Australian legislation dictates that any kind of bonuses, free bets, bonus bets, sign up bonuses and any other betting bonus in Australia cannot be promoted or used as an incentive. That doesn’t mean that Australian legal betting don’t offer them – they’re still there, they just can’t be advertised. Punters have to create an account in order to see and get promotions and free bonus bets. If you want to know what betting sites bonuses are, what kind of bouses were out there, and what are the best betting sites today, keep reading.

Best Betting Sites with Bonuses

#
Betting Site
Features
Visit
2
Pros' Choice
PuntersPal
4.9
australian-flag-icon-round-32x32.webp
AUS Licensed
Great racing fixed odds
5
PUNTERS' FAVORITE
Dabble
4.8
australian-flag-icon-round-32x32.webp
AUS Licensed
Copy Bets & Follow other punters
10
australian-flag-icon-round-32x32.webp
AUS Licensed
Fun betting experience
16
Best For Racing
VicBet
4.4
australian-flag-icon-round-32x32.webp
AUS Licensed
Racing specialists
26
27
Best for e-Sports
Picklebet
4.0
australian-flag-icon-round-32x32.webp
AUS Licensed
Engaging App
30
Best App
BlueBet
4.0
australian-flag-icon-round-32x32.webp
AUS Licensed
Same Race & Game Multis
33

Betting Bonuses FAQs

💰Which betting sites give bonuses?

Virtually every betting site offers bonuses of some kind, though exactly what type of promotions a particular bookmaker offer varies, as does the quantity. Some bookies run a wide range of promotions very regularly while others offer them very rarely; some tend to focus on specific types of bonuses, like money back promotions, while others demonstrate greater variation in terms of what they offer.

⚖️What are Australia’s sports betting bonus laws?

Australia has a number of rules around sports betting bonuses, with a number of them relating to advertising. It’s illegal for bookmakers to use bonuses as an inducement to potential customers, which is why you won’t be able to see the promotions which are provided by a certain betting site unless you are a registered member of that bookmaker.

🤑How do I use a bonus?

It depends on exactly what type of bonus it is that you are using, but typically it’s very straightforward to utilise a bonus. If you’re betting on a market which has a bonus built into it – for example, a four-leg NBA multi on a site which offers stake back bonuses if you lose just one leg – the bonus will be automatically applied if you qualify. On other occasions, you might need to find a specific bonus market and place a bet on that. If you’re registered to a site offering a bonus, when logged in you’ll be able to find information about how to access the promotion on the page which explains it.

💲Is there a difference between a bonus and a promotion?

Not really – it’s predominantly just semantics. You can reasonably refer to any of the types of bonuses as either a bonus or a promotion and be right either way. The term bonus would probably more commonly be used for a reward that you get as a result of doing something, while promotions may more often refer to things which are given as more of a reward, but there’s not a huge amount of difference and the two terms can essentially be used interchangeably.

🔎What is the point of betting bonuses?

There’s a few different reasons that betting sites offer bonuses. The primary one is to provide a point of difference from competitors – given that there are so many different bookmakers in Australia, betting sites want punters to have a reason to use them rather than another website offering much the same product, and bonuses are one way of doing this.

Where can I find the best betting sites welcome bonus?

Unfortunately, nowhere. No legal betting site in Australia can offer welcome bonuses, also known as “sign up bonuses”, as Australian law dictates that betting sites are not allowed to attract new customers or incentivise gambling in this way. Betting sites are, however, allowed to offer other bonuses and promotions only to players with accounts. The only way to find out what is the best betting sites  bonus is to sign up and discover it yourself. We can help to point you out to the best betting sites the Australian landscape can offer, beginning with the below bookmakers.

Playup

Playup bonus

Playup is one of the newer sites in the Australian sports betting industry, but they have quickly grown into a popular one. Offering a highly functional and user-friendly website as well as a solid range of markets and great customer service, Playup has developed a solid following in the few years since the company was founded, and there’s plenty to like about this upcoming bookmaker.

Best features

  • Some of the best customer service in the business
  • Intuitive website and mobile app
  • Decent range of markets
  • Solid odds

Playup Review»

Best Fixed Odds, Playup Playbook

Boombet

Boombet Bonus

Boombet is one of the newest bookmaker names in Australia, but in reality the group is among the most experienced going around. They are the rebranded version of Sportsbetting, which was one of the oldest  betting sites  in the country having been established way back in 1997, so though the name Boombet may be new, this company has more than enough industry experience to know what they’re doing.

