Min. Deposit | £10 |
---|---|
Max. Amount | £30 |
Turnover | N/A |
Expiration | 7 Days |
Min. Deposit | £10 |
---|---|
Max. Amount | £40 |
Turnover | No wagering |
Expiration | 7 days |
Min. Deposit | £10 |
---|---|
Max. Amount | £50 |
Turnover | No wagering |
Expiration | 7 Days |
Min. Deposit | £10 |
---|---|
Max. Amount | £10 |
Turnover | 0 |
Expiration | 7 Days |
Min. Deposit | £10 |
---|---|
Max. Amount | £20 |
Turnover | No wagering |
Min. Deposit | £10 |
---|---|
Max. Amount | £30 |
Expiration | 7 Days |
Min. Deposit | £10 |
---|---|
Max. Amount | £30 |
Turnover | N/A |
Min. Deposit | £5 |
---|---|
Max. Amount | £20 |
Expiration | 14 Days |
Min. Deposit | £10 |
---|---|
Max. Amount | £20 |
Turnover | No wagering |
Expiration | 7 days |
Min. Deposit | £30 |
---|---|
Max. Amount | £66 |
Turnover | No wagering |
Expiration | 7 days |
Min. Deposit | £10 |
---|---|
Max. Amount | £40 |
Turnover | 40x |
Expiration | 30 Days |
Min. Deposit | £10 |
---|---|
Max. Amount | £25 |
Turnover | No wagering |
Expiration | 7 days |
Min. Deposit | £10 |
---|---|
Max. Amount | £40 |
Turnover | No wagering |
Expiration | 7 Days |
Min. Deposit | £5 |
---|---|
Max. Amount | £50 |
Turnover | No wagering |
Expiration | 30 days |
Min. Deposit | £25 |
---|---|
Max. Amount | £50 |
Turnover | No wagering |
Expiration | 28 days |
Min. Deposit | £10 |
---|---|
Max. Amount | £20 |
Turnover | 0x |
Expiration | 7 Days |
Min. Deposit | £10 |
---|---|
Max. Amount | £30 |
Expiration | 3 Days |
Min. Deposit | £10 |
---|---|
Max. Amount | £25 |
Turnover | No wagering |
Min. Deposit | £10 |
---|---|
Max. Amount | £35 |
Turnover | No wagering |
Expiration | 7 Days |
Punters will know all about free bets, but those just starting out might be a bit confused about how it works. While they are labelled as 'free bets', they are rarely truly free as punters must make a deposit - and often place a qualifying bet - to unlock the free bets. A common amount is £10 on the top UK betting sites, but the structure of the deals can vary from site to site.
In any case, free bets are hugely popular as punters jump from betting site to betting site to make as much profit as possible - also known as matched betting. The are many deals for UK punters to claim and while this is great, it should be noted that free bets are almost exclusively offered to new customers as part of welcome and sign-up offers.
Once free bets have been unlocked, they are credited to the betting account and while the free bets might have restrictions, potential winnings are almost always wager-free and can be withdrawn (although the stake will not be returned).
Wagering Requirements: This is something we see more on the casino side of things, with sports offers rarely having any wagering requirements attached to them. If one does come across a sports welcome offer with wagering, then that's a clear signal to not claim the offer. If we are talking about a £10 free bet with 10x wagering, for example, punters would have to wager a whopping £300 just to be able to potentially withdraw winnings.
Type of Free Bet: There are many different types of free bets, such as a bet x get x, matched deposit, matched losses, no deposit and so on. The latter is inevitably the most popular, requiring no deposit at all, but these offers are also few and far between. The most common is bet x get x, requiring punters to place a bet to unlock the free bet(s). This is a structure that we actually like a lot.
Minimum Deposit and Qualifying Bet: First of all, double-checking the minimum deposit and qualifying bet needed to unlock the free bets is very important. Most sites will require a deposit of £10, others even as low as £5, but anything higher should be a cause for concern. Furthermore, sometimes the qualifying bet might need to be placed at a high amount and odds, which is far from ideal.
Market Restrictions: When claiming free bets, there might be some market restrictions involved, either for the qualifying bet, the free bets or both. It is rather common for betting sites that offer generous bet x get x deals to credit free bets for specific markets, such as a football acca or a horse racing bet. So make sure to read the T&Cs before claiming an offer.
