Free Bets | Best New Betting Offers [December 2024]

By Steve Madgwick - Editor-In-Chief 

Each week, I will update you with fresh information from the OLBG team on new free bet offers and the main sporting events of the coming week. Combining a free bet welcome offer with a sporting event you've been looking forward to can be a great way to try out a new betting site.

New Free Bets & Betting Offers this Week.

Our commercial manager Sam Darkens, speaks daily with our partners to find the best free bets and event-specific offers to bring to this section to set you up for the week with deals and events that might interest you.

Sam's Highlights This Week

New offers from Magic Red and Neptune Sports this weekend whilst Betano have increased their welcome offer. Paddy Power and Parimatch are offering enhanced odds on games in the premier league, and 10Bet have reactivated a host of sports specific offers for the rest of the month - Take note, snooker and darts fans, there is something in there for you!

- Sam Darkens, Commercial manager

This weekend, bookmakers offer various enticing free bets and odds boosts, especially football offers surrounding the Manchester Derby and other sporting events. Paddy Power presents 100/1 odds for Manchester United to win against Manchester City, while Parimatch offers 50/1 odds for either Manchester team. For the Southampton vs Tottenham game, PlanetSport Bet provides a Build A Bet risk-free option. Additionally, Betano is offering £15 in free bets for every goal scored in the Manchester Derby. 

In the darts world, the PDC World Darts Championship sees standout offers from AK Bets and Paddy Power, with enticing odds and free bet bonuses. Enjoy these promotions, but always gamble responsibly.

Bet365 has almost doubled its welcome offer, returning to a maximum of £50 for new customers when betting an initial £10. This huge rise puts them firmly back in the realms of some of the best bookie welcome offers available.

We have launched a new version of our Cheltenham Free Bets page, which aims to curate all of the big offers ahead of the festival that is now just around the corner and provide a guide and directions throughout the week as each day brings new free bets.

Check the table for the best bookmakers for each sport and tips in the final column links - Have a great week, everyone

 Let's take a closer look at the types of bookmaker offers and free bets you can expect to find when looking to open a new account online

• 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 many 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.

🎁 Matched Deposit Bonus

These are typically where your first deposit amount is used as the qualifying amount of the deposit bonus. Many people call these free bets matched deposits, 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 deposit £50, you may receive £50 in bonus funds. The percentage can vary, but it 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 amounts and bonus amounts. So, on a £50 deposit, that could mean £1500 would have to be wagered before any funds can be withdrawn.

Andy Powell

Content editor

Matched Deposit bonuses used to be the favoured welcome offer, but the demand for these along with the ease of turning the bonus into cash has seen them become less prevalent in recent times making them less viable for bookmakers to offer. Along with the addition of larger wagering requirements taking away much of the value, they have lower appeal now - Oh for the good old days!

So read the terms and conditions of these bookmakers' offers thoroughly. You shouldn't change your betting patterns to obtain specific offers, so it may be that you do not want to claim the full maximum deposit bonus; 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 deposits 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 is cash back, but the term may be misleading as it is unlikely you will receive any cash that can be immediately withdrawn with this form of offer. 

However, sometimes, these can be excellent offers, for example, when a betting exchange or spread betting company offers such an incentive. With these offers, as ever, it is vital to understand the full terms and conditions. Examples of cash-back welcome offers are

• 10% Cashback on net losses for four weeks 
• £300 Cashback on your first 28 days
• 50% Cashback on your first day
• 25% Cashback on your first week 
• 10% Cashback on losses forever

🎁 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, know the terms and conditions of the welcome offer. 

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. 

In that example, a £5 bet may get a £5 free bet. However, you also need to look out for other qualifying terms. Your first bet must be at specific odds (say over 2/1) and/or on specific 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

🎁 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

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 free bets 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.

At OLBG, our sports betting section is powered by a team of dedicated experts who bring years of industry experience and specialized knowledge. Their collective efforts ensure we provide you with top-notch, informative, and user-friendly content. Let's dive into the various roles and discover each team member's invaluable contributions to this free bets section.

The Experts Behind OLBG Free Bets and Betting Offers Content:

Our team’s dedication and expertise ensure that OLBG remains a trusted source for sports betting information. Each member's meticulous work supports the overall quality and reliability that our users expect and appreciate. Explore our sports betting section and gain insights from the best in the industry.

