PointsBet Online Sportsbook Sign Up Codes & Review

PointsBet first launched in the US in New Jersey in January 2019, through a partnership with Meadowlands Racetrack. The company is based in Australia, and in addition to having very good fixed odds pricing and a sign up code, PointsBet has brought a unique type of high-risk, high-reward sports betting to the U.S. that it calls “PointsBetting.”

After extensive testing, we give PointsBet Sportsbook extremely high marks overall. There are areas for improvement, of course, but the excellent user experience on both mobile app and desktop, combined with the great pricing and overall betting options, make this a very desirable legal online sportsbook.

In what states is PointsBet Sportsbook legal?

PointsBet is expanding aggressively in the US, most recently going live in Ohio in January 2023. Currently, PointsBet Sportsbook is legal and accepting action in the following states:

PointsBet bonus package – Get up to $1000 in Bonus Bets!

PointsBet Sportsbook has launched a special new sportsbook bonus that allows new customers to claim up to $1,000 in bonus bets. Here’s how you can claim your bonus bets from PointsBet.

For this PointsBet ‘second chance’ promotion, If a qualifying wager loses, Points will credit the user with ‘second chance’ bets equal to the amount of that lost wager.

However, in this case, it’s bets (plural!). Instead of your very first wager having the ‘second chance’ opportunity applied to it, it’s your first ten wagers, on ten consecutive days. Each second chance bet is capped at $100, but applied over the ten-day period can equal up to $1,000 in second chance bets.

New players only, 21+. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER. Available in CO, IA, and OH only. Full T&C apply.

Let’s look at an example

So let’s say you sign up with PointsBet Sportsbook on Monday morning and make your first bet on the Monday Night NFL game. If it wins, you’ve cashed your bet and are good to go. If it loses, PointsBet will credit you with second chance bets equaling the amount of that first wager, up to the max of $100… and then you get to do it again the next day. You can place another bet on Tuesday and PointsBet will refund that wager up to $100 if it loses. And again on Wednesday (day 3), Thursday (day 4), and Friday (day 5), and so on. Keep in mind you only stand to receive the ‘second chance’ bonus bets on your very first wager of each day.

What are PointsBet bonus terms to remember?

First, no PointsBet Sportsbook Promo code is required to capitalize on this offer. As long as you use one of our links here on this page, you’ll hit our landing page and are good to go. Next, the offer breaks down into essentially 10 x $100 ‘second chance’ bets over ten consecutive days. If you made your first bet on a Sunday, and didn’t bet on Monday, you’ve missed out on one of your ten potential second-chance opportunities.

Also be mindful that when used, PointsBet second chance bets only pay out winnings – not the original stake. So a $100 bonus bet placed at +100 odds would return $100 if it wins. A normal wager with cash in the same amount and odds would return $200 ($100 stake + $100 winnings). Also consider that:

• PointsBet second chance bets expire after 7 days.
• Second chance bonus bets may take up to 24 hours to hit your account after bet settlement.
• PointsBet is known for PointsBetting – but bonus bets cannot be used on PointsBetting wagers.
• Bonus bets can’t be cashed out early.
• Your PointsBet bonus bets can be split up, but only into quarters. For example, if you received a $100 second chance bet – you can divide that up into 4 x $25 second chance bets. That’s as far as you can divide it, though. You could not do 5 x $20 bonus bets.

PointsBet Sportsbook basics

Some basics for starters, you must be located in a state where PointsBet is legal in order to bet real money at the book. The law requires that PointsBet (and other licensed sportsbooks) use geo-tracking technology to make sure players are physically inside the state. You must also be 21 years old in most states to use legal U.S. online sportsbooks.

PointsBet offers a robust menu of sports betting options — for the most part, similar kinds of wagers and that you’d find at other U.S. sports betting sites and available with regulated operators overseas, with some added creativity. Here’s what you’ll see, all of them discussed in greater detail below in the “betting options” section.

