Betting Bonuses – How to Find One

We’ve seen how you can use your bookmaker account to find some free bets, both as a brand new and existing account holder but there are more betting bonuses to be had, as long as you are with the right betting operator. Betting bonuses can come in a number of different forms so how do you make sure you are getting the best value?

Sign-Up Bonus for Betting on Sports

The most obvious betting bonus you can get is of course a welcome offer or sign-up bonus for new customers. These come in different shape and size but generally they are a match deposit bonus. this means the betting site matches the deposit you made with the exact same amount in bonus funds, thus effectively doubling the money you can bet with. As with any promo, you are advised to see the terms for such bonuses as usually there are wagering requirements associated with them, you don’t want to overlook.

Best Betting Bonuses

Betting Bonus: A Profit Boost

Apart from the usual bookmakers sign-up bonus a number of bookies such as William Hill and Coral offer a promotion known as an Acca Boost. Typically, you would select a number of bets from the bookie – usually a minimum of three – and if all of those were to land then you can get an extra %age return on your winnings.

Some of these bookmaker bonuses can be very generous indeed with an extra 20% or even 30% at stake although you may need at least 20 winning selections in order to trigger those levels. Things to bear in mind include the fact that without exception these will need to be straight line multiple bets and not formulas such as Lucky 15s and Lucky 31s.

To make sure you’re getting the best value, look at the entry levels for each promo; what is the minimum number of bets that you need to place? Finally, look at the figures involved to see which bookie is offering the highest %age boost.

Popular Markets

The Acca Boosts tend to be general betting deals that you can use anywhere in the sportsbook but others may be a little more specific. The Individual Goal Scorer betting options are among the most popular side markets for football fans and as a result, a selection of bonuses have been designed around them.

Possibly the most familiar of these is Double Delight, Hat Trick Heaven which is a much-publicised offer set up by Betfred.

Here, you take a pick in the first goal scorer betting and if your chosen player opens the scoring, you pick up a profit in the usual way. However, if they go on to score and second and then a third goal, you get even more money back on your initial bet.

As mentioned, this is the most popular boost in this market but there are others available so check with the bookie concerned to see what’s on offer.

Enhanced Odds

Enhanced Odds promotions are a relatively new type of offer, mostly designed to get you to sign up with a new account. As an example, a betting operator will pick a sporting event such as Novak Djokovic v Andy Murray at Wimbledon and then boost the price on one or both players.

In some cases this can represent very good value indeed and occasionally, the betting site will choose an event which is almost certain to produce a profit and give you an almost guaranteed enhanced profit. The main thing to look out for with a betting bonus is the rollover or wagering requirements which can be quite high and can prevent you from taking out your money for some time. However, these are worth considering and can give you a nice return in the mid to long term.

Price Boosts

In addition to the enhanced odds for new customers, some companies offer price boosts based on a certain set of events in a sports match. SkyBet are a really good example of this and if you log on to an account at any given time, they will promote these very fiercely.

An example could involve a football match – let’s say it’s England v Germany. The bookie might say Wayne Rooney to score plus England to win is boosted from 6/1 to 10/1. SkyBet have plenty of these offers throughout the sporting calendar but other online betting sites also quote price boosts so remember to look out for them.

Free Bets

The best thing about free bets is that they can come at any time so you don’t have to be a new customer of the sportsbook in order to take advantage. They can also be issued for a host of different circumstances and for that reason, most bookmakers will issue this type of betting deal at some point.

Free bets can be issued upon sign up and many betting operators will offer a welcome promotion where you open an account and stake a certain amount, e.g. £10.00 and you may receive free bet tokens worth £20.00 in return.

For existing customers, free bets are often provided as a form of ‘insurance’. For example, a number of sportsbooks have a football offer where losing bets are refunded in the Correct Score markets if the game in question ends in a 0-0 draw.

Similarly, some bookies also issue a deal known as ‘Acca Insurance’. This will typically activate a free bet whenever a single leg of a four or five line multiple lets you down.

Free bets can also be issued as part of a rising trend in loyalty programmes. This type of promotion would provide the customer with a weekly free bet token as long as they have met certain staking requirements within a seven day period.

Those are a few examples but there are many ways in which free bets can be issued and they are among the most popular promotions around.

The Difference Between Betting Bonuses and Free Bets

There can be a very fine line between betting bonuses and free bets but there are key differences. A betting bonus will tend to work as a percentage of added funds. For example, there are a host of welcome bonus deals which work as a matched deposit of either 50% or 100% on your initial funds.

Bonuses can also be attached to accumulator deals and many bookies now have an acca boost. Let’s say you back four winners in a straight line multi and when this happens, the sportsbook adds 10% to your overall profit. Once again, the bonus is paid as a percentage and this is where the key difference lies.

A bonus tends to be a percentage of extra funds based either on a deposit or on your winnings. A free bet, on the other hand, is a flat payment of £10.00, £20.00 or more which is issued when a certain set of conditions are met.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to Find the Best Free Bets and Sign-Up Bonuses?

It can be tricky to keep abreast of the industry and the many betting bonuses and promotions that are available. There are dozens of sport betting sites to choose from and each of them has their own set of deals that they want you to take advantage of.

In all cases, a good starting point is to keep coming back to this website. Welcome deals can be particularly hard to track down so we will aim to keep you updated on these as much as possible. Alternatively, you can simply search for your intended betting site by name and check out the current sign up bonus.

Once you have registered with a sportsbook the process is a little easier. You can simply log in, click on their promotions tab and see what the latest deals are. Remember too to sign up for alerts via SMS, email or both. If a bookie has a specific customer promo that they want you to consider, you can be certain that they’ll let you know all about it.

