Connecticut Sports Betting Bonuses & Bonus Bets

How does a sportsbook stand out to potential new customers? How do you get bettors to pick your book over all the others? The answer: bonus bets, bonuses, and frequent, enticing promotions.

Special offers like these are the No. 1 tool sportsbooks use to attract potential customers, and sportsbooks in Connecticut are no different, with a variety of bonuses and promos that you can claim.

You’ll also see the word “free” a lot with these sports betting promotions. The truth is sportsbooks do genuinely offer some promotions for free, but they’re not in the business of handing out free cash. Instead, you’ll need to know how to fulfill the bonus conditions and make the most of the offers. Here’s how to claim the best sportsbook bonuses in Connecticut.

Best Online Sportsbook Bonuses in Connecticut 2024

How do bonus bet bonuses work at CT sportsbooks?

Sportsbooks will tend to give you the chance to save money, increase your profits on winning bets, or, in some cases, bet for bonus. It depends on which type of bonus you’re claiming. With a deposit bonus, matching bonus cash will appear in your sportsbook account as soon as you make a qualifying deposit.

With a no deposit bonus, that credit will arrive as soon as you create your account. To use a bonus bet, you can just go about making your bet as normal, and your bonus bet will kick in on your bet slip before you confirm.

There is normally a section in the cashier or your profile where you can see which sportsbook promotions are currently active for you.

Make a deposit = boosted bonuses

As a rule of thumb, you tend to get more valuable bonuses when you spend some of your own money. With a deposit bonus, for example, you’ll trigger more bonus cash the more you deposit yourself. Some sportsbooks release exclusive personalized offers to players who bet regularly on their platform.

You can also be eligible for no deposit bonuses without paying a thing. These offers are normally quite modest — $5 or $10 in bonus cash, for example — but they are generally free. There are also regular generic promos available to everyone, like odds boosts.

There are different ways to claim a sportsbook bonus. Often, in the case of welcome bonuses, you need to use a bonus code — which we’ll cover in full in the next section. For any bonus, the most important thing to remember is to read and follow the instructions carefully.

Sportsbooks aren’t trying to trick you with their promos, but they will require you to meet some terms and conditions. And it’s also true that some offers can sound more attractive, even too good to be true, at first glance. Take this example from DraftKings Sportsbook in Connecticut:

 

It sounds like a great offer — and it is — but a careful look at the terms and conditions gives you more details:

As you can see, there is a lot to be aware of in the fine print to make sure you’re getting the most out of the offer. The boost is worth 20% of your deposit, meaning you’d need to deposit $5,000 to wind up with the maximum of $1,000 that the promo advertises. There is also a time limit to use your bonus sports bet, and you must use it on certain odds.

All of this is standard practice and doesn’t mean this still isn’t a great opportunity. But just remember that offers are usually more nuanced than the headline suggests.

How to use a bonus code

Bonus codes are the most common way to claim a welcome bonus. Sportsbooks may update their code(s) when they come out with new offers, and you can find all the latest Connecticut sports betting codes on this page.

You normally use a bonus code during the registration process when you’re creating your account. Somewhere along the way, you’ll see a field for the sportsbook promo code or bonus code, like this example:

All you need to do is type in the code, and the sportsbook will automatically check to make sure it’s valid. Once you finish signing up, your bonus should be waiting for you in your account. Sometimes the sportsbook may require you to use the bonus code when you are making a deposit, instead.

Types of sports betting bonuses

Sportsbooks aren’t dumb. They know they need a variety of bonuses to attract the largest number of players, and different offers may suit different types of players. It all depends on how you intend to play and what you value the most. In this section, we’ll cover the bonuses you can expect to find at sportsbooks in Connecticut, and which ones might work best for you.

No deposit bonus

Just as the name suggests, no deposit bonuses are offers that you can claim without depositing any of your own money. The most common no deposit bonus is a small sum — often $5 or $10 — that you receive in exchange for creating your account and that you can use to place bets.

Even though it might take a bit of effort to convert that bonus cash into regular money you can withdraw, these types of bonuses do represent a genuine chance to win real money for free.

• Pros: A free chance to try out bets you might normally not place.
• Cons: Smaller overall bonus value and the terms and conditions may be stricter.
• Ideal bonus for: Bettors with a small bankroll or people who want to experiment with sports betting before risking their own money.

Deposit bonus/boosted deposit

Another common type of welcome bonus is the deposit bonus or boosted deposit. In this case, the sportsbook will match some or all of your first deposit with bonus cash, up to a certain amount. Bonuses of 100% are fairly common, meaning you get to start with double the bankroll.

Compared with no deposit bonuses, you can typically wind up with a larger amount from a deposit bonus — but it’s contingent on how much you want to spend. As always, your bonus will be subject to playthrough requirements before you can withdraw it.

• Pros: Can be for large amounts, sometimes with limits in the $1,000s.
• Cons: You may need to deposit and bet a lot of your own money to get the most out of these bonuses.
• Ideal bonus for: Bettors who are happy to commit some of their own money up front, and higher stakes bettors.

Reload bonus

Reload bonuses work similar to deposit bonuses, except they apply to deposits after your initial deposit. Sportsbooks use them as a way to encourage existing players to keep betting.

• Ideal bonus for: Bettors happy to keep depositing money.

Enhanced odds

Odds boosts are a type of regular promotion that lots of sportsbooks offer. Every day or week, a book will select certain bets to receive boosted odds. Basically, it gives you the chance to bet at artificially high odds and potentially win more from the book. Some sportsbooks even allow you to actually select the bet you would like boosted.

