Cheltenham Offers, Promotions & Free Bets
Cheltenham Festival time can be the best time of year to open up a new account and take advantage of the generous welcome offers. Bookmakers will often increase their offers and provide generous money back specials on the Cheltenham Festival as it is a good time for them to bring in new customers. Here are some of the benefits of having several bookmaker accounts in use for Cheltenham
- Better odds
- Several loyalty promotions
- Access to more money back specials
- Multiple welcome offers
As well as taking advantage of multiple welcome offers, having more bookies means better odds. Shopping around for the best odds can make a big difference to your returns for horse racing betting. After the welcome offer, many bookies will have retention offers. For Cheltenham, these can be generous, too as the bookies want to fight for their customers. Generous promotions we have seen have included refunds if your horse finishes second, falls, is beaten by the favourite. Sometimes we have seen bonuses if your horse wins by a certain margin.
Cheltenham loyalty offers can also be generous. These can include free bets after a qualifying quantity, free bets for every winner over a specific price, or even cash back on losses.
This page lists all the Cheltenham offers from the top UK bookmakers.
Casino Free Bets
Casino free bets are more commonly referred to as casino offers or casino bonuses but they work in a similar way to bookmaker free bets. We have a designated page here that lists UK casino bonuses.
The key differences are that you will see very different restrictions and terms. So rather than having to place a bet at certain odds to qualify for a free bet with a bookmaker, with a casino offer, you may have to turn over a certain amount with your bonus before you can withdraw any winnings.
Rather than a bonus, some casino free bets come in the form of free spins. So you may need to deposit a certain amount and qualify for several free spins on a certain slot. These can sometimes sound like much better offers than they are as 100 free spins at 1p a spin is only worth £1. Check these offers in detail and the wagering requirements that go with them.
Check out our page for all the casino free bets but for your convenience, we have listed the top 5 here.
Get 50 Free Spins on First Deposit + Extra 30 Free Spins! - No Wagering Requirements!
- Wagering req. 0x
- Value/free spin £0.10
- Offer amount £8
#ad. 18+, BeGambleAware.org, T&Cs Apply
Spend £10, Get 30 Extra Spins on Monopoly Paradise Mansion
- Wagering req. 0x
- Value/free spin £0.01
- Offer amount £6
#ad. 18+, BeGambleAware.org, T&Cs Apply
Up to £200 Cash AND 100 Free Spins
- Wagering req. 35x
- Value/free spin £0.10
- Offer amount £200
#ad. 18+, BeGambleAware.org, T&Cs Apply
100% up to £100 + 100 Bonus Spins
- Wagering req. 40x
- Value/free spin £0.10
- Offer amount £100
#ad. 18+, BeGambleAware.org, T&Cs Apply
£100 Deposit Match + 50 Free Spins on Big Bass Splash!
- Wagering req. 35x
- Value/free spin £0.10
- Offer amount £100
#ad. 18+, BeGambleAware.org, T&Cs Apply
Which are the best free bets?
The best free best are
- Bet Victor
- 888Sport
- bet365
- Betway
- Betbull
- Virgin Bet
- PariMatch
- Unibet
According to our free bets ratings system.
But the best bookie offer for you is subjective depending on the type of offer which you are looking for. We rate the bookmaker sign up offers on this page out of five. You will see the star ratings by each offer.
The offer rating is not the overall rating for the bookmaker, if you want to see bookie ratings by user reviews then head to our bookmakers page. On this page the ratings are given by our in house editorial team. You can filter the free bets list above by "best".
Typically we will rate bookie sign up offers highly which are easy for the customer to obtain. A good offer in our opinion is one with easy terms and conditions.
So a welcome offer which doesn't require a huge amount of turnover, or where the qualifying bets required aren't overly restricted will be rated highly.
Offers we rate low will often require a user to turnover many times the offer amount, maybe at restricted odds, with tight timescales.
A combination of terms may make it very hard for a user to even realise the free bet or deposit offer amount, let alone make a positive return from it.
Other positives we will look for will be the amount of free bet or deposit given in relation to the initial stake. For example a bet 10 get 40 offer will score highly versus say a bet 40 get 40 or even a bet 80 get 40 offer.
Free Bets Explained
A free bet is, or should in theory, be exactly that, a bet which is given to you for free which you can then place with a chance to win real money. In reality though it is more complicated than that with terms and conditions varying with every bookmaker around their free bet or sign up offers.
