Free bets explained
A free bet is a stake a bookmaker gives you so you can place a bet without risking your own money on that particular wager. Most free bets are offered to new customers as a sign-up incentive, though plenty of operators run free bet promotions for existing customers too. The idea is simple, but the terms attached to free bets vary a great deal from one bookmaker to the next, and understanding them is the difference between an offer that is genuinely worth claiming and one that only looks generous on the banner.
This page brings together every free bet and betting offer we track, from more than 80 UK-licensed operators, each checked against the bookmaker's own terms and re-checked regularly. The list above is the quick way to compare and claim. The guide below explains how free bets work, the different types you will come across, how to claim them, and the small print that decides how much they are actually worth.
How a free bet actually works
The single most important thing to understand is that, in almost every case, the free bet stake is not returned with your winnings. When you place a bet with your own money at odds of 2.0 and stake ten pounds, a win returns twenty pounds, your ten pound stake plus ten pounds of profit. When you place a ten pound free bet at the same odds, the win returns only the ten pounds of profit. The stake was the bookmaker's, so it stays with the bookmaker.
This is why the value of a free bet is always lower than the headline figure suggests, and why the odds you choose matter. A free bet placed at very short odds returns very little profit, so most people use a free bet on a selection at longer odds than they would normally back with their own cash. That is a personal choice, not advice, and longer odds mean a lower chance of the bet winning at all.
The main types of free bet and betting offer
Bet and get
The most common new-customer offer. You place a qualifying bet with your own money, for example bet ten pounds, and the bookmaker credits you with free bets once that qualifying bet has settled, for example get thirty pounds in free bets. Watch the minimum odds on the qualifying bet, which is often around evens, because a qualifying bet placed below the minimum odds will not trigger the free bets.
Deposit bonus
Common in casino and bingo promotions. The operator matches a percentage of your deposit with bonus funds, for example a 100 per cent match up to one hundred pounds. Bonus funds almost always carry wagering requirements, explained below, so the amount you can eventually withdraw is usually far smaller than the headline bonus.
No deposit free bet or free spins
A smaller reward credited simply for registering and verifying an account, with no deposit needed. These are rarer and usually modest, and they tend to carry the strictest wagering and maximum-withdrawal terms, because the operator is giving something for nothing up front.
Enhanced or boosted odds
The bookmaker offers a price on a popular selection that is higher than the standard market, for a limited stake, for a limited time. The value is real but capped by the maximum stake, and the winnings above the normal odds are often paid as a free bet rather than cash.
Acca insurance and acca bonuses
Aimed at accumulator bettors. Acca insurance refunds your stake, usually as a free bet, if one leg of a qualifying multiple lets you down. An acca bonus adds a percentage to the winnings of a successful multiple, rising with the number of legs. Both come with rules on the minimum number of selections and minimum odds per leg.
Money back as a free bet
If your bet loses under a defined condition, for example your horse finishes second to the favourite, or your team leads and then draws, the bookmaker refunds your stake as a free bet up to a stated limit. Read the trigger carefully, because these offers are narrower than they first appear.
Best odds guaranteed
Mainly a horse racing and greyhounds feature. If you take an early price and the starting price is bigger, the bookmaker pays out at the larger odds. It is not a free bet as such, but it is a genuine ongoing value feature worth having, and it usually applies to your own stakes rather than free bet stakes.
Reload and existing-customer offers
Once you have an account, many operators run regular promotions, weekend price boosts, acca clubs, refer-a-friend rewards and seasonal offers around big events. These are where the long-term value sits, so it is worth checking the promotions page of any bookmaker you use.
The terms that decide what a free bet is worth
- Minimum odds. The qualifying bet, and sometimes the free bet itself, must be placed at or above a stated price. This is the term people fall foul of most often.
- Wagering requirements. With bonus funds, especially casino and bingo bonuses, you must stake the bonus a set number of times before any winnings can be withdrawn. A ten times wagering requirement on a fifty pound bonus means five hundred pounds must be staked first.
