Overall Grade: 4.3/5

PointsBet is a strong option for bettors who like risky bets. Its two $500 risk-free bets give new bettors the chance to take risks early on. It offers convenient online options and middle-of-the-road odds. It has many sports and wagers available, including its signature PointsBetting option. With strong customer service in place, PointsBet can cater to all its new users.

If you want to try bigger and riskier bets with larger rewards, create a PointsBet account and take advantage of what they have to offer.

Related: Read our sports betting guide if you’re new to sports betting.

Sign-Up Bonus

$500 Risk-Free Bet on First Fixed-Odds Bet

$500 Risk-Free Bet on First PointsBetting Bet

Sign-Up Bonus Grade: 4/5

PointsBet’s sign-up bonus improves on the standard risk-free bet. It’s advertised as a $1,000 risk-free bet. However, it’s split into two $500 risk-free bets. It offers bettors $500 on the first standard fixed-odds bet and $500 on PointsBet’s signature PointsBetting wager.

But those $500 risk-free bets aren’t completely risk-free. Bettors must wager their own money first. If you win, then you can go on their merry way. But if you lose, PointsBet will refund your stake. So, if you bet $50 and lost, then PointsBet would give you $50 back in site credits.

However, many bettors leave money on the table by planning their first bet poorly. If you bet $50, you could’ve gotten $450 in site credits back instead of $50. If you want to plan a risk-free bet, wait until you can put a lot of money down upfront so you can get as many site credits back to wager again.

$500 is a moderate risk-free bet size. FanDuel increased its risk-free bet from $500 to $1,000. But PointsBet beats smaller risk-free bets out that max out at $250. $500 is a good amount of money for bettors to wager with – especially if a long-shot underdog comes through. But if you’re going to take advantage of this bonus, plan ahead.

Legal States of Operation

Legal States	Casino Partners	Launch Date
Colorado	Double Eagle Casino	November 2020
Illinois	Hawthorne Race Course	September 2020
Indiana	Hollywood Casino	March 2020
Iowa	Catfish Bend Casino	August 2019
New Jersey	Bally’s Atlantic City	January 2019

Sign-Up Process and Payment Options Grade: 4/5

PointsBet makes signing up for a sportsbook account easy. First, you have to choose the state your account will be set in. PointsBet will check to make sure you’re in that state when you try to place a bet. The rest of the sign-up process includes entering basic personal information and the last four digits of your social security number. That lets PointsBet make sure they send money to legal bettors. It’s how they know whether you’ve put yourself on the self-exclusion list, too. It’s a normal part of sportsbook registration.

After you have an account, you can begin betting. PointsBet has four deposit options:

• Online banking
• PayNearMe
• PayPal
• Advanced checking/E-check

Three of them are convenient online options. PayNearMe is a cash deposit option at participating convenience stores. It’s not a great pandemic option, but it’s available if you really want to go outside. However, PointsBet’s withdrawal options are more limited:

• Online banking
• Advanced checking/E-check
• Cash withdrawal at cage–only available in some states

Sportsbooks always have fewer withdrawal options than deposit options. The penalties for awarding money to someone they’re not supposed to can be substantial. They can include fines and jail time. So, sportsbooks are picky about how they give money back to bettors. PointsBet must be careful not to become an accidental money launderer, after all.

Odds Value Grade: 4/5

PointsBet has okay odds. It doesn’t specialize in one side of the line or one sport or league. But its odds can fluctuate from some of the best odds to some of the worst. Here are some of its middle-ground odds:

	Spike Carlyle	Bill Algeo
PointsBet	-170	+135
DraftKings	-162	+130
FanDuel	-168	+136
BetMGM	-176	+145
Fox Bet	-175	+125
BetRivers	-162	+130
Betfred Sports	-180	+140
William Hill	-165	+140

PointsBet has a balanced approach to its lines. Its odds on the favorite and underdog are both middle-of-the-road. That’s because it’s only expecting to take a moderate amount of profit off this line. Here’s its expected profit compared to some of its competitors:

	Profit Margin
PointsBet	5.23%
DraftKings	5.04%
FanDuel	4.82%
BetMGM	4.38%
Fox Bet	7.48%
BetRivers	5.04%
Betfred Sports	5.62%
William Hill	3.78%

Once again, PointsBet is in the middle of its competitors. It’s expecting to take a little more than 5% on this line, which beats out all the 4% options easily. However, Fox Bet is taking the most off the top of this line. That means PointsBet is balancing its expected profit against competitive odds for its bettors.

User Experience Grade: 4.5/5

PointsBet is another sportsbook that makes it pretty easy to get around. The app opens to a page of featured bets. Its layout is especially friendly to bettors interested in live in-game betting. From the home screen, bettors can flip between featured, in-play bets, and the next games coming up. It’s a natural progression for bettors who want to see where the next live games are. Bettors can filter through the different sports to narrow their choices down, too.

You can also find PointsBet’s quick parlay feature at the bottom of the app. It gives bettors the option to build their own parlay bets. Parlay bets are made of multiple bets that all have to win. PointsBet puts the high-risk, high-reward bets upfront. Of course, the A-Z sports list and the bet slip are at the bottom too.

Its biggest weakness is its cluttered menu tab. The top section lists the different sportsbook sections. The bottom section lists the help and contact menus. But the middle is a mess. It lists the featured sports, but they don’t seem to be in any discernible order. It’s a mix of different types of bets, sports, and leagues. You can skip the menu section for most navigation and stick with the navigational tools at the bottom of the screen.

Available Sports and Wagers Grade: 4.5/5

PointsBet offers mainstream sports that anyone would hope to find in a sportsbook. You’ll find professional and college leagues in addition to other sports like volleyball, eSports, and darts. PointsBet also offers standard bet types like moneyline bets, point-spreads, and futures. There are even different parlays and teasers.

But PointsBet really comes into its own in its signature bet type, PointsBetting. It’s mostly available on point-spread and point-total bets. Not only do bettors pick one side of the line. They also pick the number of points they think they’ll win by. So, if you think the Dolphins will beat the Broncos, then you can pick how many points the Dolphins will win by. If you win, you’ll get paid your stake for every point you win by.

For example, if you bet $100 on the Dolphins beating the Broncos by 10 points, then you would get paid $1,000 – your stake times 10 – if you win. It’s an enticing betting opportunity that only the most advanced statisticians can consistently take advantage of. But if you have enough faith in your team, you may be able to win big at PointsBet, too.

Customer Service Grade: 5/5

PointsBet does a few important things right for its customers. First, it has a help section that answers many bettor questions. It covers house rules and sports betting basics. It’s especially important for bettors who are new to PointsBetting. PointsBet has a widget that lets bettors enter their stake and margin of victory to see how much they’ll win. It’s a great way to understand how this new type of betting works.

But if you need to reach out to someone, bettors can find email and live chat options, too. They’re both great ways to get help on issues that need personal touches to solve. No matter the issue, PointsBet has somewhere for bettors to go for help.

Related: Here’s how to create a sportsbook account if your interest has been piqued.