• Live and in-game wagering
• Moneyline
• Spreads and totals (fixed odds on team and game totals, quarters, halves, etc.)
• Alternate spreads and totals
• Props: player, team, and scoring props
• Futures: such as who will win the World Series, NBA MVP, and over/under NFL win totals, for example
• PointsBetting: discussed in detail below.
• Multipliers: discussed in detail below.

Overall it’s an appealing and impressive book that brings something different to the table; of course that something different is high-risk and potentially high-reward, and should be understood and appreciated as such. In other words, it can be a wild ride, so bet wisely.

The app and web-platforms are fast, smooth, intuitive, and easy to learn. The sportsbook has a contemporary and professional design that rivals FanDuel’s as the best in the U.S. online sports betting market. There’s no clutter and account information is clear and accessible. We really like the look of this sportsbook and give it a high recommendation.

PointsBet mobile app

Notes:

• Availability: The app is available on both Android and iOS systems.
• Speed: It’s super fast (best to use on WiFi).
• Stability: Testing repeatedly on an Android system, we found the app maintained its level of performance consistently. The app did not crash or stall during any of our testing.
• View: Game spreads, totals and moneylines are displayed in one single frame, so you don’t have to toggle through different dropdowns as in other sportsbooks, which is annoying and can get you lost.
• Bet Slip: Make your pick, then you’ll get a menu showing the wager (so you can be sure), and underneath you can use the premade increments (from 50 cents to $500), and either add to your betslip for a parlay, or just continue going through the slate of games or menu.
• ‘Bet Now’: You can also choose to “bet now,” which bypasses the usual confirmation process. It’s helpful if you’re betting in-game and want to make sure you get place the bet in time.
• Quick Parlay: Easily pick legs of a parlay (moneyline, spread, and over/under) from a list of upcoming games. Nice option for those interested in parlays.
• Design: Account-related and functional screens are easily accessible and give identical information on the app and web platform. Hit your username on the web or your balance and the arrow on the app, and you will see a dropdown showing:
  • Your balance
  • Bonus bets available
  • Rewards balance

• Deposit options: Multiple funding options are available, more if you use our PointsBet sign up code.
• Account details
• Transaction History
  • Pending bets
  • Settled bets
  • Account history (sortable, showing bets made and details on the bet by hovering over, without having to scour through sub-menus, deposits, withdrawals)

• Withdrawal option
• Log out

Overall it’s a breeze and stands out from competitors.

Web platform

It’s pretty much a mirror image of the app, with a broader display showing more of the menus in one view. And it’s fast. If you’ve used the app, you should be able to easily navigate the web version. The platform is stable and didn’t stall or crash during any of our testing. Not much else to say here that isn’t covered in other sections.

Pricing and betting options at PointsBet

Pricing on fixed odds markets is very good. During the NFL season, we often found reduced juice on NFL games: -105 on both sides, though most were -110. For regular season basketball, they post standard 20-cent lines with -110 both sides or -105 and -115. Moneylines were generally comparable with the other best-priced options, but MLB runline bets had wide-ranging spreads that ran from -105/-115 all the way to +145/-171.

From our testing, in-play wager pricing showed 20-cent lines almost all around (mostly -110). Compare that with DraftKings, which has in-play pricing anywhere from 25 to 30 cents or even higher. For example, -119 and -112.

PointsBet’s moneyline in-game pricing is generally commensurate with what you see on pre-game pricing.

Parlay pricing is standard: +265 on two-leggers and +595 on three (assuming -110 individual wagers). As for teasers, while PointsBet has said that traditional teasers will be coming in the near future, you cannot right now bet traditional teasers, such as 4 or 5 points basketball teasers, 6 points football or otherwise. What you can do, also an option at other books, is navigate to “Pick Your Own” menus for most games and basically construct homemade teasers/parlays, by combining multiple alternative spreads. PointsBet has added in-game parlay betting to their extensive repertoire of betting options as well.