- Minimum deposit. Many offers need a qualifying deposit, commonly five or ten pounds, and some exclude certain payment methods.
- Expiry. Free bets and bonuses usually expire, often within seven days, sometimes within a day or two. An offer you forget to use is worth nothing.
- Maximum winnings. No-deposit and free-spin offers frequently cap the amount you can win or withdraw.
- Excluded payment methods. Deposits made with certain e-wallets often do not qualify. Check before you deposit, not after.
- One per person, household or IP. Sign-up offers are for genuinely new customers only, one to a person, household and device.
How to claim a free bet, step by step
- Read the full terms of the offer, not just the banner, so you know the minimum odds, the qualifying stake and the expiry.
- Register a new account with accurate details, because the bookmaker will verify your identity and age before paying out.
- Opt in to the promotion if the bookmaker requires it, and enter any promo code exactly as shown.
- Deposit at least the qualifying amount using an eligible payment method.
- Place the qualifying bet at or above the minimum odds within any stated time window.
- Wait for the qualifying bet to settle, then check that the free bet or bonus has been credited.
- Use the free bet before it expires, on a selection at odds that suit how you like to bet.
How to get the most from a free bet
- Because the stake is not returned, a very short-odds free bet returns very little. Many people use free bets at longer odds, accepting a lower chance of a win in exchange for a larger potential return.
- Never deposit more than you would have anyway just to unlock a larger offer. The offer should fit your budget, not stretch it.
- Compare the real value, not the headline. A thirty pound free bet with fair terms can be worth more than a bigger bonus buried under heavy wagering.
- Diarise the expiry so a free bet does not lapse unused.
Common mistakes to avoid
The most frequent errors are placing the qualifying bet below the minimum odds, so the free bet never arrives, depositing with an excluded payment method, missing the expiry, and misreading a wagering requirement as a simple bonus. Every one of these is avoidable by reading the terms in full before you deposit. If an offer's terms are unclear, the safest assumption is the less generous interpretation.
Are free bets worth it?
A free bet has real value when the terms are fair and the offer suits the way you already bet. It is not free money, and it is not a way to make a guaranteed return. Treat it as a small bonus on activity you were going to undertake anyway, within a budget you have set in advance, and it can be a sensible perk. Treat it as a reason to bet more than you can afford, and it becomes a cost rather than a benefit.
How we check the free bets on this page
Every offer listed above is one we have read in full and matched against the operator's own terms and conditions, and we re-check them regularly because bookmakers change their promotions often. When an offer is withdrawn or its terms change materially, we update or remove it. We list only operators licensed by the Gambling Commission to accept customers in Great Britain. We are a marketing affiliate, which means we may earn a commission when you claim an offer, at no extra cost to you, and this never changes which offers we show or how we describe them.
Free bets, frequently asked questions
Do I have to deposit to get a free bet?
Usually yes. Most free bets are bet-and-get offers that require a qualifying deposit and bet. No-deposit offers exist but are smaller and carry stricter terms.
Is the free bet stake returned if my bet wins?
No, in almost all cases the free bet stake is kept by the bookmaker and you receive only the winnings. This is the key difference between a free bet and a cash bet.
Can I withdraw a free bet straight away?
No. You cannot withdraw the free bet itself, only the winnings it produces, and bonus funds may carry wagering requirements before any withdrawal is allowed.
Why did my free bet not arrive?
The most common reasons are a qualifying bet placed below the minimum odds, a deposit made with an excluded payment method, or a promotion you needed to opt in to first.
Can I claim more than one sign-up offer?
You can claim one sign-up offer per bookmaker, but each is for genuinely new customers only, one per person and household. Opening multiple accounts with the same operator breaches its terms.
Are free bets available on the app and the website?
Usually both, though some promotions are app-only or web-only. The offer terms will say where it applies.
Please gamble responsibly. Betting should be fun, not a way to make money, and you should never stake more than you can afford to lose. You must be 18 or over. For free, confidential support visit BeGambleAware.org, contact GamCare or GamStop, or call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133.