The Best Betting Offers On Sign Up & Free Bets For New Customers In 2023

Betting offers & free bets are part and parcel of online betting. But they are not a one-size fits all deal as they vary significantly in type and value across the board. The main area of free bets offered by bookmakers is their welcome bonus offers, also known as the new customer offer or sign-up offer.

But sign-up offers are the tip of the iceberg regarding free bets. That just gets players in the door – many of the best offers provided by the bookier are long-standing ones for existing customers. 

What are the different types of betting offers available, and are they worth taking the time to play?  We look at the ins and outs of betting promotions in this guide.

List Of Betting Offers & Free Bets From Trusted UK Bookmakers

Which Sports Events to Apply This Week’s Betting Offers On

Over to Australia for the Golf, the US for the boxing and back to the UK for the football. View our recommendations for the most popular sporting events to use this week’s betting offers below:

• Football (Premier League): Man City vs. Tottenham – Following a 1-1 draw against Liverpool last week, we’re expecting a fired-up Manchester City as they go up against Tottenham on Sunday. The odds may be heavily skewed in Man City’s favour, but we think it’s going to be a fantastic game of football. Kick-off at 4:30 PM UK time. 
• Boxing (Junior Welterweight): Ryan Garcia vs. Oscar Duarte – After suffering his first loss back in April, Ryan Garcia (23-1) is hoping to close his 2023 with a comeback fight. Duarte (26-1-1), is on an 11 KO roll following his first career loss. The bookies have the fight in Garcia’s favour (5/18). But can he cope with the pressure in his first real career test? Watch on DAZN. 
• Football (Champions League): Man City vs. Tottenham – With 16 scheduled to play, there are plenty of games to choose from for midweek football. If we had to choose just one to watch, it’d have to be Real Madrid vs. Napoli. Madrid may be the favourites, but Napoli hopes to win their third away game in a row. Kick-off is on Wednesday at 8:30 PM UK time. 
• Golf (ISPS HANDA Australian Open 2023): 30th November – 3rd December – The ISPS HANDA Australian Open 2023 gets underway this week at The Australian Golf Club & The Lakes Golf Club. 144 men and 144 women are playing for an equal split of the $3.4 million prizemoney on offer. Watch on SKY for full coverage of the event. 

Different Types of Betting Offers Explained – For UK Customers

The competitive nature of the industry means that all bookmakers are looking to do something that makes them stand out with their best betting sign up offers. To explore the different types of betting offers sign up that can be found, we will start it all off with the universal betting sign-up offer. 

New Customer Offers (sign up offer)

New customer betting offers are one-time deals. They are a promotional tool that bookmakers use to attract customers. But still, they do give real incentives that players can use.

New customer offers will vary – bet365, for example, offers a ‘Bet £10 Get £50’ deal, while Coral’s promo is a ‘Bet £5 Get £20’ offer credited as four smaller free bets. 

The typical format of betting promotions like this involves a qualifying deposit, then a first qualifying stake on sports which releases the free bet bonus. After that, most, but not all, are generally credited without any play-through requirements. 

• Bet365 – Bet £10 & Get £50 in Free Bets
• Betfred – Get £30 in free bets when you stake £10
• SkyBet – Bet £5 Get £20 in Free Bets
• Coral – Get A £20 free bet when you bet £5
• 888sport – Bet £10 Get £30 In Free Bets

Matched Bet Offers (sign up offer)

Most welcome betting offers in the UK are matched bet offers. You place a qualifying bet, and in return, a free bet credit to the value of your stake is received. Commonly for these types of free bet sign-ups, there won’t be a requirement of the initial bet winning.

Using the bet365 ‘Bet £10 Get £50’ deal as an example, you make a bet(s) to the value of your qualifying deposit. Free bets are then released up to the maximum of £50 when the bet is settled, no matter the outcome of your original bet.

Money Back Special (sign up offer)

A Money Back Special gives a direct stake refund as a free bet or cash if a bet covered by such a promo loses. The flip side is that you don’t get any bonus if the qualifying bet settles as a win.

Paddy Power regularly offers a money-back special for new customers in the form of a risk-free bet – place your first bet, and if it wins, you’re paid out, but if it loses, your stake will be refunded.

