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What are free bets?
Betting sites frequently employ free bets as a means to attract new customers, often with initial offers that may seem too good to be true.
By meeting the qualifying criteria, such as placing qualifying bets or making deposits, you can avail yourself of these free bet deals throughout the year. This allows you to try a bookmaker’s services with minimal risk.
Once you have fulfilled the qualifying requirements, any further bets made with your free bets will not result in a loss of your own funds.
Additionally, as there are no wagering requirements, any winnings generated from your free bets can be withdrawn to your bank account.
It is important to note, however, that the free bet stake does not contribute to your cashable winnings, and there may be a minimum odds requirement.
Although less common than other offers, free bets can also come in the form of a matched percentage of your initial deposit.
Before accepting free bet deals, it is crucial for customers to thoroughly review all the terms and restrictions that apply and ensure they meet all the qualifying criteria.
How do free bets work?
Before committing to any bookmaker, it is crucial to thoroughly comprehend the specific terms and conditions associated with each free bet offer and make an informed decision. It is important to note that these terms and conditions differ for each individual free bet offer and are not standardised.
Typically, you will be asked to make a deposit of a specified amount, which is often £5, £10 or £20, to access the free bets. In some cases, the offer may require more than just a deposit, and you may also need to place wagers at specific odds, usually at least evens, to qualify for the free bets.
Types of free bets
Free bets
When unlocking free bet offers such as the William Hill sign-up offer of “bet £10 and receive £30 in free bets”, it is common to be required to wager £10 from your own funds with the bookmaker. However, it is crucial to thoroughly review the terms and conditions of the deal.
These terms and conditions may include minimum odds limits for your qualifying bet. This is to prevent you from backing a highly probable winner and then withdrawing the winnings with minimal risk. It is important to understand and comply with these requirements.
Once you have met all the requirements of the offer, you will receive the free bets. These punts can be used to potentially earn real money, giving you a chance to profit from your betting activities.
While these offers are typically available year-round, they may be particularly enticing for major betting events such as the Cheltenham Festival, Grand National or Glorious Goodwood. Taking advantage of these offers during these events can provide enhanced opportunities for betting and potential winnings.
Matched deposits/bets
Matched deposit welcome offers are less common than the usual free bet deals. These types of offers provide bonus funds that are usually subject to wagering requirements, normally because of the significant amount (often over £100) that customers receive.
Meeting the wagering requirements can be demanding, often necessitating customers to bet a fixed amount (for example, £4,000 for £100 in bonus funds with a 40x wagering requirement) to access the real money linked with the bonus funds.
It is important to understand the terms and conditions of any new offer, particularly those concerning wagering requirements.
As there are no uniform terms and conditions, it is essential that you understand the specific terms of the offer that you plan to use. To gain more knowledge about how wagering requirements (also known as play-through requirements) function, refer to our guide below.
Money back as cash bets
Bookmakers frequently attempt to distinguish themselves from regular free bet offers by providing customers with a cash-back offer after signing up, depositing and placing a bet.
To be eligible for the offer, you'll need to place a bet with a specific stake amount and odds.
If your bet is unsuccessful, you'll get back the same sum of money as cash, up to a defined limit, such as £20. Essentially, the bookmaker is offering you a bet that entails no risk.
Enhanced odds/boosted odds
Another very popular free bet offer is the enhanced or boosted odds on specific one-off games or events. Bookmakers such as 888sport and William Hill will offer huge odds boosts on certain outcomes to encourage new customers to sign up. The stake will be limited to between £1 and £5 but odds will be enhanced to prices of, say, 50/1 on popular events, for example big football finals such as the Champions League and FA Cup. You are paid out winnings on regular odds as cash before the boosted odds are paid as free bets. Again these offers will have specific terms and conditions.
Loyalty rewards
Bookmakers do not simply focus on new customers with their offers and promotions. They all have various existing customer promotions and some, such as Sky Bet and Paddy Power, have loyalty reward clubs.
