Best free bets: Free bet offers from 20+ UK bookmakers

Betting sites are regularly refreshing their free bet offers and for bettors determined to find the most up-to-the-minute free bets currently available, The Standard's gambling team has you covered.We have all the latest and best free bets offers from a wide variety of bookmakers, including Sky Bet, Paddy Power, bet365, William Hill, Coral, Ladbrokes, BoyleSports, Betfair and Betfred.Free bet offersWhat is a free bet? A free bet is a wager where a punter doesn’t have to risk any of his own money when placing a bet. Free bets often have to be earned by meeting wagering or deposit requirements, as is the case with most welcome offers, but bookmakers do occasionally hand out no deposit free bets.With most free bets, any winnings are converted straight to cash that can be withdrawn, but the free bet stake itself is not included in any returns.Top 10 bookmakers for free betsRead MoreBetfred free bets offersThe Betfred sign-up offer will see punters receive £50 in free bets after a £10+ qualifying cash bet is placed at odds of evens or greater.The welcome offer is split into three £10 free bet tokens for use on any sport, and two £10 free bet accumulators.Betfred will return a bettor’s stake as a free bet on losing football bet builder bets in certain competitions, often capped at a £5 free bet but occasionally rising to £10. The Acca Flex promotion returns stakes as a free bet if one leg of an accumulator doesn’t win, while Betfred are known for running bet and get offers during Grand Slam tennis tournaments.The free-to-play football score predictor game, Beat Fred, can also offer free bet prizes.£50 is one of the largest amount of free bets available from a UK welcome offerBet builder money back paid as free bets - a recurring offer Beat Fred and Grand Slam tennis offers provide additional routes to free bets Tennis offers regularly require in-play wagersBet builder money back is capped at £5 BOYLE Sports free betsBOYLE Sports do a range of free bet offers, starting with the welcome offer, which features a £40 free bet. Unlike other welcome bonuses, the BOYLE Sports welcome offer doesn’t split its free bet up into small chunks, instead delivering one £40 free bet token to punters after they’ve deposited and wagered £10.BOYLE Sports runs regular free bet offers, with accumulators being a particularly strong source of free bets. Bettors can get their stake refunded as a free bet if one leg of their acca lets down via Acca Rewards, while Acca Loyalty entitles users to a £5 free acca bet for every 5 x £5 accumulators placed.There are also free bet refunds available on horse racing and greyhounds if your selection finishes second to the favourite at selected meetings. BOYLE Sports have a track record for running free bets offers for the big race meetings too, so look out for Cheltenham free bets when it rolls around.Large welcome bonus featuring £40 in free betsFree bets readily available to acca bettorsMoney back specials run regularlyVery few bet and get schemesBet365 free betsArguably the biggest name in online betting, bet365 has sadly scaled back its welcome offer, with new customers now entitled to up to £30 in free bets. Bet365 will treble any amount between £5 and £10 that a new customer deposits and wagers as part of the flexible bet365 welcome offer, while qualifying wagers can be placed at odds of 1/5, the shortest odds of any major bookie.Bet365 runs money-back as a free bet promotion for major football games in the Champions League and World Cup, but those offers are infrequent, with the operator preferring to focus on other promos.They put together some of the biggest boosts available at UK betting sites, while 25 per cent winnings boosts for football and racing bet builders are common.Versatile welcome offerFree bet special for big football gamesMarket-best odds boostsSmaller welcome bonus than some rivalsFree bet offers often capped at £5BetMGM free betsBetMGM are of the newer brands on this list. The welcome offer hands new customers £40 in free bets after a £10 qualifying stake, split four ways into two £10 bet builder tokens and two £10 standard sports tokens.BetMGM free bets for existing customers come mostly through sporadic offers. They’ll offer money back in free bets on losing bet builders for certain football games, while I’ve been contacted more than once since joining with a bet and get free bet offer. Most of the free bets offers are capped at £10.We like the daily profit boost tokens BetMGM supply to racing bettors, while there’s an acca bonus scheme that delivers up to a 200 per cent winnings boost on successful multiples.