Free Bets UK - The Best Betting Sign Up Offers for December 2023

How To Find the Best Free Bets in the UK

We understand that finding the right free bets can be overwhelming, so we have done the research for you and compiled a list of trusted platforms that offer attractive promotions.

Most online sports betting sites have free bets up for grabs for new customers, as well as their existing customers. But for those who lack experience in online betting, free bets could raise a question mark or two.

Here at BettingLounge, we help you save time by listing the latest UK free bets & betting offers all in one place. On this page, you will find over £2000 worth of betting sign-up offers & betting deals from the best betting sites in the UK.

Our partnership with bookmakers allows us to list exclusive free bets & betting offers for the new UK and Irish customers, to ensure you get the best value sign-up offers available.

If you have already signed up for all of the bookies on this page, try our new betting sites list for the latest bookies to launch in the UK.

Understanding Free Bets

Before we delve into the details, let's first establish what free bets actually are. Free bets are promotional offers provided by bookmakers as incentives to attract new customers or reward existing ones.

These bets allow you to place a wager without risking your own money, giving you a chance to win real cash or bonus funds.

It's important to note that free bets often come with certain terms and conditions, such as minimum odds requirements or wagering restrictions.

If you didn't know, betting offers is the umbrella term for all bonuses bookmakers use to attract new customers or retain existing players. But, new customer betting offers can be triggered when you sign up (no deposit required), on your first deposit, or when placing your first bet.

On this page, we'll go through the most popular free bets & betting offers available on UK betting sites while providing the promo codes (if needed) for our exclusive betting bonuses.

How Do Free Bets Work?

Free bets may work in different ways depending on the terms and conditions of a particular deal.

However, it is almost always the case that the stake from a free bet is not returned to the player. With a normal bet, the customer gets their stake back when it wins, with this money being part of their total return. But with a free bet, only the profit part of the wager is going to be returned. What this means is that people should consider carefully how they decide to spend their free bets.

For example, it may be a waste of a free bet to put it on a short-priced favourite in a horse race, due to the fact that the stake will not be returned as part of any potential winnings. Many people will therefore prefer to use a free bet on odds with a large wager, as the potential chance to win a lot of money without having to risk a penny of your own cash is very appealing.

Free bets are often offered to new customers in exchange for signing up for an account at a sports betting site, but many online bookmakers offer them regularly to existing customers too.

How Can I Get Free Bets?

People who are looking to get free bets can pick them up in quite a few different ways.

The most common way to get free bets is to sign up for an account with a betting site. Online bookmakers have so much competition across the industry nowadays that almost all of them make free bets available for people who join them - but there are plenty of terms and conditions.

Users will not be able to claim free bets as part of a welcome offer if they already have an open account with the site either. Sometimes, sites are owned by the same company and it might be the case that a firm's terms and conditions dictate a welcome offer can only be claimed once.

Free bets are also often up for grabs as part of the loyalty rewards schemes that sites offer. As an example, Paddy's Rewards Club at Paddy Power is one of the ways in which people can pick up free bets from their chosen online betting site on a regular basis, so this is worth looking for.

Sites also offer free bets around major sporting competitions such as the World Cup in football. Racing fans will find that the Cheltenham Festival is a fantastic way to collect free bets as well.

Right here is an excellent place to find out about all the latest free bet offers that are available.

Are Free Bets Really Free?

Free bets might sometimes seem as if they are too good to be true, so is a free bet really free?

The short answer to this is yes and no. The long answer is it depends on terms and conditions.

As we highlighted above, the stake is almost always not returned as part of free bet winnings. This can make it a challenge to turn free bets into real money that can be withdrawn as cash.

The small print of the terms and conditions can help to dictate whether or not a free bet is really free. When joining a new sports betting site, people will usually have to deposit a certain amount of money into their account, as well as place a qualifying wager in order to earn the free bet.

Some people may therefore see a free bet that they have to commit their own cash towards being able to earn as not being entirely free, which would be quite a fair attitude to take.

Sometimes, the terms and conditions of a free bet offer also state that there is a wagering requirement to meet the winnings from this type of wager. These are not always easy to meet and can make it very difficult to turn a free bet into real money that can be withdrawn.