Sky Bet is the industry leader in rewarding loyal customers through a formalised scheme known as the Sky Bet Club. You can choose from five weekly rewards and these include a £6 in-play free bet or a £6 horse racing bet.
Opt-in required. Cash stakes only before 23.59 on Sunday. Cashed-out and Tote bets excluded. Staking requirements apply. Odds and market restrictions apply. Eligibility restrictions and further T&Cs apply.
Some of the best loyalty reward offers worth taking advantage of:
Paddy Power (free bets dependent on how much staked per week)
Paddy Power continues to do a lot for its existing customers using the site, including offering you free bets depending on how much you stake throughout the week.
For every five £10 bets staked, you can earn a £10 free bet to use on any sports market, and for every five £5 bets stakes, you can earn a £5 free bet.
T&Cs: Qualify for rewards online when you a) Sports: place minimum one qualifying bet of £5 or more. Maximum free bet is £10 per week when you wager 5 x £10+ in a week, minimum odds 1/2 (1.5) per qualifying bet. Free bet valid for seven days. Max Power Up is one per week, valid for seven days, and maximum stake is £50. For slots, wager a minimum of £20+ on any slot. Maximum free bet is £5 per week (1x wagering requirement) when you wager £100+ in a week. Bonuses/spins valid for seven days and awarded on channel you wagered most on. Free spins can be used on eligible games. Rewards credited by 12noon on Monday following the qualifying week. Cashed-out bets and bets placed with free bets will not count.
Join Paddy Power
Betfair (free bets dependent on how much is staked per week)
Betfair’s existing customers can get the exact same rewards as on Paddy Power, which can lead to more free bets when signed up to the bookmaker.
It should be noted that these free bets have an expiry date that should be noted down to ensure you do not miss out.
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Sky Bet Club
Sky Bet has one of the very best weekly rewards clubs in the industry to subscribe to. If you place £30+ in bets a week, you can earn a £5 free bet, credited to your account every Monday of the year. There are also a number of other options for your free, such as a £6 in-play bet, so you have a great choice of rewards.
Free bet stakes are not returned. Free bet is non-withdrawable. No free bet expiry. Eligibility restrictions apply. Further T&Cs apply. 18+.
They can be used on any of the array of sports markets across Sky Bet and the best part is they don’t have an expiry date, making them excellent for future bets and events, something that not many bookmakers have for their free bets.
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Insurance offers
Insurance offers mean that you have an opportunity of at least breaking even when placing bet builders or accumulators. Paddy Power offers your stake back as a free bet on accumulators and bet builders of at least four selections if they are let down by just one leg. This means there are £20 worth of free bets to earn per day – with a maximum of £10 to be unlocked by both insurance offers.
What are the best existing free bets currently available?
When you have completed a new customer offer and exhausted the free bets, it is natural to want more, and the best betting sites will oblige with existing customer offers.
While we have covered the best loyalty reward programmes above, there are other existing customer offers that come in a variety of shapes and sizes.
Below we have run our top three from three different bookmakers. You can also find more information via our guide to the best existing customer offers.
William Hill – Epic Boost
William Hill runs an Epic Boost that covers three different sports, with each available once every week.
The boost essentially doubles the price on your selection so it has the ability to turn a horse racing favourite to a price that reflects something from the middle of the field.
For football and American football, you can apply it to any bet builder with three or more selections with cumulative odds of at least 3/1. For horse racing, you can apply it to an individual horse and it will apply to win bets.
Racing Epic Boost T&Cs: Epic Boosts on selected horse racing markets. Opt in required. One epic boost per customer expires on Sunday at 23.59. Maximum stake £5 single or £5 each-way. On each-way bets, only the “win” part is boosted. Selected customers only. Full T&Cs apply.
bet365 – Goals Giveaway
This free-to-play game from bet365 is a great way to earn free bets after you have used the £30 you get from the new customer offer.
All you have to do is log in each weekday after 2pm to reveal a game from the forthcoming weekend’s action.
