There are few spectacles on the sports calendar like the NBA Finals. With pro basketball being as beloved as it is across the country, NBA online betting is extremely popular throughout the entire season, culminating with a huge amount of betting action on the championship series.
Whether you’re an avid bettor who is placing bets every night, or you’re new to the scene and just want a deeper rooting interest in the games, there’s no better time than the NBA Finals.
The Finals are the climax of one of the busiest times of the year for sportsbooks, and it’s also the time that online betting sites in New Jersey and over a dozen other states with mobile wagering offer as many bonuses and promotions as ever.
All customers benefit from the amenities offered by online betting sites around this time of the year and we’re going to show you how by detailing the NBA Finals betting bonuses and promotions you may come across.
When you sign up for a sportsbook, there are a few boxes that your preferred site needs to check off. The list includes but is not limited to: a generous welcome offer, a variety of promotions, beneficial odds for the player, and reliable customer service.
We’ve done some digging into which online sportsbooks offer these things to their customers, and the following sites are sure to impress:
If you aren’t in a state with legal online sports betting, you can place legal sports picks at FendOff Sports. Read our FendOff Sports review for more information and get our exclusive welcome bonus below:
The first step to receiving a welcome bonus is signing up for an online sportsbook. Once your account is created, you’ll automatically be eligible to receive the bonus offered by that specific site.
To get started, you will need to reach the registration page. There are a few ways to do that including one of the following:
After you have completed your signup, the bonus for that sportsbook will be activated. If receiving a no deposit bonus, it will appear instantly in your account. Deposit matches appear following your initial deposit, and bonus bets will be awarded following your first wager, should it wind up in a loss. Now, let’s dig deeper into the specifics of each type of bonus.
Any bettor will tell you that one of the great things about signing up for an online sportsbook is claiming a welcome bonus that is offered by the site. These bonuses are incentives for the site to attract new players but can also put bettors on the road to profits from the very beginning, so they work for both sides.
NBA betting bonuses are available year-round but when the Finals arrive, some sportsbooks enhance or change their offers to something new and even better, making this a perfect time to sign up. All of these bonuses involve the sportsbook offering site credit to the player and this can happen in a variety of ways, it just depends on the type of bonus.
Generally, there are three different types of NBA playoff betting bonuses including no deposit bonuses, deposit matches, and bonus bets. Below, we will go into further detail about all three before explaining how best to use your newfound site credit.
A no deposit bonus is awarded just for creating a new account. Once registration is complete, a no deposit bonus appears on the player’s balance and is available for use on a huge range of NBA Finals markets including the same game parlays (if offered) and props.
Although no deposit bonuses are usually for $50 or less, these rewards are the closest thing you can get to free money and they can lead to profits without the bettor needing to wager any of their own funds.
These bonuses are less common than deposit matches or bonus bets but when one arises, it’s always a good idea to take advantage if you don’t already have an account at that specific site.
First deposit bonuses, also known as deposit matches, are debatably the best bonus out there because this is how the player gets the most funds possible to bet with. A deposit match involves the sportsbook matching the player’s initial investment a percentage of the way up to a certain amount.
Some sportsbooks only match a small percentage but many sites with this offer will match the entire way. For example, a common offer would be a 100 percent match up to $500. This means that if you deposit $500 or less, the site will match that amount in the form of site credit.
These bonuses can be used on a wide range of NBA betting markets. Even though site credit isn’t returned to the account when wagered, deposit match bonuses offer plenty of chances to earn a profit while spending the sportsbook’s funds and not your own.
The third bonus type is a bonus bet, which involves the sportsbook offering a reimbursement in site credit if the player’s very first wager on the site winds up in a loss. The amount of a bonus bet depends on the sportsbook but many of these offers are in the $500 to $1,000 range
It’s a very simple offer to understand. After signing up and depositing, you place your first bet. If that initial wager loses, the site will refund your account in site credit up to a certain amount. This minimizes the risk of that very first bet and allows you to go for a large payout, knowing a refund could be waiting for you in a worst-case scenario.
Another great thing about receiving bonuses is that even though they are awarded in site credit, you can still use them on just about anything you want.
