Free bet offers at Canadian betting sites
Canada is set to roll out regulated sports betting in 2023, which means there will be a plethora of freebet bonus offers up for grabs. This means the best Canadian freebet offers online today will be significantly different to the free bet bonuses that will up for grabs from online sportsbooks later in the year. Types of free bets available to Canada, include no deposit bonus bets, matched deposit free bets and cash back free bets. Basically the sky is the limit when it comes to online betting free bet bonuses. Our CA freebets guide will teach you everything you need to know, or claim one of our top freebet offers via this table:
Our top free bets offers for 2023 include:
$30 free bet for new customers!
Up to $250 in freebets!
Free bet offers at legal CA betting sites
Canadians have very few laws governing online sports betting, which means the full compliment of free bet deals are up for grabs. Because Canadians can legally bet with most sportsbooks, it means the selection of free bets — which include no deposit free bets, matched free bets and no lose bets — can be taken advantage off.
This is all set to change following the successful introduction and passage of bill-218 into the Canadian Senate, which effectively made single-event wagers legal. This will lead to a regulated sports betting industry in Canada and essentially stamp out the international betting sites, that currently take bets, but do not pay any tax.
While some of the existing CA betting sites with free bets are likely to remain in the Canadian market, like William Hill and betway, there are many that won’t bother seeking licensing here. This new regulation will almost certainly lead to many of the US betting sites, some of which are based in Canada, seeking licensing and ultimately entering this new legal betting market.
All of the top betting sites in Canada will have freebets available to customers, with these bonus bet deals taking on many different formats. Basically, as long as freebets stay within the limits laid out by the provincial regulator, they are allowed to market them. These restriction on what freebets can be marketed to customers are likely to vary slightly from province-to-province.
Top free bet offers 2023
The Canadian gambling list has deemed the following freebet offers to be the best for 2023:
Betway: An exceptionally popular sports betting site that has various free bet deals available, depending on what is happening in the sports and racing world. The betway freebet sign up offer is among our top deals for Canadians, with players able to secure up to $30 in free bets. betway review.
WilliamHill: Hills has already made a splash in the US market, having entered Nevada in 2012, after expanding their European operations. William Hill is exceptionally popular in many markets around the globe and their free bet bonuses generally first-class. One of the best parts about William Hill, is depending on what you wish to wager on, they will almost certainly have a free bet deal suitable. William Hill review.
BetMGM: BetMGM has strongly indicated they will be entering the Canadian gambling market, having successfully navigated the US sports betting launch. Using BetMGM’s US free bet as an example, we expect this company to have some great offers for customers, with customers able to claim up to $600 worth of free bets, via a “risk-free bet”. This indicates BetMGM’s Canadian freebet will be something similar. BetMGM review.
TheScore.Bet: A Canadian company, based out of Toronto, that has entered the US betting market but are yet to make major inroads. TheScore is one of the most popular apps in Canada and they are confident of leveraging these numbers into sports bettors. With the Canadian wagering market likely to be very competitive, we think it’s likely that theScore.Bet will have several different free bet deals, with a no deposit bonus free bet and one geared more towards high rollers. A risk free bet offer from these guys would also not surprise. Score Bet review.
DraftKings: While this operator cut its teeth in Daily Fantasy Sports, DraftKings has emerged as a serious player in online sports betting. As one of the top betting sites in the regulated industry in the USA, DraftKing is likely to have the resources and advertising budget to instantly become a big player in Canada. It also help they have an existing customer base, from their days operating DFS in this part of the world, which means a few emails and their freebet offer are available to 10s of thousands of punters.
FanDuel: One of the most well-known betting gambling brands in the USA, FanDuel has indicated the will enter the Canadian market. This is no surprise, given they are now owned by the same company, so the licensing process will be streamlined. FanDuel freebets are know to be some of the best in the gambling industry and we don’t see this changing when this brand becomes active in Canada.
** Freebets in Canada and all around the world almost always come with wagering requirements, which is important to remember when claiming them. There is nothing worse than accepting a free bet offer, only for it to be impossible to win from it, or you can withdraw your winnings.
Free bet types and examples
Canadians are only just getting the world of free bets opened up to them, following the decision to create a regulated sports betting industry. This means there will be an entirely new vernacular introduced to millions of people surrounding CA freebets. This section of our guide to the best sports betting free bet deals will teach you about the different types:
Matched free bets
These types of free bet deals at online betting sites usually centre around the first bet you place with a sportsbook, with your initial stake being matched. As a general rule the matched bets you will come across will reward you with a percentage. For instance a common matched free bet, could be a 100% match up to the value of $100, or $200. We have seen these matched bets awarded at a rate of anything from 10% right up to 500%.
Matched bets example
The offer: 100% matched bet up to the value of $100.
How it works: If you make a bet of $100 after accepting a matched bet offer, you will be given a $100 free bet after this initial wager is settled by the betting site.
