Free bets or bonuses are something that’s pretty common in the gambling industry. They are basically one of the ways in which bookmakers can get people through their doors. Due to the nature of the gambling industry and how saturated the market is these days, it’s often hard for bookmakers to standout, but by offering free bets it’s a way in which they can differentiate from the crowd and also offer new punters a reason to sign up.

One thing that you need to be aware of is that bookmakers often offer a number of sign up promotions. The free bet is something that a lot will offer, but with the increased interest in mobile betting a lot of these bookmakers are providing mobile specific offers if you choose to use their betting app instead of their online site.

For example, where one bookmaker might offer you a 100% match worth up to £100 on their online bookmaker, they might have a completely different offer such as 50% up to £200 if you register via their mobile site.

What To Look Out For

Free bets can often look a lot more pleasing on paper than in reality. What all bookmakers will require is that you hit a certain criteria before releasing the free bet or to clear the free bet. The range of terms and conditions will range for each bookmaker, with some being drastically easier to earn than others.

The first thing to really look out for is how much you can deposit and in return receive. They are generally laid out in two ways; the first being a matched bonus amount and the second a match bet amount. The bonus amount will match a percentage of your first deposit and in return offer you a bonus to your account. A matched free bet will match your first deposit in return for a free bet with their bookmaker.

Often the bookmaker will require you to play through your deposit and free bet before being able to withdraw. Let’s say you deposit £20 for a £20 matched free bet. The bookmaker then requires you to wager through both your deposit and free bet twice before being able to withdraw any winnings from your account. Your deposit and free bet would equal £40, then times this by the wagering requirements of two, would mean you’d need to place £80’s worth of wagers before you can make a withdrawal.

Another key area to make note of is which markets you can bet on and the minimum odds that contribute towards it. Some bookmakers may exclude the betting on certain markets to count towards your wagering requirements. Similarly, they may also set a minimum odds threshold of bets that contribute towards your wager requirements, meaning any bets placed at odds lower than this will not count.

As a final point, if you take a mobile specific betting offer the bookmaker may ask that all bets for that promotion be made on your mobile. Basically this means that any bets made, even from the same account, outside the mobile site (online) will not count towards your wagering requirements.