Advertisement

The best free bets and betting offers in sport in 2024

Free bet offers are used to attract new customers  (iStock)
Free bet offers are used to attract new customers (iStock)

Betting on sporting events is a hobby for millions of Brits and one of the best ways to get started is with free bets. These allow punters to access free betting tokens (usually given after a customer makes a deposit) to use on bets of your choice without risking any more of your own money.

We want to deliver impartial and reliable insights for our readers. To that end, applying our journalistic expertise, we’ve undertaken a detailed evaluation of the best free bet offers available on betting sites, reviewing each of the promotions we recommend.

This review of betting offers draws on research and first-hand testing to assess each platform’s odds selection, security measures, bonus offerings and more. By leveraging trusted third-party data and our reporting standards, we aim to provide readers with an accurate and up-to-date guide to choosing a free bet offer.

So whether you’re into betting on football, horse racing, tennis or golf, there should be something below to grab your attention.

Free bets at a glance

  • Free bets are like tokens offered by the bookmaker to allow customers to bet without risking their own funds.

  • They’re commonly offered as part of welcome offers or to existing customers – for example, in the form of an offer for ‘bet £10, get £30 in free bets’.

  • For existing customers, they are sometimes offered around major sporting events such as the Grand National, or in regular promotions related to certain types of bet.

What is a free bet and how do they work?

The concept of free bets is pretty simple – they’re a promotional tool used by bookies to allow customers to bet online on events without putting their own money on the line. It’s a taste of the betting experience without much financial commitment, though in most cases you have to deposit or spend a certain amount in order to qualify for the promotion (typically a minimum of £10).

The betting company will then deposit a certain amount of credit into the customer’s account, which can in turn be used to bet on the outcome of an event. If your bet wins, then you keep the winnings (although the free bet stake will not be returned). Some bookmakers attach wagering requirements to free bet winnings, meaning you can’t withdraw the winnings right away, but this is more common on casino sites.

There are often limits to what a free bet can be used on. For example, it may only be eligible for a particular sport, such as football or a particular event, such as the Grand National. Similarly, it might only be permitted for a bet builder, accumulator, in-play bet or any number of different bet types.

Free bets are generally split into two types: welcome offers, which are only available to new customers when signing up, and existing customer offers, which are available to regular users. There may also be certain requirements to earn a free bet such as ‘deposit £10 to earn £30 in free bets’ or ‘bet £20 in the next seven days to earn a £5 free bet’.

To find out more about how we rate the best online bookmakers and about gambling responsibly please scroll a little further down the page.

Best free bets UK welcome offers 2024

We’ve scoured many betting offers and come up with some of the best free bet sign up offers out there right now.

Free bets tip: Look for offers that allow initial wagers with more favourable odds  – for example, 4/5 or even 1/1 rather than 2/1.

In addition, look for offers in which the free bets are valid on different types of sports.

Betfred: Bet £10 and get £50 in free bets

This offer at Betfred will give you £50 in free bets when you bet just £10. There’s a Betfred promo code required, so you just need to enter ‘BETFRED50’ when you register and deposit (using a debit card) to be eligible for the free bets.

Add this Betfred promo code to qualify for the free bets (Betfred)
Add this Betfred promo code to qualify for the free bets (Betfred)

Once you’ve done that and placed a bet of at least £10 on any sports market (at odds of at least 1/1), you’ll be rewarded with £50 of free sports bets.

Those will be 3x £10 free bets for any sports market and 2x £10 accumulator free bets, all of which have to be used within seven days.

Betfred is one of the best all-rounders in the business, but it stands out as a rugby betting site, particularly for rugby league thanks to sponsorships with the Super League and Challenge Cup. There are a great range of markets to use free bets on and more.