We try to explain the free bet and sign up bonus offers here for you as much as possible given the space but please click through to the online bookmakers via the links on this page and read their terms and conditions in full before signing up.
Many of the betting offers will require you to deposit money first and place a bet. This first bet or qualifying bet will often need to be placed at certain odds. For example this condition may read something like this
“the qualifying bet must have minimum odds of 4/5”
Often the first bet you place is the qualifying bet and the amount of that bet will be matched (up to a certain amount) with a free bet of the same amount.
There are many variations though from the more simple bet £10 get £10 free bet to Bet £10 get £20, Bet £10 get £30 in free bets or even bet £20 get £10.
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.
What is the difference between free bet offers and sign up bonuses?
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.
Again there may be minimum requirements like you may have to place a bet at above certain odds to qualify for the initial deposit bonus.
Then there may be more terms as to how many times you have to bet or how much you have to rollover before you can withdraw any winnings from the bonus funds.
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.
Deposit bonuses can be a great way to get started with a bookmaker though. Some offer bonuses up to £100 instead of free bets. So for your £100 first deposit, you may have £200 to bet with. If you can be successful with your bets and meet the terms then this can be very helpful indeed.
What are the new Free Bets?
New free bets added to the site recently include
- Casumo
- 2k Bet
- Betbull
- Virginbet
- Betiton
New free bets can be sorted on this page using our sort feature at the top of the page.
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 freebet 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.
What are the best betting offers for existing users?
The best offers for existing users are
- Get up to £10 in free bets Every Week Betway
- Back a winner at 4/1 Get a £5 Free bet 888
- Unibet In Play Free Bets Club
- bet365 4/1 ITV Racing Offer
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 done the research 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.
For example, at the time of writing, Betway are offering a £10 free bet on accas every week, after placing £25 on sports accas.
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
- Reload Bonuses Sports Betting
- In Play Bonuses
- Odds Boost Offers
- Moneyback Specials
- Best Odds Guaranteed
- Acca Insurance
You can read through examples of all these offers on this page. Simply pick loyalty offers from the filters above.
Can you get no deposit free bets?
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 freebets 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.
What to look for when Choosing a Free Bet Offer
Here is a selection of questions you should consider when looking through the terms and conditions of the free bets.
- How much you need to deposit?
- How much you need to bet?
- Which bet your free bet applies to?
- What odds you need to bet at to qualify?
- Do you need to bet on a specific sport or event?
- Does there need to be a certain number of outcomes in such an event?
- What is the time period within which you need to use your free bet?
- When will the free bet be available and how will it show on your account?
- Do you need to make a certain number of bets or bet a certain amount before you can withdraw any bonus payment?
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.
Types of Bookmaker Offers
Different types of betting site sign up offers are
- Free Bets Matched Deposit
- Cashback Welcome Offers
- First Bet Matched Offers
- Risk Free Welcome Offers
- Free Betting Credits
- Enhanced Odds Sign Up Offers & Price Boosts
- Profit Boosts
- Money Back Special Free Bets
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.
Free Bets Matched Deposit
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.
For a 100% deposit bonus for example, if you were to deposit £50 you may receive £50 in bonus funds. The percentage can vary but will typically be 50% or 100% of your first deposit.
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, £1500 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
- 100% Deposit Match Up to £100
- Deposit £20 Get £20
- 100% Deposit Match up to £50
- 50% Deposit Match up to £50
- 25% Deposit Match up to £100
Cashback Welcome Offers
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
- 10% Cashback on net losses for 4 weeks
- £300 Cashback on your first 28 days
- 50% Cashback on your first day
- 25% Cashback on your first week
- 10% Cashback on losses for ever
First Bet Matched Offers
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 £25.
So in that example a £5 bet may get a £5 free bet. You also need to look out for other qualifying terms though. Your first bet may need to be at specific odds (say over 2/1) and/or on certain sports.
Matched free bets also explain multiples of free bets higher than the initial stake. Examples of matched free bets include
- Bet £10 get £10 Free Bets
- Bet £10 Get £20 in Free Bets
- Bet £10 Get £40 in Free Bets
- Bet £20 Get £10 in Free Bets
- Bet £25 Get £25 in Free Bets
Risk Free Welcome Offers
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.
