Best Sportsbooks for Small Bettors

Small betting is on the rise.

Some people do it because they have a limited budget and simply can’t afford to bet big.

Others enjoy the challenge of depositing a small amount of money (e.g. $5) and seeing how much they can turn it into over time.

A lot of today’s sportsbooks understand this, so they’ve made their platforms small bettor-friendly.

What we’re now starting to see is lower minimum deposits, free-play options, and bigger welcome bonuses become part of the modern sportsbook experience. This way, it keeps small bettors happy and ensures they can keep betting on their favourite sports even if they haven’t got that much money to begin with.

Not every sportsbook is like this, though, so we’re going to give you a breakdown of the best sportsbook for small bettors. This way, you can make your pick, create an account, and start placing wagers today without having to worry about financial pressure, whether you’re interested in some crazy NFL parlays or live March Madness betting.

Best Bonuses

BetOnline

$250 in Free Bets

$250 Free Bet

BetAnything

150% Bonus - Reduced Juice

150% Bonus

Bet105

Reduced Juice Lines (-105)

Deposit $100 | Get $50 Free

What Are The Best Sportsbooks for Small Bettors?

DraftKings

✓ $5 minimum deposit

✓ Up to $150 in Bonus Bets

✓ $0.10 minimum bet amount

DraftKings is top of the mountain when it comes to the best sportsbooks for small bettors. Why? It’s currently the only $5 deposit sportsbook. This was introduced less than a year ago — with DraftKings’ previous deposit deposit being set at $10 — so that the popular sportsbook Bet105 like could give itself a competitive edge over its main rival FanDuel. Essentially, DraftKings and FanDuel have been fighting it out for the main bulk of sports bettors over the past decade. But by lowering its deposit requirement to $5, DraftKings has positioned itself as the place to be for small bettors. Plus, if you bet $5 you can receive up to $150 in Bonus Bets, so all of the budget bettors out there can effectively boost their gambling wallets at no extra cost. Really, it’s a no-brainer.

Stake

✓ NO minimum deposit

✓ Rakeback Welcome Bonus

✓ $0.00001 per bet

By now, you’ve heard about Stake, right? It’s a sportsbook that launched back in 2019 and quickly caught fire throughout the early 2020s. The site landed a huge $100 million-per-year sponsorship deal with Drake, bought out all the popular Twitch streamers, and has even penned deals with the UFC and other huge companies. This has put Stake on the map, with the sportsbook itself offering NO minimum deposit. The catch is that it’s a crypto-based sportsbook, though, allowing users to deposit as little (or as much) crypto as they want to bet with. The minimum bet amount also translates to $0.00001 across all of the sports leagues that Stake covers, including the NBA, MMA, and MLB. As a small bettor, you can’t ask for much more.

FanDuel

✓ $10 minimum deposit

✓ Up to $200 in Bonus Bets

✓ $0.09 minimum bet amount

FanDuel is another great option for budget bettors, even though its minimum deposit is twice the amount that DraftKings ask for. To get started, you need to deposit $10, but after that there’s the opportunity to get up to $200 in Bonus Bets if your first wager wins. On top of this, FanDuel offers ultra-fast payouts, live betting, competitive odds, Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS), and even a rewards program (the FanDuel Players Club) if you’re looking for extra rewards. Naturally, as a budget-conscious bettor, it’s a good idea to use this club so that you can get free bets and other perks, saving you a lot of money in the long-run.

BetMGM

✓ $10 minimum deposit

✓ Up to $1,500 in Bonus Bets

✓ $0.50 minimum bet amount

BetMGM is one of the industry-leading sportsbooks and is just behind DraftKings and FanDuel when it comes to market share. BetMGM does have quite high minimum deposit ($10) and minimum bet ($0.50) amounts, but what’s interesting is that new account holders can get up to $1,500 in Bonus Bets if their first bet loses. It’s a great safety blanket to have, whether you decide to bet a low or high amount. On top of this, BetMGM’s sportsbook allows you to collect points for every $1 you wager. Even if you’re only placing low-level bets, you can still build up a nice collection of points over time and eventually redeem them for things like free bets, casino credits, and even hotel stays.

bet365

✓ $10 minimum deposit

✓ $50 in Bonus Bets

✓ $0.10 minimum bet amount

The fifth (and final) option for small bettors today is bet365. Recently, bet365 has expanded to America and wasted no time in attracting thousands of new users (the sportsbook is doing especially well in Ohio and New Jersey, where it’s the third most popular operator). What makes bet365 so attractive is because it offers extremely competitive odds, in-app live streams of sports games, and more, which are things you don’t always get with other sportsbooks. Plus, if you make the minimum deposit of $10 and wager that $10 on a legible market, you’ll then receive $50 in Bonus Bets, providing you with a much-needed budget boost which you can then use for placing smaller bets throughout the year.

Use Social Sportsbook If You Want 100% Free-Play

If you want to go a step further, there’s now even an option to use free-play social sportsbooks.

In a nutshell, these sportsbooks are designed for entertainment, as you don’t get to bet real money. Instead, you place bets using virtual ‘Gold Coins’ for free.

The idea is that you take it as a challenge to see how many Gold Coins you can collect over time, whether you’re betting on the NFL, NBA, or a range of other sports leagues.

Some of the most popular social sportsbooks at the moment include:

Fluff

Thrillzz

Rebet

And if you want to potentially win some prizes, too, you can switch to ‘Sweeps Coins’ on any of these social sportsbooks. By collecting enough Sweeps Coins, you can then exchange these coins for prizes like cash transfers, gift cards, and more.

Summary: How to Keep On Betting On Sports with a Budget

It’s time to wrap this guide up, so here’s what we recommend you do next.

If you’re on a budget — such as $10 or $20 a month for sports betting — there’s still plenty you can do. That’s why it’s a good idea to join one of the above-mentioned sportsbooks, meet the minimum deposit requirement, and then land yourself some Bonus Bets. You can spread these Bonus Bets throughout the year, bet low, and see if you can pull any profit out of them.

Alternatively, if you don’t want to bet any real money at all, join a social sportsbook. You’ve got Fliff, Thrillzz, and several other options on the table here, with each one allowing you to place bets purely for entertainment using Gold Coins. They’re perfect for new generation sports fans, too, as a lot of younger fans coming through are now no longer interested in traditional gambling.

Remember, new offers and promotions will be continuously dropping throughout the year, too. This applies to DraftKings, Stake, FanDuel, and all of the other major sites. Whenever you see a hot offer — such as $50 in Bonus Bets — take it. This way, you can keep supplementing your budget at no extra cost, which is what all the smart bettors do.

Good luck and have fun!

I (AKA CatBurg) have a lifelong passion for sports, especially football and basketball. I enjoy the thrill and excitement of sports betting and everything in between. My teams are (Packers #GoPackGo) and who I am betting on!