Pros

Cons

Good value, with £50 in free bets

Two bet tokens are for use with accumulators only

Three £10 tokens can be used on any sports market

Bets have to be used within seven days

BetMGM: Bet £10 and get £40 in free bets

Perhaps the best bet £10 get £40 betting offer comes from BetMGM, a new UK bookmaker with one of the best betting sign up offers. It’s the same process as the Betfred deal above in that you need to place a £10 qualifying bet after you’ve signed up, on any market with odds of at least 1/1.

If you do so, you’ll receive £40 worth of free bets for use on any market, with the typical seven-day expiry. Thankfully, the BetMGM sign up process is quick and easy, with just three simple steps to complete before you can get cracking.

The BetMGM sign up process is one of the quickest you’ll find (BetMGM)
The BetMGM sign up process is one of the quickest you’ll find (BetMGM)

BetMGM is one of the bigger success stories in terms of new betting sites, though it has had some teething issues surrounding payouts (both in terms of time taken to pay and certain terms and restrictions in paying).

That said, the pros generally outweigh the cons, as illustrated below.

Pros

Cons

Good return on first deposit, with £40 in free bets

Some customers have reported issues with site malfunctions and slow payouts

Easy sign-up process

BetUK: Bet £10 and get £30 in free bets

Our next recommended free bet welcome offer comes from BetUK, who require the usual sign-up and bet £10 to qualify, although that initial bet only needs to be at minimum odds of 4/5 rather than evens.

Once that’s settled you’ll be credited with £30 of free bets across a couple of sports. You’ll be given a £10 horse racing free bet, a £10 football free bet and a £10 free bet builder (with at least three selections and with minimum total odds of 3/1).

BetUK focuses on football and horse racing with its welcome bonus, but you’ll find a complete product when exploring other sports on their sportsbook - it’s one of the best UFC betting sites around, for example.

Pros

Cons

Decent value, with £30 in free bets

The bet tokens are for use with specific markets only

Qualifying bet only needs to be at odds of 4/5

Bet365: Bet £10 get £50 in free bets

Bet365 are one of the premier gambling sites in the industry and as you would expect from such a reputable name, they offer a compelling welcome bonus to new customers.

New users can secure up to £50 in free bets, receiving five times their deposit amount, which starts from a minimum of £5 and goes up to £10. Qualifying bets placed at 1/5 odds or greater are required to unlock the £50.

The best feature of Bet365’s welcome offer is the option of a choice for new customers. If you’re lower on budget, a qualifying deposit of £5 will still yield £25 in free bets, while those who deposit £10 will get the full £50. This choice makes Bet365 stand out from the crowd.

Although Bet365 doesn’t miss a beat on its entire sportsbook, we feel that it’s one of the best F1 betting sites in particular. Look out for their F1 odds, boosts and markets when using your free bets online.

Pros

Cons

Great value, with up to £50 in free bets

Free bets must be used within seven days

Can take advantage of offer with a stake of just £5

Parimatch: Bet £5 and get £30 in bonus bets

Although one of the newer betting sites available in the UK, Parimatch is one to watch for its free bet offers for new customers, providing £30 in free bonus funds.

Parimatch’s offer is straightforward, allowing bettors to get down to business. Simply sign up, opt in, then deposit and bet at least £5 on any football market with odds of evens or greater.

Once your bet settles, Parimatch will give you one £10 Premier League accumulator bet and one £10 free bet on any Premier League market. The remaining £10 credit will arrive as a casino bonus for use on the slot game Big Bass Splash. Overall, the value of the Parimatch offer is pretty good, but some may be put off by the need to use £10 of the credit on casino games.

Pros

Cons

Good value, with up to £30 in free bets

Casino bonus might not be to everyone’s taste

Can take advantage of offer with stake of just £5

Casino bonus is restricted to just one slot game

Talksport Bet: Get up to £40 in free football bets

Fans of the Premier League will appreciate Talksport Bet’s welcome offer. New customers can claim up to £40 in free football bets by signing up on a mobile device, opting-in on the promotion, and betting between £20 and £40 on football at odds of evens or greater.

