Normally the main sign up offer for the bookmaker is available to use on all sports. But be careful to check as sometimes offers are for horse racing or football only. Often your first bet💰 acts as a qualifier, met with an equivalent free bet credit!

Sign up deposit bonuses are becoming more popular than free bets with UK betting sites now. Often the bookmaker will match the deposit you make up to a certain amount with bonus funds but what is the difference between that and a free bet?

In the world of betting promotions, it's crucial to understand the difference between a free bet and a deposit bonus. Free bets are prevalently offered by bookmakers to encourage both new and existing customers to bet with them.

When using a free bet, note that the stake is not returned. If you place a £10 free bet with even odds 2. Can't tell a Free Bet from a Deposit Bonus? On the other hand, deposit bonuses operate differently. These allow you to retain the bonus value as cash, but usually come with wagering requirements to prevent immediate withdrawal.

This means you have to place a specified number of bets before you can convert the bonus to withdrawable cash.

For instance, if you get a £20 bonus with x3 wagering requirements, you'd need to place bets worth £60 before you can withdraw the bonus and any winnings made from it.

Understanding these distinctions will crucially enhance your betting experience. As ever, please really carefully check the terms and conditions of all free bet offers and make sure you are able and willing to comply with all of them before signing up to a bookmaker.

There have been a lot of new bookmakers focusing on the UK market recently. We have added many of these to OLBG and list the new free offers here. There are around 80 bookmakers licensed for remote gambling in the UK so that is a lot of free bets and bonuses that could be available to you!

As these new bookmakers come along we will add their free bets here to ensure that you can see all the new free bet offers. BetMGM is one of the largest and most popular sportsbooks in the United States, and has now entered the UK market.

Part of the MGM Resorts International umbrella, make no mistake, this is a heavyweight entering the ring. SBK, Smarkets' Fixed Odds Sportsbook, is a premier UK betting site offering top odds, advice, and bespoke features through an award-winning app.

The Football Pools offers betting on sports and casinos, with an added original Football Pools Classic featuring £3 million score draw jackpots. There are so many free bets or new customer offers for those joining a bookmaker, but free bets for existing customers are harder to find.

We have researched for you though and discovered all the bookmaker free bet clubs available. To find what we think are the best use the filters above to choose loyalty offers and best. Bookmakers are becoming better at rewarding the loyalty of their customers and many have set up free bet clubs to offer regular bonuses as well as the joining offers.

Essentially what these do is provide free bets after the customer has placed a number of bets, sometimes certain types of bets. Terms and conditions always apply to these offers so please check those fully. These offers are all subject to change but we have written a whole article entitled the best weekly free bet clubs explained so check that out to see what is available now.

Aside from the free bet clubs, bookmakers offer many other promotions for your loyalty. Some of these offers for existing customers include.

You can read through examples of all these offers on this page. Simply pick loyalty offers from the filters above. Love the idea of wagering without the risk? Then No Deposit Free Bets are for you!

A rare find, these allow a sneak peek at a bookmaker with potential for real winnings, sans the initial risk! More common in casinos, check our casino offers page for more. Free bets without placing a deposit are extremely popular of course as these offer an opportunity to try out a bookmaker and to try to win some real money without the initial risk.

Because these are a very good offer they are expensive promotions for bookmakers to run and so are few and far between. Some no-deposit free bet offers are limited for a short time or a certain number of free bets are made available. No-deposit casino offers are more popular than no-deposit free bets.

Visit our casino offers page to see the no-deposit offers available there. Here is a selection of questions you should consider when looking through the terms and conditions of the free bets.

Make sure you are familiar with the terms and conditions of free bet offers when you are looking to take advantage of a new customer offer. We highlight significant terms and conditions of free bets by each welcome offer listed on this page but each offer also has further terms and conditions which you can see on the landing page after clicking through.

Let's take a closer look at the types of bookmaker offers and free bets you can expect to find when looking to open a new account online. With lots of different terms being used, understanding bookmaker sign up offers can be difficult. Here is a guide to some of those terms and what they mean.

These are typically where the amount of your first deposit is used as the qualifying amount of the deposit bonus.

Many people call these free bets matched deposit but really they are deposit bonuses, so you receive more funds in your account which you can then use for betting, as opposed to receiving a free bet token.

They're often based on your first deposit amount, not just free bets. Deposit £50, get £50 more! But remember, turnover requirements can be high, so bet wisely!

Normally turnover requirements are added to the terms of these offers and these can be quite onerous. We have seen as high as 15x turnover requirements on deposit amount and bonus amount.

