Updated: 2024The online sports betting world is full of free bet offers and enticing deals. Mainly targeted at new customers, these offers give a chance to make some money ‘on the house’. You’ll find many big-name brands offering tempting opportunities. However, free bets are also used to reward existing customers at their favorite sites. Here you will find the best free bet offers in the UK.
What is a Free Bet?
Free bets are simple in form but very rewarding if you know how to make the most of them. Basically, you’re offered free money to make a bet and you keep the winnings, although some terms and conditions are often attached to the winnings.
A free bet is exactly what it says it is – a free bet, namely a bet you can place that won’t cost you a penny.
For now, all you need to know is that the free bet is your best friend when it comes to online sports betting. Due to today’s fierce competition between online bookmakers, you’ll find such offers jumping out at you on most of the websites that you visit. Bookies spend millions on advertising and that’s why if you’re an online betting fan you’ll notice many website ads offering you deals such as “Deposit £10 & get a free £20 bet” or “£10 free bet no deposit”.
How to Claim a Free Bet
Free bets are exciting for any new or existing customer. Here’s the procedure to follow if you have just found a great free bet deal at an online bookie site:
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Sign up and validate your account – you may need to complete a KYC to validate your identity.
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Read the terms and conditions of the bonus – check the terms and conditions to see if there is anything you need to consider before entering the deal. This includes specific minimums bet, events, or bet sizes.
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Find the game/sports you have to bet on and the minimum odds – choose a bet which fits within the pre-determined odds on the T&Cs.
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Bet at least the minimum amount required – you need to then make a bet the minimum amount the T&Cs require.
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Claim your winnings or take another punt – if you have won, then happy days, you can walk away with that money, if not, then the sportsbook will reimburse your funds for you to have another go on another event.
As you can see, there are a couple of things to keep in mind when you claim a free bet but it’s nothing complicated. It’s wise to apply this knowledge when taking up any kind of bonus to keep any unwanted surprises from ruining your betting experience.
New Customer Free Bets
All of these different offers can be confusing to get your head around so we’ll explain each offer one by one, grouped by ‘new customer’ and ‘existing customer’ offers:
Deposit Free Bet
The one free bet deal that has stood the test of time, where you make a deposit and the bookie matches it up to a certain amount. The amount can range from 50% up to 200% and beyond at some sites. For example, a ‘200% deposit bonus’ would mean you get an extra £40 in free bets if you deposited £20. Right now you can get up to a maximum of £100 in free bets at Betfair.
Always keep in mind to check for any limits on how you can spend your free bets and if any wagering requirements are attached.
Matched Free Bet
A popular deal nowadays where the bookies will match your first bet with a free bet. Most of these deals come with one or two requirements where you’ll either need to place a minimum bet amount or sometimes a minimum odds rule is applied – often your bet needs to be at 1/2 odds (0.5 decimal format) or higher. Be sure to check the terms and conditions to ensure you know how it works before you claim it.
Weekly Free Bet
The Sky Bet free bet promotion called the ‘Sky Bet Club’ offers its customers a free £5 bet every week if they meet the requirements. This has been proven to be hugely popular due to the easy requirements (bet £25 a week) and the continual nature of the offer.
No-Risk Free Bet
The no-risk deal is another popular option for new customers because, well, as the name says it effectively gives you a risk-free bet. If your first bet at the bookie wins, you take all the winnings as per usual, however, if your bet loses then the bookie refunds your first stake in the form of a free bet. You can now claim a £10 risk-free bet at GentingBet.
Again, some requirements may apply and they will differ from bookie to bookie, so check the minimum bet amount and minimum odds to ensure you qualify for that offer if your first prediction doesn’t come true!
No Deposit Free Bet
You’ll primarily see these at online casinos but one or two online bookmakers do offer free bets no deposit deals from time to time. In simple terms, you get free money to use when you register with the site. You don’t need to fill out any banking details or personal information, simply register, login, and use your free money. Any winnings will be held to wagering requirements so make sure the amount is not too high – anything above 30x will make your winnings difficult to withdraw.
Enhanced / Boosted Odds Offers
All of the top bookies are offering boosted odds nowadays and although it is not a free bet in the obvious terms, the bet itself offers odds on an event that is much bigger than the ‘real’ odds, which in a way is free money! For example, bookies might offer odds of 30/1 for England to beat Argentina whereas the real odds might be around 3/1. These extreme odds are only offered to new customers signing up so keep an eye out for them if you’re looking for a new a site to bet at, especially around the time of big events like the football World Cup or any of the big horse racing meetings.
Those operators have an “enhanced odds” section:
Free Bet Credits
An offer that you might come across is the free bet credit deal, where you’ll unlock free bets with every deposit that you make. For example, the deal will show £50 in free bets but you’ll only unlock £10 of it with each deposit, meaning you’ll need to make 5 x £10 deposits to claim the full offer.
Existing Customer Free Bets
It’s no lie that the best offers are set aside for new customers, but there’s no need to worry because bookies also go out of their way to provide their loyal customers with ongoing promotions and bonus deals to keep your betting account topped up:
Loyalty Bonus
Loyalty bonuses are often rewarded without any notice at all. It’s not uncommon for customers to find a free bet waiting for them when logging into their accounts. This type of bet is awarded if you’ve been betting regularly at a site or even if you have been inactive for a long period of time. Either way, it’s always a nice surprise to see a free bet waiting for you!
Reload Bonus
The reload bonus is a common offer promoted by the bookies, these monthly match deposits or free bets can be claimed all year round by loyal customers. The bigger the player you are (the more you deposit and bet), the bigger the monthly reload bonus will be.
Money-Back Offers
The big sporting events usually bring about many ‘money-back’ offers, and using these as insurance bets is a great betting technique. For example, a bookie might offer you money back if your bet on a football team to win ends up as a draw, or if your chosen horse only places instead of winning.