As soon as your qualifying wager settles, you’ll receive four free football bets to the value of your qualifying bet. For example, if you make a bet of £20, you will get 4x £5 free bets, while if you bet £40 you will get 4x £10 free bets.

The four free football bets are divided into 1x bet builder, 1x correct score, 1x win & BTTS and 1x football accumulator.

It’s a strong bookmaker sign up offer for football fans, who will have an abundance of markets and odds to choose from on one of the top Premier League betting sites.

Pros

Cons

Good value, with up to £40 in free bets

Minimum initial stake of £20 is high

Football fans will appreciate the variety

Free bets only apply to football and specific types of bet

William Hill: Bet £10 and get £30 in free bets

Finally for this section, we’re highlighting one of the UK’s best-known bookmakers, William Hill. The stakes and value of their welcome offer are the same as BetUK above – a bet £10 get £30 free bet offer.

What makes this one of the best free bet offers is that William Hill have one of the shortest odds requirements for the qualifying £10 bet. Your selection only needs to be 1/2 or greater on any sports market, allowing you to bet on an outcome that you consider more of a sure thing.

Once that is done, you’ll get £30 of free bets as three lots of £10 bets. William Hill distinguishes itself as one of the leading golf betting sites and that is one of many sports you can use your free bets on after signing up online.

Pros

Cons

Decent value, with £30 in free bets

Slightly less value than competitor sites

Very short odds requirement for initial wager

Free bet offers for existing customers

Betting site offers with free bets for existing customers come in many forms, including ‘money back’ promos if your selection loses, ‘acca insurance’ if one leg of an accumulator bet lets you down or ‘first scorer insurance’ where you get money back if your selection fails to score the first goal but does net in the match, as well as simple free bets just for using their site. Here are some of our favourite free bets for existing customers.

Bookmaker

Free bets offer

BetUK

Get a £5 free bet when you bet £10 on football

BoyleSports

Get your stake back as free bet with Acca Rewards

Kwiff

Get your stake back as a free bet if one leg of your football or NFL acca lets you down

Unibet

Money back as a free bet if your horse finishes second

Bet365

Money back as a free bet if your player is substituted before half-time

Fitzdares

Get your stake back as a free bet if the match finishes 0-0

Read on to find out more about our favourite free bet offers for existing customers.

BetUK: Bet £10 on football bet builder and get a £5 free bet

For you accumulator lovers out there, BetUK have a free bet offer worth considering. All you have to do is opt in via the ‘My Offers’ page and then stake at least £10 on any football bet builder market at betting odds of evens (1/1) or greater.

BetUK’s ongoing free bet builder promotion is ideal for regular football punters (BetUK)
BetUK’s ongoing free bet builder promotion is ideal for regular football punters (BetUK)

You will receive a £5 free bet that can then be used on any market, not just football, and there is no minimum odds requirement, although you will not receive the free bet stake in your winnings. There is a maximum of one £5 free bet per week.

BoyleSports: Acca Rewards

A simple accumulator insurance policy from BoyleSports. When putting on an acca, you have the choice of Acca Boost or Acca Insure. Boost will increase your prospective winnings, while Insure means you get your money back as a free bet if just one leg of the accumulator lets you down.

You need a minimum of five selections in the acca to qualify for the insurance promotion and the maximum refund is £20. BoyleSports is one of the best operators around for this type of bonus, and although it delivers a high quality product across its entire sportsbook, its range of markets and odds on its tennis betting site are appealing to use with this promotion.

Kwiff: Football Acca Shield

The niftily-named Football Acca Shield from Kwiff is pretty similar to the BoyleSports offer above. After putting a pre-match football accumulator on (minimum four selections with total odds of 4/1 or greater), you’ll receive your money back as a free bet up to £20 if one leg lets you down.

