# Sports book apps are offering me ridiculous “bonus bets.” What’s the catch? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [September 14, 2025, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sports-book-apps-are-offering-me-ridiculous-bonus-bets-what-s-the-catch/1023046 "2025-09-14T22:40:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2025, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sports-book-apps-are-offering-me-ridiculous-bonus-bets-what-s-the-catch/1023046/1 "2025-09-14T22:40:50Z")
Missouri voters recently passed a constitutional amendment that would allow sports betting. The sports betting apps (Fanduel, DraftKings, a couple of others) are bombarding me with ads. One such ad offers $300 in “bonus bets” if I bet an initial $5. That makes absolutely no sense to me. I’m to understand that I’m effectively betting the casino’s money, but here’s the thing: if I made 60 $5 bets on 1:1 propositions, statistically I can expect to win $150, minus the vig. So either they expect me to get hooked, and the $150 I’m going to win is their loss leader to get me through the door (so to speak). That, or they think I’m going to bet the $300 on some wild proposition that’s almost certainly a loss. Is there something I’m missing here? Surely the casino isn’t going to risk $150 to get me hooked, are they? ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2025, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sports-book-apps-are-offering-me-ridiculous-bonus-bets-what-s-the-catch/1023046/2 "2025-09-14T22:48:55Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > So either they expect me to get hooked, and the $150 I’m going to win is their loss leader to get me through the door (so to speak). That, or they think I’m going to bet the $300 on some wild proposition that’s almost certainly a loss. You are absolutely correct on this either/or. Most people will bet the $300 on a parlay that would pay big dollars, and they will lose. Some people like yourself will bet smart and make $150. Some people like me will win $150 and close half of my accounts. ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2025, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sports-book-apps-are-offering-me-ridiculous-bonus-bets-what-s-the-catch/1023046/3 "2025-09-14T22:55:05Z")
The disclaimer typically has something like this: > [@](#): > > Payouts from bonus bets are transferred to the user’s cash balance and do not include the bonus bet stake. For example, if a $10 bonus bet is placed at +100 odds and wins, the user earns only the $10 profit. A $10 cash bet on +100 odds that wins would pay out $20. They take out the bonus bet from the winnings which reduces the payout. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2025, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sports-book-apps-are-offering-me-ridiculous-bonus-bets-what-s-the-catch/1023046/4 "2025-09-14T22:55:24Z")
They’re hoping you take the bait, and get hooked (no pun intended). ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2025, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sports-book-apps-are-offering-me-ridiculous-bonus-bets-what-s-the-catch/1023046/5 "2025-09-14T22:57:40Z")
> [@Railer13](#): > > Some people like me will win $150 and close half of my accounts Couldn’t they potentially lose tens, even hundreds of millions of dollars? Is it that much of a sure thing that folks will blow the 300 or get hooked and gamble away more than what they win with the 300? ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2025, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sports-book-apps-are-offering-me-ridiculous-bonus-bets-what-s-the-catch/1023046/6 "2025-09-14T22:58:35Z")
There’s a thread somewhere where someone made a little money betting one side with one casino and the other with a different one. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2025, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sports-book-apps-are-offering-me-ridiculous-bonus-bets-what-s-the-catch/1023046/7 "2025-09-14T23:05:43Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > Couldn’t they potentially lose tens, even hundreds of millions of dollars? Certainly could, but they obviously haven’t yet. Every sportsbook has done this in every state that has recently legalized gambling. Bet365 recently did this here in Kansas. Bet 5 bucks and get $150 in free bets. I did this and got my $150 free bets. I bet 4 $37.50 2-leg parlays on the same game: Team A to cover, and the over Team A to cover, and the under Team B to cover, and the over Team B to cover, and the under Obviously I lost 3 of those and won 1. The bet I won paid me $120. I also won my original $5 bet, which paid $9.50. I made another small bet which lost, and I cashed out $125 and closed my account. