Free VA Bets: Online Bonuses and Promo Codes from Sportsbooks
Online casinos and online poker rooms aren’t yet legal in the state, but Virginia sports betting is and there are plenty of VA free bets and bonuses here being offered by online sportsbooks. They arrived in the Mother of States in January 2021, and there are already several that are up and running here, which gives sports betting fans plenty of choices.
In this article, we will tell you all about the free bets and bonuses that are currently available. You’ll learn about the many different types of bonuses that Virginia sportsbooks tend to offer, and we’ll explain how all of them can benefit you in some way.
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Benefit from Free VA Bets, Promos and Bonus Codes
Opportunities to help yourself to free money don't come along very often in everyday life, but in the world of sports betting they're getting to the point where they're a dime a dozen. Different bonus offers can bring you different benefits, and later in this article, we'll look at the full range of bonuses that can be had in Virginia, making it one of the best states for online betting USA can offer. Until then, here are a couple of the main benefits to whet your appetite:
Claim VA free bets and you'll be able to put your sporting knowledge to the test without putting down a cent. Free bets are usually offered as a reward just for opening a new account with a sportsbook, so you won't need to make a deposit. Simply sign up, grab your free bet and use it on whatever sporting event you want (terms and conditions permitting). If your free bet succeeds, you keep the winnings.
If you're prepared to make a deposit of your own cash, you can benefit from a risk-free bet at many of Virginia's online sportsbooks. Here you place a wager using your own money, but if it loses, the operator will give you free bet credits to the same value as your lost stake, subject to a stated maximum. This means you have the same chance to win as you normally would, but with a safety net that will let you continue betting even if your first bet falls short.
All sportsbook bonuses and free bets should be considered on their own terms, and so you shouldn't expect them all to work in exactly the same way. One thing to be aware of is that some bonuses will need you to use a promo code to claim them while others won't. If a promo code is required, you will need to enter it as instructed in the bonus terms and conditions, or you could miss out.
Take a look at the following table and you'll see that we've summarized all of the free bets and bonus codes that are available in Virginia right now. If a promo code is needed to claim a bonus, the table will also show it.
Each of the online sportsbooks operating in Virginia has plenty to offer, but it would be a mistake to think that they are all exactly the same. For that reason, we will now provide a few notes about the sportsbooks named in the table above, and we will also give you links to our full reviews of them so that you can explore them further.
BetMGM Virginia
One of the biggest names in gaming brings Virginia customers one of the better risk-free bets on the market. Place your first bet with BetMGM, up to $600. If that bet loses, the entire amount will be returned to your account in the form of free betting credits. If the wager is $50 or more, you will receive five betting credits equal to the total amount. To claim this offer, you will need to use the promo code HOWTOBETMGM.
BetRivers Virginia doesn't have the biggest headline offer, but its welcome bonus is a lot better than it might appear at first glance. A new customer here can get a 100% deposit match bonus of up to $250, but here you will only need to bet your bonus once before you are allowed to withdraw it as cash. This makes its $250 maximum bonus far more attractive than the figure alone might suggest. Don’t forget to use the required promo code HOWTORIVERS.
Virginia is over 2,300 miles away from Las Vegas, but sports bettors can still get a taste of Vegas excitement simply by spending some time at Caesars Virginia. This sportsbook offers everything you need and will give you a very warm welcome, with your first bet of up to $5,000 being risk-free. Just be sure to use the promo code HOWTOBETRF.
FanDuel and DraftKings are always keen to compete for the attention of sports betting enthusiasts, and that's certainly the case in the Mother of States. When you sign up for a new account, you can use a special FanDuel promo code Virginia. You can also enjoy a risk-free bet worth up to $1,000. If you win, your bankroll will expand, and if you lose, you'll get free betting credits to cover your losses.
One of the 'big two' online sportsbooks in the US (the other being FanDuel) DraftKings provides a huge range of betting markets for you to explore. It is also rather generous with its welcome offer. You can get a free bet worth $50 just for signing up, and when you've used that, you can go on to enjoy a 20% deposit bonus that could be worth as much as $1,000.