Your pre-match acca must have a qualifying stake of at least £5, with minimum odds per selection of 1/2. The free bet can be used on any football market with odds of evens or higher.

Unibet: Money back specials

Unibet is one of the top betting sites with free bets and they have a horse racing-specific money back offer that covers you when your horse is so near but yet so far.

If you place a single bet on any of the day’s selected races and your horse finishes second, then you’ll receive your stake back as a free bet (up to a maximum of £20, with a minimum £1 stake).

Unibet also sometimes run a similar offer where you’ll get your money back as cash (rather than a free bet) if your horse finishes second or third in selected races. They post the eligible races for both these offers on their site every day.

Bet365: Soccer Substitute Guarantee

It’s extremely frustrating when you bet on a player to do something in a match and then watch them get hobbled by a reckless challenge in the opening 10 minutes. Luckily, Bet365 have you covered on this front.

If your player is substituted before half-time, they will return your stake as a free bet on single markets (provided the market hasn’t already been settled) and for multiple bets, your remaining selections will be left to run.

So if you’ve bet on a player to be the last goalscorer, or take a certain number of shots or to be booked and they are subbed in the first half, you’ll get your money back as a free bet.

Fitzdares: No More Bore Draws

Goalless draws can be painful viewing in football, especially if you’ve had a bet on one team to win, but with Fitzdares, at least you can get your money back as a free bet if the match finishes 0-0.

This offer is only available on Champions League games and to qualify, you’ll need to back one team to win the match at odds of 1/2 or greater.

If the game ends 0-0, Fitzdares will credit your account with free bets equivalent to the total you staked on the game, although the maximum free bet is £2.

Free bets UK: Best free bets clubs

Free bet clubs are generally opt-in deals for existing customers where you earn free bets by staking money throughout the week. The amount that needs to be staked and the amount of free bets given in return obviously varies from bookie to bookie, but we’ve picked five of our favourites here.

Free bets tip: Be sure not to overspend in order to qualify for free bet offers. Have a limit in mind and stick to it.

Free bet club bookmaker

Free bet club offer

Betway

Bet £25 on accumulators and get £10 in free bets

BetVictor

Place five or more £5 bets and get a free bet up to £25

BetUK

Bet £15 on horse racing and get £3 in free bets

BoyleSports

Bet £50 and get £15 in free bets

Fafabet

Get up to £10 in free bets by betting in-play

QuinnBet

Get up to £50 in free bets back weekly

Read on to find out more about our favourite free bet clubs.

Betway Free Bet Club: Bet £25 on trebles or greater and get £10 in free bets

After opting into Betway’s Free Bet Club, you need to stake at least £25 on trebles, accumulators or bet builders (in any sport) between midnight GMT on Saturday and 11.59pm GMT the following Friday to qualify.

Do that and you’ll earn £10 in free bets, divided into two £5 free bet chunks, with the first paid on the Saturday after qualification and the second paid on the Monday. If you’re into your accas anyway, this is a good deal to get involved with and the fact it’s available on any sport, not just football, is handy for betting all-rounders.

BetVictor Loyalty Club: Place 5x £5+ bets and get £1-£25 in free bets

If you enjoy a random element to your free bets, then BetVictor have added a fun gimmick to their Loyalty Club. If you make five bets of at least £5 throughout the week (midnight GMT Monday to 11.59pm GMT Sunday), each at odds of 1/2 or greater then you’ll earn a free bet.

To find out how much that free bet is, you ‘open the box’ and an amount between £1 and £25 is revealed. You’ll then have the flexibility to use that amount as one free bet or a number of smaller free bets as you wish, on any sports market. Incidentally, BetVictor is one of the top football betting sites and they also have one of the best betting apps with free bets.

BetUK Free Bet Club: Bet £15 on horse racing and get a £3 free bet

This is one for punters interested in horse racing betting sites. If you opt in to BetUK’s Free Bet Club and bet £15+ on horse racing between Monday and Sunday (at odds of evens or greater), you’ll earn a £3 free bet.