£40 in free bets when joiningBet and get or money back offers sent straight to bettorsProfit boost tokens handy for racingHalf of welcome offer reserved for bet buildersPrize Wheel doesn’t feature sportsbook rewardsWilliam Hill free betsWilliam Hill are one of the most well-established high street bookmakers in the UK and the William Hill welcome offer is a tried and tested bet £10, get £30 in free bets deal. Qualifying bets need to be placed at odds of 1/2 or greater, which is below the industry average for free bet offers, and the free bet tokens can be wagered on any sport. William Hill free bets for existing customers are a little bit harder to come by, but they do run free bet promotions around big racing meetings, such as Royal Ascot and Cheltenham. Free bet offers from Hills tend to be personalised to each bettor and the range in rewards can be large, going from 50p to £50 depending on the user.What William Hill lack in free bets, they make up for with other types of betting promotions, such market-beating odds boosts for football, highly competitive odds for racing and free-to-play games with huge cash prizes.Welcome offer is straightforward and flexiblePersonalised free bet offersRegular odds and winnings boostsBigger free bet rewards reserved for high rollersThe promotions section doesn’t display all Hills’ offersCoral free betsCoral are a high street bookmaker with deep racing roots, and for low-stakes racing bettors, they can secure £30 in free bets by signing up and wagering £5. The free bets are split into £5 tokens, four of which can be wagered on any sport, while the remaining two are tied to bet builders.The six £5 tokens give punters flexibility to spread the value, though the 7-day expiry is on the tight side.Coral free bets for existing customers come mainly through their free-to-play games. The Rewards Shaker can be used once per day for free and hands out cash, free bets and free spins with no qualifying bet needed, and the Rewards Grabber guarantees a prize on every entry, free bet tokens included.Coral also run bet builder refund promotions on big televised football fixtures, refunding losing first bet builders as a free bet. They rotate by match, so the promotions page is worth a quick check before staking on any major game.Low qualifying bet for welcome offerRewards Shaker and Rewards Grabber give recurring no-deposit routes to free betsIn-shop free bet specials7-day expiry on welcome free bets is shorter than Paddy Power, Sky Bet or BetfairFree bet tokens limited to selected sportsbook marketsTote free betsTote are something of a niche bookmaker given they specialise in pools betting with a focus on horse racing. However, they are also one of the best betting sites for free bet offers, which cover both their pool betting operation and their fixed-odds sportsbook. The Tote welcome offer includes £20 in free bets, split 50:50 between Tote credit and free sports bets. A £10 deposit and £10 qualifying bet on either a racing pool or sports wager is required to unlock the welcome bonus.For racing punters, there’s the Stayer’s Club, where bettors can receive up to £10 in free bets each week by placing six or more wagers of equivalent value. Tote also have an excellent track record for money back specials at the big meeting, where they’ll refund stakes if a selection finishes second or third.For sports bettors, they can claim a £5 free acca bet weekly by wagering £25 or more on multiples. They also run regular free bet offers on football, golf and rugby league.Good selection of regular free bet offersMix of Tote credit and free sports betsRelatively easy to claim more free bet promotionsTote credit for pools betting won’t suit everyoneBetway free betsBetway strangely choose to hide the majority of their offers to non-members, so it may seem like there aren’t many promotions available when looking at the platform. The only offers advertised as the Betway sign up offer, which is a bet £10, get £40 in free bets offer and the Betway free bets club. The welcome offer is made for multi bettors as the free bets are split into 2 x £10 free acca bets and 2 x £10 free bet builder bets. The free bets club requires punters to wager £25 on multiples each week to unlock 2 x £5 free bets, which can be used for any sport.Free football bets are available via Fixture Frenzy, a free-to-play game, while racing bettors can get a £5 free bet daily when they wager a minimum of £20 on a racing accumulator (four legs or more).There’s a greyhounds free bet offer available where punters who wager £100 or more on the dogs in a week receive a £10 free bet. Tennis bettors also get 10 per cent back on in-play losses in free bets. Suitable for fans of multi bet typesVarious sports covered by free bet offersRare greyhounds free bet offerInformation on offers not easy to findPaddy Power free bets offersPaddy Power regularly having more betting offers than rival online bookmakers. The welcome offer features £5 in free bets when punters sign up and wager a minimum of £10 at odds of evens or greater.Free bets are also dispensed via Paddy’s Rewards Club. Customers must place five £5 bets in