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2025, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sports-book-apps-are-offering-me-ridiculous-bonus-bets-what-s-the-catch/1023046/8 "2025-09-15T01:29:02Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > Is it that much of a sure thing that folks will blow the 300 or get hooked and gamble away more than what they win with the 300? Yes, it absolutely is. Mobile sports betting is an absolute plague on society, and the casinos will profit 100 fold as it bankrupts untold numbers of people in your state. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2025, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sports-book-apps-are-offering-me-ridiculous-bonus-bets-what-s-the-catch/1023046/9 "2025-09-15T01:30:01Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > or they think I’m going to bet the $300 on some wild proposition that’s almost certainly a loss. And a lot of people will bet on the wild proposition (aka, the parlay) that promises 1,000 to 1 if, for example, you pick the three quarterbacks who have the most passing yardage this weekend. Take a look at [some of the largest payouts ever,](https://www.runyourpool.com/articles/2023/03/06/biggest-and-craziest-parlays-ever-won/#:~:text=In%25202016%252C%2520a%2520Las%2520Vegas,contests%2520and%2520two%2520NBA%2520games.) and try to imagine the odds of any of those parlays hitting. I’d rather take my chances with Powerball. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2025, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sports-book-apps-are-offering-me-ridiculous-bonus-bets-what-s-the-catch/1023046/10 "2025-09-15T02:56:08Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > Mobile sports betting is an absolute plague on society, and the casinos will profit 100 fold as it bankrupts untold numbers of people in your state It’s not legal here and I’m not a big gambler myself. Although I am going to Vegas in December it’s mostly to see inlaws. I don’t find much of that place enjoyable anymore. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2025, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sports-book-apps-are-offering-me-ridiculous-bonus-bets-what-s-the-catch/1023046/11 "2025-09-15T03:53:59Z")
There’s an outfit called Kalshi that is a sports (and other) gambling site that for now is legal in the entire US. They don’t take a vig. They take a set transaction fee per bet which is a private transaction between betters. They have been able to register with the Federal Government as a brokerage. I probably have some details wrong but that’s the gist of it. Texas and California have tried to sue and Kalshi’s response is “fuck off. You don’t have jurisdiction. This is Federal”. Litigation will take years I imagine. Fan Duels and Draft Kings are staying out of it for now to not piss off the States. Gambling is heading in the direction of fentanyl in terms of societal damage. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2025, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sports-book-apps-are-offering-me-ridiculous-bonus-bets-what-s-the-catch/1023046/12 "2025-09-15T04:43:49Z")
Here’s a good article. What’s particularly insidious is that since it’s trading contracts rather than gambling, you only have to be 18 to play > **[Sports betting isn't legal in all 50 states ... or is it?](https://www.espn.com/espn/betting/story/_/id/45377686/kalshi-prediction-markets-disrupt-sports-betting)** > > A dispute between gambling regulators and an upstart company is testing what is a sports bet and what is not. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2025, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sports-book-apps-are-offering-me-ridiculous-bonus-bets-what-s-the-catch/1023046/13 "2025-09-15T21:50:33Z")
> [@filmore](#): > > The disclaimer typically has something like this: > > > [@](#): > > > > Payouts from bonus bets are transferred to the user’s cash balance and do not include the bonus bet stake. For example, if a $10 bonus bet is placed at +100 odds and wins, the user earns only the $10 profit. A $10 cash bet on +100 odds that wins would pay out $20. > > They take out the bonus bet from the winnings which reduces the payout. Since nobody else has commented on this… If this is the way it actually works, it’s not “We’ll give you $150 free to gamble with”; it’s “we’ll loan you $150 to gamble with that you still have to pay back”. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2025, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sports-book-apps-are-offering-me-ridiculous-bonus-bets-what-s-the-catch/1023046/14 "2025-09-15T22:04:12Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > There’s a thread somewhere where someone made a little money betting one side with one casino and the other with a different one. Here’s one. > [@What’s the catch with this Fanduel offer?