Deposit bonus free bets
While you will have to make a deposit to claim this type of free bet, they are very popular amongst sports betting sites and punters. Deposit bonus offers work by on a percentages basis. So if it is a 100% matched deposit bonus, and you deposit $100, you would actually have $200 to bet with ($100 real money + $100 free bet). As a general rule bookie deposit bonus amounts will be able to be split and spent however a punter wishes to use them.
Deposit bonus free bets example
The offer: 200% deposit bonus up to the value of $200.
How it works: If you deposit $100, the sportsbook will give you an extra $200 in bonus to bets. This means in total you will have $300 to bet with.
No lose or risk free bet deals
These are a great feature that has emerged for new punters at certain betting sites. No lose bets essentially give you a free bet if your first bet is unsuccessful. These types of free bets are also called Risk Free Bet in some quarters. In years gone by this type of free bet would be regarded a an insured bet. Many of the top Canadian betting sites have got this type of free bet offer available.
No lose bet example
The offer: If your first bet loses, we’ll refund it 100% with freebets.
How it works: If a player signs up at an online betting site, accepts a no lose bet offer, then deposits and makes their first bet only for it to lose, the betting company will refund your stake in bonus money.
No deposit free bet offers
Free bet no deposit bonuses involve a player getting something for nothing and it usually involves new customers. Free bets sports no deposit offers are a great way to boost your bankroll when betting online. Usually you will see no deposit free bet bonuses available before you sign up at a betting site. These types of free bet deals are likely to have reasonably strict wagering requirements. No deposit free bets can be found at many of the top betting sites.
No deposit free bets
The offer: $10 free bet – no deposit required.
How it works? If you accept a free bet no deposit sports offer you will have to clear the wagering requirements before you can turn it into real money. While terms will vary between deals you can almost be certain no deposit freebets will have a minimum odds requirement and a turnover requirement. For instance you may need to bet the free bet amount 3x at odds greater than 1.80.
freebet sign up offers for Canadians
There are numerous free bet sign up offers available to Canada, with most betting sites having some sort of welcome free bet. These can come in many different forms, including a combination of the above free bet types. For instance a leading Canadian sportsbook has got a deal where they give you $5 free to use, but they also have a 100% matched deposit free bet that you can claim when you make your first payment.
Free bets wagering requirements: How bonus turnover works?
Free bet wagering requirements are the terms and conditions associated with your bonus amount that you need to clear before you can withdraw any winnings that you have accrued.
Nearly all betting free bet offers are subject to wagering requirements, but these can vary greatly from one free bet to the next. Some of the common wagering requirements you will find surrounding free bet bonuses include:
Minimum bet
Minimum bet wagering requirements generally stipulate you must place a certain bet, or a bet of a certain amount to be given a bonus offer. For instance a popular global-facing betting site has a bet $10 and get $30 in free bets.
So in summary to pass minimum bet wagering requirements you would ned to make a deposit of $10 to trigger the $30 in free bets.
Rollover requirement
The rollover requirement attached to freebets varies dramatically from one free bet to the next free bet, with this largely depending on the sportsbook you are wagering with.
As an example, a sportsbook might have a 100% deposit bonus up to the value of $100, with a 4x turnover requirement. This means you have got to make $400 worth of bets with you free bets before it can be converted to real money.
Max winning amount
Often with free bet bonus offers, particularly with no deposit free bets, there will be a cap on the amount you can win. For instance, one leading sportsbook with a $10 no deposit bonus has got a $200 cap from this offer.
This is to stop the potential of a customer seriously damaging the bottom line of a company, without making a CAD payment. As a punter, it pays to be aware of these types of freebet wagering requirements, because if you hit a big bet and only get a small percentage of it, you will be very upset.
Minimum odds
Often when you receive a Canadian free bet you will be required to spend it on a bet with odds greater than a certain amount. For instance, one of our best free bet offers we promote on here, insists you spend your free bet on a market with odds great than $1.50, which is pretty standard in the industry.
Always read the fine print of your freebet bonus before placing your bet, because we have, on more than one occasion not received our payout, because we bet on a market with odds that did not qualify.
** Freebets can have any number of wagering requirements attached to them, with the ones we have mentioned only a small sample of what could be attached to your bonus. It’s Canadian law that betting sites must outline freebet wagering requirements, within one click of where they are advertised.
CAD Deposit types that void free bets
When you make deposits to Canadian dollar betting sites, often this is when you will receive free bets to your gambling account. But there are some payment methods at online sportsbooks that can rule you ineligible for free bet offers. These are usually the deposit options that have higher bank fees, with some web wallets and payment processors falling into his category.
You may not be able to claim a free bet offer in Canada if you use the following deposit options:
- Neteller
- Skrill
- iDebit
Some of the most popular CAD payment types that you can claim freebets with are:
- Visa
- Mastercard
- Credit Card
- Debit card
- Interac
What sports can i claim free bets on?
The good news is there are very few restrictions on what sports or horse racing events you can use free bets on, although this can vary at different betting sites.
This means all of the major betting sports like basketball, horse racing, football (soccer), grid iron, cricket, greyhound racing and many, many more are covered extensively and you will often find free bet offers surrounding them.