a week to qualify for this free bet club, which will be added to a user’s balance and can be used on any sport.Paddy Power’s Wonder Wheel, where punters can spin to win prizes including free bets, can be played once daily for free with no deposit bet required.Paddy Power will also regularly run money back specials or bet-and-get free bet offers during the major sporting events, such as the Cheltenham Festival or international football tournaments like the World Cup.Regular free bet offers Paddy’s Rewards Club gives a route to a weekly free betWonder Wheel is free to play daily with no qualifying bet required Wonder Wheel prizes vary and a free bet is not guaranteed every spin Small free bet reward with sign up offerLadbrokes free betsLadbrokes’ sign-up offer requires a qualifying £5 cash bet, and rewards bettors with £30 in free bets, split into 4 x £5 free sports bets, 1 x £5 free football bet builder & 1 x £5 free racing bet builder.There is also acca insurance on offer. If exactly one leg of a customer’s accumulator lets them down, Ladbrokes will refund the stake as a free bet. The offer only applies to your first accumulator of the day, though, and must be at a minimum odds of 1/10.Ladbrokes also offers the free-to-play 1-2-Free game, where customers predict the correct scores of three football matches within 90 minutes for a chance to win a share of the £10,000 prize pot in free bets. Punters can only enter once a week.Variety of free bets awarded upon signing upAcca insurance available daily1-2-Free game only requires two correct scores to receive a free bet Not enough ongoing free bet offers No guarantee on returns from acca insuranceHow The Standard evaluates betting offersA lot goes into our rankings of free bet offers and below are some of the criteria we use when reviewing a free bet promo.UKGC license: We only recommend betting offers from bookmakers licensed by the UK Gambling Commission. The UKGC enforces fair play, data security and responsible gambling standards, and has the power to fine or even remove an operator’s license if they don’t comply. Offshore or unlicensed sites aren’t regulated by the UKGC and do not offer the same protections.Welcome offers and ongoing free bet promotions: Most online bookmakers offer a welcome bonus, with the availability of additional free bet promos increasing around major events, such as the World Cup. We look beyond the headline offer and check qualifying stake, minimum odds, market restrictions, winnings caps and expiry windows to make sure the offers provide fair value.Market depth: A top bookmaker offers a wide range of free bet offers on several events, from the most popular betting sports like horse racing and football, down to the more niche sports. We look at whether a bookmaker is offering markets before an event, what markets they have for individual fixtures and how many options in-play bettors have once the action starts.Mobile app: Apps are now the preferred option for most punters. We go in depth on iOS and Android ratings for apps before embarking on first-hand testing to assess loading speed, navigation and overall stability. It’s no good having a top betting offer if the app or mobile site doesn’t function well. Site usability: We examine whether the desktop versions of a betting site are quick, clean and easy to navigate too. A poor user experience can cause us to swerve recommending a free bet, even if the offer is good on the face of it. Safer gambling tools: UK-licensed bookmakers must offer deposit limits, session limits, reality checks and self-exclusion. These tools should be easy to find and easy to activate, and staff should be trained to recognise problem signs. It’s important to stay in control even if you’re only intending on using free bets as they can become addictive.Types of free bet offersThere are several ways to unlock free bets on betting sites. Here are some of the more common promotions bettors will find:Bet and get: The most common type of welcome offer. Place a qualifying cash bet and receive free bet tokens on settlement. Occasionally, the qualifying bet will need to win to unlock the free bets.Money back special: This offer involves punters betting on a selected event and getting their stake returned as a free bet should their initial wager lose. For racing offers of this type, a bettor’s selection may need to place but not win to earn a refund.Free bet clubs: A type of loyalty programme. If bettors meet a certain weekly requirement, such as wagering a minimum amount in a week, they can earn free bets in return. Deposit match: This would see the bookmaker match your first cash deposit with free bets. This type of free bet offer can occasionally carry wagering terms, with bettors needing to wager any winnings from the free bets before it can be withdrawn as cash.Understanding free bet offer terminologyIt’s vital to read the terms and conditions