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-the-catch-with-this-fanduel-offer/932855): > > An online sports betting site called Fanduel has been advertising HARD here in Michigan over the past month or so. Constant TV commercials and I’m getting online ads for it as well. In the latest commercial they make an offer for an upcoming fight- bet $1 on either opponent, and if you win you get $100. This seems easily scammable, so I’m sure there’s a catch. I imagine betting on both guys is not allowed, but what’s to stop me and a buddy from each betting $1 on opposite fighters and splitting… ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2025, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sports-book-apps-are-offering-me-ridiculous-bonus-bets-what-s-the-catch/1023046/15 "2025-09-16T00:00:20Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > it’s “we’ll loan you $150 to gamble with that you still have to pay back”. If that’s the way it worked, if I made a $150 bet and lost, I’d have to deposit $150 of my own money to pay them back. But it’s not - if I lose a bet, I lose the house credit and that’s it. If I win, I just get the winnings, not the underlying wager amount (i.e. I bet $150 on a -150 money line, I get $100 of money I can withdraw, and not $250). ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2025, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sports-book-apps-are-offering-me-ridiculous-bonus-bets-what-s-the-catch/1023046/16 "2025-09-16T00:08:38Z")
Ah, in that case, a long-shot bet is the optimal way to use that “free” money. If you win at 1000 to 1 odds, you won’t care if they only pay out at a rate equivalent to 999 to 1, and if you lose, it wasn’t your money anyway. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2025, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sports-book-apps-are-offering-me-ridiculous-bonus-bets-what-s-the-catch/1023046/17 "2025-09-16T00:16:27Z")
Do you mean this one? I got $150 bonuses at 2 different sites, bet opposite 1:1 bets at both (I had to find 3 different games since one of the sites gave you 3 $50 bets you had to use separately), and wound up with $138 net profit. As I pointed out in that thread though, you’ve got to give a lot of info to the betting sites to open an acct, much more than you would on a normal commerce site. > [@Sports gambling promotions question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sports-gambling-promotions-question/996543): > > Several sports gambling sites are currently offering promotions - open a new acct, bet $5, and get $150-ish in free bets. There’s some fine print - the free bets have to be used within 7 days, and obviously if you win, you only get the winnings, not the original stake. But it seems you could easily make some guaranteed money this way. Open accts at 2 different sites, bet the minimum $5 on opposite sides of the same game, then bet the promotional bets on opposite sides of another game, so you’re… ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2025, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sports-book-apps-are-offering-me-ridiculous-bonus-bets-what-s-the-catch/1023046/18 "2025-09-16T00:22:45Z")
In addition to the catches described above (and some other ones - like people who have technical glitches with their accounts after they’ve won big), the fact is that the betting companies know that a certain percentage of people are prone to getting hooked on instant feedback bets - and some of those people just have never taken their first hit. It’s worth it to the gambling sites to be the dealer who finds such a person, under the “the first hit’s free” principle. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2025, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sports-book-apps-are-offering-me-ridiculous-bonus-bets-what-s-the-catch/1023046/19 "2025-09-16T00:25:57Z")
> [@Andy\_L](#): > > like people who have technical glitches with their accounts after they’ve won big Don’t want to derail the thread, but can you explain, or provide a link? ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2025, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sports-book-apps-are-offering-me-ridiculous-bonus-bets-what-s-the-catch/1023046/20 "2025-09-16T00:36:18Z")
[BetMGM pays Fairfax County teacher his winnings | wusa9.com](https://www.wusa9.com/article/sports/betmgm-honors-214k-win/65-87882eae-7b10-49af-9811-6a55a5ff297a) covers the resolution of one case where a betting site revoked a large win (but eventually paid off) [Chicago area man wins nearly $400,000 on sports bet, only to have it all canceled by BetMGM - CBS Chicago](https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/chicago-area-man-wins-sports-bet-canceled/) covers a similar case (I don’t see a resolution for that one) Glitch is not the right word, perhaps. Let’s say “apparent error discovered only after winnings initially announced” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sports-book-apps-are-offering-me-ridiculous-bonus-bets-what-s-the-catch/1023046.md?page=2)