William Hill Cheltenham Festival free bet for Wednesday: get £40 when you bet £10

A free bet is a promotional incentive offered by a bookmaker that allows you to place a bet without using your own money.

Things to Look for When Choosing the Best Free Bets

Football: World Cup warm-up fixtures are rolling around the globe this week, making this prime Bet Builder territory — and Paddy Power's free bets are purpose-built for exactly that. Check our football tips for the sharpest plays, or grab a ready-made same-game combination from our Bet Builder of the Day. Horse Racing: Thursday's British flat card includes afternoon meetings at Hamilton and Wetherby, an evening all-weather card at Chelmsford City, flat action at Ffos Las and jumps racing at Uttoxeter. Find the best value with our horse racing tips or go straight to our Nap of the Day for the standout selection of the afternoon. Some of the biggest UK brands are also known for offering some of the most generous free bet offers on the market, with the latest deals from the top brands below. If you win a free bet, you receive the profit from the bet but not the stake.

Multiple betting accounts

Are there minimum odds required for the free bet? Is the free bet available in your region? Does there need to be a specific outcome? Does the bookmaker have a positive reputation? Are there any requirements before you can withdraw your bonus?

What sport you want to bet on

You don’t need to spend a lot of time researching, but by considering these factors, you can choose a free bet that’s right for you. Whether you’re a seasoned bettor or a novice looking for help on which account to get, choosing the right bookmaker through our bookmaker quiz could help you gain the knowledge to make quick informed decisions. We also have expert recommendations for the best betting sites and best betting apps across a range of sports and categories. Eligibility: free bets may only be available to new customers who have registered for an account with the betting company or to existing customers who have met a certain criteria, such as placing a certain number of bets within a specified period. Time limits: free bets may only be valid for a certain period of time, for example seven days or even 30 days. EXAMPLE: If you claim a £10 free bet and win at odds of 3/1, you'll receive £30 in winnings rather than the full £40 return you'll get with real money.

The Independent’s review criteria for free bets

Bet Builders let you stack multiple selections within the same match — think goalscorer, total corners and both teams to score all rolled into one — boosting your odds without the need to jump between different fixtures. Your free bets carry a generous 90-day expiry, covering the entire World Cup group stage, the knockouts and everything in between. England's squad have flown stateside for their final preparations ahead of the World Cup opener against Croatia on 17 June — and Thursday is the ideal moment to get your Paddy Power account in order before the action begins in earnest. There's also a solid Thursday racing schedule with flat meetings at Hamilton, Wetherby, Chelmsford City and Ffos Las all on the card. Head to Paddy Power now, grab your £50 in Bet Builder free bets, and get set for a summer of sport that promises to be one for the ages. Claiming a free bet offer is simple and straight forward. Follow our step-by-step guide here: Browse the free bets listed on our page and select the one that best suits your preferences. Click the Claim Offer button next to your chosen deal. You'll be taken directly to the bookmaker's registration page.

Understanding the T&Cs of Free Bets

No, when a free bet is settled the stake is not returned with the winnings. The profit from the bet will be added to your account, but the original ‘free bet’ stake will not be returned to you. Freebets.com brings you the best free bet offers in one place, updated daily. We help you compare, find and claim the latest free bet deals from UKGC-regulated online bookmakers. With our free bets sourced, tested and verified, bet best bookmakers offers for new customers you'll always find the most up-to-date promotions available.

Using Your Free Bets

More about the operators and events we cover: We list free bet welcome offers from the UK's biggest sports betting brands, including bet365, William Hill, Sky Bet, Paddy Power, Ladbrokes, Coral, Betfair, Betfred, Betway and BoyleSports, alongside specialist sportsbooks for racing, esports, US sport and pool betting.Sports betting is one of the UK's biggest consumer markets, and free bet welcome offers let you see what a new operator offers before depositing more. The biggest free bet promotions run around the marquee UK sporting events: horse racing at the Cheltenham Festival, Grand National and Royal Ascot; football across the Premier League, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League; tennis at Wimbledon; and rugby through the Six Nations Championship. Every operator listed is licensed by the UK Gambling Commission under the Gambling Act 2005, and integrated with GamStop. Content on this site will contain reference to products or services from one or more of our advertisers or partners. We may receive compensation when you view ads or click on links to those products or services. You'll need to provide your name, date of birth, address, email and a payment method. Deposit the minimum amount required to activate the free bet offer, using an eligible payment method to do so. Wager the required amount on a qualifying market at the minimum odds stipulated, following all T&Cs. Once your qualifying bet settles, your free bets will be credited, usually within a few hours.

