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 lots of 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 the amount of your first deposit is used as the qualifying amount of the deposit🌈 bonus. Many people call these free bets matched deposit 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 were to deposit £50 you may receive £50 in bonus funds. The percentage can🌈 vary but will typically be 50% or 100% of your first deposit.
Deposit Bonuses💰🎁 They're often based on your first deposit🌈 amount, not just free bets. Deposit £50, get £50 more!✨ Percentages can vary, typically 50% or 100%. But remember, turnover🌈 requirements can be high, so bet wisely!🎲🔍
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 amount and bonus amount. So on🌈 a £50 deposit that could mean, £1500 would have to be wagered before any funds can be withdrawn.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 bookmaker offers thoroughly. You🌈 shouldn't change your betting patterns to obtain specific offers so it may be that you dont want to claim the🌈 full maximum deposit bonus as 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 deposit 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
Cash Back Offers in Betting 💸🔄 Cash Back offers, another name for deposit bonuses, can seem enticing but🌈 be sure to read the fine print! While they may not provide immediate cash withdrawals, they can be advantageous when🌈 offered by betting exchanges or spread betting companies. Always know your T&Cs!🔍💡
Another name for deposit bonus offers but the term🌈 cash back may be misleading as it is unlikely you will receive any cash which is immediately allowed to be🌈 withdrawn with this form of offer.
However sometimes these can be very good offers, for example when a betting exchange or🌈 spread betting company offers such an incentive. With these offers, as ever, it is really important to understand the full🌈 terms and conditions. Examples of cash back welcome offers are
10% Cashback on net losses for 4 weeks
£300 Cashback on your🌈 first 28 days
50% Cashback on your first day
25% Cashback on your first week
10% Cashback on losses for ever
🎁 First Bet🌈 Matched Offers
Matched Free Bets🎁🎯 Make the most of Matched Free Bets! Often the first bet placed, ensure you're up to🌈 speed with the welcome offer T&Cs.🔍 If the offer is bet £25 get £25, a £5 won't cut it! But🌈 an 'up to £25' deal could match your £5 bet with a £5 free bet. Keep an eye on the🌈 odds & sports prerequisites. 🎲💡
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 make sure that you are aware of🌈 the welcome offer terms and conditions.
Sam Darkens Commercial manager and betting industry expert First Bet Match Offers are what we🌈 are seeing most often with the newer offers on the market with our partners. Recently, The Pools, and BetMGM have🌈 made these offers with Multiple free bets to match your first bet up to £10 as new additions to OLBG.
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.
So in that example a £5 bet may get a £5 free bet. You also need to look out for🌈 other qualifying terms though. Your first bet may need to be at specific odds (say over 2/1) and/or on certain🌈 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
🎁 Risk Free Welcome Offers
Fortunately there are stricter rules in place now🌈 as to when a bookmaker may and may not call a welcome offer risk free.
These are rare offers as normally🌈 there is a risk involved in depositing and making a qualifying bet in order to be able to claim a🌈 free bet.
The free bet you get after qualifying for it may well be risk free, but you would have needed🌈 to take a risk with your first bet. So you may see these promoted as, say Bet £10, Get a🌈 £10 risk free bet. Remember though, you are taking a risk with your first £10 bet which of course you🌈 can lose.
Risk-Free Bets💰🎲 Risk-free bets sound enticing, right? Remember, there's still a risk with your qualifying bet! Bet £10, Get🌈 £10 risk-free may sound good, but your initial £10 can still be lost. Always explore T&Cs, note the maximum wins🌈 and turnover standards. Stay informed, bet smart! 🔍💡
Another version of this may be a no deposit free bet. You are🌈 more likely to find no deposit offers for slots or casino, sometimes referred to as free spins.
Keep in mind though🌈 there are often many terms applied to these, such as the maximum you can win, how many times you need🌈 to turn over your stake etc.
Another way in which bookmakers may use the term risk free is in the situation🌈 where they will give you a free bet if your first bet loses.
Luke Bradshaw Lee Commercial content manager Risk-free is🌈 becoming a dirty word in the free bets realm - As you only get the benefit and the free bet🌈 credit [Not cash!] if you first lose cash - You might get another bite of the cherry, but it's not🌈 quite 100% risk-free - Not to mention, if your first bet wins, you get no benefit whatsoever!
However it would be🌈 wrong of them to call this risk free. You would need to stake an initial bet with your money, which🌈 you could lose and then typically if you do lose they will give you a free bet up to a🌈 certain amount. ie this may be bet £10, get a free £10 bet if you lose. However you have taken🌈 a risk as the free bet cant be withdrawn as cash.
These aren't great offers as nobody intends to lose their🌈 first bet of course and if you win as planned, you get no bonus at all. Examples of these type🌈 of offers include
First £10 in Losses Refunded
£20 Risk Free Bet
£10 Back Up Bet
£10 Risk Free Bet
£50 Risk Free Bet
🎁 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.
Enhanced Odds & Price Boosts🌈 📈🎯 Enhanced Odds & Price Boosts are rising in popularity among bookies, especially during big sporting events!🏆 Rather than a🌈 free bet, they offer inflated odds on popular bets, often with winnings paid as free bets. Ideal for low-stakes wagers,🌈 but always review the T&Cs.🔍
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
Profit Boosts 📈💰 Profit Boosts, akin to enhanced odds, boost your winning's🌈 profit!🎉 This can be double the profit of your first bet or more. Not as common due to their complexity🌈 and non-specific nature, but they could prove a gamechanger, so keep an eye out! #BettingTips🔍💡
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
Money Back Special Free Bets: A Closer Look🔍💰 Money Back Special Bets offer🌈 a free bet if a specific event occurs—bettor bets on a football match, certain player scores, get a free bet!🌈 However, it's just a free bet, not your cash back. So, win on that free bet to retrieve your initial🌈 stake. 🎲👍
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.