It is fair to treat free bets with some scepticism at times. After all, online bookmakers are not in the habit of giving things away for free if they do not believe they will get a return in the long run.

Comparing Free Bets & Betting Offers

Once you have shortlisted a few reputable bookmakers, the next step is to compare the free bet offers they provide.

Look for promotions that align with your interests and offer generous benefits. Pay attention to factors such as the size of the free bet, any deposit requirements, and the specific terms and conditions attached to the offer.

By comparing the available options, you can identify the most valuable and suitable free bets for your needs.

Important Terms & Conditions to Look for:

• Bonus code (if required)
• Where the free bet can be used (sportsbook or casino)
• Minimum deposit amount & payment methods that are valid for the free bet bonus
• Minimum qualifying odds to place or unlock the free bet
• Turnover requirements
• The period for the free bet bonus (usually valid from 7 - 30 days)
• Geographical restrictions

As an example, new customers have to place a bet of £10 minimum with odds of 1.50 (or higher) to qualify for £30 in free bets. More often than not, the first bet is your qualifying bet. Be sure to read the significant terms we and the bookmakers provide to qualify for each free bet bonus.

How to Spot Good Free Bet Sign-Up Offers

There are hundreds of different free bet sign-up offers out there so it is important to know how to spot the best. Of course, this is subjective for each punter. But, most will suit free bets with their low turnover requirements and ease of use.

Free bets are mostly available for new customers, and allow players to place a bet using a set amount of money. Matched deposits can also be good for some punters if you are going to deposit a larger sum of money.

Generally, you will get a 100% matched deposit, with your first deposit. But, the T&C can be problematic with difficult turnover requirements.

If you can gamble larger sums of money, a matched deposit is worthwhile. But, we recommend always reading the significant T&Cs listed below for each offer on our list.

Focus on four important factors:

The Amount

This one is pretty self-explanatory. The higher the amount (£) the better the free bet is. Although, if you are only looking to deposit a small amount say £25, a matched deposit of up to £200 is not for you.

Most free bets are somewhere between £10 and £50 but, the amount is in no way the most important factor. It is the wagering requirement when comparing the best free bets.

The Wagering Requirements

Hidden somewhere in the long list of T&Cs are the wagering requirements to release the funds for withdrawal. The best kind of free bet has no wagering requirements but they are usually smaller in amount.

Sometimes you can wager the free bet just one time, however, it can also be up to ten times or more on rare occasions. We list all of the wagering requirements here at BettingLounge so you are never caught out.

Make sure to read the terms and conditions listed below for each betting offer!

The Betting Site

Even though the free bet might look awesome, it’s more important to make sure the betting site is safe and right for you. But don’t worry, here at BettingLounge we only list the trusted, and licensed UK betting sites with free bets.

Our recommended betting site is Paddy Power. PP is a well-known and respected betting site that offers a fantastic product for new and existing customers. You will find a huge range of sports, markets, and events to choose from, combined with plenty of unique and awesome promotions.

Event-Specific Free Bets & Betting Offers

If you are not yet signed up to many betting sites, we recommend waiting for big sporting events to get the best value sign-up offers. For example, during big sporting events such as Cheltenham, Grand National or the Euros, you will find a wide range of fantastic value sign-up bonuses available, and they will almost certainly offer more value than the standard welcome offers.

Several betting sites will also push massive enhanced odds sign-up offers which can offer fantastic value depending on how you use them. For example, our partnership with 888sport allows us to offer exclusive enhanced odds specials for big sporting events as a new customer.

Below is an example of an enhanced odds free bet special for the Nations League with 888Sport.

In this offer, you can see the Netherlands win was enhanced from 2/1 to 16/1.

Meanwhile, an England win was enhanced from 29/20 to 12/1.

You can place a max £5 bet, and winnings would be paid back in free bets.

If you bet £5 in the Netherlands to win, you could get £80 in free bets.

If you bet £5 on England to win, you could get £65 in free bets.

Compared to other betting sign-up offers, you will never get anywhere near £65 or £80 in free bets with most standard welcome offers around the £10 - £40 mark when signing up.