Best Betting Promotions

The vast majority of betting sites offer a welcome bonus of some description. These often take the form of free bets (like Bet £10 Get £30) but can also be deposit matches, enhanced odds (price boost) and money back offers, which we are detailed below.

These deals usually remain the same for a long period of time, but various bookmakers may alter their sign up offers around big events such as Euro 2024, or have different new customer betting promotions for punters to choose from, dependent on the sport.

While welcome offers are generally the most lucrative in the short term, the long-term benefits of regular existing customer promotions can be greater.

You can expect bigger and better new account betting promotions around events such as the Cheltenham Festival or World Cup, where there is a full programme of racing throughout the week and betting sites want users to stick with them during it.

Enhanced odds new customer offers are common around big football matches, boxing fights, horse races, and other big events.

As previously mentioned, Free Bets are the most common new customer betting promotion (with Bet £10 Get £20 the most widely available), offering a fixed sum of bonus funds to use on the bookmaker's site, if a player deposits and bets a set amount and at specified odds or pricing. 

This works well for both parties, with bookies able to get new players on-site, giving them the opportunity to potentially make more money via player losses, while players themselves will feel that they are getting a great deal by getting extra monetary value out of their initial deposit.

To cover themselves, bookmakers tend to add caveats to their free bet usage, these can include:

• Free bets cannot be withdrawn
• Free bets must be used within a set timeframe
• Minimum odds usually apply to the use of free bets
• Free bets cannot usually be cashed-out
• Free bets must be used on specific market types (accumulators bet builders, in-play etc)

As always, players should check the terms and conditions when signing up for new customer betting promotions.

There are various options open to new customers, with the below list, highlighting the best available, depending on your bankroll.

New customer money-back promotions tend to come in two guises, which is important to remember.

Money Back If Your First Bet Loses
Money Back On Total Losses

Money back if your first bet loses, is as straightforward as it sounds and can also be called a "risk-free bet". 

Players are required to deposit and place a first bet on a sporting market. If that bet fails to win, the player will get the original stake back as a free bet to be used on another sportsbook market.

Once again, there are certain criteria that must be met for a bet to qualify, these can include:

• A minimum and maximum stake level applies
• Minimum odds must be met when placing the bet
• Bets will be invalidated for the promotion if cashed-out
• Some bet types are ineligible for the offer 
  

Money back on total losses is a little more complicated by comparison, with a percentage of losses over a set period of time eligible to be refunded as free bets, back to the player's account.

The percentage of losses, maximum amount and timescale vary widely, depending on the bookie in question. 

QuinnBet for instance, offers 50% of losses back, to a maximum of £35 within the first 24 hours, while BetZone also offers 50% of losses back, but with a maximum of £60 over 3 days.

if you are looking to take advantage of this type of sign-up offer, then much depends on those aforementioned factors and your actual bankroll, 

Enhanced odds offers for new customers tend to be aimed around big events, matches and races, as bookies look to take advantage of the extra interest from the general public in a sporting event.

With that in mind, the scope of sports these offers come under is narrower, with football and racing tending to be the main focus of these promotions. Big Premier League and Champions League matches are a mainstay. In contrast, big racing events such as the Cheltenham Festival, Royal Ascot and the Grand National also get similar treatment from bookies, while away from those events: golf, rugby and tennis tend to be next in line.

Many of these offers tend to be from the bigger brand bookmakers, such as Sky Bet, BetVictor, Paddy Power and bet365, with a big advertising push on television usually noticeable too.

However, football matches tend to be the go-to for bookmakers when looking to push this type of promotion, offering massively inflated prices on a team's victory or on a specific event to happen, such as a "shot on target" in the match.

Usually, the real odds for these events are very short, so the new customer price boost on offer is exceptionally tempting. Now, there is no such thing as a "sure thing", but the bets used in these offers, are so likely, it's difficult to see them in any other light!

These offers differ slightly from other promotions in terms of how a player receives their bonuses. Usually, the boosted odds are in the region of 30/1 to 40/1 with the requirement of a £1 bet being placed only on the standard market price. 

