Sportsbooks are always looking to expand their customer base and Refer A Friend bonuses, or referral bonuses as they are sometimes called, are a great initiative for them and for you. It is extremely simple to claim, and all it requires is for you to bring in a friend, who will then make a qualifying deposit and fulfill any other requirement needed to satisfy the bonus conditions.
On this page, we will run through some of the offers out there and go through the steps one by one so that you know what you are signing up for.
How Refer A Friend Promos Really Work
Referral programs don’t work without your referred friend spending some money at the sportsbook. This is what makes it worthwhile to the betting sites, making business while enlarging their customer base. Basically, your referred friend has to be willing to top up their account at least once, and then make the next step to qualify, which is generally placing one sports bet.
Then, you should both get the rewards, and you can refer multiple friends to get even more bonuses. Some programs, such as the BetMGM referral bonus, have a monthly limit on how many friends you can refer, others may have a general maximum limit or yearly limit.
Best Refer A Friend Bonus Sportsbooks
The best sportsbooks in the USA are quite transparent with their refer-a-friend bonuses and will pay out your rewards if all the conditions are met. These sportsbooks have generous offers and don’t have 35x wagering requirements or any other harsh restrictions that reduce the value of your received bonus.
If you don’t have a betting account at any of these top sportsbooks, fear not. You can sign up within minutes and claim your welcome bonus right here. After you have verified your account, you can start sending out referral links to your friends, and start building up a nest of bonuses to be used on your next sports predictions.

BetMGM Refer A Friend Bonus
All you need to know about the BetMGM referral bonus where you can get $100 for every friend you recommend to the sportsbook.

Caesars Refer A Friend Bonus
Caesars Sportsbook has one of the best referral bonus offers going. See what it is and how you can earn cash from recommending friends.

DraftKings Refer A Friend Bonus
Get $100 for every friend you recommend to DraftKings with their excellent referral bonus program. See exactly how it works and how to claim

BetMGM Refer A Friend Bonus
All you need to know about the BetMGM referral bonus where you can get $100 for every friend you recommend to the sportsbook.

Fanatics Refer A Friend Bonus
Fanatics sportsbook has one of the best referral promos going. Learn how to get $50 for every friend you recommend to the book!

ESPN BET Refer A Friend Bonus
See how to get $50 for each friend you refer to ESPN BET and what other perks are available from the sportsbook.
Friend Referral Bonus Step-By-Step Breakdown
First, you will need to get your friend referral link, which you can find by signing into your account, opening your profile and head to the promotions page. There, you can find your unique Refer A Friend link, which you can send to your friend.
Some sportsbooks go beyond just providing you with a link. They can provide links on Twitter, Threads or other social media platforms. It doesn’t really matter which you pick, so long as you can send it to your friend, and they can follow the link. Onto the next steps.
- Send your friend the referral link
- Your friend should follow the link and sign up
- They must then place a qualifying deposit
- This is followed by meeting the next condition (for example, placing a qualifying bet)
- When the bet is settled (or the next condition is fulfilled), they must verify their account
- With a verified account and after completing the conditions, you will both receive your rewards
Verification can also be done before placing the qualifying bet. It is an important part of registration, as licensed sportsbooks need to verify the identity of all their users. This is to ensure that there are no underage users or people who are not eligible to join the sportsbook or claim the bonus.
Another important thing to note is how long your friend has to go through these steps. A lot of betting sites are quite generous in that aspect, giving referred friends 30 days to complete the qualification conditions and verify their account, but in some cases, your friend may only have 14 days, or even just a week.