Free Bets (sign up offer)

Can you find betting sites with free bets that don’t need a qualifying stake? The answer is yes, although this is uncommon. One bookmaker that has been known to do this is Ladbrokes. Ladbrokes have given out £1 free bets to all existing customers ahead of a big weekend of sports. Customers could simply log in to their accounts and claim the free bet bonus.

It’s not a permanent feature, though. Another variation of a free betting offer is getting rewarded for placing a particular bet. An example is to place a ‘Top Run Scorer Bet & Get A Free Bet’ on cricket betting or the 888sport £5 free in-play bet when you bet £5 pre-match on a Champions League match.

Bet Boosts 

Bet boosts are some of the best ongoing offers that can be picked up. That’s because they are straightforward, with no attached additional terms and conditions. Instead, bet boosts are just enhanced odds, meaning that a bookmaker has lengthened the odds of a specific outcome.

The best sports to find bet boosts on are football and horse racing. Most of the time, you will be locked into the market option to which the enhanced odds are tied. But some bookmakers like William Hill and Ladbrokes offer daily boosts credits that can be applied to a selection of your choice.

Acca Boosts and Insurance

Accumulator offers come primarily in two formats – a boost or one-leg insurance. The boost is based on a win bonus for a winning bet. A great example is Bet365’s Soccer Accumulator bonus. That pays out up to a 70% win bonus on a successful acca. The amount of the win bonus will be linked to how many legs are in your successful acca.

Acca Insurance applies to accas that fall short by one leg. Meet the qualifying requirements of an acca, and if it is let down by one leg only, you will get your stake back. An example is Betfred’s Acca Insurance, where they will refund in cash an acca of at least five legs that lose by one leg.

Loyalty Bonuses (for existing customers)

Among other betting offers that bookmakers give is the Loyalty Bonus. These are situations where the bookmaker credits you a free bet bonus for placing a qualifying bet over a set promotional period.

BoyleSports has a specific Acca Loyalty bonus for their existing customers. A £5 free acca is picked up for every five qualifying accas (all sports) placed during the qualifying period. 

888sport has a version of an Acca Club which credits a £5 free bet after placing £20 on multis or bet builders.

What Makes a Good Betting Offer and How To Spot a Bad Sign-Up Offer

A good betting offer is subjective. The best free bet should be approached if they naturally fit your wagering habits. Free bet offers can be treated like embellishments to your designs. Smartly integrate the best ones into your systems.

If you place many accumulators, look for loyalty clubs, acca win bonuses, or insurance. If you are a regular on the horses, scope out bookmakers with Best Odds Guaranteed or Money Back Specials.

As for spotting bad ones? Trust your instinct. Again it’s not that things are bad, just that it may be bad for your betting plans. It’s not worth shelling out cash on an unfamiliar market, like risking £20 in stake to get a £5 bonus back.

Criteria For Choosing A Bookmaker

It can be confusing when it comes to picking out an online bookmaker. There are plenty to choose from, and they all appear to offer the same stuff. But there are differences between them, so what are the key elements to consider?

New customer free bet offers are excellent in incentivising you to join. However, they don’t determine a bookmaker’s day-to-day operation and suitability. The right bookmaker is going to be down to personal preference.

Make a checklist of things that you are going to want. That could be live streams, a mobile betting app, Cash Out availability on your preferred markets, coverage of select betting markets or even long-standing bookmakers free bet offers. 

Look for a bookmaker with a wide range of betting markets available, but in particular, this should be the case for the sports you bet on. Don’t be limited in any way by your bookmaker. 

Don’t always assume that just because a bookmaker offers regular bonuses, they are “good”. Look at what they offer and see how it ties in with your betting. If you bet on accas, finding an acca bonus is a must, but if you don’t bet on accas, an acca bonus is of no use at all.

Other key things to look at are customer service availability and payment methods, an often-overlooked aspect of choosing a betting site. What are their hours of operation? How can you contact customer service? Does the bookmaker have the deposit method available that you want? 

The Difference Between a Betting Exchange Site and a Bookmaker

You can use two platforms for your online sports betting – a traditional sportsbook and a betting exchange. But what is the difference between a sportsbook and a betting exchange?

A traditional bookmaker like William Hill takes your bet. They accept the risk, and their traders price up the markets. Punters, therefore, have to accept the fixed odds that the bookie has set. Within those odds will be the bookmaker margin, a cut that they work into the odds to earn a profit.

