I have to take exception to your taking exception. This isn't rocket science. I'm amazed by your post. Heavy sigh, and here we go:
I've said it on record before.....I can educate the average gambling novice on how to win sports betting. It's easy since they will listen to me.
However, those who have gambled for a longtime are often impossible to help.
If you want to convert your $100 match plays into $52 the rest of your life instead of into $75 plus, that is fine. But there is no way possible to justify such a bad decision.
How bad a play is a straight bet? You are mistakenly thinking that it is "free money" and you are profiting $52 from it.
That Bonus Bet is mathematically worth $75 or more FROM THE OUTSET. It is at least the equivalent of being given $75 in cash. So making a straight bet with a $100 bet is the equivalent of losing $23 (or more) as soon as you place the bet.
THe reason it goes further into the "stone cold sucker" category is that even a totally risk averse player could follow any strategy like that below (and in no way do I endorse or recommend the below play which reduces the value of the Bonus Play)
1. Bet a 3 team Bonus Play parlay for 100 with 3 games at different times. Bet on teams A,C,E
2. Bet team A as the first leg of the parlay. Then bet $66 back on team B playing A. If B covers you are up $60.
3. If team A wins, you are down 66. Team C is the next bet on the parlay so you bet 132/120 on Team D. If team D covers, you are up $54 net. If team C covers you are down 198.
4. With your parlay coming down to team E, hedge with a 330/300 bet on Team F. If they win, you are up $102. If they lose you are down 528 in total bets, but you get $600 ofthe parlay and profit $72.
OF course, you are going to shop and pick off good numbers, so you have a small chance to pick off a middle and make more than the 54,60 or 72 outcomes above. But even if you don't, this "dopey" betting strategy (that I would never recommend) still smashes the straight bet in terms of higher expectation WITH no risk.