Payment Restrictions: Similarly to the markets, many betting sites restrict their welcome offers to certain payment methods, meaning you have to use one of these when making the first deposit. It is very common for cookies to only accept debit cards for the welcome offers, excluding popular e-wallets such as PayPal. Apple Pay, being essentially a debit card, is more and more common as one of the eligible methods.
Capped Winnings: It is not always the case, but some bookmakers will cap the potential winnings from the free bets. We have seen limits of £500 before and while punters would still make a sizeable profit, it is still worth keeping in mind when placing the bets with the free bets. At least the best bookies don't tend to cap the winnings at low amounts.
It can sometimes be overwhelming when comparing different free bets in the UK but fortunately, most of the offers are actually quite good. The best place to start is with the more established bookmakers, such as Ladbrokes and bet365, and then it is always important to read the T&Cs. While most of the text might look like Greek to some, key terms include minimum/first deposit, qualifying bet as well as its minimum odds and wagering requirements.
The most common free bet structure involves depositing a certain amount, via selected payment methods, before placing a qualifying bet at a certain minimum stake and odds. The free bets will then be credited and must often be used within 7 days, while there could also be some market restrictions for these. As for warning signs, having wagering requirements or anything other than a bet x get x structure (bar no deposit offers) are two of those.
If you would like to find out how to claim free bets in the UK, you can use our step-by-step guide below. We decided to illustrate the process with Ladbrokes' welcome offer, as it is a bookie that we like a lot.
First, head over to the betting site you would like to register for and find the button to start the registration, usually labelled 'Join' or 'Sign Up'. Then, the registration process will begin and in Ladbrokes' case, the first thing to fill out is the account details as well as the country of residence.
In the next two steps, you will be asked to provide personal information such as full name, telephone number and date of birth. You also need to choose your marketing preferences for betting offers and communication.
To finalise the registration, tap on 'Create Account' and then you will be able to make your first deposit. Also make sure to verify your account as soon as possible (if needed) to avoid complications when withdrawing funds.
After making your first deposit, the next step is to place the qualifying bet. When claiming the free bets at Ladbrokes, a £5+ bet within 14 days of registering must be placed at a minimum odds of 1/2 (1.50). 4x £5 bets will then be credited to the account and these must be used within 7 days.
Below, we have listed the main pros and cons of claiming free bets in the UK, which hopefully should help you decide whether free bets are for you or not.
Many Generous Offers: With betting sites fighting over customers every day, there are now quite a few generous welcome offers on the market and this is certainly good for punters. It has almost become the norm to have a good sign-up deal for a bookmaker to be considered a good one.
Low Deposit: While a majority of the welcome offers require a deposit to be made, it must be said that the amount needed is usually quite low. It goes without saying that it is worth depositing £10 if it means getting £30 in free bets. In truth, the few no-deposit deals available are seen as luxury anyway and not the standard.
Usually Wager-Free: Almost all of the sports welcome offers are without wagering requirements, which is not usually the case when it comes to casino bonuses. It makes sense as very few would even claim an offer if there were, say, a 10x wagering requirement. It just isn't worth it with such requirements.
Deposit Required: While we highlighted the low deposits needed as a pro, we would be remiss not to mention it here as well. Free bets, after all, are not really free if you think about and while most punters will claim the offer anyway, some might not appreciate the terminology. It is something to always keep in mind, anyway.
Only Certain Payment Methods: Most betting sites only allow punters to claim the offers when depositing with a debit card, or perhaps Apple Pay if you are lucky. This is particularly unfortunate for those who prefer to deposit with PayPal, but the good news is of course that punters can switch deposit methods after the first one.
Restrictions Common: With the free bet offers, some betting sites will restrict the free bets to certain markets, such as a football free bet and a horse racing free bet. While this isn't the end of the world, some might not like it. Potential winnings from free bets are also capped on some sites, so every punter should read the general T&Cs before claiming an offer.
Isak is an experienced content writer with a background in sports journalism. Having focused mainly on football in the past, he is certainly familiar with the betting industry and what makes a good operator. On BettingGuide UK, Isak writes reviews and other content while making sure that the site is up to date.