Assuming the bet wins, the player's original bet is paid normally, with the boosted odds paid in free bets.

There are usually not as many terms and conditions for these types of promotions, but some of those can include:

• Cashed-out bets invalidate the offer
• Free bets must be used on sports markets
• Minimum odds may be required
• Certain markets are not valid with the free bets
• Free bets must be used within a specific timescale

You can check out the latest enhanced odds offers for new customers here!

Another way in which bookmakers can reward new customers is by virtue of a deposit bonus, which can also be known as a matched bonus. Although these are not hugely common, it is something we expect to see become more so in the future.

This type of bonus has slowly crept across from online casinos, with a percentage amount awarded to players based on the initial deposit upon sign-up, with the bonus ranging from 50% to 150% at times and with a maximum bonus limit. 

So, if a bookmaker offers a 50% deposit bonus to a maximum of £100, what does that actually mean for the player? 

These promotions also tend to have wagering requirements attached, with the player required to wager the deposit, bonus or both several times before being able to withdraw these funds.

Other conditions to these offers, can include:

• Maximum qualifying stake must match the initial deposit
• Minimum odds requirements on singles and multiples
• Some bet types being excluded completely from qualifying bets

***There are currently no Deposit bonuses available as a sportsbook bonus***

To further complicate matters, new players should also consider using an official betting app, as there are a few that offer specific betting app promotions for new customers joining via an iOS or Android app.

The advent of mobile gambling isn't anything new, but bookmakers realise that it is significantly easier to gamble on a mobile device and players are more likely to have a flutter on a whim or when "in the moment".

So, to further encourage players to use the official app, bookmakers such as BetVictor will improve their standard sign-up bonus from a Bet £10 Get £40 to a Bet £10 get £50, exclusively for mobile users.

Punters often take advantage of enhanced odds, and the likes of Paddy Power and Ladbrokes are great for this.

In the UK, free bets are the most popular types of betting offer that users can receive. They can pop up on sites like Bet365, which occasionally offer in-play free bets when you place a pre-match wager on a certain game.

Many betting sites offer free bet promotions, in which if you wager a certain amount, a free bet after the placement or settlement of your initial stake is awarded. In some instances, the free bet is only given if the bet loses. In others, it is given regardless if the bet wins or loses.

A regular example of free bets being given is when there are several big sporting events on over the course of a weekend. Bookmakers will try to encourage bets on a less popular market, such as boxing, by rewarding a free bet on a big Premier League match taking place the next day.

Free bets can also be handed out to players personally, via email, phone, and text, as a reward to loyal customers. 

BetVictor and Coral are two of the best betting sites for free bet promotions. As you may have seen advertised on TV from time to time, they sometimes give existing customers free bets without even having to place a qualifying bet.

Paddy Power also rewards customers with no deposit free bet promotions occasionally - such as a free bet on the opening race of the Cheltenham Festival or a free bet builder bet on the big football contest of the day.

While spontaneous free bet promotions are always well received by punters, there are also a number of ongoing deals that allow users of certain betting sites to claim free bets on a regular basis.

These "bet clubs" reward players for making a specified amount of bets within a seven-day period and can be based on singles, accas and bet builders. Arguably the best exponent of this is Sky Bet Club, which allows players to choose the reward they wish to earn, keeping it fresh and fun.

Enhanced odds have become so common among UK betting sites now, with many of the top UK bookmakers offering north of half a dozen odds boosts on every major football match.

Each of the betting sites that offer enhanced odds may call them different things depending on how they want to market them. Betway is known for its 'Betway Boost' section, while VBet simply goes for 'Boosted Odds' and on ZetBet you can 'Boost your Zet Bets'.

Most enhanced odds betting promotions have the markets set by the bookmaker, but some bookies allow users to choose which odds they want to boost.

