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Many big names in the world of online betting have seen a lot of potential in the Irish betting market. The total revenue of online betting in Ireland is expected to reach over $5 billion in 2013, with a projected yearly growth of above 4%. Recent figures suggest that up to 49% of the population in the country engages in some form of gambling, and bookmaking is the biggest market.
Since online gambling and betting are fully legal and regulated, there’s been a growing number of bookies opening their virtual doors, and even more parties have shown interest to join the scene. Although this is good news for punters, it means more competition for the operators. Bookmakers in Ireland strive to attract new customers and retain existing ones, and the tried-and-tested method to do this is by offering a variety of bonuses and promotions.
These enticing rewards not only add value to the betting experience but also provide punters with additional opportunities to boost their winnings. In this article, we will explore some of the types of bonuses, promos, and perks commonly offered by bookmakers in Ireland.
Sign-up bonuses that welcome new users
Welcome bonuses are the bread and butter of online bookmakers in Ireland. They’re designed to entice new customers, and they typically come in two forms: a deposit match bonus or a free bet. They’re only available to new users that haven’t registered with a particular betting site before, and they’re seen as a gift for participating with the site. With the exception of no deposit bonuses, however, they do require a small qualifying deposit to be made in order to claim them.
Free bets – sometimes called risk-free bets or no-sweat bets – are a common type of a sign up offer found at most Irish bookmakers. As the name suggests, the promotion allows users to place a bet for free. The way it works is the following: the user places a normal wager with their own deposited money, and if the bet wins – they get to keep their winnings. If the bet loses, they get their money back in their betting account.
Deposit bonuses, on the other hand, provide users with bonus credits up to a certain percentage and amount. For example, if a bookmaker offers a 100% deposit match up to €500, it means that if a user deposits €500, they’ll receive an additional €500 in bonus credits.
No deposit bonuses are a rarity, and they don’t require any qualifying deposit to be made. However, they’re usually low in value and come with unrealistic terms and conditions that are almost impossible to meet, so they’re often seen more as a gimmick than a real value bonus.
Daily bonuses and promotions for existing users
Customer satisfaction is the number one indicator of whether the customer base likes what a business – or in this case a bookmaker operator – is doing. Bookies know this, and they’re doing everything in their power to keep their regulars happy and satisfied. And that’s where bonuses for existing users come into play.
There are many types of incentives that bookmakers use to reward their loyal customers, and the most common one is enhanced or boosted odds.
Enhanced odds or price boosts are promotions that offer punters the opportunity to bet on certain events at higher odds than the regular market price. These promotions are often used to attract attention to a certain event and increase betting activity, and users get the chance to score bigger winnings by wagering the same amount they would normally do. Almost all bookmakers in Ireland offer boosted odds on a daily basis.
Another popular type of promotion is cashback. These deals act as a safety net to punters who experience losses. Namely, if a bookmaker offers 10% cashback on a certain day, it means that users will get 10% back of all the money they lose on bets placed on that day.
Lastly, bookmakers often reward users just for depositing at the site – even if they’re regular customers. These offers are called reload bonuses and they work the same as deposit match offers, but they’re available for every registered user. For example, an operator might offer a reload bonus on Tuesdays of up to €300, and it means that if you deposit on a Tuesday, you might get up to €300 in bonus bets.