Best features

  • High-quality customer service
  • Excellent mobile app which can be used virtually interchangeably with the website
  • Secure online platform
  • Competitive racing odds compared to other bookies

Boombet Review»

Great features coupled with amazing odds! Sets their own odds!

Winnersbet

Winnersbet is one of the new players in the Australian sports betting industry, having been founded by well-known racing bookmaker Da He as recently as 2020. Unsurprisingly given that the company is still in its infancy, Winnersbet have a bit of work to do in numerous areas in order to be competitive with the top bookmakers, but they have demonstrated a commitment to a few key areas and developed a decent product given their youth.

Best features

  • Fast and easy to use website
  • Excellent mobile site which functions as well as the website
  • Good range of different racing markets
  • Strong rewards program

Winnersbet Review»

Great points feature! Lovely Layout.

Topsport

Topsport Bonus

Topsport is one of the oldest bookmakers in Australia having been founded way back in 1998, though despite that experience they aren’t typically recognised as one of the biggest players in the industry. They are, however, making some inroads in recent years, with their high betting limits as well as a handful of other features helping to increase their popularity among the punting public.

Best features

  • High betting limits
  • They don’t tend to ban winning punters as quickly as some competitors
  • Competitive odds for racing markets
  • Website is functional and easy to use

Topsport Review»

 

Extensive range of markets with fair limits

Bet365

Bet365 Bonus

Bet365 is a global betting giant, so it’s little surprise that once they spread their reach to Australian shores, they quickly became one of the biggest bookmakers in the country. They claim to be among the biggest betting sites in the country for many reasons, and it’s hard to argue given that they rate so highly on so many of the areas which perceive as the most important for a bookmaker.

Best features

  • Very wide selection of markets on sports
  • Among the best odds in the business for standard markets such as head-to-head, moneyline etc.
  • Good range of different payment methods
  • Very good app and website

Bet365 Review»

Most well known bookmaker – always a solid experience

Palmerbet

Palmerbet Bonus

Palmerbet doesn’t necessarily have the same stature in the industry as some of the biggest betting sites, but that understated reputation isn’t reflective of the quality of this bookmaker. Established in 2013, they have become a trusted site for many Australian punters, offering a number of great features and not having many components which they have neglected or in which they don’t rate at least reasonably well.

Best features

  • Really good range of sports betting markets
  • Very good odds
  • Website is easy to use, and their mobile app is excellent
  • They have a good blog which provides relatively interesting reading for both punters and general sports fans alike

Palmerbet Review»

Australian operated and owned

Unibet

Unibet Bonus

Unibet was founded internationally way back in 1997 and has developed into a major global bookmaker in the years since, but it wasn’t until 15 years later in 2012 that they entered the Australian market after acquiring the company previously known as Betchoice. Unsurprisingly given their experience and global recognition, they were able to relatively quickly become a popular bookie in Australia despite entering into what is a heavily saturated market.

Best features

  • They offer live streaming on a range of different sports
  • They have a very wide range of markets on sports
  • Unibet odds are among the best in the industry
  • Wide range of live betting markets available

Unibet Review»

Unibet Blog, for sport game information!

Draftstars

Draftstars Bonus

bookmakers in this list, providing a point of difference which makes it easy to differentiate them from other betting sites – something which isn’t always easy to do given the number of similarities shared by so many of these companies. This point of difference comes from the fact that Draftstars offers markets on fantasy sports on a daily basis, enabling people to combine a passion for punting with what is an increasingly common pastime in fantasy sports.

Best features

  • Significant point of difference to other bookmakers courtesy of type of market offerings
  • Mobile app is very easy to use
  • Website is also functional and straightforward to use
  • Draftstars has a number of different betting resources available

Draftstars Review»

Daily Fantasy owned by Playup!

Picklebet

Picklebet Bonus

Like Draftstars, Picklebet is another betting site which is easy to differentiate from other bookmakers as a result of the unique markets which they offer to their customers. But they don’t focus on fantasy sports like Draftstars – instead, the Picklebet focus is on the growing area of eSports, and though they do offer markets on other sports too, it’s the online sports world in which they excel.

Best features

  • The leading provider of eSports markets in Australia
  • This gives them a significant point of difference from competitors and makes them attractive to eSports fans
  • Customer support platform is at a high level
  • Website is very good and straightforward to use

Picklebet Review»

E-sports focus with great odds!