Best Bookies for Enhanced Odds

1. BetVictor - Boosts every day on football and racing
2. Ladbrokes - Choose what you want boosted
3. Unibet - 'Uniboost' for racing
4. Paddy Power - Earn 'Power Up' odds boosts
5. Betway - Betway Boosts section
6. Sky Bet - Best for football price boosts

As well as boosting regular bets, many of the top bookmakers offer enhanced odds on pre-made bet-builders too, with BetVictor once again leading the way, with its "Bet Builder Boosts", with many others offering enhancements on these bets, boosting the odds still further.

This type of betting promotion is often specific to football but some betting sites open it up to all sports. With Acca insurance, you get your money back, usually as a free bet, if one leg of your accumulator lets you down.

An exception to the usual Acca insurance format is Betfair's Acca Edge, which allows users to get a cash refund if one pick lets them down but the odds are reduced in this instance.

Ladbrokes is considered one of the best betting sites for accumulators because as well as the Acca insurance, you can also get an Acca boost and edit your accas if you wish.

In the case of Ladbrokes, the Acca insurance promotion is eligible on the following football markets - Match Result, Both Teams to Score, Match Result and Both Teams to Score, Correct Score, and Total Goals Over/Under.

Each Acca insurance promotion will have different minimum odds requirements, and while most require 5+ selections, this is not the case with every promo.

Landing an accumulator is hard enough, so you want to be paid properly when you do manage to pull one off. That is why Acca bonus or Acca boost betting promotions are loved so much by punters.

Acca bonus and Acca boost mean pretty much the same thing, but there are some small differences. Usually with an acca bonus, you get your extra winnings as a percentage of your usual profit, and they can sometimes be paid as free bets. This is available when placing three or more selections, usually starting at 5% and increasing with each added selection..

An acca boost, as offered by Ladbrokes and many others, usually involves the odds being boosted before you place your wager, and it is always paid fully in cash.

Generally, players are required to pick three selections (a treble) at least to qualify for the boost, with the option available to select on the betslip. There are some limitations depending on the bookmaker, with one available boost per day or several available per week, while all bookmakers will have a maximum bonus amount that can be won, regardless of the winnings.

Mr Play calls their version of this offer 'PlayBoost', and with this, you can boost your winnings up to 77%, while bet365 offers up to 70% as a bonus, with a cap of £100,000.

Sky Bet Acca Freeze

A more recent addition to Acca bets is Sky Bet's Acca Freeze option, which allows players to take the current score of any game on a football accumulator bet and "freeze" the result. 

This is particularly handy when picking a tough selection that could go either way, but with Sky Bet, if that selection takes the lead, you can freeze that result and count it as a winning selection.

This is limited to five uses per week and once per acca, with a minimum of 5+ selections on full-time results bets only.

'Money back' covers a rather wide scope of online betting promotions, and various betting sites implement them in a number of ways.

Within football betting, certain promotions allow you to get your money back if the game finishes 0-0 (Bet365) or if your team concedes late. Paddy Power often offers money back if a certain team wins or a particular player scores in a selected match, while QuinnBet offers crossbar insurance, injury time goal insurance and red card insurance on various football markets.

Horse racing is the other sport in which you will see a lot of money back betting promotions. 

Bookmakers have steadily gotten more creative with their promotions and some have now become a staple across the majority of sports betting sites, with money back available if a horse falls or fails to start (quinnbet), finishes 2nd or is beaten by a length of less (Boylesports).

Other, less common options available include "fail to finish" which includes jockeys being unseated or if the selection is pulled up and "finishing 2nd, 3rd or 4th to the SP favourite (Betfred)". 

It's always worth keeping an eye on several big brand bookies when it comes to money back promotions as they vie for your custom in this busy landscape.

Early payout is not necessarily one of the most common betting promotions, but it is certainly among the very best. 

Paddy Power and Bet365 have offered this promo to football bettors and the premise of it is that your pre-match football selection is marked as a winner if your team goes two goals up at any point.

The match-winner market is the only one that is eligible, and it may only be available for certain leagues, so be sure to check the terms.

Football is not the only sport in which you can get an Early Payout betting promotion. Betway have had a "You Lead, You Win" offer for the NBA and for the PGA Tour, while Bet365 have Early Payout for MLB, NFL, NHL, NBA, Rugby and Euro Basketball.