Term	Description	Typical Restriction	Example
Minimum Odds	Lowest odds allowed for qualifying bet	Often -200 or -300	Bet must be at -200 or greater
Expiry Date	Time limit to use the free bet	7 to 30 days	Free bet expires in 7 days
Eligible States	Geographic restrictions	Varies by operator	Not available in NY or NV
Excluded Bets	Bet types that don't qualify	Parlays, live bets	Single bets only, no parlays

The 'Bet & Get' is the most common type of free bet offer in the UK. You register, deposit, place a qualifying first bet, and in return receive a set amount of free bets. EXAMPLE: 'Bet £10, Get £30 in Free Bets'. This requires you to place a £10 bet, and when that's settled, you'll receive £30 in free bets added . The majority of Bet & Get offers require: A minimum deposit (usually between £5–£20) A qualifying first bet placed at minimum odds (typically Evens / 2.00) Some bookmakers offer new customers Matched Deposit Offers. Rather than giving you free bets in return for placing a qualifying bet, they match your first deposit with bonus funds.

Bookmaker	Free Bet Value	Min. Odds	Expiry Period	Winnings Format
Bet365	$50	+200	7 days	Cash (stake not returned)
PointsBet	2 x $25	-500	14 days	Cash (stake not returned)
Unibet	$40	+100	30 days	Bonus cash
Betway	$30	+120	10 days	Cash (stake not returned)
888sport	$20	+150	5 days	Bonus cash

These offers work on percentage bonuses, bet best new customer offers bookmakers so if it's 100% matched, that means whatever you deposit, the bonus will be the same, up to a maximum limit. This means the maximum bonus is £50, and that's also the figure you need to deposit to receive that matched bonus. If you deposit more than £50, you will still only receive £50 in bonus funds. These offers are more common with Sportsbook/Casino hybrid brands.

In-play Betting Offers

We've built a suite of helpful tools and features designed entirely around helping you find the best free bets. At the very top of our list of bookmakers, you'll find three practical tools — Sort, Filter and Compare. You can use our filter and sort options to highlight the specific offers you want to see based on your requirements. Ready to bet uk best sports betting sites weigh up two or three brands? Our bespoke compare feature lets you view betting sites and betting apps side-by-side, so you can make a confident and informed choice.

How it started 📜

We also have a full range of free Betting Calculators, conveniently located in the top right-hand corner of our website. Whether you're working out a complex accumulator or calculating each-way returns, we've got you covered with these easy-to-use calculators: Paddy Power are going big ahead of the 2026 World Cup with a welcome offer that's well worth snapping up before tournament fever takes hold. New customers can Bet £10 and Get £50 in Bet Builder free bets — five times your opening stake returned in one of betting's most exciting formats. To qualify, sign up, deposit a minimum of £10 via debit card or Apple Pay, and place your first bet on any football market at minimum odds of 1/2 (1.50). Once your qualifying bet settles, Paddy Power will credit £50 in Bet Builder free bets straight into your account — ready to deploy on any game you fancy. Pay close attention to the wagering requirements as some deposit match bonuses require you to turnover the bonus amount multiple times before you can withdraw. Money Back Offers are promotions where the bookmaker refunds your stake. They tend to be offered more to existing customers who've been loyal to a brand.

Click for more racing free bets and betting offers from the Racing Post

If you do not use the free bet within this time frame, it may expire and any bonus will be lost. Bet restrictions: free bets may be restricted to certain types of bets, such as single bets or accumulator bets, and may be limited to certain sports or events. Free bet stake: some free bets will not include the stake amount in the winnings. Wagering requirement is a condition attached to many bonuses including free bets that requires the recipient of the bonus to wager a certain amount of money before they can withdraw any winnings earned from the bonus. The wagering requirement is usually expressed as a multiple of the bonus amount.

BOYLE Sports - Bet £10, Get a £40 Free Bet

Some free bets may have wagering requirements attached to them, they’re used by a bookmaker site as a way to protect themselves and help create loyal customers. You can usually use free bets and bonuses on any betting market and any bet type. This includes singles, doubles, trebles, accumulators and even Lucky 15s or 31s. You may need to meet specific conditions to use them. These are often known as wagering requirements. For new customers, they're usually based on your first bet, and will almost always result in you being given your money back in cash, if that bet loses. EXAMPLE: 'Money back if your first bet loses up to £50'.

• Compare sign-up offers across 5+ different sportsbooks
• Look for combined offers: free bet plus free spins or casino chips
• Some offers require a specific deposit method like PayPal or crypto
• Always read the full terms and conditions before claiming
• Use odds comparison sites to find the best ongoing sign-up deals
• Be aware of expiry dates; some offers are limited-time only
• Consider the platform's overall reputation alongside the free bet value

If you lose your first bet, you'll get the stake back, up to a maximum of £50. Enhanced Odds Offers give new customers the chance to back a specific selection at much bigger odds than normal, with rewards usually given in free bets if successful. rewarded in free bets if you're successful. Odds generally range from 30/1 up to 50/1. EXAMPLE: 'Bet £1 at 50/1 enhanced odds and the usual price is 1/1.' You would receive £2 returns in cash (£1 profit plus £1 stake back) and then £49 in free bets will be added to your account.

• Free bet often issued as several smaller tokens (e.g., 4x $5 bets)
• The qualifying deposit amount varies, commonly $10 or $20 minimum
• Free bets may be restricted to pre-match markets only
• Some bookmakers offer free bets that can be split across multiple bets

No Deposit Free Bets are exactly what they sound like - a bookmaker gives you a free bet without requiring you to make a deposit first.