What are Free Bets?
In this competitive world of online betting in the UK the bookmakers must think long and hard, firstly how to get new customers to sign up, then, how do they keep them betting. Obviously providing a great online betting site is a priority but with most of the online bookies pushing the boundaries and offering great betting sites then more is needed.
A popular incentive bookmakers have been using for a while now is to offer new customers welcome bonuses, free bets and deposit bonuses to try and get you through the door. It might seem quite simple, but these welcome offers can differ quite a lot so in this guide we are going to go through the different types the online bookies are offering and explain them all in detail. You can also head to Free Bets UK, another one of our sites, for even more UK free bets and online betting offers.
Free Bets or a Free Bet
One of the most popular welcome bonuses is for bookies to offer a free bet or free bets. These bonus offers work based on matching your 1st bet with a free bet such as the Royal Panda free bet where you bet £20 and get a £20 free bet. These types of matched bets were the normal but recently the bookies have become more generous as the competition increases. Many online bookies now will credit you even more free bets than your first bet. For example, the BetVictor free bet works as a bet £5 as a 1st bet and get £30 in free bets. So, as you can see you can get some great free bets but placing just small 1st bets.
First Deposit Bonuses
At first these types of bonuses can look very much like a free bet offer, but these bonuses work of your 1st deposit rather than your 1st bet. A good example of this is the 10Bet free bet where they will match your 1st deposit with a deposit bonus up to £50 to use as free bets. It is worth noting though that some of these 1st deposit bonuses come with turnover requirements before you can withdraw any winnings from the bonus. If you claim a £100 bonus that comes with a turnover requirement of 3X then you will have a bet that £100 3 times before it becomes withdrawable. They usually also have minimum odds requirements as well so always make sure you check out the terms and conditions.
No Deposit Free Bets
These free bets do exactly what it says on the tin, gives you free bets with no deposit needed. Unfortunately, they are exceedingly rare with only Sporting Index currently offering this sort of sign up bonus. The Sporting Index free bet is especially generous as they give you £100 to bet with just for signing up. Although you cannot withdraw the £100 you get to keep any winnings you make from this, which is a great way to learn a bit about Sporting Index and spread betting.
No Lose Bets
These betting offers are not the most generous of offers but they can still be greatly beneficial for new customers. These work where you can get your 1st bet refunded as a free bet if your 1st bet loses. These types of welcome offers may not seem too generous, but you can use them smartly to cover yourself. For example, you may have your eye on an outside bet with larger odds than something you usually bet on. If you use one of these offers you can back this bet in confidence knowing if it wins you have a big priced winner, but if not, your bet is refunded so you can bet on something again and hopefully start a winning streak.
Enhanced Odds Offers
These are slightly different welcome offers and can be rather generous if you can catch the right one. These betting offers are usually a one-off, surrounding a specific sporting or betting event and usually give you huge odds on a certain outcome. Normally these are paid out as free bets and are restricted to really small stakes but sometimes they can really start your betting on the right foot, by hardly betting anything.
As you can see there are many different types of welcome bonus offers waiting for new sports betting customers and they all have pros and cons. Hopefully we have guided you in the right direction though as we recognise one type of free bet might not be right for everyone.
Which Betting Sites Offer Free Bets and Welcome Bonuses?
As you can see above there are plenty of online betting sites offering UK customers free bets and other welcome bonuses. We have also mentioned that different offers will suit different people and styles of betting. One thing that will reassure you using FreeBetsHub.com when looking for free bet offers is that we only review betting sites licensed and regulated by the United Kingdom Gambling Commission. Our list of online bookmakers only contains bookies where it is legal for UK customers to bet at such as Betfred, Bet365 and Ladbrokes.
Online Free Bet Offers
Bet £5 for £30 in free bets
• The most generous welcome bonus - Bet £5 get £30 in free bets
• Incredibly competitive betting odds
• Exce...