For example, the spread might be Raptors -7.5 (-110) with an available alternate spread at Raptors -3.5 (-200). And then the Thunder are -4.5 (-110), which can be taken to +1.5 (-223).  Combine these, and the resulting “2-leg parlay” gets priced at +118, or bet $10 to win $11.80.

Pricing on futures bets is pretty consistent with what you’ll see elsewhere. Some future markets showed better odds, and in some cases, lower odds. For example, for World Series futures, we found that both DraftKings and FanDuel were offering slightly better odds on the frontrunners. This just depends on exposure and perhaps the book’s position, so as always, best to shop around.

Betting options

• Live and in-game wagering: The live menus update quickly it is easy to enter a wager quickly, which is essential in live betting. PointsBet also recently added in-game parlays!
• Moneyline wagers
• Fixed odds on spreads and totals (team, quarters, halves, etc.)
• Alternate spreads and totals
• Parlays
• Props (player, team and scoring props)
  • Player assists, player rebounds, player points (individually)
  • Kawhi Leonard under 38.5 points * rebounds * assists (-115)
  • Pascal Siakam to get a double-double (+210)
  • Chris Paul to get 14+ points and Rockets to win (-112)
  • Player to score the most points amongst a field of options, including for example James Harden -400 and Brandon Ingram +3300
• Futures: Such as who will win the World Series, NBA MVP, and over/under NFL win totals, for example. Other examples include team win total over/under, or individual futures such as Corey Kluber (+800) to have the most wins among pitchers.
  • PointsBet has offered NFL Draft futures and a full menu of Oscars betting, indicating they’re willing to offer as many options as regulators will allow
  • Some other pretty creative markets you’ll find are: Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole to combine for 500+ strikeouts (+110), and Aaron Nola to win 20+ games
• PointsBetting:  Referenced above, discussed in detail below
• Multipliers: As PointsBet explains in an example, if you think two football teams are going to score a lot of points, instead of just betting the Over on fixed odds, you can bet a “multiplier,” which is a kind of PointsBetting. For example, the outcome of one such multiplier bet, on a $10 wager, may be calculated by multiplying both teams’ total points scored. So let’s say the Saints score 20 and the Rams 30, that’s 600. If you bet the Over on 560 total points, you’d be a winner by a margin of 40. You bet $10, that would return you $400. And of course if the the score was 36 to 20, that’s 520, that’s also a margin of 40, and you’d lose $400 in that case.
  • Other examples of multiplier markets:
    • Player points multiples (Q1 pts multiplied by Q2 points)
    • Paul George * Donovan Mitchell cross points  (Under 688, Over 792)
    • Player rushing yards * player receiving yards

What is PointsBetting?

This will be a new concept for most U.S. bettors. PointsBetting works on a scale that rewards or penalizes bettors relative to where the number lands — whether it’s the spread, total points, player yardage, etc.  For example, if you use PointsBetting to take the Over on Warriors’ total points at 113, and they score 123, you would win 10x your wager (the difference between 113 and the final 123).

If your wager was $5, x10 means you’d win $50. But if the Warriors scored only 103 points, you would lose $50. Now if the game went to overtime and the Warriors ended up dropping 143, you’d win 30x your wager on the $5 bet, or $150 (with a caveat that you may limit your potential loss and win, discussed below).

Recall that you can initiate yourself to this style of wagering if you use a PointsBet sign up code. Half of that offer is designed to let you figure how to bet this way.