So on a £50 deposit that could mean, £ would have to be wagered before any funds can be withdrawn. So read the terms and conditions of these bookmaker offers thoroughly.

You shouldn't change your betting patterns to obtain specific offers so it may be that you dont want to claim the full maximum deposit bonus as to withdraw, it may mean you need to be more than you normally would want to.

That is not sensible or responsible gambling. For those who typically bet larger amounts though, deposit matches can be a good way to gain extra funds for your betting bank.

Examples of free bets matched deposit include. Cash Back offers, another name for deposit bonuses, can seem enticing but be sure to read the fine print! While they may not provide immediate cash withdrawals, they can be advantageous when offered by betting exchanges or spread betting companies.

Another name for deposit bonus offers but the term cash back may be misleading as it is unlikely you will receive any cash which is immediately allowed to be withdrawn with this form of offer. However sometimes these can be very good offers, for example when a betting exchange or spread betting company offers such an incentive.

With these offers, as ever, it is really important to understand the full terms and conditions. Examples of cash back welcome offers are. Make the most of Matched Free Bets! But an 'up to £25' deal could match your £5 bet with a £5 free bet.

Matched free bets are typically on the first bet placed and are sometimes referred to as free bet matched stake offers. So when you open a new betting account make sure that you are aware of the welcome offer terms and conditions.

Your first bet is often the qualifying bet for the offer, so if for example the welcome offer is bet £25 get £25 free bet and you make your first bet £5, you would not qualify.

Sometimes though the headline amount is the maximum, so the offer may be bet up to £25 and get your first bet matched up to £ So in that example a £5 bet may get a £5 free bet.

You also need to look out for other qualifying terms though. Matched free bets also explain multiples of free bets higher than the initial stake. Examples of matched free bets include.

Fortunately there are stricter rules in place now as to when a bookmaker may and may not call a welcome offer risk free. These are rare offers as normally there is a risk involved in depositing and making a qualifying bet in order to be able to claim a free bet.

The free bet you get after qualifying for it may well be risk free, but you would have needed to take a risk with your first bet. So you may see these promoted as, say Bet £10, Get a £10 risk free bet.

Remember though, you are taking a risk with your first £10 bet which of course you can lose. Risk-free bets sound enticing, right? Remember, there's still a risk with your qualifying bet!

Bet £10, Get £10 risk-free may sound good, but your initial £10 can still be lost. Stay informed, bet smart! Another version of this may be a no deposit free bet.

You are more likely to find no deposit offers for slots or casino, sometimes referred to as free spins. Keep in mind though there are often many terms applied to these, such as the maximum you can win, how many times you need to turn over your stake etc. Another way in which bookmakers may use the term risk free is in the situation where they will give you a free bet if your first bet loses.

However it would be wrong of them to call this risk free. You would need to stake an initial bet with your money, which you could lose and then typically if you do lose they will give you a free bet up to a certain amount.

ie this may be bet £10, get a free £10 bet if you lose. However you have taken a risk as the free bet cant be withdrawn as cash. These aren't great offers as nobody intends to lose their first bet of course and if you win as planned, you get no bonus at all. Examples of these type of offers include.

Another variation of deposit match offers. This is really just different terminology with different terms and conditions attached to the offer. So rather than receive an amount of your deposit as a deposit bonus, you would be allocated betting credits or free bets.

These sign up offers have become really popular recently and bookies use them to encourage sign ups around large sporting events.

So rather than offer a free bet, they will offer larger odds on a popular bet to a certain stake. Sometimes these can be very good offers if the winnings are payable in cash and can be withdrawn.

However it is more common to see the winnings paid in free bets. So if the selection wins you would receive your normal returns to a £1 stake but additionally £20 in free bet credits.

These offers sound very attractive and can suit you if you want to make small stakes only. Profit Boosts, akin to enhanced odds, boost your winning's profit! Not as common due to their complexity and non-specific nature, but they could prove a gamechanger, so keep an eye out!

Similar to enhanced odds or price boosts but based on profit instead. So the offer could be double the profit of your first bet or first x bets up to a certain amount.

These aren't so common as they can be difficult for the customer to understand and they aren't normally specific to an event or outcome. Money Back Special Bets offer a free bet if a specific event occurs—bettor bets on a football match, certain player scores, get a free bet!

However, it's just a free bet, not your cash back. So, win on that free bet to retrieve your initial stake. These free bet offers are linked to something specific happening.

Such as place a bet on a football match and get your money back as a free bet if a certain player scores. Or bet on a horse in a certain race and get your money back as a free bet if that horse falls.

