bonus, by all means take advantage of it, because they are rare but frankly I prefer the free play. It is a separate balance so you can manage it better, and the fact that the rollovers are smaller makes a lot of difference. You see rollovers are designed to ensure the house gets a fair chance to win the money they gave you, so the higher the rollover the harder it is for you to cash out. In comparison the lower the rollover, the better your chances of getting a nice payout.

- Gilbert Horowitz, Gambling911.com