Feast on a banquet of generous new customer betting offers, and earn yourself up hundreds of pounds worth of free bets, with generous welcome offers from the likes of bet365, Paddy Power, BetVictor, Ladbrokes and more. We’ll also talk you through the different types of new customer betting offers, to help you decide which are the best betting sites for you. Get stuck straight into a host of sign-up offers below.
Types of betting offers for new customers
As you can see, there’s some variety when it comes to the types of betting offers that bookmakers promote to convince you to become a new customer. Here we’ll look at the main pros and cons of the most popular new customer betting offers, to help you decide which you prefer. Do bear in mind that each betting site will have its own unique terms and conditions, so take the time to understand them to ensure you’re making the most of the value on offer.
Bet and Get new customer betting offers
Probably the most common type of betting promo for new customers is the Bet and Get offer. While the amounts involved will vary between bookmakers, the basic mechanics are consistent and easy enough to understand. Once you’ve signed up to your chosen site, you’ll be asked to place a qualifying bet of a certain amount, typically either £5 or £10.
As long as you meet the qualifying criteria, which may be ensuring the bet is above specific odds, or place on a certain sport or event, you’ll just have to wait for it to be settled before you’re rewarded with some free bets to use as you wish. Again, the amount of free bets you receive will vary based on the offer, but you can often expect a generous amount – at least £20 worth, and quite often up to £40.
The offer is one of the most generous out there and acts as the perfect start to your betting experience on a new site, given you’re having to risk a relatively small amount of your own money to receive the free bets.
Boosted odds on your first bet
Another increasing popular type of sign-up offer will often crop up around big events, whether that’s a big football tournament, a major horse racing event like Cheltenham, or even a huge boxing match. The favourites in these events can be quite short odds, so many betting sites have taken to enhancing those odds as a way of encouraging you to open a new account with them. That means, rather than having to make do with standard odds which might be 1/2, you could well be presented with a far more attractive 25/1. Should the bet win, it may be paid out in free bets rather than cash, but the offer remains incredibly attractive given you’d been risking very little of your own money.
Money back as free bets if your first bet loses
If you’re more risk averse when it comes to betting, your preferred kind of betting welcome offer may take the form of money back if your first bet loses. The refund tends to be given in the form of free bets but still gives you the feeling of insurance if you aren’t overly confident about your opening bet winning.
Bonuses based on your first deposit
There are also some bookmakers that offer new customers some bonus cash based on their first deposit. These deposit bonuses, often set at 50% or 100% of opening deposit, are associated more with casino offers, but there is some overlap. The key positive here is you can expect to be given a large amount of bonus cash to play with, but the excitement can be tempered by significant rollover requirements. This means you may be expected to bet through your bonus a number of times in a short period before you’re able to withdraw it, so the promotion is best suited to those who bet regularly and with larger amounts.
Free spins and casino offers
One last kind of welcome offer consists of free spins, which can be given to you alongside a free bet. Free spins are likely to appeal if you combine sports betting with casino and slots play, although you should play close attention to the rollover requirements associated with any casino-related winnings.
What can I use the rewards from my betting offers on?
Exactly what you can use the rewards from your betting offers on depends on the free bet terms, as some may restrict you to specific sports or market types. There is a host of top sporting action on the horizon though, so you’re sure to have a good selection of events to choose from. Sporting highlights in the weeks ahead include the Premier League, the Champions League knockout stages, Premier League darts every Thursday night, the India vs England test series, Super Bowl LVIII and more.
How we rank new customer betting offers
Generosity of the offer
The betting offers available to new customers are undoubtedly the most generous of all the offers. Bookmakers are happy to take a hit on the first bet you place as it should give you an excellent first impression on their site, and will often get you off you a winning start.
Regularity of the offer
You can only benefit from new customer welcome offers once per bookmaker, so make the most of them! Of course, there’s nothing stopping you from completing an offer, withdrawing your winnings and moving on to another betting site if you want to rack up the free bets and bonuses quickly.
Simplicity of the offer
There are a wide range of betting offers used to attract new customers, ranging from straightforward to complicated. Steer clear of offers which expect you to rollover your money numerous times before winnings can be withdrawn. Instead, look for welcome offers with put heavily enhanced odds, alongside ‘Bet and Get’ style offers which are easier to understand and benefit from.
Outlay to benefit from the offer
Although you’ll normally have to deposit if you want to take advantage of new customer offers, the initial stakes required are often limited to affordable amounts like £5 or £10. Given placing your initial bet will often trigger a substantial amount of free bets, many see the outlay as a wise investment, assuming it’s money you can afford to lose.
2023 UK Bookmakers Awards
The UK Bookmakers Awards are annual awards, organised and run by Better Collective, the leading digital media site. Over 4 million data points were analysed over the course of the year, with the aim of finding the best betting sites in categories ranging from the best racing odds through to the best customer experience.
When it came to the award for the best welcome offer, the criteria considered included the minimum bet needed, any wagering requirements, deposit sizes, and even the visibility of T&Cs. Eventually, it was bet365 who came out on top, with Unibet, SBK and Coral also among those at the head of the table, indicating that these are all sites worth opening an account with, if you want a generous and stress-free start to your online betting experience.
UKBA Welcome Bonus Ranking | Bookmaker |
1 | bet365 |
2 | Unibet |
3 | SBK |
4 | 888 Sport |
5 | Coral |
6 | Ladbrokes |
7 | LiveScore Bet |
8 | Virgin Bet |
9 | William Hill |
10 | Betway |
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Free Bets & Sign Up Offers FAQs
Betting promotions are offered by most betting sites as a way of either attracting new customers or retaining existing ones. The offers come in many different ways, with rewards generally taking the form of free bets, free spins, enhanced betting odds, or even instantly withdrawable cash.
It’s not easy to pinpoint a single bookmaker as being head and shoulders above the rest when it comes to offering free bets. The £40 in free bets offered by William Hill and Betfred makes them arguably the most generous when it comes to welcome offers for new customers though. You can get your hands on regular free bets as an existing customer of a bookmaker too, with bet365 and Ladbrokes among those to give them away a part of free-to-play promotions.
Each free bet offer will have slightly different terms, so it’s best to read through the reviews on bookmakers.tv to see exactly how you can take advantage. Sign up offers tend to reward you with free bets once a qualifying bet in the region of £10 has been settled, but existing customers can sometimes win themselves free bets simply by spinning a wheel or tapping a button.
Once you’ve satisfied the requirements and earned yourself some free bet bonuses, the amount you have to play with should appear alongside your betting balance. Add a bet to your betslip and you’ll usually have the option to pay for it with your free bet bonus.
There are some exceptions, including bet365 on occasions, but it often isn’t possible to cash out a free bet, in the same way you could do so with a real money bet.