Bookmaker bonuses and free bets in the UK for 2022

How we rate and review the best bookmaker bonuses?

Every punter asks himself what is the best bookmaker bonus or what are the best bookmaker free bets that a bookmaker can offer, but first, let us explain what is a free bet. A free bet can be defined as an offer made by a bookmaker in order to entice you betting on their platform. It doesn’t matter if it’s a matched free bet, a risk-free bet, no deposit free bet or an enhanced free bet, as all of these usually come with some terms and conditions attached. 

The most important advice we could give to our followers is to properly read the terms and conditions before opting-in for a free bet. The most common rule that you will find in the T&C’s attached to a freebie is to be a new customer to that specific bookmaker, but there are also rules that imply betting a minimum wage or make a minimum deposit. The good news is that you don’t need to worry about some sketchy terms and conditions, as we will always display the bonuses with the best T&C’s available.

The bonuses and free bets can look very attractive, but our team is scouring the Internet in order to list only the best and latest promotions available. Our main goal is to help you make an informed decision ahead of opting-in for a new offer. The main factors we take into consideration before recommending the best bookmakers in terms of bonuses and free bets are:

• License and Safety

• Terms and Conditions

• Wagering requirements

• Types of free bets

That free bet can be used on any sport, but usually, it comes with some restrictions related to minimum odds or the number of bets that need to be placed before withdrawing the potential winnings. However, you don’t need to do all the searching by yourself, as at Legalbet.uk you can find the very best bonuses and free bets in one place.

Full list of the best bonuses provided by the UK bookmakers

Types of betting bonuses

There are many different types of betting bonuses out there and one of the main ways they are categorised is simply when you are given them. Anything given to you when you first join a bookmaker or after your first bet is a “Welcome bonus”. Anything that is given to you and only you, or perhaps you and a select group of other is an “Invite Only” bonus. Finally a bonus or promotion which anyone can take part in is an “Existing User” Offer.

The types of bonuses which may be given to you at any of the above times are:

• Completely Free bets
  This is when a bookmaker allows you to make a bet on the house. There is nothing you need to do except chose the bet you want to make and open the betslip, on this slip will be a box to tick confirming that you want to use the Free bet, and the bet will be placed for the relevant amount. If it goes on to win then you can keep the winnings of that bet. If it loses then nothing has changed, your balance is the same as before, because the bet was Free!

  

• Bet and Get Free bets
  More commonly bookmakers award Free bets as a reward for doing something, namely betting more. Therefore you will need to bet either a set amount on anything you want, or a set amount on certain criteria, be it which sport or at what odds, and then when that bet has settled you will receive the Free bet credit. Often the Free bet will be added regardless of it your qualifying bet wins or loses but sometimes it will be added only if you have lost, or even only if you have won!
  

• Enhanced Odds
  A very nice promotion bookmakers tend to run is enhanced odds on certain pre determined markets. For example a team to win may be boosted, or the correct score in a football match may be enhanced. These are easier to deal with then Free bets as it is simpler and quicker way to enjoy extra value from the bookmakers. To begin with people new to online gambling like Free bets and maybe ignore any “Enhanced Odds” but with time you learn that often the better odds is of much more value to you.
  

• Enhanced Places
  There is also the addition of extra winning places when you are betting Each Way on a Horse Race. This will not be everyone's cup of tea but if you are an Each Way bettor then the extra places can be extremely useful to you and is something professional gamblers often look for when studying certain races. The most common example of this occurs in the Grand National when you should be looking for any bookmaker offering 5 places really enhanced from the original 4 and to get 6 Places or more is not impossible to find.
  

• Acca Bonuses
  An increasingly popular form of bonus being offered by the bookmakers revolves around Accumulator betting, which is any bet involving more than one outcome. It is common that in order to be eligible for these bonuses you must have at least 4 selections but each offer is different so check this yourselves. The Acca bonuses, as they are known, can be split into two types. One is a “boost” of your total odds, put simply the more selection which you add to your betslip then whatever the total odds should be, they will be given an additional increase by in some cases as much as 70%. The other type is known as an Acca refund which is where if one (and only one) of your legs in your Acca let you down, you are given your stake amount back as a Free bet. It is marketed as a type of insurance and is better than no refund at all.
  

