Online bookies make it easy to place bets on favourite sporting events and they offer amazing cool sports betting bonuses to help you along the way. There are plenty of sportsbooks in the UK with some of the best betting offers on the market, and we’re here to help you understand how they work. Read our guide to find no deposit free bets that best suit your betting style!
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What Betting Offers Are Available in the UK?
All UK betting websites have their own unique selling point. Some like to focus on just a small selection of sports and then cover as many sporting events as possible for those specific sports. Bigger operators will offer as many different sports and events as possible in order to make their offer appealing to a wide audience.
It’s hard to say which type of operator you should go for but obviously the first thing you need to do is make sure that the bookies you’re considering actually offer the sport and sporting events you wish to bet on. Once you’ve got a few brands in mind, you’ll need to compare the betting promotions on offer and try to figure out which betting offers will help you make the most of your betting experience.
Free Bets
Most Internet bookmakers offer new players free bets as a way of welcoming them to the site and rewarding them for signing up for an account. Free bet offers vary from sportsbook to sportsbook and they can be used in different ways. Let’s take a look at the most common free bets:
No Deposit Free Bet
The free sports bet no deposit is a fairly rare flower and one of the best betting offers, so if you find one, pick it. Online sportsbooks offer the no deposit free bet as a way of showing gratitude to a new player that signs up for an account. Once a player signs up, the free bet is credited to their account before they are required to make a deposit. These betting offers usually take two forms:
- The free bet can take the form of a betting token. The token is worth a specific amount of money, usually £5 or £10. The player is allowed to use this token to place one bet. If the bet turns out to be a winning bet, the winnings will be credited to the players account. Even though this bet is a no deposit free bet, there will usually be a turnover requirement in place as part of the terms and conditions.
- The other form of no deposit free bet is when the casino credits a players account with a specific amount of money, again usually £5 or £10, which the player can use in any way they choose to do so. In other words, they can place a number of small bets rather than having to use the whole amount in one go.
Match Deposit Free Bet
A match deposit free bet works much the same way as a match deposit casino bonus.
- A player will be required to make a minimum deposit, which will be then matched by the operator. This type of free bet is considered by many to be one of the best betting bonuses because players can use this bonus money to place bets in any way they wish to do. For example, if the bonus is a 100% match up to £200. The sportsbook will credit the player’s account with an extra £200.
As with the no deposit free bet, there are usually turnover requirements attached to this bonus that need to be met within a certain time period. And in many cases, there will also be conditional odds. This means that players will only be allowed to use the bonus to place bets that have specific odds.
Risk Free Bet Bonus
A risk-free free bet bonus covers the losses of a specific bet. In other words, if you place a bet and you lose that bet, the bookmaker will credit your account with the amount of money you lost. This type of free bet is commonly used as a betting promotion that is offered to regular players on certain days of the week or during certain promotional periods, such as during the Grand National or the FIFA world cup.
Free Bets for Special Events
The risk-free bet is not the only bet that is offered to players during special sporting events. A betting operator may offer any one of the above free bets to their players during a special event in order to encourage players to get involved. As well as the Grand National and the FIFA world cup, special events also encompass the Cheltenham Gold Cup, Royal Ascot, the Rugby World Cup, the Ashes and the Summer and Winter Olympic Games among many others.
T&C’s of Betting Bonuses
As previously mentioned, and similar to what happens for casino bonuses, most free bets have terms and conditions. It is extremely important that you read the T&C’s carefully before claiming some of the best betting offers.
Wagering Requirements
The first thing to take note of is the turnover requirement (or wagering requirement). If your free bet bonus has a turnover requirement of x10 the amount of the bonus, it means that you will have to use the bonus and any winnings from that bonus 10 times before you can withdraw real money winnings from your account. In this example, if the bonus money was £10, you would have to make bets worth a total of £100 before you could claim any real money winnings.
Minimum Odds
The next element to consider is whether or not the bonus money has a minimum odds requirement. Often, an operator will only let players use their bonus money to place bets on an outcome with odds of 1 / 2 or bigger, or in some cases 3 / 4 or bigger. It is important, therefore, to carefully consider which events you will place bets on. The last thing you want to do is blow all the bonus money on an outcome that is so unlikely to be favourable as to leave you with nothing left in your account.
Time Restrictions
Finally, in many cases, a free bet will have a time restriction. This means that you have to use your free bet bonus within a certain amount of time, say within 7 days. Sometimes, there will also be a time restriction attached to the turnover requirement, which means that you will have to fulfill the requirement within a set time.
Best Odds Guaranteed and Price Promise
If you have a sharp eye, keep a look out for a Best Odds Guaranteed offer. This is generally offered to those betting on horse racing or Grey Hound racing. It means that if the odds change after you’ve already placed a bet on a horse race and your horse come in for the win, the sportsbook will pay your winnings based on the best odds possible.
Similarly, a Price Promise offer will also guarantee you the best odds because the sportsbook is promising to beat the odds of other bookmakers, or at the very least match them. This means that you don’t need to go back and forth between a number of different bookies when looking for the best odds. The Price Promise offer benefits in football bets as well as racing bets and is definitely a great find.
Accumulator Bonuses
Accumulator insurance and accumulator bonuses are increasingly popular offers among operators. Punters who like to place accumulator bets can do so on almost any sport. The insurance is a promise that you’ll get your money back even if one of the legs of your accumulator loses. The terms of the accumulator insurance vary from website to website, so you’ll need to check carefully before you go for it.
The accumulator bonus works slightly differently in that rather than recover your losses you will be given a bonus payout on your winnings. The bonus could be 10% up to 100% and will definitely make your win a whole lot sweeter.
FAQ
How do I claim my betting offer?
Most sites will have a ‘claim bonus’ button on their homepage which you will need to click on. In some cases, the bonus will be credited to your account as soon as you make the deposit. It may also be the case that you will need a bonus code that you will need to input in order to claim your bonus.
How many times can I claim a betting bonus?
It depends on the terms and conditions of the bonus. A sportsbook will only allow a player to claim the welcome bonus once, but then they may offer different bonuses throughout the year for loyal players.
Do odds effect how quickly I can fulfill the wagering requirements?
Yes. It is important to check the odds of each bet you plan to make because most betting bonuses have a minimum odds limit. You should also use the bonus on bets that have a likely outcome in order to make the most of the bonus and clear the turnover requirements. A risky bet will likely lose you all your bonus money in one go.
Can I use a free bet on any sport or sporting event?
It depends on the terms and conditions of the bonus. Some sportsbooks will only allow you to use a free bet bonus on a specific event.
Can I claim a no deposit free bet bonus without signing up for an account?
No, it is highly unlikely that an operator will allow you to claim a bonus and use it to make a sports bet without signing up for an account. Online bookmakers are required to verify your age and identity before you are allowed to make any bets – even if they are bonus money bets.
How many operators offer betting bonuses?
Almost every big-name sportsbook will offer a betting bonus of some kind or another. However, the big-name sportsbooks do not always offer the best odds, so it is a good idea to also check the smaller brands.
01/12/2020