There is a massive range of betting markets for the NBA Finals, more than the regular season and more than the postseason. Nearly all of them are eligible to be wagered on with the site credit you receive from a welcome offer. The choices include but are not limited to:
Between conventional moneylines, spreads, and totals, in addition to the seemingly endless amount of prop choices, there are literally hundreds of individual betting options for every single game of the finals.
It’s worth noting that bets placed with site credit are not returned to your sportsbook account if you win, as only the profits will be reflected in the account balance. Knowing you aren’t getting the site credit back, maximizing the potential payout you can receive with it is something we’d advise. That’s where parlays come in, whether your site credit comes from a no deposit bonus, a bonus bet, or a deposit match.
When betting parlays, a small investment can equal a large reward. And since bettors aren’t using their own cash when spending bonus funds, it is worth the risk to take a bigger payout. With a deposit bonus, you may have hundreds of dollars in site credit. This means you can divide your bonus into various wager types that may include multiple parlays or props with juicy odds.
While signup offers are always amazing to receive, they aren’t the only bonus that can be received by belonging to an online sportsbook. Even existing customers are treated to benefits such as NBA playoff betting promotions that are offered throughout the postseason in a variety of ways.
Promotions during the NBA Finals will vary depending on the site but you can be sure that with a little digging, you can find something you want to take advantage of. Bonus Bets, profit boosts, and parlay insurance are among the many options you will find at online sportsbooks across the United States.
Below, we go site by site to offer examples of what you may come across, and we will continue to add promotions as they become available.
BetMGM NBA Finals Promotions
At BetMGM, it could not be easier to make a profit around NBA Finals time if you’re a new customer. All new bettors need to do is place a $1 wager on any market and earn $100 in bonus bets if (and when) either team makes a three-pointer!
FanDuel NBA Finals Promotions
FanDuel is constantly offering insurance for its same-game parlays all season long, and nothing changes during the NBA Finals. Last year, bettors were refunded up to $10 in site credit if a same-game parlay missed by just one leg. The parlay must be at least three legs and its total odds must be +200 or longer.
FanDuel comes up with great ways to offer customers the chance to enhance profits, and the final basket bonus is a perfect example. All bettors need to do is place a pregame moneyline wager on either side. If your team wins and the last basket of the game is a three-pointer, you can automatically double your winnings up to $50!
Place a pregame moneyline wager and if the last basket of the game is a three-pointer, double your winnings (max $50).
DraftKings NBA Finals Promotions
DraftKings is known for offering odds boosts to its players and that courtesy extends to the NBA Finals with this first basket promotion. When bettors place a wager on which team will score the first basket of the game, the odds are boosted to +150! With those kinds of odds for a 50/50 chance, it’s too good to pass up.
Professional basketball isn’t exactly the easiest thing to handicap, especially once the postseason arrives and most of the remaining teams are of pretty high quality. Keep the following in mind when wagering on the NBA Finals:
Since there is only one game to wager on during the finals, bettors are forced to look elsewhere for additional options. That is where prop bets come in. There are dozens of markets and hundreds of options for every game from player points, rebounds, and assists to the total amount of 1st quarter points one team will score, and everything in between.
It may take a little bit of research to find the perfect player or market to go after, but there’s value in props around finals time and it can turn into a profitable venture.
The same game parlay (SGP) can be placed at several sportsbooks every day of the regular season, but they take on a new significance when there’s only one game in town. These SGPs allow you to put multiple markets into the same wager and a huge payout can come from a small investment.
The public enjoys the same game parlays because they have the potential to be profitable and they are versatile. A spread can be combined with props or totals, and multiple props can be added into the same bet. There is an endless number of possibilities with this one.
Inevitably, you will see content that makes compelling arguments for betting on either side of the spread and total. There are enough stats out there to analyze these games any way you want, and pundits, betting experts, and people on social media are sure to all have their own opinion. Even if there seemed to be a consensus, you are going to be forced to do some of the work to figure out the smartest bet.
In addition to team and player statistics, take into the account the betting line and how it’s moved since the time it was posted. Combining that with the side that the public is on can help you decide which way to go.
For a more comprehensive look at how to go about placing wagers on pro basketball, you can visit our NBA betting strategy page.