Often these types of offers can be available to existing as well as new customers. Be careful though as you dont get your money back! You are rewarded a free bet which is very different as you would then need to win on that free bet to try and get your original stake back.

Full terms apply. New UK and ROI customers only. Min £10 first deposit using Debit Card. Place a bet of £10 at min odds of 1. For new Ireland and Malta customers only. Free bets are credited upon settlement of qualifying bets.

Distribution of Free Bets may vary depending on territory. odds Evs. Sign Up using the promo code b25g10fb and make a minimum deposit of £ Place a minimum £25 bet on any selection with minimum odds of evens 2. To qualify you must bet a minimum £25 in the promotional period and within 24 hours of Sign Up.

Free bet credits will be subject to an expiry period of 7 days from date of issue. deposit £ This bet must be settled within 14 days of bet placement to qualify for the welcome free bet offer.

Max one £10 Free Bet. Losses will be refunded on first bet only, as a free bet - up to £ Users cannot back and lay the same selection on the first bet. Be Gamble Aware. deposit of £ Qualifying real money bet of £ Min odds greater than or equal to 1.

Offer awarded immediately but could be issued the next working day in exceptional circumstances such as technical fault. Please gamble responsibly.

FREE BET VALID FOR 7 DAYS. Deposit £10 or more and place a £10 bet at min odds 2. Get a £10 free bet. Free bets expire after 7 days. A "Qualifying Bet" is a first settled real money single or multiple bet of £ Place a minimum 2x £10 pre-match 4 leg acca cash bet where odds accumulate to 3.

Cashed Out, Asian Handicaps, Draw no Bet wagers or bets with void legs do not qualify for this promotion. Free Bet credited every Monday by 12pm.

Maximum 1 free bet per customer per week available from this promotion. NEW CUSTOMERS ONLY. MAX ONE £10 FREE BETS. Place a minimum £15 bet on any selection with minimum odds of evens 2.

To qualify you must make a minimum deposit of £15 and bet a minimum £15 in the promotional period and within 24 hours of Sign Up. bet, are one of the biggest and best online betting sites in the UK right now, and as such are firmly placed as a fan favourite.

Starting out from the beginning the bonus amount is excellent, with £30 providing users with ample opportunities to explore their betting site to the fullest. It also surpasses the likes of Coral and Ladbrokes and is certainly nothing to be sniffed at. The qualification odds are also worth noting, in the fact they are actively the lowest out there.

This then allows for players to mitigate the risk of their initial bet all whilst still being able to claim their £30 in bonus funds.

However, the single best thing about this free bet offer is in how the free bets can be utilised by players. Whereas others offer £10 bet tokens that must be used in their entirety, bet allows players to spend these in whatever way they see fit.

Be this £1, £5, £10 or even the full £30 should they wish, permitting users far more freedom and control over how they wish to play with their hard-earned free bets, instead of being forced into using them in certain ways. The lengthy expiration window plays into this as well, with the funds not expiring unless an account is inactive for 90 days or more.

Again most others only offer seven days, forcing players into using their free bets before they expire, but not necessarily when they want to. On the whole, all of these factors combine into what is comfortably one of the best sign up offers out there, offering players one of the best sets of free bets around, all whilst giving them more control and freedom than any other sign up offers around.

We utilise our extensive experience and expert knowledge of the betting industry in combination with industry leading metrics such as the UK Bookmaker Awards UKBA when reviewing each free bet offer. This is one of the landmark methods we use to evaluate all of our bookmakers and acts as a cornerstone of much of our analysis.

An entirely data-driven approach is taken as a team of over 15 people breaks down over 1. Across theses 12 months, all areas of betting sites are regularly tested, ensuring data is collected as accurately and recently as possible, with updates being released throughout the year.

Rankings across multiple core categories including football markets, welcome offers, customer service and betting experience are compiled and published.

All bookmakers ranked are then ranked out of 26, depending on how well they rank in each category, so customers can see exactly how and why each performs well and where. A final overall ranking is then provided, allowing players to see the best from the rest and everything in between.

The free bets amount is central to each and every sign up offer, and are arguably the most important. We test each offer by regularly comparing and checking all the different offers around to see which offer allows you to claim the biggest bonus. Qualifying stakes simply means how much you are required to wager in order to claim your free bets.

Qualifying odds are another important factor, with these being the minimum odds of the qualifying bet you need to place to receive your free bets. In theory, the lower the minimum odds, the more likely you are to win your qualifying bet and then, in turn, make a profit.