Content Strategists: 

These professionals are the architects behind our content strategy. They meticulously plan and structure our content to ensure it addresses the interests and needs of our audience. They stay ahead of industry trends and ensure our content remains fresh and relevant.

Richard Moffat

Ceo & gambling industry expert

Richard Moffat has been contributing to OLBG since 2004 with a passion for seeking out value betting opportunities on any market the bookies price up.

Sam Darkens

Commercial manager

Sam is OLBG's Commercial manager but also a keen sports betting and eSports fan.

Writers: 

Our skilled writers translate complex free bet sign up procedures into clear, informative guides. Their expertise allows them to present detailed analysis and insights in a way that both novice and experienced bettors can appreciate and understand.

James Banting

Tipster competition assistant

James is a knowledgeable sports betting specialist with over 20 years experience in the sports betting and horse racing industry. Today James focuses on producing informative betting content on the major sporting events throughout the year.

Andy Powell

Content editor

Contributing to OLBG since 2005 and have been covering racing trends for several years looking to find betting angles in the big races both in the UK and abroad, interested in numerous sports for which I do previews and look for betting strategies.

Jake Ashton

Senior news editor

With over 8 years of experience in Journalism, Jake is an expert on all things Football, Entertainment and Reality TV

Analysts: 

Our analysts dive deep into our free bets comparison database. They provide the foundational research and data-driven insights our writers and strategists use to craft accurate and actionable content, helping users identify the best free bets that suit them.

Nigel Skinner

Blog content manager

Nigel is a senior editor with 19 years of industry experience. Today he specialises in researching and writing about the betting angles to political and mainstream news stories and being the OLBG in-house expert on 'next football manager' betting markets.

Dan Tracey

Data scientist and football editor

Dan is our data scientist, collating millions of data points monthly and finding the angles and stats that matter to our users when choosing where to bet. Our writers benefit greatly from this information, which they can then share with our readers to decide which betting site they should choose based on their needs.

Editors: 

The editors play a crucial role in maintaining the quality of our content. They review articles for clarity, accuracy, and coherence, ensuring that each piece is polished and provides valuable information. Their keen eye for detail ensures that our content is reliable and engaging.

Darren Brett

Tipster competition manager

Darren has worked in the horseracing and gambling industries for over thirty years and has been writing about sport for most of that time. He has been the Tipster Competiton Manager at OLBG for over fifteen years, as well as overseeing our sister site, Grand National Guide. Darren's specialist areas are National Hunt racing, snooker and golf.

Steve Madgwick

Editor-in-chief

Steve is our Editor-In-Chief with more than 17 years of experience creating and managing high-quality sports betting content for OLBG & multiple other industry publications. Today, Steve uses his extensive expertise to manage the content teams and ensure every published word on OLBG is helpful, honest and valuable for our visitor

In addition to their long experience working within the sports betting industry, all our contributors are keen sports bettors, so they each have many years of experience signing up with multiple online betting sites.

A free bet is a promotional strategy by bookmakers to attract new users to their betting platform. It could be a fixed amount added to your first deposit or a percentage of the amount invested.

To make the most of these free bet offers, it's crucial to understand their terms and conditions, as they differ among bookmakers. Some might require a minimum deposit to activate the free bet or sign-up offer. 

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.

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.

What is the Difference Between Free Bet Offers and Sign up Deposit 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 but what is the difference between that and a free bet?

In the world of betting promotions, it's crucial to understand the difference between a free bet and a deposit bonus. Free bets are prevalently offered by bookmakers to encourage both new and existing customers to bet with them. When using a free bet, note that the stake is not returned. If you place a £10 free bet with even odds (2.0), you'd receive £10 instead of £20, as the free bet stake is deducted. 

On the other hand, deposit bonuses operate differently. These allow you to retain the bonus value as cash, but usually come with wagering requirements to prevent immediate withdrawal. This means you have to place a specified number of bets before you can convert the bonus to withdrawable cash. For instance, if you get a £20 bonus with x3 wagering requirements, you'd need to place bets worth £60 before you can withdraw the bonus and any winnings made from it. Understanding these distinctions will crucially enhance your betting experience.

Steve Madgwick

Editor-in-chief

I always look for a Bet & Get Bonus these days - They are often easier to understand and give you a range of free bets [-minus stake back] to use across different sports and are more flexible for the way I bet.

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.