of any free bet offers as they often contain important information on how to unlock the bonus and what it can be wagered on. Some of the language in those T&Cs can be a little unusual for those unfamiliar with the world of online gambling. Here’s our guide to the most common betting terms used in free bet offers.Wagering: Most commonly used when claiming any casino bonuses, wagering has crept into sports betting as well. Wagering requirements refer to how many times a bettor must wager any bonus funds before they become eligible for withdrawal. Readers can find out more about wagering requirements on our dedicated page.Tokens/credits: Most bookmakers will divide the total free bet amount from a welcome offer into smaller denominations, referred to as tokens or credits. Bettors may need to select these tokens on a bet slip to use them when placing a wager. Qualifying bet: The wager a punter must place to unlock the free bets. Make sure to check the minimum odds and bet type required, if specified by the bookie.Minimum odds: Betting sites often set a limit on how low the odds can be for a qualifying bet. The bet must have equal or higher odds than the specified minimum, so if it the T&Cs state a qualifying bet must have odds of 3/1 or greater, a wager placed at odds of 2/1 will be deemed ineligible and may invalidate the offer.Maximum winnings: Some bookmakers put a limit on how much bettors can win from a free bet or offer. These are most common on accumulator boosts. Bookmakers will payout to the limit, but won’t go over it if a winning bet exceeds that amount.Void bet: A void bet is one that is cancelled and your stake is returned, usually because the event didn't take place. Any qualifying bet that is voided won’t be considered eligible for a free bet offer.How to claim a free betThe majority of welcome offers from betting sites follow a familiar pattern. Here’s a general overview of how to unlock free bets that come as part of a sign-up offer.Choose a bookmaker from the above list.Register with your personal details and verify your identity as the operator requires.Make a qualifying deposit and place your first cash bet at or above the operator’s minimum stake and odds requirements.Once the bet has been settled, free bet tokens will be credited to your account. If they do not appear automatically, check the promotions or my account section of the website.To use the free bets, find a wager and select your free bet at the bet slip stage. Be aware that the free bet stake will not be returned with your winnings.Read MoreFree bets - frequently asked questionsWhich betting apps give free bets?Most major UK betting sites offer free bets as part of their new customer welcome promotions, and these will often be available through their apps.Qualifying stakes and relevant terms and conditions vary by operator. Always remember to check that your betting app is licensed by the UK Gambling Commission before signing up. Can you withdraw free bet winnings?Free bet stakes are not returned with your winnings, only the profit is withdrawable.For instance, using a £10 free bet on a winning selection at odds of 3/1 would return £30, rather than £40.Are there free bets with no deposit required?No deposit free bets exist in the UK market but are exceedingly rare and will often offer much lower value than those that do require a deposit.All offers featured on this page require a qualifying deposit and bet, as is standard for highest-value deals.How do free bets work?A free bet lets you stake bookmaker credit without risking your own money. If it wins, you keep the profit but not the stake. To unlock one, you usually deposit and place a qualifying bet first.Do free bets have wagering requirements?Most bookmakers apply no wagering requirements at all on betting offers, though it’s commonplace to have wagering requirements on online casinos. Make sure to read individual terms and conditions before signing up.What apps offer £10 free bets in the UK?A number of betting apps in the UK offer at least £10 in free bets. For example, new customers of William Hill can download their app, register and place a £10 bet and they’ll be rewarded with three £10 free bet tokens if they meet the qualifying criteria. Always check the terms before diving in. We aim to offer every online gambler and reader of The Standard a safe and fair platform through unbiased reviews and offers from the UK's best online gambling companies.Gambling can be addictive, always play responsibly and only bet what you can afford to lose. Gambling sites have a number of tools to assist you to stay in control, including deposit limits and time outs. If you think you have a problem, advice and support is available for you now from BeGambleAware or Gamcare.Any offers or odds listed in this article are correct at the time of publication but are subject to change. Terms & Conditions apply to all offers.