• Refund “If” Cashbacks
  A very common type of bonus often available to all existing players is a refund on your bets “If” something happens. This can be something specific to your bet such as if your horse finishes second to the SP favourite in a race. It can also be generic where all losing bets on correct score are refunded if a game ends 0-0. They can be offered on any sports and sometimes on very specific things such as if a century is scored by any cricket batsman or if a rugby player scores a try in the first 10 minutes. The combinations are endless but most bookmakers offer these type of bonuses to drum up a little extra interest and excitement into otherwise run of the mill games.
  

• Loyalty Schemes
  Some bookmakers reward their players by offering Loyalty schemes or Reward clubs. The general theme of these is that the more you bet, the more points you earn, and the more rewards you are given. Some schemes work on the number of bets you place while some others total the value of the bets. The rewards can be anything but to be given Free bets is the most common thing to happen.
  

Common bookmaker bonus terms

• One Account per person

  All bookmakers without exception insist that each person can only have one gambling account with them. It therefore follows that you can only have one Welcome bonus from each bookmaker, and only one of each existing user bonus as well (unless otherwise stated). Attempts to get more bonuses than you are allowed is possible illegal and will certainly see your winnings and possibly even deposits confiscated.

• ‘Opting In’ or entering the Bonus code

  Some promotions are given to everybody without customers needing to do anything but others require each account to ‘Opt In” to it usually on the page where the bonus details are explained. Once you have clicked the relevant button a short message will tell you that you are now registered and will receive the bonus in due course. Similarly sometimes when you deposit if you are intending to take part in and/or receive a bonus of some kind there will be a short code you must input as you deposit.

• Eligible qualifying deposit

  Especially true of Welcome bonuses it is important that the deposit you make meets a bonuses requirements. The most common restriction is on the deposit methods you can use, debit cards are almost always OK but sometimes certain EWallets can be excluded so always check for that. There can also be a minimum amount required to qualify for the Free bet regardless of what the Free bet amount is for, so make sure that you deposit enough.

• Eligible qualifying bet(s)

  The bet(s) that you make whilst taking part in a bonus offer may be restricted in terms of what odds qualify or even what odds can be used during this time without disqualifying you. Make sure that any minimum or maximum odd requirements are followed. 

  Similarly there can be restrictions on the stake amount which you can use to place bets with, there is unlikely to be a minimum amount but maximum amounts are fairly common.

  What you can bet on when qualifying can also sometimes have certain criteria to meet, either that certain sports must be bet on or that even certain games must be bet on in order to qualify. There is also the matter of if the bet must be before kick off, whether it must be “In Play, or whether it can be either.

• Using Free bets
  
  There is usually much more freedom in using Free bets than in qualifying for them but some limits may still apply. What is likely to apply is that there will be a time limit in order to use them and although some bookmakers give a lot of time, weeks or months, before expiring some bookmakers give just a few days or even hours. Once you have a Free bet in your account it is normally a good idea to use it straight away or at least as soon as possible.

Can you get a no deposit betting bonus?

Unfortunately it is very uncommon for bookmakers to offer no deposit betting bonuses and at the time of writing there are none for new customers offered as a Welcome Bonus. Occasionally they are offered to existing customers as a reward or an attempt to attract them back to a dormant account but a deposit has already been made at some point or another.

It is more probable that you may find Casinos, Poker Rooms and Bingo Halls offering free credits and no deposit bonuses in order to try out their software and for you to get a feel for the games but without risking cash. You will probably find very difficult terms and conditions to navigate before you are able to cash these out but it costs nothing for you to try. 

At Legalbet.uk, we like to simplify things for you and bring the best and most relevant Free bets. We have a complex rating system that allows you to find which are the best bookmakers by lines, odds, live betting, user rating, bonuses, etc. That’s why you will be able to find a list with the best free bet bookmakers in the UK on this page, as well as an in-depth bookmaker review.

The top betting sites are… 

Here at Legalbet we have also categorised the top betting sites and their features to make them easier for you to find. They are:

By Sport: Football | Tennis | Boxing | Cricket | F1 | Snooker | Golf | UFC | Darts | Greyhound  | Rugby | Boxing

By Payment Systems: PayPal | Skrill | Klarna | Boku | Debit Cards | Apple Pay | Paysafecard

By Features: Cash Out | £5 Minimum Deposit | Minimum Bet Sizing | Live Streaming | Betting Exchanges | Safest | Fast Withdrawal

By Events: Politics

By Esports: CS:GO | Dota 2 | League of Legends | PUBG

Frequently Asked Questions

We can’t address the hundreds of questions that we receive about bonuses and free bets, but we have selected a couple of them that we want to answer:

Post by:

Andy Heaford

Site Manager