The world's most popular sport, football, is of course surrounded by a lot of betting promotions. Many of the promos listed on this page are applicable to football betting, while some are in fact only relevant to this particular sport.

Most enhanced odds offers that you see on betting sites will be for football, and the same can be said for accumulator promos.

Top betting sites such as Betway, Paddy Power, and Bet365 have outstanding football betting offers on a day-to-day basis, but it is good practice to take a look at a few different bookies to potentially get that little bit more value out of your bets.

Best Football Betting Promotions

1. Free bets
2. Enhanced odds
3. Money back
4. Acca insurance
5. Early payout
6. Acca boost

You won't have to look very hard in order to find the football betting promotions with each online bookmaker, as they will usually be displayed quite a lot across the site and at times in TV advertising.

Enhanced odds can often be found when you click into a game, while more longstanding offers such as Acca insurance or 2-0 Early Payouts may be promoted within the football betting section itself.

Early Payout

Some bookmakers have started offering "early payouts" on football bets if a side goes two goals up. This is currently available with Bet365, Paddy Power and Sky Bet.

Once a two-goal margin has been achieved, the match result is instantly confirmed on players' bets, regardless of the outcome of the remainder of the contest. This applies to singles, accas and bet builders for bet365 and Sky Bet customers, with accas at Paddy Power not included.

Sky Bet also offers another instant payout option with accumulators. if all of your selections are winning at half-time in an acca bet, players will be automatically paid out regardless of the result at the end of 90 minutes. This is a great bonus for those who like to place Saturday afternoon accas.

Bet Builder Bonus

Bet Builders have come on leaps and bounds, with a massive number of markets to bet upon pre-match and now some are starting to provide bonus winnings on top of a payout, via a price boost option.

Bet365's "Winnings Boost" promotion allows players to enhance their odds on a minimum 3+ selection bet builder with odds of at least 1/1 (Evens). If the bet qualifies, players can select the Winnings Boost option on the betslip. There's a maximum stake limit and a fixed boost percentage, but overall this is a great option for football betting fans.

Alongside football, horse racing betting promotions are among the most common and popular deals on UK betting sites.

Free bets, enhanced odds, and money back specials are as prevalent within horse racing betting as they are for football betting, but there are some other promos that are exclusive to racing.

Extra Places Betting Promotions

When you bet on horse racing, you can place each-way bets, meaning that half of your stake goes on the horse to win, and the other half on the horse to place, i.e. finish in the top two, three, or four places depending on the size of the race.

While the standard place payouts are the top two places in races with 5-7 runners, three places for more than 8 runners, and four places for 16+ runners, extra place betting promotions allow punters to take advantage of more favourable each-way terms, and increase their chances of securing a return on the place part of their each-way wager.

One of the best exponents of this is Boylesports, who regularly offer at least eight extra place races or more, each and every day on UK and Irish racing.

Expand Your Extra Place Options Even Further!

As well as specific extra place races offered, several bookmakers also offer users to add extra place options in a race. Bet365's "Each-Way Extra" and William Hill's "Pick Your Places" promotions, let backers add an extra place to a race, with odds reduced accordingly.

This is great for those looking to back long-odds runners, but also for those looking to gain an angle on the bookie, even if it means a reduced payout when successful.

Best Odds Guaranteed Betting Promotions

Racing betting odds fluctuate a lot on the day of a race, and the Best Odds Guaranteed promotion eliminates some of the risk of taking a price that is a lot shorter than the starting price of a particular horse.

If you back a horse on the morning of a race at 3/1, but by the time the race starts in the afternoon it has drifted to 5/1, you will be paid at 5/1 if it wins.

Most betting sites implement this promotion for UK & Irish horse racing, while some also include international meetings and greyhound racing.

On each betting site, there is a set time from which racing bets are eligible for Best Odds Guaranteed. With some it can be as late as 10am, others are 8am, but with Bet365 you can place your bets the night before and still qualify, as long as a fixed price is offered.