What is a sports betting bonus?

ports betting bonuses come in many different shapes and sizes. Many of them have very little which differentiates them other than their name, with the words bonus, offer, and promotions used interchangeably, and other terms such as ‘welcome’ and ‘sign up’ also used to describe the same thing. So what is the difference between the various forms which are available with Australian bookmakers? Below, we’ll go into a little bit of detail about the various types of promos you might stumble across.

Sign Up Bonus

A sign up bonus is essentially exactly what the name sounds like. This type of promotion occurs when a bookmaker offers a bonus to new customers upon signing up, and there are many betting sites with sign up bonuses. For example, it may occur simply in the form of a bonus bet which will arrive in your account as soon as you sign up. Alternatively, a bonus sign up bet could also refer to bookmakers offering new customers a deposit match; for example, if you sign up to a new bookmaker and deposit $10 you might get a $5 bonus bet. What form a sign up bonus bet Australia comes in, however, is rarely the same across different betting sites.

Deposit Bonus

A deposit bonus is essentially the second example that we provided above in the sign up bonus section, though it doesn’t always have to occur after someone has just signed up. Bookmakers might sporadically offer these to customers who have either used them for a significant period of time, or who hasn’t used them for a while in an attempt to bring them back. They also might be offered prior to a big event to encourage punters to deposit. The specifics of these deposits vary; they might be a 50% deposit bonus, which means if you deposit $20 you’ll get a $10 bonus, or it could be less or more than that. These promotions are also usually limited to a certain amount; for example, you may be only able to get a maximum bonus bet of $100.

No Deposit Bonus

A no deposit bonus is once again basically exactly what it sounds like. It’s essentially the opposite to a deposit bonus, in which you receive a bonus – typically bonus bets – for depositing money into your account relative to that money. A no deposit bonus doesn’t require the deposit, and may instead be handed out for a variety of other reasons, such as having been using a bookmaker for a certain period of time, placing a certain number of bets etc. What type of no deposit bonus offers each betting site offers can vary significantly.

Free Bets

Free bets can refer to a wide variety of different bonus types. Essentially it refers to any occasion on which a bookmaker gives you funds with which you can make bets with no risk. For example, you might receive a free bonus bet to the value of $10 for any range of reasons, many of which we cover in explanations of other bonus types. You can then bet this on anything you like; if you lose, you lose the bonus bet, if you win, you get the profit amount in real money credited to your account. It’s important to remember that you don’t receive the actual stake back in real money though; for example, if you put a $10 bonus bet on a $2 outcome and it wins, you’ll earn the winnings minus the stake, which in this case is $20 – $10 = $10.

Refer a Friend

Referring a friend is an incentivisation method used by many companies around the world, not just bookmakers. Many betting sites offer this, which means that if you refer a friend to their website and that friend subsequently signs up, you’ll receive some form of bonus. The specifics can vary here; typically you need the friend to sign up and then deposit money into their account before you get the bonus, and exactly how much in bonus bets you get as well as how many times you can refer someone and get a bonus also vary significantly across different bookmakers.

Odds Boost

Odds boost is a different type of promotion to the above, but is one which many betting sites utilise. Usually, there are only a small number of odds boosts available per day or week with each bookmaker, but when utilised correctly they can be fairly handy. When you use an odds boost, as you might expect, the odds you get will be boosted; for example, if you’re betting on something which is paying $2.50, applying an odds boost might send those odds to $2.70. How much the odds are boosted depends both on the initial odds (more unlikely outcomes are usually boosted more) as well as the bookmaker that you are using.

Money back bonuses

Money back bonuses are another very common promotion type for betting sites with bonuses, and occur when a bookmaker offers you the chance to get your money back if a bet fails. This can be presented in numerous ways. It might be that for a multi of 4 legs or more, if only one leg fails you’ll get your stake back, or it might be for a race, with your stake being returned if a runner finishes in the top three, for example. Bookmakers will advertise these promotions to their existing customers know, though that info won’t be available to those who aren’t customers.

Other Betting Site Bonuses

The aforementioned are the most common bonuses that you are likely to come across with Australian bookmakers, but there are a handful of others which pop up a little less often. For example, some bookies might offer certain promotions which are only available on the mobile app as a way to encourage users to download the app. Others might offer a bonus up to a certain value, which needs to be used on a specific market, for those who place bets on a certain major market as a way to encourage punters to bet on a significant event. The exact promotions offered, however, are significantly different across different bookmakers.