The £15 must be a single racing bet but you can do it on two occasions during the week, so could earn £6 of free bets for placing £30 of initial bets.

BoyleSports: Bet £50 and get £15 in free bets

If you enjoy betting in person at a physical bookmaker, then BoyleSports have an offer that could be right up your boulevard.

If you bet £50 across a week (Monday to Sunday), with at least one of those bets being in-shop using a BoyleXtra card then you’ll receive £15 in free bets the following Monday.

The BoyleSports free bets will be valid for 14 days (longer than the standard seven days) and will consist of a £5 free bet to use online, a £5 free bet to use in-shop at the counter and a £5 free bet to use in-shop at the self-service betting terminal.

Fafabet Daily Free Bet: Get a free bet worth 5% of your daily in-play bets up to £10

This is a bit of a different offer from Fafabet. You can earn a free bet worth up to £10 with them, based on your daily in-play bets.

To qualify, you need to place in-play bets on any sport between £5 and £10. Fafabet then track the total value of your in-play bets across a 24-hour period and give you a free bet worth five per cent of that total the following day.

For example, if you made five £10 in-play bets on a number of sports across a single day (£50 in total), you would receive a £2.50 free bet. That free bet can be used on any market within seven days.

And if you’re a new Fafabet customer you can claim 50 per cent of your first day losses back as a free bet up to £50 with the Fafafbet sign up offer, while they will also throw in £20 credit for their new UK casino.

QuinnBet Quarterback: Get 25% back of your weekly losses in free bets up to £50

QuinnBet are offering customers a free bet worth up to £50 as part of their Quarterback promotion – simply put, if your sportsbook account loses overall, you get 25 per cent of your weekly losses back as a free bet.

To qualify, place a minimum of six bets during the week and if your account shows a loss come the end of that week, you’ll receive the 25 per cent back as a free bet.

For example, if your account shows you lost £40 over the course of the week, QuinnBet will credit you with a £10 free bet.

The weekly promotion has a maximum value of £50, although if more than 50 per cent of your bets are placed on horse racing, you’ll only be eligible to receive a free bet worth up to £20.

Free bets no deposit offers

Sometimes you don’t even need to make a deposit in order to qualify for a free bet offer. Here, we outline several free-to-play games that can provide free bets for customers without the need for any deposit.

Free bet no deposit bookmaker

Free-to-play game

William Hill

Stat Attack

Talksport Bet

Footie 4 Play

NetBet

Correct Score Predictor

BetVictor

BetVictor Predictor

Betway

4 to Win

Read on below to find out more about these free bet offers and how to play the games they are attached to. Incidentally, you may also be interested in no deposit free spins if casino offers are your thing.

Stat Attack (William Hill)

Stat Attack is William Hill’s weekly, free-to-play prediction game. There’s quite a bit of knowledge required, as you’ll be answering stat-based questions about that week’s football.

William Hill’s Stat Attack game rewards punters for correct predictions (William Hill)
William Hill’s Stat Attack game rewards punters for correct predictions (William Hill)

There are normally five questions ahead of the weekend’s biggest game, such as ‘how many goals will be scored’, ‘will there be over 10.5 corners in the match’ and ‘how many cards will be shown in the second half’.

The more answers you get right, the greater the amount of free bets you’re credited with. It’s a great way to show off your football knowledge and earn some free bets.

Footie 4 Play (TalksportBet)

TalksportBet’s free-to-play predictor game is called Footie 4 Play and runs during each weekend of Premier League action.

It works as follows. Customers submit their score predictions for four Premier League matches (with no deposit required) and are awarded a £1 free bet if two scores are correct, a £10 free bet for three correct scores and £500 cash for all four scores being correct. The free bets are eligible for any sports market and expire three days after accreditation if not used.

If you’re an ace predictor, it’s well worth your time.