The Australian-based PointsBet gives sports bettors a huge range of betting markets and boasts about 1,000 ways to bet on any given NFL game thanks to its PointsBetting innovation. You won't find PointsBetting anywhere else, but if regular sports betting is your thing, you can do that, too. Get involved here (the PointsBet Virginia launch is pending) and you can help yourself to risk-free bets worth up to $2,000.
Unibet Virginia
European sportsbook Unibet started providing its services to US bettors in 2019, and Virginia is one of the latest states to enjoy its presence. As well as US sports, Unibet also gives bettors access to plenty of sporting events held abroad, including soccer, cricket, tennis, and more. New bettors here can get a risk-free bet with a maximum value of $500.
As you have seen, there is a huge amount of bonus money up for grabs in the state of Virginia. But why exactly do online sportsbooks like to be so generous? Well, it has to be said that they aren't being completely altruistic.
Bonuses are given simply because they help sports betting operators attract a steady stream of new customers. And while giving free bets and bonuses to new customers costs the sportsbook in the short term, over the long term they will make far more from the customers that those bonuses attract.
This means that you, as a bettor, can feel free to take advantage of any free bet or bonus that appeals to you, because you're actually doing the sportsbook a favor by doing so. You get the free money that they're offering, and the operator gets you as a new customer. It's a win-win situation that benefits everyone concerned.
Virginia Online Sportsbook Bonus Types and How They Work
At this moment, legal online gambling Virginia depends on online sportsbooks. We know that all of them want new customers, and so they all offer bonuses as a means to attract them. But that doesn't mean that all bonuses work in exactly the same way. There are many different types that can be offered, so let's take a look at some of the ones that tend to be most common.
Free VA Bets
The simplest and most straightforward type of bonus that you will encounter is the free bet. The most attractive type is the sportsbook free bet no deposit required. It's simple and wanted because it's exactly what you'd expect it to be – a wager that won't require you to spend a cent of your own money.
Free VA bets are usually given as rewards for signing up with the sportsbooks that offer them. When you've signed up for a new account (something that only takes a minute or two) you'll get a free wager for whatever event you choose. Any profit that you make from it will be yours to keep. Of course, the original stake won't be returned to you as the free bet itself is funded by the sportsbook.
Because the requirements for claiming free bets tend to be so low, you shouldn't expect them to be massively valuable. To illustrate, most wagers of this type are worth anything from $5 to $25. However, this is basically free bonus money to bet with, so that’s certainly something to take full advantage of.
Risk-Free VA Bets
While free bets usually have modest values, risk-free bets can be worth much more – often as much as $500 or even $1,000. That's because you will need to sign up for a sportsbook account, make a deposit and use your own money for the risk-free bet. If the wager wins, the risk-free bonus isn't required, and you simply collect the profit in the usual manner. However, if your bet loses, the risk-free bonus kicks in and the sportsbook will give you free bet credits to the same value as your lost bet.
It is important to note that a risk-free bet offer usually applies to your first bet only and that you won't be refunded more than the maximum stated amount, even if you wager more. Always read through the terms and conditions relating to the risk-free bet offer so that you know exactly how to take full advantage of it.
Sign-Up Bonus
A sign-up bonus can actually take a number of different forms. That's because this term applies to any bonus that is awarded for the simple act of signing up for a new sportsbook account. As we've already seen, free bets are often given as a reward for signing up, so those are the most common sign-up bonuses currently available. Having said that, any other incentive given for signing up can also be classified as a sign-up bonus.
VA Online Casino No Deposit Bonus
A no-deposit bonus is an incentive given to you without a deposit being required, in most cases handed to brand new players just for signing up for a new account. Existing players could be rewarded too for continued loyalty, or to mark a special occasion.
When a VA online casino no deposit bonus is offered to a new user, it is always worth taking advantage of, even if he isn’t sure whether or not he’ll use the operator’s services on a regular basis.
Note also that taking advantage of such a bonus doesn't usually prevent you from also claiming a much more generous deposit bonus.