Expiry dates are another important aspect that needs to be evaluated, as the longer players have to use their free bets, the better. This is because it allows users to use their free bets as and how they wish to, instead of being forced to use them within a certain time window.

Most bookmakers offer a seven to day window, while the best free bet offers see expiry dates of 60 days or more. The easier the process of signing up to a bookmaker the better as it allows all players to be able to claim and make use of these great free bet offers without any fuss or hassle.

If the sign-up process is too difficult or has numerous complicated steps, that could cause players to accidentally miss out on claiming their sign-up offer altogether. We regularly test this via our own experiences when signing up and by thoroughly evaluating the process at regular intervals throughout the year to ensure you know which bookmakers sign-up processes that are easiest to understand.

The more markets you are able to use these on the better as it gives you more freedom in how you use these, but also provides greater variation and the ability to spread these across multiple markets. Most bookmakers allow you to use these across any of their sports betting markets, with very few limiting you to select selections.

I have been an avid sports bettor for five years now, and during this time, have managed to build up a wealth of experience with all different types of bookmakers. I have spent my time researching many different aspects of each bookmaker, always making sure to keep an eye out for the best betting sites around.

I used all the most important information and knowledge I have gathered over the years when creating this article, making sure you have all the information you need when deciding on your bookmaker of choice.

The UK Bookmaker Awards UKBA is an industry-focused event that take a data-driven and user-tested look at the major bookmakers in the UK and ranks them in a number of different category.

This is one of the landmark methods we use to evaluate all of our bookmakers and acts as a cornerstone of much of our analysis and here is why:. An entirely data-driven approach as a team of over 15 people breaks down over 1. Across the 12 months all areas of betting sites are regularly tested, ensuring data is collected as accurately and recently as possible, with updates being released throughout the year.

Rankings across multiple core categories including football markets, welcome offers, customer service, betting experience and much much more. All bookmakers ranked out of 26, depending on how well they rank in each category, all broken down, so customers can see exactly how and why each performs well and where.

Each bookmaker's odds that they offer on their football markets is assess continuously to gather a strong understanding of just how competitive their odds are.

The UKBA will assess odds from a variety of different markets spanning a range of different leagues and competitions to form a complete idea of exactly how strong each bookmaker's odds are. The more competitive a bookmaker's odds the better, with the odds offered for the likes of bet boosts and bet builders all coming in to play when assessing this category.

Similarly to the 'football odds' category, each bookmaker is evaluated and assessed on the strength of the odds they offer for horse racing.

As always, the more competitive the odds the better, with the odds offered for both in-play and pre-race markets assessed. All markets that each bookmaker offers odds for, such as 'race winner' and 'tri-cast', are assessed to ensure the UKBA gather a full understanding of the quality of horse racing odds offered by each bookmaker.

All of the bookmakers involved in the UKBA will have the markets they offered assess, with the more variety in the markets they offer the better. The range of markets offered for each sports are assessed, as well as the total number of sports they offer markets for. The bigger the selection of markets the better, with the amount of sports they offer markets for also being assessed in this category, with each bookmaker performing better depending on whether they cover a wider span of sports.

Customer service is one of the more important areas of a bookmaker's sportsbook, and is thus one of the more vital categories that the UKBA cover. Each bookmaker's customer service options are evaluated in a number of ways, such as how helpful they are and how easy they are to contact.

Additionally, the types of customer service options that each bookmaker offers, as well as the times each service is available from, are also evaluated, with the more options offered to users, and the longer they're available, the better.

The bookmakers taking part in the UKBA are all assessed on the range of banking options they allow players to use when managing their funds. As always, the more options that are available the better, with each bookmaker performing better should they offer a wider range of banking options.

Additionally, factors such as deposit and withdrawal time, as well as minimum deposit and withdrawals, are also assessed. Bookmakers are assessed on the overall betting experience of their sportsbook, with this covering both their mobile sportsbook, desktop site and app. The overall experience that each user has when using each of these making up the final ranking for this category.

Factors such as ease of use, loading times and sportsbook design are just some of the areas assessed in this category. A bookmaker's welcome bonus is one of the most important factors of any sportsbook, thus they're one of the key categories that each bookmaker is assessed on in the UKBA.

The bonus amount on offer, the simplicity of the offer, the required initial stake and bonus restrictions are all taken into account when assessing this category. Operators that offer the most in terms of a bonus amount don't always necessarily boast the better performance in this category, with each aforementioned factor being taken into account when deciding the final rankings.

