Betting Bonuses
The Irish love sports and betting on everything from football to horse racing. Because we’re such eager bettors, Irish sports betting sites try to lure new customers with lucrative free bets and betting offers. Check our list above to find top sportsbooks with great betting bonuses for Irish punters. Now, let’s dig into what kind of betting bonus offers there are.
Types of Betting Bonus Promotions
Here are the four most common types of sports betting offers. They are deposit bonuses, risk-free bets, free bets and profit boost offers. These betting bonus types are commonly available at Irish bookies.
- Risk-free Bet
Make a bet. If you win, you keep your winnings. In case you lose, the online betting site pays you back for your wager. - Free Bets
The sportsbook provides you with free money to bet with. Most often you get to claim €10-€40 in free bets after depositing and making your first real-money bet. - Match-up Bonus
A matching deposit bonus gives you more money to bet with. For example, make an initial deposit to receive a 100% deposit bonus up to €100 and bet with €200. - Profit Boost
Your winnings are “boosted”, so you win more than the odds would dictate.
Risk-Free Bets
When you place a no-risk bet you either win or get your money back if the bet loses. Risk-free bets are common betting bonuses. Gamblers love them, so online betting sites are more than happy to offer them to customers.
These kinds of promotions are common, especially during big sporting events. Big events include the likes of Cheltenham, Royal Ascot, big football events (World Cup, Champions League Finals) and the Rugby World Cup.
Not all Irish betting sites refund automatically, so contact customer support if you didn’t receive your refund for the lost bet.
Free Bets Ireland
Free bets are the simplest betting promotion: the sportsbook hands you a lump sum of money (most often €10 or €20), and you bet it. You need to deposit and place a bet to get your hands on free bets.
Whether you can use the bookies’ free bets in an acca depends on the bookie. Most times, however, you can use your free bet in an accumulator. At Mr Green, for example, you can use your free bet in an acca.
Novibet Casino offers free bets up to €50 on registration to new players.
Deposit Bonuses
Deposit bonuses match your deposit with bonus money you can punt with. The deposit bonuses consist of the maximum amount of extra cash you can get and a match-up percentage. When you sign up to a betting site, new customers are sometimes offered a chance to get a deposit bonus on your first deposit. These promotions hand you more money than any other kind of offer.
A typical deposit bonus you get at an Irish betting site is a 100% bonus up to €50.
- First number (100%): It’s the match-up percentage. In this case, if you deposited €50, the betting site would calculate your bonus like this: €50 * 100% = €50.
- Second number (€50): It shows you that the maximum you can receive is €50. If you deposit a sum that would result in a bonus bigger than €50, the rest is ignored and you’ll receive €50.
How to Get Your Bonus
Here are the steps to claim your betting bonus from BonusFinder.
- Choose one of the betting sites listed above
- Register at the site
- Deposit at the cashier
- Use a bonus code if required*
- Choose to accept a bonus**
- Start playing
* Bonus code or promo code is not required at most online betting sites. If one is required, it’s listed above in the table.
** Some betting sites require that you choose to accept a bonus. If this is the case, there’s a box you need to tick at the deposit screen.
Best Brand per Category
Here’s a list of the best online bookmakers for different sports betting options. Below you’ll find a detailed description of the best bookies for the different sports.
| ?? Best Mobile Betting Site | Leo Vegas |
| ?? Best In-Play Betting Site | Leo Vegas |
| ?? Best eSports Betting Site | Unibet |
| ?? Best UFC Betting Site | Mr Green |
| ? Best for Premier League | Casumo |
| ??? Best for NHL/NFL/NBA/MLB | 888 Sports |
| ?? Best New Betting Site | LeoVegas |
Mobile Betting: LeoVegas
LeoVegas is the best sportsbook for mobile punters. It’s an instant-play sportsbook (no download needed), fast, and easy to navigate. Just get the LeoVegas sports bonus and you’re set.
You can play at LeoVegas with your tablet or smartphone. The LeoVegas sportsbook works smoothly on iOS, Android and Windows Phone or tablet. Leo Vegas has one of the best overall online betting sites in the market. They’ve got very competitive odds, their selection of sports is right up there with the best of them.
In-play / Live-betting: LeoVegas
LeoVegas’ sports section is the best option for in-play betting if you’re betting on the go. You’ll be able to bet quickly as it’s fast and responsive on mobile. William Hill sports betting is of course in the race as well. You can bet plenty of sports live, such as:
- Premier League
- Rugby
- Horses
- Cricket
- Tennis
- eSports
- Golf
Leo’s sportsbook is mobile optimised, but not necessarily the best option if you solely use a desktop for in-play betting. For desktop-only live betting, you should head over to the Betway sports section. It’s smoother on a desktop than Leo’s, and they offer pretty much the same sports and leagues as LeoVegas does.
UFC & Boxing Betting: Mr Green
You’ll find a huge amount of markets for UFC and boxing betting at Mr Green and Bet365. For the biggest fights, you’ll also get markets such as over/under round betting and method of victory. Moreover, you’ll get live odds too.
For UFC and boxing, there’s always various betting markets to bet on for the main card of noticeable fight nights at Mr Green. For the undercard, you’ll typically see a market for the bout winner and over/under round betting.