Basic overview and PointsBetting options

Separate from basic PointsBetting offerings on standard fare such as game totals and game spreads (or half or quarter spreads), you can PointsBet on such propositions as:

• LeBron James total points: Under 27 or Over 28.5
• LeBron James total points * assists * rebounds: Under 2,181 or Over 2,509
• Kyle Kuzma points * rebounds: Under 101 or Over 117
• Chicago Blackhawks performance (Under 28, Over 32): It’s a bet on this team’s overall performance in the game, with 25 points awarded for a win and 5 points per goal scored by this team.
  • For example, a bet on Over 30 means that if the team wins and scores 4 goals, the bet results at 50 and you win 18 times your wager (Over 32). So a $10 wager would win $180).
• Other generic examples of PointsBetting markets:
  • Player shooting percentages (field goal %, free Throw %, 3Pt %, etc.)
  • Time of first basket by player (90 seconds)
  • Quarterback completion %
  • Time of first touchdown (in seconds)
  • Longest made FG distance in feet
  • Time in minutes played for players to pass 5pts/10pts/15pts etc.

The sky is pretty much the limit here. Sort through the options, do your homework, and choose your own adventure.

• Note 1: If you’re betting a player prop, and your players gets injured, in an individual PointsBet or a multiplier, you’re in trouble. Because it’s not binary O/U: You’re going to lose by a big margin. Of course, you can cap your loss or potential win.
• Note 2: There’s no vig on losing wagers. Meaning if you bet $10 and your pick loses by 3 points, you’ll drop $30, not $33.
• Note 3: There is a gap between the O/U that decreases or increases in size depending on the range of outcomes. So you’ll be starting a bit behind on these PointsBets. This is just part of the house advantage.
• Note 4: From a personal perspective, one of our staff members focuses on NFL and the MLB, and probably will not wade into PointsBetting in his “secondary” sports. One way he’ll get some long-term excitement out of PointsBetting is by studying all the MLB teams and betting Over or Under on their team totals. So this is basically a futures bet that won’t settle until late September. If he picks Yankees over 94 and they reach that with 10 games to go, on a $50 bet, he’s got 10 shots to win $50.

How to protect and build your bankroll PointsBetting?

“Stop loss” and corresponding “cap” on winnings: For PointsBetting, you’ll have the ability to reduce your potential losses on a wager. This feature is accessible with an adjustable bar.

For example: Suppose you backed Minnesota -5 and you set a “stop loss” at 12 points on a $5 wager. If they lost by 20 points on the spread, you wouldn’t lose 20 times your wager. You would lose only 12x (or $60), thanks to the “stop loss.” But note that the stop loss margin also acts as the cap win margin, so if Minnesota won by the same range, your win would getting capped at 12x the bet.

Withheld amount

When you make a PointsBet, your potential win or loss is variable. The range of outcomes might be 50 yards (points) Over 90 yards receiving for Odell Beckham Jr. or 50 yards (points) Under 90. Suppose you bet $10. You might lose $500 (if he records 40 yards receiving or less) or win $500 (if he reaches 140). At the time of placing the bet, however, you won’t need to have a full $500 (the potential loss) deducted from your account. Rather, it would be something more like $300, or 60 percent of the maximum total exposure ($500 loss).

This withheld amount is based on previous statistics and historical results of that particular market in order to cover nearly all possible results. Each market has different volatility and range of results which affects the withheld amount. Note that the withheld amount cannot exceed what you have in your account; in other words, the account cannot go into the negative.

Closing thoughts on PointsBetting from Sports Handle contributor Steve Morris

“There’s a certain satisfaction to playing ‘action points’ compared to traditional point spread plays.   Point spreads and totals bets are binary; either you win or lose and close doesn’t count. As in you lay 9.5, your team wins by 9; you lose.  Action Points are more like a stock trade — if you’re right you get rewarded and conversely, you don’t. If the game lands close to the spread or total, your result will be commensurately small.  And if you’re spot-on in your handicapping, by a big margin, you’ll have a big payday.”

“I’d like for the action points model to succeed and look forward to it spreading to other jurisdictions. It’s most laudatory for PointsBet and U.S. regulators to develop, offer and allow other types of bets and betting models besides the traditional point-spreads, sides, and totals. This includes the recent DraftKings handicapping tournament, warts and all, which, with a few adjustments and better management, can be a wildly successful recurring event.”