All bookmakers involved in the UK Bookmaker Awards are assessed by the range of existing customer offers they have to offer for all sports they offer markets for. These offers are assessed on their availability, how easy they are to claim and the bonus amount on offer, as well as the amount of individual existing customer offers that are available.

Each site is also assessed on the sports they offer existing customer offers, with the wider variety of sports they cover, the better. What sets bet apart is that players can use their free bets however they see fit, with you able to use your £30 bonus amount in whatever denominations you please.

Unibet provides a unique sign up offer which allows players to claim the stake from their first bet back as a free bet up to £40 if it loses.

This then still allows you to claim a high amount of free bets back from your initial stake, still allowing for players to get some bonus funds to use with their sportsbook. SBK are a newcomer to this list yet have impressed people with their welcome offer, onse such that allows players to claim £30 in free bets from just a £10 initial stake.

This is then avalibe to players via their superb betting app, which is equally as impressive. Coral provides their players with £20 in free bets from a £5 stake. Ladbrokes also provides a £20 welcome bonus that only requires you to stake £5 in order to claim it, giving players a decent bonus off of a strong initial stake.

These free bets are then able to be used across their impressive range of sports betting markets. We used our extensive experience and knowledge when creating this list, helping you figure out which offer is the best for yourself and why.

Coral tops our list with a low minimum deposit of just £5 is required across all their payment methods. Additionally, this is also the amount you need to deposit and stake to claim their welcome offer, which proves to be very convenient when claiming their sign-up bonus.

Ladbrokes are the same in this instance, as they require a minimum deposit of just £5 when signing up, with this also being the amount you need to stake to claim their welcome offer. This is the same no matter which payment options you decide to use, however to claim the full bonus amount of £30 that comes with their welcome offer, you will need to stake £10, thus we recommend depositing this amount when signing up.

William Hill provides a £5 minimum deposit on all of their payment methods, for which they have a wide and varied set, giving the user more freedom in managing their funds, although new players will have to deposit £10 to be able to claim their sign up offer.

BoyleSports are a great option for anyone looking for another low deposit betting site, as all of their payment options carry a £5 minimum deposit, a low amongst many other bookmakers. Sky Bet are truly the best around in terms of stake-to-bonus ratio, giving players massive returns off of their qualifying bet.

New players are able to claim £30 in free bets from just a 5p qualifying stake. The value of this is truly astronomical, with this easily being the best offer around in terms of value.

William Hill gives their players impressive returns of £40 in free bets from a £10 stake, but this is for players signing up with their app only. Betfred also provides their new customers with £40 in bonuses, however this is issued as £30 in free bets and a £10 casino bonus.

Sky Bet is one of the best bookmakers around when it comes to the amount of time you have to use your free bets, as your free bets will never expire as long as you use your account regularly.

Players simply need to make sure their account is active at least once every 24 months to avoid having any free bets expire.

bet allows players to use their free bets as they see fit, with you able to use your bonuses in any denominations you please.

Any free bets claimed via bet will not come with an expiry date, however they will expire should your account be inactive for 90 days at any point. This provides players with plenty of time to scout out the bets that take their fancy, instead of being rushed and being forced to use them within a matter of days after signing up.

bet are especially good when it comes to bonus limitations, as they allow their players to use their free bets on any markets offered, with you also able to use your bonus amount however you please. Sky Bet allows players to use their free bets however they please, with their £30 welcome bonus issued in the form of three x £10 free bet tokens.

These come with no expiry date, with you free to use them on the huge range of markets they have to offer. Parimatch boasts an incredible range of football markets and selections, all of which you can use your free bets on.

Players can claim £20 in free bets off of a £5 initial bet, with this coming in the form of two x £10 free tokens. These will come in the form of three or four £10 free bet tokens, with you able to use these however you please, with you not restricted as to what markets you can use them on.

Betfred do not have any wagering requirements attached to their free bet offers, with players just simply having to place their free bets on any of their sports betting markets, with you then able to withdraw any winnings won from these bets. Sky Bet is great when it comes to wagering requirements, as users simply need to wager their free bets once before any winnings won from these bets can be withdrawn.

They also provide an excellent range of football betting markets for users to play on. They also bring users some of the widest provisions of markets compared to other bookmakers, meaning players are spoilt for choice.

BetUK provides their players with an impressive £30 in free bets from just a £10 qualifying bet, with your free bets also coming with no wagering requirements, meaning users simply just need to place these once before being able to withdraw any winnings.

kwiff brings their players an entirely unique free bet offer in the form of a £20 surprise bet, with you able to claim this via a £10 initial stake. This free bet is then placed for you by kwiff, allowing you to completely avoid any wagering requirements at all.