If that’s 11/10 on Manchester United to win a football match, that’s what you must work with. Betting exchanges like Betfair and Smarkets (SBK) are peer-to-peer betting platforms. There is no bookmaker margin, so odds can often work out more favourably, while commission is paid only on winning bets.

The difference on a betting exchange is that if you wanted to back Manchester United at 13/10 instead, you could set that quote and wait for it to be matched. But, of course, that would be another punter assuming the risk by laying the bet (Manchester United not to win).

Betting exchanges are seen as being more flexible and are great for playing hedging opportunities. They can be trickier to get up to full speed on, but they can be a great addition to your betting armoury.

How To Claim A Free Bet Sign-Up Offer As A New Customer

Claiming new customer offers shouldn’t be a particularly complicated thing. First, however, you must pick a preferable betting site to claim any of the best free bet offers.

Registration at a betting site usually doesn’t take more than a few minutes. Then a deposit has to be made to the account. But before that initial deposit is made, look at the T&Cs of the available betting sign-up offers to check deposit restrictions and minimums.

Another element to look for is a bonus code. Some of the best betting offers require one and usually have to be entered at registration, like at SBK. Then, complete the rest of the welcome bonus terms after that.

Signing Up Step By Step Process:

• The first step is deciding which offer you would like to claim. Browse the offers we have listed on this page, choose one you want, then click the link to go through to the bookmaker landing page for that offer.
• At this point, sign up for a new account by entering your details, such as name, address, date of birth, email address, and phone number. 
• When your account has been created, it is time to make your first deposit and place your first bet. Depending on the offer you claim, one of these two will be the requirement that you need to complete to receive your free bet, so make sure you understand the rules in place and follow them to get the offer. If you’re claiming a deposit offer, check the requirements on the deposit method and the deposit amount. If you’re claiming a free bet for placing a bet, check out the stake needed, minimum odds, and if there are any sport/bet type requirements.
• After this has been completed, the free bets should be available in your account to spend. Now it is time to explore the site and find some exciting betting opportunities to place them on. There may be something completely new to try or some old favourites to enjoy.

Summary: 

• Register an account
• Enter any bonus code that is required
• Make a qualifying deposit (minimum amount and valid method)
• Place a qualifying bet
• Claim the bonus 

Learn How to Best Use Your Sign Up Offers

There is a lot of excitement surrounding sign-up bonuses and after you have received one, but you then need to look at how you will spend it. If you would like a little help with this, here are some tips and tricks when it comes to utilising the best free bet offers that you claim. 

Explore the Site in Full and Try Something New

When you claim free bets, they are exactly that, free bets that you can use on the site. Therefore, no risk is attached to these wagers, so they can be used as a learning tool without fear of harming your profit and loss. 

For this reason, many people use their free bets for events like the Cheltenham Festival, the Wimbledon Open, the Darts Championship, and more, to explore the site and try something completely new. A new sport or a new market within the sport you bet on, or a new league is also a smart way to use your free bets. 

However you do this, try and learn something from the process that you can use later. 

Focus on Profit Building

If you want to solely focus on your profit and loss figure with free bets, profit-building should be your aim. Every time you win a bet, you add to your profit – when you lose, the loss takes something away from that figure.

However, free bets are free, so there is no risk of harming your figures by adding a loss to them. If you want to build profit using free bets, stick to what you know, look for wagers you are confident in, and try your best to add valuable funds to your betting bank. 

Double Down on Your Fancied Selections

If you have a staking plan in place for your bets, your wagers will be either of the same stakes or be linked to each other, based on strength. Free bets are a great way to override this, as you are not adding any additional stake to your bet, but you are increasing the amount of money you could win.

For those with a strong selection coming up and free bets to spend, look to double down on that selection, adding a free bet. If it loses, you haven’t gone bigger than your staking plan, but you will pick up additional profit if it wins. 

Betting And Sign Up Offers Terms And Conditions

It is always advisable to check out the T&Cs of any betting offers. They may look like something to be skipped over, but they detail what you need to do to claim free bet offers. T&Cs can get in-depth, but scanning the key terms should be enough to steer you in the right direction.

The simpler, the better is what you are looking for on bookmaker offers. You don’t want to jump through a thousand hoops to get a £5 free bet bonus. So what are some key elements that fall into terms and conditions? 

• Deposit restrictions on betting offers for new customers can trip people up. Many offers aren’t eligible for deposits from e-wallet sources such as PayPal or Skrill. Debit card deposits are generally the best option. New customer offers will likely require a minimum deposit amount too. 