• Pros: Best odds out there.
• Cons: Usually there is a limit to how much you can place on these bets.
• Ideal bonus for: Everyone
  

Money back specials

As the name suggests, sportsbooks will give you your money back on your bet, subject to certain conditions. An example would be if a certain player scores the last point in a game, or if just one leg of a parlay fails.

• Pros: Free insurance.
• Cons: The refund is usually in the form of bonus bets rather than cash.
• Ideal bonus for: More conservative bettors or players with smaller bankrolls.

Bonus bets

Bonus bets are a cornerstone of sportsbook bonuses. They may be available as part of a sportsbook’s bonus bet promo, as well as a reward for regular bettors or other ongoing promos. A bonus bet is a little like bonus cash, except it comes in a block amount like $5, $20 or $50, which you can use to place a single bet.

If you win your bonus bet, you typically only get to keep the winnings and not the value of the wager itself. You may also need to place bonus bets online at certain sports betting odds — normally at least -200 or -300. This is to prevent people from betting on very likely outcomes to claim free winnings.

Apart from the odds restrictions, you can normally use bonus bets however you like — on moneyline bets, totals, spreads or props on any sport. Many bettors like to use their bonus bets on simple wagers with as favorable odds as possible, to give themselves the best chance of converting their bonus into real money.

• Pros: Good chance to win real money for free. They let you try out new bets and sports with reduced risk.
• Cons: Terms and conditions vary depending on the sportsbook.
• Ideal bonus for: Everyone
  

Other sportsbook promos

We’ve covered the most common bonuses above, but that list is by no means exhaustive. Enterprising sportsbooks are frequently coming up with novel bonuses and betting promotions to turn the heads of potential customers.

Live betting bonuses are a relatively new development, as is the ability to cash out your bet mid-game for a percentage of what you would stand to win. There are also live odds boosts, for bets like the next team or player to score.

Sportsbooks also routinely create special bonuses for big sporting events, like the Super Bowl, US Open or World Cup. Chances are your book will have some kind of interesting promo when these games and tournaments roll around.

Online sportsbook bonus terms & conditions

It’s important to be aware of the terms and conditions for any sportsbook bonus. Unfortunately, we speak from experience when we tell you that it’s very easy to get carried away with an amazing sounding bonus, only for the fine print to trip you up later.

As we’ve mentioned before, bonus terms and conditions aren’t there to trick you, even though it can sometimes feel like that. They are there to protect the sportsbook and to make sure that people can’t get some free cash and simply withdraw it without actually betting. Some of the common terms and conditions to be aware of are below:

• Time limits to use your bonus or convert bonus cash.
• Restricted payment types — some methods are ineligible for certain bonuses.
• Minimum odds for bonus bets, which we’ve already mentioned.
• Limits on how much you can win from a bonus bet.
• Bonus bets provide only the profit if you win, not the bet amount itself.

However, the most important thing to be aware of is a bonus’s wagering or playthrough requirements. This refers to how much you need to bet an amount of bonus cash — like from a no deposit bonus — before it turns into regular money you can withdraw.

When betting on sports, you often just need to use the money to bet once (a 1x wagering requirement) at qualifying odds to unlock it. However, some bonuses may require you to wager the bonus amount 25 times or more. All in all, read the terms and conditions carefully, and you should never run into trouble.

How to download sports betting apps

These days, most of the sports betting in the US happens online or via an app, and all the sportsbooks already in operation in Connecticut have their own mobile platforms. Betting on an app is convenient and means you have access to your sportsbook 24/7 at the touch of a button.

Whether you use an Apple or Android device, the process of downloading an app and betting is very similar. You can generally find a link to the correct download page on the sportsbook’s website, which you can access via mobile browser.

If you already have an account, you can just sign in once you download the app. If not, however, you’ll need to create an account. The registration process is very similar no matter which CT sportsbook you choose. You’ll likely need to provide the following info:

• Name
• Date of birth
• Address
• Phone number
• Email address
• Username
• Password
• Last four digits of your Social Security number

By law, sportsbooks in Connecticut must verify the identity of anyone who bets with them, and you may need to submit some additional documentation to fully complete the verification process.

Don’t forget that the sign-up process might also be your opportunity to claim a bonus using a bonus code. After you type it in and fill out the rest of the info, your bonus cash or bonus bets will be waiting for you when you finish.

Bonus bets FAQ

What is the maximum bonus bet/no deposit bonus you can get?

No deposit bonuses tend to be on the small side, with around $10 being common. With boosted deposits and bonus bets, you can sometimes find much larger bonuses — including up to $1,000 in some cases.

What are playthrough requirements?

Playthrough requirements refer to the number of times you need to bet with an amount of bonus money before you can withdraw it.

What is matched betting?

Matched betting is a technique to ensure you wind up with a profit from bonus bets. It involves placing separate bets at different sportsbooks so that you have all the outcomes of an event covered. It relies on mathematics, rather than sports analysis. Matched betting is somewhat time-consuming, but it may be a way to ensure you win money from bonus bets.

What sports can I get bonus bets for?

There are typically no restrictions on which sport you can use for bonus bets.

Can I cash out wins from a bonus bet?

Yes. In many cases, you are only eligible to receive the winnings from a bonus bet. That means if you win your bonus bet, the profits are yours to keep.