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
- First £10 in Losses Refunded
- £20 Risk Free Bet
- £10 Back Up Bet
- £10 Risk Free Bet
- £50 Risk Free Bet
Free Betting Credits
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.
- Up to £100 In Free Credits for New Customers
- £50 in Bet Credits
- Up to £100 in Bet Credits on Sign Up
- £25 in free bet credits
- £60 in bet credits welcome offer
Enhanced Odds Sign Up Offers & Price Boosts
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 for example a horse may be boosted from say 4/1 to win to 24/1, for a maximum bet of £1 with the extra 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.
- Double The Odds Any Sport
- 11/1 Arsenal or 15/1 Man Utd to Win
- 50/1 Tiger Roll
- Odds Boost 10/1 Man City
- 50/1 Tiger Woods to make the cut
Profit Boosts
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.
- 100% In Play Profit Boost
- 100% Profit boost on your first bet
- 200% profit boost any bet
- Get 100% boost on any in play bet today
- 300% profit boost if you bet on Man City to win today
Money Back Special Free Bets
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.
- Money Back as a Free bet if Your Horse Falls
- Money Back as a Free bet if Kane Scores
- Money Back on all bets if it is a bore draw
- Money Back if the favourite wins the 2.30 at Cheltenham
- Money Back as a free bet if Man Utd win
Bonus Codes and Promo Codes Explained
Promotional codes, promo codes, bonus codes, offer codes! These all refer to a code which needs to be placed upon registration with a bookmaker in order to receive the bonus or offer available.
Often when you click through to a bookmaker site from a site such as OLBG, if any offer code is required it will be carried through and automatically added to your registration form.
If in the terms of the offer a code has been requested, double check that it has been entered when you register or you may not be eligible for the offer.
Promo codes for bookmaker free bets though are quite rare these days.
Further FAQs Around Free Bets
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What is a Free Bet?
A free bet is a bet which is provided by a betting site for a customer to place and then benefit from the winnings. Free bets are commonly used as welcome offers to encourage new customers to register with a new betting site.
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How Many Free Bets Can I Claim?
As many as you like, however you will be restricted to one account per bookmaker and therefore one free bet sign up offer per site, but there is no limit to how many different bookmakers you can have accounts with.
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When is my free bet available?
Your free bet will normally be available straight away after making your initial deposit or qualifying bet if required.
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How do I claim my Free Bet?
Where your free bet token appears will vary by bookmaker. Sometimes you will be issued with a bonus code to use but often you will be able to apply your free bet in the bet slip when you place your next bet.
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What Can I Use My Free bet on?
The sport and event which you can use your free bet on will be detailed in the terms and conditions attached to your free bet offer. Check those terms carefully as there may be other conditions such as the odds and type of bet which you may place using your free bet.
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Can I withdraw my free bet winnings?
Winnings from your free bet can normally be withdrawn but not the free bet stake itself which is not normally returned with any winnings. However terms vary and sometimes your winnings from your free bet will need to be turned over (known as roll over requirements) several times before you can withdraw.
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How can I get free bets without deposit?
No deposit free bets for sports betting are rare. If we find any we will add the offers here. No deposit casino offers are more common, head to our casino offers page for a list of these.
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How do bonus bets make money
You will make money from your bonus bet by choosing a winning selection. Most free bets will require a qualifying bet to release your free bet. So really you need to make a profit from that initial qualifying stake and your free bet combined. For example, if you place a qualifying bet of £10 to receive a free bet of £10, you have risked £10 of your own money. You now need to return more than £10 from your two bets to make money. Remember the free bet stake is not normally returned.
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What is a risk free bet?
A welcome offer or loyalty incentive where you cannot lose money on a bet. These are a very popular but rare welcome offer. More likely you will find offers that give you a risk free bet after your qualifying bet. So for example you need to make a bet to then release a risk free bet (otherwise known as a free bet).
Mobile Free Bets & Betting App Offers
Some free bets are only available if you register your new betting account via a mobile device. Some betting sites are specifically trying to attract users who bet via their phones so reserve their offers or provide better offers for those who register on a phone.
At OLBG we can have a different list of free bet offers showing if you access the site via mobile than if you access it via a desktop computer. So take a look at our free bets list on your phone also to see if there are any specific mobile free bets or betting apps offers.