If four goals are scored in that game you will receive 50p in bet credits, and if there are five or more goals you will get £1 in bet credits. If over the five games there are 20 or more goals you will unlock an extra £5 in bet credits.
10bet – Acca Bonus
As accumulators are an ever-popular way to bet, betting sites run a variety of promotions to make them more enticing to customers.
One of the very best accumulator bonuses around is 10bet’s where you can get up to a 100 per cent bonus on your bets.
To get that 100 per cent bonus you must land a 15-fold accumulator – but the bonus kicks in at three selections where there is a 5 per cent cash boost.
T&Cs: Applies to successful acca bets of 3+ selections; minimum odds of 1/2 per selection; bet exclusions apply; maximum £5k; bonus percentage depends on bet type; terms apply; 18+
Free bets vs bonus offers: What’s the difference?
When signing up with a new bookmaker, it’s possible to receive incentives such as free bets and bonuses, but there’s a significant difference between the two.
Free bets should be uncomplicated for customers to use and understand, with options available for popular sporting events as well as more niche markets.
Bonuses, on the other hand, are distinct in that they frequently take the form of “bet boosters” and may only be applicable to the bookmaker’s casino or slot section. As a result, they are likely to come with wagering requirements, so it’s prudent to get familiar with those before agreeing to an offer.
How to claim free bets
All the new customer offers shown on this page come from fully licensed and regulated bookmakers so you should have no issues claiming your free bets.
After exploring various sign-up offers, you need to evaluate if a particular offer aligns with your personal requirements.
If you have made your decision, click on the table buttons to proceed. Once you have fulfilled the stated prerequisites, the free bets will automatically appear in your account.
The free bets table above is constantly being updated so it is worth checking back regularly to see what you can take advantage of.
Can you withdraw free bets?
Free bet promotions are used by bookmakers to attract and retain users. However, winnings from these promotions cannot be directly withdrawn into a user’s bank account.
Nevertheless, customers can win actual money from their free bets provided that they fulfil the specified criteria, such as minimum stake and odds. Should a user place a winning bet, they can claim their winnings, excluding the free bet stake.
One critical consideration is the minimum odds of a free bet, while checking for any additional wagering requirements is also advisable, although these are generally more applicable to bonus offers than free bet promotions.
Due to bookmakers’ lack of a uniform approach to terms and conditions, it’s important to carefully read and understand the specific ones provided by the bookmaker with whom you have an account.
Is there an expiry date for my free bets?
The expiry date of free bets will be different among bookmakers but the general rule is that you will have seven days to claim and use your free bets. That should give you enough time to decide how you would like to use them and if no specific event catches your eye, remember you can use them on outright/ante-post markets.
Some free bet offers will stand out from the crowd as they have no expiry date or it will be very far in the future. An example of this is Sky Bet, as the free bets you receive from them have no expiry date. There are big betting events such as the Cheltenham Festival and the Grand National next year, so you may choose to save your free bets until then.
Best free bets available with low deposit
There are lots of free bet options available for really low deposits that are designed to entice customers to join a bookmaker and keep them punting on its site.
Sky Bet’s current new customer offer is the best on the market in terms of the deposit amount. You have to wager just 5p to unlock £30 in free bets and you will not find a better wager-to-bonus ratio than that.
Click here to claim the Sky Bet sign-up offer
T&Cs New customers only. First single and each-way bet only. 5p minimum stake. 3 x £10 bet tokens. Free bet stakes not included in returns. Free bets exclude virtuals. Free bets are non-withdrawable. No free bet expiry. Eligibility restrictions and further T&Cs apply. 18+. BeGambleAware.org.
Other bookmakers normally hover around the £10 mark in order to claim free bets with a one-time deposit needed from the customer.
Existing customer free bets
The best deposit-to-bonus ratio typically applies to free bet offers reserved for new customers, making them the most attractive.
owever, free bet promotions are also free bets for existing customers, which you can find on our list of the best free bets for them.