Often if there is a big sports event on, you will see sports betting sites begin to advertise free bet deals or promotions surrounding it well in advance of it beginning. The Canadian Gambling List specialises in the latest free bet offers surrounding major sports events and you can rely on us to present the most up-to-date bonuses.
For instance prior to the Super Bowl earlier this year, well in advance one of the major sports betting sites in Canada was offering a $20 no deposit free bet, while they also had a cash back offer when you made your first real money bet. Other Canadian sportsbooks throughout this same period were offering matched deposit free bets, bonus credits and many other promotions.
Canada, like many countries, has their own domestic sports leagues and often you will find free bet offers surrounding these competitions. This includes the top-flight Canadian Football League (grid iron), Canadian Premier League (CPL) and the National Basketball League of Canada, with all of these drawing significant betting interest right across the country.
Free bet offers by country
Free bet deals are available in many different countries, but it is true that some have different laws surrounding if or how they can be distributed. Below we’ll give you a brief run down of countries where free bets are common:
USA freebets
Free bets are common place in the United States, although the World Gambling List does not promote them to its readers at the moment because of local regulations. The US is rolling out regulated sports betting in many states and there are free bets available, but you must be licensed to promote the offers online.
Free bets in the United Kingdom
Recent years has seen the Gambling Commission clamp down on betting companies offering unfair free bets. This has included advertised free bets needing to clearly show the terms and conditions, while some types of free bets have disappeared completely. The good news is, free bets are still very common in the United Kingdom and they have never been fairer for punters.
Free bets in Australia
Australia has largely outlawed the free bet, although there are some exceptions surrounding horse racing. However as a general rule you won’t find free bet sign up offers, including no deposit free bets or matched free bets. The nearest thing to free bets Australians can hope for when betting online are promotions like boosted odds and cash back deals. Many of the best Australian betting sites are among the top operators in world gambling.
Ireland free bets
The southern parts of Ireland are still part of the EU, and there is also regulated sports betting, with many of the biggest betting companies in the world, including Paddy Power (which is Irish-owned) having free bet deals available. The top Irish betting sites include many of the best UK betting brands, which are regarded as having some of the most generous freebet offers in sports betting.
NZ freebet offers
New Zealand is much like Canada, in that they don’t really acknowledge the existence of offshore online betting sites and there are no laws stopping residents from signing up and taking advantage of free bet bonuses. Because there are so many free bonus bets up for grabs when in NZ, it’s important to understand the terms and conditions attached to them before accepting any offer. Always look into the licensing surrounding any betting sites in NZ, with many operators from the likes of Curacao and Costa Rica accepting Kiwis and having free bet offers.
Freebets in South Africa
South African free bets are well and truly alive in modern times, with more and more SA betting sites having new account incentives. For instance big brands like Sportingbet and Betway have varying offers, but the one thing they have in common is they benefit players heavily.
Free bet laws in 2023
The laws surrounding free bets can be broken into two different categories: Betting regulator restrictions and the actual laws you face where you are in the world.
Regulator restrictions
While these aren’t technically betting laws, regulators shape the way free bet offers are built. For instance a regulator like the Gambling Commission makes sure its licensees offer fair and reasonable free bets, while another regulator like Curacao won’t enforce this type of thing. This is not to say every Curacao betting site will have impossible wagering requirements, it just means they are under no obligation to make them clear or show them at all.
Country laws surrounding free bets
Many countries have enacted laws that restrict types of free bet bonus offers. This as a general rule is because there is a consensus that free bets are incentives to open new betting accounts and encourage problem gambling. Other reasons to enact laws that restrict the advertising of free bets include unfair wagering requirements and marketing to minors inadvertently. The UK probably has the most stringent free bet laws in the world.
Common questions about free bets
Free bets can be a confusing concept if you are new to online betting, so if you have any questions or queries about how free bets work in Canada drop us an email to contact@worldgamblinglist.com or in the message box below.
We have seen free bets not available if you make a deposit with payment processor Paypal, but we expect this to change by the 2022 NFL season, with regulated sports betting on the way in Canada.
Yes, definitely, always read the terms and conditions of a free bet before accepting it. Sometimes the wagering requirements around free bets are just impossible to clear, so they really are not worth your while.
We have seen unlimited matched deposit free bets before, meaning you could have your money doubled in bonus no matter how much you deposit, but as a general free bet deals will be capped at a certain amount. The biggest free bet offer varies from week to week or even day to day.
Some free bets will be activated by making a bet of a certain amount. For instance a bookie might have a matched betting offer of bet $10 and receive $20 matched. The minimum bet to claim the free bet here would be $10, with the offer not activated if you bet any less.
This again depends on the online sportsbook you are wagering with. For instance many CAD betting sites restrict free bets from being used on multi or accumulator bets, with this because people are liable to place risky long-shot multibets when they have free money which can lead to the betting company being on the hook for some huge payouts. As a general rule free bets will needed to be used on singles markets.
At the time of writing this sportsbook free bet guide, it was still legal for Canadians to accept free bets from international betting operators that do not have a license in Canada.