Correct Score Predictor (NetBet)

NetBet offer a predictor game that is almost identical to TalksportBet’s Footie 4 Play above.

Their less snappily-named Correct Score Predictor does what it says on the tin. You predict four scores ahead of the weekend’s football and earn free bets or cash prizes if at least two are correct.

Their scaling of free bets is a £5 free bet for two correct scores, a £20 free bet for three and £500 cash for all four being right, although that will be split between winners if there is more than one.

BetVictor predictor (BetVictor)

Another free-to-play guess-the-scores game, this time from BetVictor, who are giving away £50,000 in cash to the bettor who can correctly predict the scoreline of six Premier League matches each weekend.

Correct score predictions will earn BV customers free bets with no deposit (BetVictor)
Correct score predictions will earn BV customers free bets with no deposit (BetVictor)

You must be a BetVictor customer to play and there are different levels of prizes with two correct scores earning you a £1 free bet. The rewards only go up from there until you hit the £50k mark on a prediction game that’s available every weekend when Premier League matches are being played.

4 to win (Betway)

Betway gives racing punters the chance to win £1,000 each day by picking four winners from pre-selected UK races in their free-to-play 4 to Win game.

Go to the Betway website, find the 4 to Win promotion page and select the four runners you think have the best chance of winning in that day’s chosen races. Entries must be submitted before the first race gets underway each day.

If you correctly predict the winner of all four races, you’ll win £1,000 in cash.

The 4 to Win jackpot is boosted on a Saturday, too, with a minimum guaranteed prize pool of at least £10,000. While there are no free bets for hitting the frame, the prospect of a big cash prize is tantalising enough.

Free bet offers of the week

Free bet offer

TalkSport Bet: Get £60 in Free Bets if Fury or Usyk wins by KO, TKO or DQ

Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk square off in Saudi Arabia on Saturday night for their highly-anticipated world heavyweight title rematch.

And if either fighter can stop their opponent, punters can claim £60 in free bets as part of an upgraded Talksport Bet sign-up offer.

To qualify, open an account with Talksport Bet, opt in to this offer and deposit a minimum of £10 and then wager £10 or more on Usyk vs Fury.

Should either fighter win via KO, TKO or DQ, TalkSport Bet will credit customers with £60 in free bets that can be used on any sport.

Free bet offer

talkSPORT BET - bet £10 get £30 in free bets on darts

With the World Darts Championship now underway, talkSPORT BET is offering new customers £30 in free bets on the darts when they sign up, deposit £10 and bet £10 on a qualifying darts bet.

Customers simply need to place any darts bet with odds of evens or greater within seven days of registration.

Once the qualifying wager is settled, customers will receive two £10 bet tokens – one for use on any darts market, and another for use on any darts acca with three or more selections.

24 hours after the qualifying wager settles, customers will get one more £10 token for use on any darts acca with three or more selections.

Customers must claim their welcome offer within seven days of signing up and free bets are active for seven days.

How we rank and review free bets UK

Operators must meet a number of important attributes before being considered by our team when we’re compiling our list of the best free bet offers, such as:

Licensing & Regulation

Only gambling sites who hold a valid licence from the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) are considered when we evaluate free bet offers. The UKGC exists to protect consumers and enforce the rules of independent testing agencies like eCOGRA, so their licence shows us that the bookmaker operates fairly.

Indeed, all our recommended bookmakers on this page have passed rigorous testing from eCOGRA, who provide the highest level of service in testing, inspection and certification in the iGaming industry. Bookies who are not regulated are considered unsafe - anyone can check the UKGC register for confirmation of a bookmaker’s licence to trade.

Security

As an extension of licensing and regulation, all of our recommended sites must use the latest security features to keep customer data and details secure. Examples include SSL encryption and two-factor authentication for users.