A week may not cover it for some people, as they may be waiting to place a specific weekend bet or leave it all to the last minute. It is best to comply with all the requirements and get ready within a couple of days, just to ensure that you both don’t miss out on the rewards
Who is Eligible
The two most important conditions for any refer a friend bonuses is that your referred friend is of legal gambling age, and that they have never had an account with the sportsbook before. It is alright if your friend has a betting account with another sportsbook, and you refer them to a new one. But not in these scenarios:
“The referred friend used to have an account but deactivated it at Sportsbook X. Now, they want to rejoin Sportsbook X.”
“Your friend had an account with Sportsbook X, but the sportsbooks left their state. Now, your friend is living in another state and wants to sign up again.”
“Anyone on a self-exclusion register, or who has been banned, will not be accepted by the sportsbook.”
“The friend you want to refer is somehow affiliated with the sportsbook (or someone in their close family/household is).”
That is not all either. Some sportsbooks have additional eligibility clauses, ruling out close family or people living in other states. Be wary of the requirements relating to the following criteria.
- Close family or household members
- People betting out of another state
- Referral programs may not extend to specific states
Not all sportsbooks have the same requirements on these aspects. For example, the most widespread US sportsbooks, such as DraftKings, FanDuel, Caesars or BetMGM, operate in numerous American states, and your referral bonus extends beyond the state you are in. However, there may be specific states that don’t have the specific refer a friend bonuses that you want to claim.
Family members may be restricted, but not for all sportsbooks. DraftKings referral bonus, for example, have no restrictions on you referring your family members, so long as they are of legal gambling age, are not on an exclusion register, and have not had an account at DraftKings before.
Qualifying Conditions for Refer A Friend Bonuses
So you have a few friends who are fully eligbile to join your sportsbook, now let’s check out what they need to do to claim the refer a friend bonuses. Firstly, they will need to make a qualifying deposit after creating an account. There may be some restrictions or specific instructions on their deposits, such as the following.
- Your friend must observe minimum deposit limits, for example: “minimum $5 deposit betting sites“
- The referral bonus may have conditions, such as: “only bank cards or PayPal deposits“
- Be mindful of the time your friend has to make the deposit, for example: “within 7 days”

The qualifying bet to be made afterward will have some conditions, mostly relating to what types of wager you can place, the betting odds, and other requirements.
- The odds must be X or higher
- You have to place X amount of money on your wager
- The number of wagers may be fixed (ie, only 1 wager of X amount of money)
- You cannot place player bets/props/outrights/live or in-play bets
- Hedging or matched betting is not allowed
- Cashed out bets are not eligible for qualification
- Voided bets do not count
- Parlays/SGP/round robins bets are not eligible
- Additional bonuses (odds boosts, profit boosts) cannot be used in conjunction with the qualifying bet
The surest way to qualify is to place a pregame wager using a standard betting market, such as moneylines, totals or spreads. Don’t cash out the bet, or make a hedge bet against the first bet. Most sportsbooks frown on arbitrage betting, hedge or matched betting practices, so your referred friend has to avoid these to comply with the qualification requirements. Also, it is best to avoid parlay betting. While these may be allowed, your parlay returns or odds may contrast the limits of the betting conditions.
Bets become void when the conditions of the wager are no longer applicable, such as when the game is called off because of rain. It is not your fault or the sportsbook’s fault, but it can happen, albeit extremely rarely. That is another reason why we say get your bets in nice and early – that way you cannot miss out on the bonus in the given time period.
Types of Rewards Friend Referrals Offer
There are numerous ways sportsbooks can reward you for successfully bringing in a friend. The most common refer-a-friend bonuses are either bonus bets or cash bonuses.
With bonus bets, you will receive a bonus stake that you can use to fund your next wager. You are not playing to win the stake, but to get the rewards on the given stake. Here is an example:
You claim your $100 refer-a-friend bonus bet. It is placed on a spread bet at -110, and you win. Instead of getting $190.91, you will receive $90.91. This is the returns without the bonus $100 stake.
Bonus cash can be spread out across numerous wagers, but it will have wagering conditions for you to observe. This bonus will only become real cash when you have used it in wagers and cleared the playthrough requirements.
Your sportsbook gifts you a $100 refer a friend cash bonus. The playthrough requirement is 1x, which means you need to spend the $100 on your bets just once. Whatever the bonus cash wins is yours to keep. If the playthrough requirements are 35x (which is common at offshore sportsbooks), then you would need to wager the equivalent of $35,000. This means, turning over the money 35x and whatever still remains is yours.
Some sportsbooks offer other perks, such as Caesars Sportsbook gifting Reward Credits on its lucrative Rewards Program.

These rewards go above and beyond simple bonus bets or extra funds for your next sports wagers. Reward Credits in the Caesars Sportsbook can benefit you in more ways than one, offering discounts on stays at Caesars Hotels, perks at land-based casinos, and all sorts of additional online betting incentives.