• Time restrictions kick in as well, as, for new customer offers, you will have to complete the bonus terms within a set period, usually from the time of opening the account. Most free bets generally expire after 7 or 30 days of being credited – that’s not set in stone, so again, check. 

• Odds minimum, such as minimum odds of 1/5 on a qualifying bet for the Bet365 Welcome Bonus offer, will come into play. Market restrictions are another part of free bet offers T&Cs. A specific offer may relate only to a bet on Everton to win the Merseyside derby against Liverpool, for example, or a First Goalscorer bet from the Premier League.

• Some offers will have wagering requirements attached to them, which the bonus must be played through before you can withdraw the funds. For example, a £100 deposit bonus with a 5x wagering requirement means you will have to wager £500 on your account before this bonus becomes regular, withdrawable funds. 

• Minimum stake is another common T&C for those receiving free bets after placing a bet. This will be listed as part of the offer – for example, “bet £10 get £30” means that your qualifying bet stake must be £10 or more to receive the bonus. 

• Minimum Deposit is for those claiming a bonus funds-type offer via a deposit. There will be a minimum to hit and a maximum listed that you can claim. For example, “100% matched up to £100, minimum deposit required £20”. This means the maximum bonus available is £100, but you must deposit £20 or more to receive a bonus. 

Other standard terms and restrictions are free bet bonuses being voided if they are Cashed Out. In addition, combination bets or system bets are sometimes excluded as qualifying bets. The best betting offers will also not be able to be used with other promos.

How Many Times Can I Claim a Betting Sign-Up Offer From The Same Bookmaker? 

If you have found betting sign-up offers that you want to use, you can only claim one once at a particular bookmaker. So if you have claimed the Unibet sign-up bonus when opening an account, that’s it. After that, you can’t claim it again. However, you can still claim new customer offers from other bookmakers, such as the Betway sign up offer bet.

The Range Of Bet Types Explained

Punters are spoiled for choice when it comes to a variety of bet types. Punters can make betting as straightforward or as intricate as they like. Variety is excellent for exploration and new betting opportunities but always understand the market and bet type. 

Here are some popular bet types and markets.

Football Betting Markets

• 1X2 – Selecting a home win, draw or away win for a match
• Over/Under – Selecting if a game will finish with fewer or more goals than the selected goal line
• Both Teams To Score – Option for both teams to strike at least one goal in a match, regardless of the result
• Winning Margin – Picking the exact margin of goals the winning team will be successful by
• Half Time/Full Time – Selecting both the half-time and full-time results of a single match, and both have to be correct
• Correct Score – A popular but high-risk market for picking the exact final scoreline.

Horse Racing Betting Markets

• Win – The most common betting format of picking a race winner, each way can be applied to places
• Each-Way – A win and a place bet combined
• Double – Two winning horses are selected from different races, each-way can be applied to places
• Treble – The winning horses of different races, each-way can be applied to places
• Forecast/Exacta – Correctly naming the first two finishers past the post in order
• Tricast/Trifecta – Naming the first three finishers past the post in the correct order
• Trixie – Three selections, out of which four bets are made (doubles and a treble)
• Lucky 15 – Four selections create all possible bets (singles, doubles, trebles and acca)
• Yankee – A Yankee but with the singles included totalling eleven bets.

Other types of Popular Sports Betting and Markets

• Accumulator – pulling different selections together to create one big bet, such as a six-fold acca. All selected legs have to win.
• Each Way – Selecting a horse (or the winner of a league or tournament) with each way terms will return something if the pick finishes within the nominated places.
• System Bets – An option like a 3/4 system bet creates all trebles from four selected picks. A 2/4 system bet creates all doubles from four chosen picks.

Which Bet Types are the Easiest To Win

Low-risk bets are the easiest to win, but they are not guaranteed to do so. If you are looking at a 4/6 odds-on favourite in a five-runner horse race, then there’s a decent chance that if everything falls right, that horse will win.

The more refined the bet conditions are, the more the risk increases. Backing a horse by a specific winning distance is more challenging than just backing them to win. Each-way bets provide some excellent extra coverage of at least getting something back if the odds and e/w terms fall right.

Pushing for a big Lucky 15 or a six-fold accumulator is driving up difficulty levels. Think about a day’s racing at Ascot, which has seven races. How tough is it to pick the winner of every single race? Very. 