Deposit Bonus
Any bonus that is given as a reward for making a deposit of your own cash with an online sportsbook can be described as a deposit bonus. These can be given to existing sportsbook customers from time to time, but in most cases, they are designed to attract – and are aimed at – new customers.
The idea here is simple. You sign up and make a deposit of your own cash, and the sportsbook will give you a bonus for doing so. It could be a risk-free bet, as mentioned earlier, or it could be some kind of match bonus that boosts your bankroll with an additional chunk of bonus money.
Bet & Get Bonus
"Bet $20, Get $100" is a typical Bet & Get bonus offer, although the exact figures that are involved can obviously vary between sportsbooks. This type of bonus requires more of a commitment than a sign-up bonus. However, while a deposit is required (and making a bet with your own money), the risk you have to take will usually be lower than the value of the bonus you get for doing so.
Some sportsbooks will let you make your bet on any event, while others may tell you which event you have to bet on to take advantage of the offer. If you intend to place a bet anyway, the Bet & Get bonus is always worth picking up.
Odds Boost
While a risk-free bet bonus only kicks in if your own bet loses, an Odds Boost only kicks in if your bet wins. That's because this promotion enhances the odds that the sportsbook will give you when you make a bet in a particular market. For example, if the odds for your team winning in a particular event are +100 with most sportsbooks, an Odds Boost promotion might give you enhanced odds of +120. If your bet wins, you get the benefit of the odds boost. If it doesn't, well, at least you had the chance of landing a bigger payout.
Refunds/Bonus Back
Another way in which a sportsbook might seek to highlight a particular betting market is by offering a refund on losing bets in that market. You won't usually get a blanket refund offer, but instead, a refund will be given if your selected team achieves a certain outcome without winning the game itself.
For example, when betting on soccer, you might be told that you'll get your stake back (in the form of cash or bonus betting credits) if your team is winning by two or more goals at halftime and still ends up losing the match. Again, if you're thinking of placing a bet in the featured event anyway, a refund or bonus back offer can be very handy to have on your side.
VIP/ Loyalty Programs
You won't find loyalty programs at all Virginia online sportsbooks, but a few operators make them available. These work in much the same way as loyalty programs at online retail websites, but you will earn points for betting rather than shopping.
The number of points you earn will usually be determined by how much you bet, and when you have collected a sufficient number of points in total, you'll be able to redeem them for a reward of some kind. The rewards at sportsbooks are usually free bet credits or special bonus deals, but operators may also offer other rewards from time to time. Check with your sportsbook often to see what's available.
Refer-a-Friend
The final main type of bonus that you might come across is the Refer-a-Friend bonus. This is where you can get a bonus for recommending the sportsbook to one or more of your friends, and the bonus will be payable just as soon as your friend gets involved and starts betting. Most sportsbooks will also reward your friend for doing so, which means that everyone benefits, including the sportsbook itself, which acquires a new customer.
Who Can Claim Free Virginia Bets and Bonuses
Virginia free bets and bonuses can be claimed by any person who is allowed to bet according to state law. You'll find more information about the legal side of things on our Online Gambling in Virginia page and on the website of the regulator. For now, the rules that you need to bear in mind are as follows:
You may only bet in Virginia if you are at least 21 years of age.
Only online sportsbooks licensed to operate in Virginia may be used.
You must be in the state of Virginia when using those sportsbooks.
If you are allowed to bet according to those three rules then you should be able to claim Virginia free bets and bonuses without any issue whatsoever.
Virginia Free Bets and Bonus Codes FAQ
How do I deposit money to trigger deposit matching bonuses?
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Sportsbook customers in Virginia will have a number of simple ways to make deposits into their sports betting accounts.
Credit and debit cards can be used, although most sportsbooks will only take Visa and Mastercard. Through your bank, you can set up online bill pay or transfer money by ACH/eCheck. E-wallets like PayPal and Skrill can be used. Or cash can be used through PayNearMe terminals or by depositing cash in-person at a future affiliated retail sportsbook.
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