While not as frequent, outstanding free bet boosts for in-play betting are still worth noting.
Additionally, taking advantage of free bets on accumulators with offers that reward them for placing a particular sum on accas in a week can prove favourable.
Bet clubs, such as that run by <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/betting/sports-guides/betway-sign-up-offer-new-customer-promotion/">Betway</a> are also offered by some bookmakers. With these you can receive free bets weekly if you have placed a certain amount of money with them in the preceding seven days. A significant advantage of these rolling offers is you can receive free bets every week.
Existing customers can also earn free bets through free-to-play games like William Hill’s Free or Four and bet365’s Goals Giveaway, which are among the other options.
Top 7 best casino free bet offers
1. 18+. New casino players only. Deposit required. Minimum bet £10 on qualifying games. 40x wagering requirements (bonus only) on selected games. £50 bonus + 30 free spins for a selected game. Accept within 14 days. Valid for 30 days. Spins value £0.25 each. Certain deposit types excluded. Player restrictions and T&Cs apply.
2. 18+ BeGambleAware.org New accounts only. Minimum £10 deposit, debit card only. Up to 50x wagering, game contributions vary, maximum stake applies. Seven-day expiry. T&Cs apply.
3. 18+ BeGambleAware.org. New customers only. Minimum deposit £10 and get £40 in casino bonus funds. Debit card only. Up to 50x wagering, game contributions vary, maximum stake applies, new customers must opt in and claim offer within 24 hours and use within 30 days. Further T&Cs apply. #AD
4. Welcome bonus for new players only | Maximum bonus is 100% up to £100 | Minimum deposit is £20 | No max cash-out | Wagering is 35x bonus | Maximum bet with an active bonus is £5 | Eligibility is restricted for suspected abuse | Cashback is cash with no restrictions | Skrill and Neteller deposits excluded | Cashback applies to deposits where no bonus is included | T&Cs apply. Gambling can be addictive, play responsibly. 18+. #AD
5. 18+. Opt in. Runs until December 31, 2023. Selected UK and Ireland players only. Qualifying players will be excluded from other casino welcome offers. Minimum cash wagering of £/€10 (cumulative). 48 hours to wager, 24 hours to play, 168 hours to play with bonus. Maximum redeemable £/€500 from bonus. 40x wagering on bonus. Until wagering requirement of bonus is completed, stakes on other game will be taken from the cash balance. Once per player. Game, game weighting, player restrictions apply. T&Cs apply.
6. New UK and Ireland customers only. Deposits through debit cards only. 40x wagering requirement on bonus, within seven days, on eligible slot games. Winnings from bonus capped at £500. Spins available upon completion of bonus. Full T&Cs apply.
7. 18+. New UK customers only. Opt-in required. 20 bonus spins on ‘Sahara Riches Cash Collect’ and 100 per cent deposit bonus up to £100 on first deposit. Minimum deposit £10. 30x wagering requirement for bonus spins and 30x wagering requirement for deposit bonus (game-weighting applies). Maximum £5/spin or £0.50/line or £10/round (live casino). 30 days expiry. T&Cs apply. Please gamble responsibly • www.BeGambleAware.org • #AD
For a full list of online casino bonuses visit our dedicated page here.
What are play-through requirements for free bets?
It’s not uncommon for even experienced bettors to not fully understand the different play-through requirements of bookmakers in the industry. Therefore, it’s crucial to ensure you know what these requirements are before signing up with a new company.
A play-through requirement, also referred to as a wagering requirement, entails placing a specific sum of additional bets with a bookmaker before you can withdraw any winnings from your free bets.
Wagering requirements are generally less frequent for free bets than they are for bonuses, but it’s still advisable to check for them.
Unibet is an example of a bookmaker whose free bets have such requirements. Its new customer offer provides up to £40 in free bets, but there’s a wagering requirement of three times. Thus, if you use the full offer, you'll need to bet £120 before you can withdraw any winnings generated from your free bets.
Frequently asked questions regarding free bets
US Edition