Keeping things simple is generally the best approach. Targeting consistently smaller profits from lower-risk bets over a more extended period is a solid approach.

Betting Promotions For Existing Customers

While new customer offers provide an excellent incentive to get started, more value can be extracted from offers for existing customers. So, once you open a new customer account and claim the sign-up betting offer, there are going to be daily promotions on all kinds of sports. For example, if part of your betting strategy involves the First Goalscorer market, then find promotions like Betfred’s Double Delight Hat Trick Heaven that have the potential to boost returns from your regular betting.

The 888Sport 4/1 winner offer, which credits a £5 free bet for any bet won at 4/1 or greater, is the option to look for if you tend to make horse racing picks at those quotes. Loyalty programs and enhanced odds can stack up as well.  

Here’s a list of promotions for existing customers

Acca bonus/boost – An increase to your winnings on acca bets

Acca Insurance – Cover for your acca if it loses by just one leg

Money-back offers – Look for a money-back special, such as money back if 0-0, money back if 2nd, money back if favourite wins, money back if losing on penalties, etc.

Enhanced specials – Bets put together by bookmakers on popular selections, with the odds boosted on them. For example, two big-name strikers to score in the same game, with odds boosted

Early payout – An increasingly popular offer, if your team goes ahead by a fixed margin, your bet will be settled as a winner, regardless of what happens during the rest of the game. 

Bookmakers with The Best Betting App

A mobile betting app will make things nice and convenient on the go. They are also secure because they are locked behind your phone’s security. It’s common for bookmakers to have dedicated mobile betting apps. In addition, new customer offers can be claimed via mobile betting apps. Here are some of the best:

• SBK only have a betting app. There is no website version of their sportsbook. So that makes them fully invested in their app, and it’s one of the best-looking, most functional sports betting apps available. It shows you when you are getting the best market price against main competitors. Their odds are powered by Smarkets betting exchange for tremendous value.
• Unibet has always been well known for supplying competitive odds. The operator has good promotions and market variety, along with live streams. All that can be accessed through their powerful app.
• Bet365 always comes out strongly for favourable market odds and sheer depth of markets. Their sportsbook consistently rates strongly, and their app, while more on the basic design side, is quick and functional.

Withdrawing Your Winnings

Having landed some winnings in your betting account, you will want to get your hands on the funds. In your account management, after login, you will find a Withdrawal link. Select that, and you will be able to make a request.

Bookmakers operate on a closed-loop system. That means winnings have to be withdrawn back to the initial payment method. So if you deposit via a debit card, you will pull it out to that card. It’s very uncommon for bookmakers to charge for withdrawals, but your financial institution may.

Withdrawal minimums will also be in place, and withdrawals are generally slower to be processed than deposits. A bookmaker makes security checks on the transactions before releasing them. Then it’s down to the timing of the withdrawal request and the financial institution.

Where Can I Find Sports Betting Tips?

Sports betting tips can provide valuable bits of information to help guide your wagering strategy for the day. Predictions, like the horse racing tips at GG Racing, are provided by knowledgeable experts, covering not only big meetings like the Cheltenham Festival but all of the daily UK and Irish racing.

There can be a lot to dig through in making a financial decision for your betting choice. Stats, form, conditions and piecing the correct odds together can be a lot of work – free betting tips can ease some of that load. 

There are a lot of free betting tips out there, even AI ones. But it’s hard to beat the human touch. You aren’t locked into just following a tip, but you can gain valuable insights from them.

Betting Offers FAQ

Can you cash out on a free bet?

​​This will depend on the bookmaker you are with and their rules, but usually, free bets cannot be cashed out during play. 

What do people bet on in the UK?

A wide range of sports are popular with UK gamblers, such as football, horse racing, tennis, golf, cricket, rugby, greyhound racing and more. 

What can you bet on other than sports?

If you don’t want to bet on sports, look out for political betting, TV show betting, and novelty bets across various events around the world. 

What age can you gamble in UK?

To legally gamble in the UK, you must be at least 18 years old. 

What’s the easiest sport to bet on?

The most accessible sport to bet on is one that you already know of, as this will help you understand what is happening. However, if you don’t have a vast range of expertise, football markets are an excellent place to start. A simple “1X2” market gives three options – either team to win or the draw, allowing you to follow the game easily.