It’s common for betting markets to open the closer the fight night gets. On the day of the fight, they open more markets and lift their betting limits so you can get more euros in.
eSports: Unibet
Unibet and Betway are by far the best sportsbooks for your eSports betting. They don’t just stick to the majors, as they offer lots of smaller tournaments like Hellcase Cup in CS:GO. In addition to the obvious esports games like League of Legends and CS:GO, Unibet also got games like Call of Duty and Overwatch.
Unibet offers so many tournaments and games, in which you have an excellent chance to gain an edge if you have a good grasp on how Fnatic matches up against Cloud9 in CS:GO, or Serral against Classic in Starcraft.
NHL, NFL, NBA and MLB Betting: 888 Sports
888 Sports is the top bookie for major US sports leagues. It’s a sister site of the famous 888 Casino. They offer a vast amount of markets for every game for each of the biggest sports. They excel in the NFL, where you’ll find tons of betting options from regular match betting to player props like Tom Brady’s over/under yards.
You can bet on each sport in-play, too. Come playoff time, they’ve got every game on offer, and you can bet all the action live-streamed. In the regular season, you’ll get selected games to bet in-play, but you’re always certain to get at least a game or two for betting live each day.
Another great option for NHL or NBA betting is LeoVegas (especially on mobile), while 888 Casino is a solid option for MLB and NFL.
Best New Betting Sites of 2024: LeoVegas & Casumo
The best new betting sites in Ireland have to be LeoVegas and 888 Casino. Both of them are established operators in Northern Europe, but now they’ve brought their A-game to Ireland, too. Tasty bonuses, Irish-friendly payment methods, and sports that we Irish are interested in all play a part.
At LeoVegas you’ll get an in-play 100% profit boost up to €100 with a €10 max stake. The good thing about the offer is that the profit boost is paid in cash with no wagering requirement.
Terms and Conditions
Betting promotions have terms and conditions, which you have to meet before cashing out. A typical bonus bet has restrictions regarding the stake amount, match, markets, minimum odds, maximum win amount and wagering requirement.
- Wagering Requirements
Most bonuses have wagering requirements, and for a betting bonus, it’s typically 1x-5x. - Bet Limit
Unless it’s a no deposit bonus, you’ll need to bet a certain amount to get the bonus. - Minimum Odds
There’s usually 1/2 (1.5 in decimal odds) minimum odds you have to meet. - Maximum Win
The maximum tends to be in the tens of thousands, so it’s not something to worry about. - Time Limit
Free bets have a strict time limit. Usually, you only have seven days to use a free bet token you’ve received. - Splitting
You can’t split free bets. If you receive, for example, €20 then you need to bet €20 on a single market.
Clearing the Wagering Requirements
Before you can withdraw your winnings, you need to meet a wagering requirement. The wagering requirement tells you how many times you need to bet your money before you can cash it out. For betting, the wagering requirement is usually 1-5x. Compare this to casino bonuses, which have wagering requirements up to 200!
Betting Limits
You need to play with certain odds for your bet to count towards clearing your bonus. This limit is often 1/2. Bets below the limit are ignored as far as clearing the bonus goes.
Deposit and Withdrawing
Getting your money in and out of sportsbooks is easy. The easiest payment methods are debit cards (Visa and Mastercard), e-wallets (such as PayPal, Neteller and Skrill) or Pay by phone. Depositing is instant, while withdrawals take a couple of days. Online bookies have made it easy for people in Ireland with popular payment methods.
Casino Bonus vs. Sports Betting Bonus
Please note that many casinos that offer both casino and sports betting bonuses will usually only allow you to use one of them. Claiming one invalidates the other.
If you feel like you need a break from sports betting, you can consider the free spins and casino bonuses available in the regular casino section of any given site. If these are your cup of tea, check out our listing of the top 10 Irish online casinos in 2024.
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FAQ
- 1?? What kind of betting bonuses are there?
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You'll mostly see four types of betting bonuses. These bonus types are risk-free bets, free bets, deposit match bonuses, and profit boosts. Risk-free bets are a no deposit bonus that either gives bet winnings or a bet refund if your bet loses. The other bonus types require a deposit, and you'll only get a profit boost if your bet wins.
- 2?? Where can I get the best free bet bonus?
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Casumo offers two €10 free bets for Irish players. You need to wager €10 at Casumo betting, and you will receive two €10 free bets, €20 in total. Please note that these free bets are valid for 7 days.
- 3?? How do I get free bets?
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First, register at a sportsbook that is currently running a free bet promotion. Then follow the instructions on getting the free bet bonus. Typically this includes placing a real-money bet of €10 or more with odds of 1.5 or higher, but the details depend on the betting site. For an up-to-date list of free bets, see the top of this page.
- 4?? What is an accumulator?
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An accumulator bet, or "an acca", combines multiple selections on a single bet. For the bet to pay out, all selections must come true. Accumulator betting is super popular in Ireland and why not? With an accumulator bet you'll have a chance to rack up massive odds and potential winnings with a low stake.
- 5?? What is spread betting?
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Spread betting is a relatively new way to bet on sports. It's also an exciting way of betting and can be much more profitable than traditional betting on fixed odds. Here's an example of how it works.
If you think Liverpool will win the Merseyside derby with a fair margin, you can opt to place a wager with one and a half goal spread. Or if you think there's a decent chance that Everton will be demolished, you can select an even bigger spread for the Reds. Naturally, it also pays off bigger. If the traditional fixed odds for the Liverpool win would be something like 1/2, with a spread bet of -2.5 Liverpool you might get odds of 4/1 or something close to that.