PointsBet Sportsbook App in Canada

As you may have heard, single-game sports betting was recently legalized in Canada. Prior to the passage of C-218 by Parliament, single-game wagering was not legal but wasn’t explicitly illegal either, resulting in a legal gray area that many offshore sportsbooks took advantage of.

C-218 makes clear that each province has the authority to fully legalize sports betting and regulate it as they see fit. Most provinces in Canada are doing just that, beginning with Ontario, which legalized single-game wagering and began the licensing process for sportsbooks wanting to open up shop in the province.

The PointsBet app procured a license and launched, complete with a sign up code, on April 4, 2022, the date set by the province.

User experience

Separate from the features described in the above sections, we have some additional observations about the PointsBet online sportsbook user experience. You can chat 24/7 with a real, human person. The chat function works well on both the web and mobile versions. The queue wasn’t long — not more than 3 people or a 5-minute wait in the tests we conducted — and the agents were responsive and helpful.

PointsBet has been known for aggressively offering a variety of promotions daily. This Includes freebies from the “Karma Committee.” For example, when Duke’s Zion Williamson went out with an exploded Nike sneaker in the first minute of a Duke-North Carolina tilt years ago, PointsBet refunded all Duke spread and ML wagers and Zion prop bets.  They did this not only for their own users, but offered a bonus equal to wager up to $100 for newcomers — for bets made at other legal NJ online books. (Notice the image shows a losing ticket from DraftKings.)

Other promotions on PointsBet

Other types of promos include instant (early) payouts on moneyline wagers if a certain team mounts a big enough lead. For football this might mean 14+ points. Or it could be on a futures market: PointsBet once paid out bets on James Harden to win 2019 NBA MVP about three months prior to the end of the season (he ended up winning MVP that year).

One more promo example: “No juice” has offered no juice spread lines in the past on certain teams or events, with a max wager on those offerings of $200. So, on a $200 wager, that’s a potential extra $18 win at even money versus a -110 price, for which a $200 bet would return about $182.

Something else we haven’t seen at other sportsbooks: PointsBet has allowed users to actually cancel a bet. Per site terms & conditions: “A bet can be canceled as long as a request is made via 833-338-PBET. All cancelation requests must occur within 15 minutes of placing the bet, and are at the discretion of the PointsBet management team.” We’re not aware of any other legal books where you can do this, so if you fat-finger a wager, it’s nice to have a way to get out of it if you catch it in time.

PointsBet also offers a “betting preview’ for certain games, basically a matchup preview. If you’re coming in cold and just want some basic intel on the game, it’s nice to have the quick primer.

Finally, “rewards points”: For every $5 in fixed wagers, you get one point redeemable for bonus bets.  For example, $5,000 dollars wagered would be 1,000 points, which corresponds to a $10.00 bonus bet. For PointsBets and parlays it’s 1:1. So, you get one bonus point for every dollar wagered. You’re betting anyways, so it’s nice to rack up these points for additional bonus bets for later.

Banking options

Banking options may vary per state and include:

• ACH/eCheck: Pretty easy to deposit with ACH via your online bank system. Link up your bank once and you can use it and re-use it for both deposits and withdrawals. Once we linked up an account after our PointsBet signup, making a deposit after the initial one was very, very fast and easy. Likewise, a withdrawal hit the account about 36 hours after requested.
• PayPal: You probably already have a PayPal account. Now you can use it to make deposits at PointsBet.
• Credit and debit card: Deposit with your Visa or MasterCard, although some issuers may still opt to decline. You’re more likely to have success with a debit card/checking account.
• PointsBet Card: Basically you apply for a Mastercard through a bank, subject to deposit limits and withdrawal requirements. We have not yet attempted to fund our wallet this way.
• Online banking transfer: Only available if you can set up Bill Pay through your bank. Eligible banks include Bank of America, Chase, Wells Fargo, PNC Bank, USAA, and more. For this method, you don’t even have to provide an ACH number; simply log-in through your bank portal from the PointsBet interface and conduct the transaction from there.