Reputation

There are lots of good new betting sites emerging in the UK, but reputation still goes a long way and it shows in our rankings as we’ve given preference to brands we’ve built up a solid level of trust in. That’s why household names like Betfred, William Hill and Bet365 figure highly on our best free bets list, although we do highly rate some newcomers such as BetMGM.

Odds & markets

What’s the point in having free bets if you don’t have much choice where to spend them? We take a close look at the number of markets a bookmaker offers on a particular sporting event to see how they compare with other betting sites. Within those markets, we also weigh up the odds, looking at how other operators have priced up the same market to determine whether they have competitive odds.

Promotions

Rewarding new custom is a given in the bookmaking industry and customers can expect to receive anything from free bets to price boosts upon registering. We factor in the welcome package when rating free bet offers, while we also consider their ongoing promotions once a user has moved beyond the new customer phase.

Sportsbook variety

When recommending a bookmaker, we make sure that their sportsbook offering is varied and interesting across a range of sports, not just football and horse racing. As well as offering a range of sports to bet on, bookies will also offer a range of different markets – for example, anything from scorecast or first scorer to handicap betting and ante-post markets.

Mobile betting

The majority of bets are now placed through betting apps or mobile betting sites. Those bookmakers with dedicated betting apps that offer the same functionality as a desktop site will score higher marks than those that just offer a mobile version of their website. We also consider other users’ feedback on Apple and Google app stores when deciding which betting apps work better than others.

Customer experience

We put the customer service teams at leading bookmakers through the ringer during our testing phase, with preference given to those who resolve issues quickly and with a minimum of fuss. We mark bookies down if they have inefficient bots sending users around in circles.

Being responsible

We prioritise betting sites that actively promote socially responsible gambling while providing tools to help players foster better gambling habits. We’ll mark down bookmakers who don’t give users every opportunity to stay in control of their betting.

All regulated gambling sites are required to offer safer betting tools, in particular self-exclusion, but visibility and usability can vary from site to site. In our reviews, preference is given to those who prominently promote their safer gambling tools and make them easy to use.

How to select your free bets UK offer

Choosing the free bet offer is all about personal preference. We’ve highlighted some of the best new customer offers for betting online, but the next step is all up to you.

You may choose the bonus that offers more for your money, or the offer that focuses on a particular sport.

Before you commit to using any of the betting sign up offers, read all the terms and conditions to ensure you qualify for the bonus. This may require you to deposit a certain amount of funds, use a particular payment method or bet at minimum odds.

Only choose your free bet offer after careful consideration to ensure that it meets your wagering requirements and allows you to enjoy the experience of signing up for a new bookie.

Types of free bet offers

As you will no doubt have seen, betting sites take different approaches when it comes to their betting sign up offers and free bet bonuses for existing customers. There are nuances to look out for and we’ll now take you through what type of free bet offers you may come across both when signing up for and using betting sites online.

Free bet welcome offer

With free bet welcome offers, betting sites reward your first deposit and first qualifying bet after signing up online. This is the most rewarding type of free bet offer on the market. For example, if customers deposit and bet £10 as a new customer on William Hill, they will receive £30 in free bets from the bookie. These types of offers vary from site to site.

Matched deposit

This is where customers deposit funds and receive the same amount back in free bets from the bookie if the bonus requirements are met. For example, if a customer deposits £20, they will receive £20 in free bets.

Enhanced odds bonus

Betting sites offer enhanced odds bonuses for new customers. By signing up customers can qualify for special odds on a particular betting market, usually a football match, where the odds are boosted to a higher price. This offer may have a price cap depending on the odds available, usually around £1 depending on the bookmaker. Parimatch are the leading betting site for enhanced odds bonuses.

Free bets no deposit

These free bets are usually reserved for existing customers. Free bets are unlocked without having to place a deposit and are marked as a sign of loyalty for regular use of a betting site. They can often be obtained via free-to-play games too.