Make sure you opt in to those alerts and you can also keep checking with us for some of the best ongoing bonuses available.

Which Types of Betting Bonuses are more Suitable?

The exact answer to this question largely depends on what you are looking for and how regularly you like to bet. If you are a high roller staking hundreds of pounds or more during a common week, then the percentage bonus deals may be the ones to go for. With high percentage bonus returns available with some betting sites, it’s a case of the higher you play with the more you’re going to get in return.

A similar principle can apply to certain free bet deals. For example, not all bettors will want to get involved with the type of multiple bets that can provide free bet refunds when one leg of the acca fails to come in. The weekly free bet deals also require regular and committed outlay and that simply doesn’t suit everyone.

In contrast, many free bet deals are very simple to get hold of. The Correct Score example that we mentioned in the previous section will cover many leagues and with most betting sites, there may be a small entry point of around £10.00 in order to trigger it.

In summary, there is no single, definitive answer to that question. Welcome bonuses are available on sign up so every player can take advantage of those. In addition, most free bet deals can be picked up by all bettors.

High rollers may want to look at those loyalty related free bet clubs and they may also be happy with a bonus that carries extensive rollover terms or wagering requirements. It’s really a case of studying each promotion on its merits and deciding whether you’re happy with it.

What to Look for when Choosing Online Free Bets?

Each free bet deal will come with its own set of terms and conditions and we always recommend that you check these in full. One of the first points to be aware of is that free bets will be issued as tokens, as opposed to real cash, and they will have an expiry date attached to them.

Those expiry dates will vary greatly so do be sure to check this point. Bookmakers such as Ladbrokes and Coral may implement short expiry dates of 4 days while others, including William Hill, may expire within 30 days. In each case, those tokens will expire after that stated period of time and if you do not use them, they will not be replaced.

Check too for any rollover terms. A rollover, or wagering requirements, asks the customer to play through the free bet amount a certain number of times before they can withdraw any profits. For example, a free bet token of £10.00 that comes with a 5x rollover will mean that you have to bet £50.00 before any returns can be taken out of your sportsbook account.

Rollovers, wagering requirements are rarer but they do exist so please be aware of this possibility.

As a final and more obvious point to note, players should check the minimum and maximum bet refund levels. They could typically range from between £10.00 and £30.00 free bets but they can vary so this is a basic but important aspect to check.

How to Claim Free Bets?

In order to claim a free bet you will need to make sure that you are meeting the betting site’s requirements. Check the qualifying rules and be certain that you adhere to them. Points to check include any minimum odds levels for the qualifying bet. If the terms and conditions require you to stake at Even Money or higher, you won’t be able to claim that free bet if you take an odds on price.

Similarly, that minimum stake level is important too: If the bookie requires you to bet at least £10.00, you should not dip below this point or you will render the offer null and void.

It’s all very basic but the overriding point is the need to check those ts and cs.

There could be rules to follow before you place that qualifying bet. Some sportsbooks may require you to ‘opt in’ which usually asks that you click and tick a box. In other cases, you may have to enter a promo code. Once again, these are small but crucial points that you will need to follow.

Are there any No-Deposit Betting Bonuses?

No deposit bonuses are becoming increasingly rare but if you look hard enough, you may just spot a deal of this kind. As the name suggests, no deposit is required to claim them and you could expect to receive a small bonus amount of money – perhaps £5.00 – to go off and play with on the sportsbook.

If you do happen to find this type of deal, there are some points that you should note. While the promo may possibly involve ‘free money’ it’s almost certain that there will be some stiff rollover terms or wagering requirements attached to it. You will have to play through that £5.00 a significant number of times before you can withdraw any profits. It’s also likely that any returns that do come along will be capped.

Those are important things to note but a no deposit betting bonus can still be a positive thing. If you approach it as a way of testing the sportsbook for free, it can allow you to sign up as a new customer, take a look around and see if you’d be happy to play here in the long term. That’s the best way to look at things when you balance the offer up against what could be a long set of rules and regulations.

Which Bookmakers have the Best Bonuses?

Most, but not all bookmakers have a set of bonus deals and free bets for both new and existing customers. As you’d expect, some of the promos are better than others so who is giving us the best value here for betting?

In terms of free bet deals, one of the busiest betting operators is 888Sport who always have something going on, no matter what time of year. The established brands such as William Hill, Coral and Ladbrokes are also very active and those three publish very busy promotions pages.

Unibet, 10Bet and Betway and also established – at least as far as digital betting is concerned and they are also very busy with their rotating betting offers and promotions.

Of the newer companies to emerge in recent years, LVBet and Vbet have been impressive with their lists. There are plenty of others to watch out for and once again, we will look to bring you news of the best deals as they land.

Operators with the Best Betting Bonus Offers of 2020

If it’s bonuses you’re after as opposed to free bets, you can still check out the betting sites that we’ve mentioned above. Most will have free bet options on sign up but there are bonuses to be found at times.

As worthy additions to this roster. MansionBet, EnergyBet and 22Bet should also be checked out. The bonuses available, subject to terms and conditions, can be very generous indeed and any sportsbook that we mention on this site will come highly recommended both for bonus deals and other factors that are important to the betting community.

Keeping Informed

We’ve mentioned a few of the more popular types of bookies’ new customer sign-up bonuses but there are many more that you can take advantage of. The important thing is to keep informed and you can do this by following our news feeds in order to be aware of what’s going on.

You should also be looking to follow each of the bookies on social media so check them out on Twitter and Facebook. There are hundreds of betting bonus deals to be had so don’t miss out.