March Madness is upon us, and Illinois online sportsbooks are bringing the goods when it comes to betting promotions and bonuses.
There are now seven mobile sportsbooks in the state, most of which have no-brainer sign-up offers for new customers. There are also some bonuses for existing customers.
The First Four is underway, and the main action will tip-off on Thursday. Then, we will have arguably the greatest four-day sprint on the US sports calendar, and you can bet on the March Madness action in IL.
Let’s get to the offers.
$1,000 bonus bet at BetMGM
BetMGM Illinois is the newest sportsbook in the state, and new users can earn a bonus bet of up to $1,000 upon signing up.
Up to $1,500 in Bonus Bets if Your First Bet Doesn't Win* *Bonus Bets Expire in 7 Days. One New Customer Offer Only. Add’l terms. 21+. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER Use Bonus Code: PLAYIL
Here’s how it works: You make a deposit. Let’s say you put $100 into your account. You can bet $100 on a March Madness game, and if the wager hits, you keep the profit as usual.
If you lose, you get another chance at a bet at no cost.
DraftKings sign up offer, Gonzaga boost for current users
DraftKings Sportsbook has offers for new and existing customers.
First, for the newbies: If you make a deposit of $5 into your DraftKings account, you can bet that on any team (moneyline) and win $200 in bonus bets.
There is no restriction on which game you choose. So yes, you can choose the biggest favorite on the board if you’d like.
The bonus will be paid out in eight $25 bets and must be used within seven days of issuance.
And as mentioned, there is also an offer for existing customers. DraftKings has boosted the Gonzaga moneyline to even (+100) in its matchup against Georgia State. Without the boost, Gonzaga is -10,000 to win.
The maximum bet is $50. So unless Georgia State pulls a UMBC, there is a good chance to net $50 here.
Turn $5 into $150 at FanDuel
At FanDuel Sportsbook, new users can bet $5 to win $150 in site credit on a March Madness game regardless of if their bet wins or loses.
Simple as that.
The $150 is not immediately withdrawable, but once you bet the $150, you can withdraw any of your winnings.
bonus bets at PointsBet
PointsBet in Illinois is offering new users bonus bets of up to $2,000.
The process is a bit different than BetMGM, however. You can earn one bonus bet of up to $500 with fixed (or normal) odds, plus a bonus wager of up to $1,500 if you use the points betting feature. If you’re curious about what points betting is, you can learn more about it here.
Be extra careful with the points betting feature, as it offers the opportunity for huge wins or huge losses.
There is also a bonus bet promotion for new and existing users. If you place a $50 or higher pregame bet on a March Madness game, you will get a $20 free live bet.
This promotion applies until the title game, so there is the potential to earn $100 in free live bets.
