Best Free Bets - UK Betting Offers & Bonuses

At bestfreebets.org.uk you will find the very best free bets and offers from trusted UK betting sites. To get started, have a browse of the top betting offers listed in the table below, or for more choice, head on over to our full list of betting sites and bookmakers. We also make selections on the best sites for betting on various sports - including the best bookies for betting on football, cricket and horse racing.

All of the promotions listed below are sign up bonuses for new customers only. However, many of the sites also offer ongoing and event specific specials. For example, Bet365 offer money back if a football game ends 0-0 and a free bet every time your horse racing pick wins a featured race. We cover these types of promotions in our new betting offers section. Some of the betting sites also operate loyalty reward programs - you can find a list of these here.

Best Free Bet Offers For May, 2013

Note: The sites listed above are our current top picks. For more welcome bonuses, have a browse of our main free bets page. 

Latest Offers, Sports Betting Tips & Football Previews

As well as the introductory free bets and sign up bonuses that are our namesake, you'll also find a whole host of other useful information on this website - including offers for existing customers, football betting tips and previews of various sporting events. You'll find feed of our latest posts and articles below - enjoy!

Betting Bonuses Explained

Whilst the bonuses will vary between bookies, each sign up bonus will normally fit into one of the following categories:

1. No Deposit Bet: Just like it sounds - this freebie is awarded simply for signing up. You may need to register a credit or debit card with the sportsbook to prove you're a real person, but no deposit is required. The first and most consistent offer of this nature is from SkyBet who put a free £10 token in your account the instant you sign up. 
2. Matched Bet: Here you receive a free bet token after placing your first real money bet. The tokens are usually for the same value as the qualifying bet (up to a maximum), although some bookmakers offer deals such as £10 free after placing a £5 bet.
3. Free Bet Basket: Some bookies offer 'free bet baskets' where the welcome bonus is split into a series of multiple bonuses - such as four £25 bets. To release the free bet tokens you may need to place multiple qualifying bets. For example, the first £25 may be awarded after placing an initial £25 bet, but you then need to place another 4 bets to receive your next free one.
4. No Lose Bet: Unlike a traditional matched bet, this bonus is only given if your first bet loses. For example, if you place a bet for £25 and it loses you would receive a £25 free bet token. However if your first bet won, you would not receive anything (other than your winnings, of course).
5. Deposit Bonus: With a deposit bonus you receive a fixed percentage of your first deposit as a bonus. The bonus is generally available to bet with right away and can be split into as many bets as you want. These bonuses come with a turnover requirement, such as 3x the bonus. For example, if you deposit £200 and receive a £200 bonus with a 3x turnover, you have £400 in total to bet with but you cannot make a withdrawal until you have wagered £600 (3x £200).

There are also two different ways for bookies to handle the free bet tokens they award - either returning the stake, or not returning the stake:

1. Stake Returned (SR): When a bookmaker offers a stake returned bet, the value of the free bet token is included in the winnings. For example, if you place a £25 free bet which wins at evens, you receive £50 (£25 winnings + £25 bet value).
2. Stake Not Returned (SNR): These sportsbooks do not return free bet stakes with the winnings. For example, if you place a £25 free bet which wins at evens, you receive £25 (£25 winnings only).

Whilst it may sound complicated, the bookies generally make their offers fairly easy to redeem. But remember to always check the terms and conditions for any bonus you want to claim, and ask customer support if you don't understand - that's what they're there for!

Betting Guides

We offer a number of betting guides to help you find the best betting site for your style of betting, including:

Top 10 Betting Sites - Want more suggestions than the features sites listed on this page, but finding the full bookmaker list a little overwhelming? Then out top 10 betting sites page may be for you.

Betting Exchanges - Betting exchanges give you the opportunity to bet against other punters, rather than against the bookie. This often results in better odds, but comes at the cost of less promotions and bonuses. Read a comparison of the various exchanges and see if they're right for you on our betting exchanges page.

Betting Loyalty Programs - Some bookmakers run loyalty schemes where you earn points every time you bet. These purpose of these points varies between site, but usually involves them being swapped for free bets or used to purchase rewards from a 'loyalty store'. Great if you place bets on a regular basis. Find out who's offering these deals on our betting rewards page.

No Deposit Free Bets - Did you know there's a bookie that gives you a free bet without depositing a penny? If not, then you need to get yourself over to our guide to no deposit free bets.

Football Betting Tips - Every week our skilled tipsters scour the fixtures for interesting football matches, and then compile the information in our weekly football betting tips section.

Betting Articles - What is handicap betting? When was the Tote first established? When are the major horse racing events? You'll find answers to all of these questions, and many more, in our betting articles section.