Free Bets

The term free bet can have many meanings and be used in many different contexts. Some use the the term free bet for all welcome bonuses offered at a bookie. However, we don’t call all sign up bonuses free bets. We make a distinction between bonuses that match your deposit and (free) bets that are handed out to you by the bookmaker.

A free bet (as we define it) is a bet the bookmaker gives to you on their expense. Free bet offers are usually given to new players, but can also be credited to existing customers during special promotions.

If you should win with your free bet, you get to keep the winnings to the extent they exceed the stake. Most free bet offers won’t let you keep the the value of the free bet, although there are some exceptions. The best free bet offers let you keep your winnings without any requirements attached, but some comes with a wagering requirement.

Risk Free Bets

Another common type of free bet is the risk free bet. With this type of free bet you first have to place a bet with your own money. If you win, you get to keep all of the winnings, as you normally would. Should you lose, on the other hand, the sum of the risk free bet will be credited to your account. In effect, you are betting risk free.

The one thing you need to keep in mind though, is that your refunded stake are usually subject to a wagering requirement. You need to meet this wagering requirement prior to any withdrawals.

There are few different factors to take into consideration if you want to find the best free bet offers. These factors are things that are important to all sign up bonuses, not only for bookies with free bet offers.

Free Bet Amount

Naturally you want as large a free bet amount as possible. This is of course an important factor when choosing a free bet offer, but all that glitters is not gold. Some of the larger free bets come with less favourable terms, such as a higher minimum odds requirement or a wagering requirement.

Wagering Requirement

For some free bets, your returned stake is credited as bonus money that needs to be be rolled-over a certain number of times prior to withdrawal. The wagering requirements for free bets tends to be rather low compared to matched deposit bonuses.

Minimum Odds

Minimum odds for a free bet can refer to a few different things. It can be the lowest odds at which you are allowed to place a bet to qualify for the free bet offer.

It can also refer to the minimum odds at which you can use your already credited free bet.

It may also refer to the minimum odds at which you have to fulfill your wagering requirement for you bonus refund.

Validity Period

After your account has been credited with a free bet you need to use it within a certain number of days, usually somewhere in between 7 to 30 days. If you don’t use your free bet within this period you will lose it.

The validity period can also refer to the the period in which you have to meet the wagering requirements. If you fail to meet the wagering requirements within this period the bonus and/or winning amounts may be forfeited.

On this page we list bookies with free bets for players residing in the UK. All of the bookies you find in this list are fully licensed and regulated by the British Gambling Commission.

On other parts of our website you may find bookies without a UK license. However, all bookies without a UK license are clearly marked as such.

Let’s make things more clear by taking an example of a common free bet offer. In this case Stan James’ “Bet £10 get £20 free bet new customer offer”.

1. First thing you have to do is sign up at Stan James
2. Second step is to make a deposit. Note that this offer is not available to players using Neteller or Skrill (Moneybookers) to fund their Stan James account.
3. Third step is to place a qualifying bet of £10 or more at odds of ⅘ (1.80) on any market
4. Once your qualifying bet has been settled, your £20 free bet will be credited to your account within 24 hours. The free bet will be available to use for 7 days.
5. Once your free bet has been credited to your account you are free to use it on any market. Let’s say you place your £20 free bet at odds of 3/2 (2.50): if your selection wins, you get £30 (stake of £20 x odds of 3/2 (2.50) = £50, minus £20 = £30).

I have not received my free bet. Whats wrong?

You might end up in a situation where you expect to receive a free bet, only for it never to materialise. Here's a quick checklist to help you find out what might have gone wrong:

- Are you eligible for the offer?
- Do you need to manually claim the free bet offer?
- Did you enter the (correct) bonus code?
- Is the free bet credited immediately?
- Have you made the correct qualifying bet?
- Did you use an approved payment method for the offer?
- Has your free bet validity period already expired?

What is the difference between a stake returned free bet and a stake not returned free bet?

You might have heard these terms and wonder what they really mean. It’s actually very simple; a stake returned free bet will have the value of the free bet token included in your winnings. If the stake is not returned you will only receive the net winnings of your bet.

Let’s make an example to make it even more clear:

Stake Returned Free Bet:
You place a £10 bet at evens using a stake returned free bet. If you win you’ll receive £20 back – the £10 winnings plus the value of the free bet token.

Stake Not Returned Free Bet:
You place a £10 bet at evens using a stake not returned free bet. If you win you’ll receive £10 back – you will only receive the £10 winnings, not the value of the free bet token.