Best free bets UK welcome bonuses

Bookmaker

Welcome Offer

Bonus Code

Bet365

Bet £10 Get £50

INDY2024

BetVictor

Bet £20 Get £40

None

BetGoodwin

First Day Losses Back Up 50% Up To £25

None

BetUK

Bet £10 Get £30

None

Betfred

Bet £10 Get £50

BETFRED50

Betway

Bet £10 Get 30 & 100 free spins

None

BetMGM

Bet £10 Get £40

None

BoyleSports

Bet £10 Get £20

None

Fafabet

Get Up To £50 + £20 Casino Bonus

None

Kwiff

Bet £10 Get £30

None

LiveScore Bet

Bet £10 Get £30

None

Grosvenor Sport

Double Your Odds

None

Parimatch

Bet £5 Get £30 in bonus funds

None

Talksport Bet

Get up to £40 in free football bets

None

Unibet

Bet £10 Get £40

None

William Hill

Bet £10 Get £30

R30

Responsible gambling

Data from the UK Gambling Commission suggests that around 0.5 per cent of the UK population could be considered as experiencing problem gambling (though some studies estimate this number could be up to eight times higher).

The most important thing to remember is to gamble responsibly. You’ve probably heard the slogan ‘When the fun stops. Stop’ plenty of times but it still rings true.

Betting can add further enjoyment to watching sporting events but there are certainly no guarantees you’ll make money out of it, no matter how much you think you know about sport.

When betting, always assume you’ll lose and therefore, only bet what you can afford to lose. If you win, then that’s simply a nice bonus. The same applies if you’re using casino sitesslot sitespoker sites or any other form of gambling.

It’s particularly important not to get carried away by free bet offers which are readily available on gambling sites, but must be approached with caution.

Make sure you use the responsible gambling tools offered by betting companies such as deposit limits, reality checks, loss limits and time outs. These can stop gambling from getting out of hand.

If you have gambling-related concerns, then seek independent help. There are several UK charities and institutions that offer support, advice and information, with a few listed below:

Best free bet offers summary

On this page, we’ve picked some of our favourite free bets and we only recommend safe betting sites that are regulated by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC), so they are safe to engage with.

There are plenty of illegitimate gambling companies and traders out there, so be careful. For example, as recently as September, the UKGC assisted Staffordshire Police leading to the arrest of a 39-year-old man on suspicion of providing unlicensed gambling.

So the threat is still very real, even in a well-regulated market like the UK. If in doubt, check the register of gambling businesses on the UKGC website.

While our recommended free bet offers will be perfect for some people, you should always choose bookmakers who provide free bets that cater to your specific needs. Make sure you fully read the terms and conditions when signing up so you’re clear on how to qualify for the offers.

FAQs on Free Bets UK

What are free bet offers?

Free bet offers are available on the best gambling sites for both new and existing customers. Free bets are exactly as they sound, they allow you to place bets online without using your own money, although in most cases you may need to deposit funds to begin with in order to unlock the free bets.

How do you get free bets?

You can claim free bets by signing up for brand new betting sites and meeting the requirements of the bookie or by unlocking free bet rewards as an existing customer.

What are the best betting sign up offers?

The best betting sites offer the top free bet sign up offers. Betfred’s bet £10 get £50 free bet offer is arguably the best on the market right now, but there are plenty of bet £10 get £40 free bet offers which are also good, even if they’re worth slightly less than the Betfred bonus.

Are free bets limited to new customer offers betting online?

No. Free bets can be claimed by existing customers as well as new customers. Free bet offers will be available for regular users from free to play games and bet and get offers around sporting events.

Are free bets withdrawable from betting sites?

No. You must use your free bets on the betting site as they are not withdrawable from your online balance.

What are free bets no deposit bonuses?

No deposit free bets are bonuses that don’t require a deposit to unlock. These are one of the most popular free bet offers to obtain online, although they are not as readily available as deposit free bet bonuses.