How Free Bets Work: The Rules Behind a UK Sign Up Offer
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A free bet is a stake a bookmaker gives you to bet with. It looks like money and behaves like money until it wins, at which point the difference shows: you receive the winnings, but the stake stays with the bookmaker. Almost every UK sign up offer works this way, and the handful of rules around it, from minimum odds to the payment method you use, decide whether a “Bet £10 Get £40” offer is worth what it says.
We have worked through each of those rules in pounds, using offers currently on the market. The offers themselves, ranked and compared, are on our free bets and betting offers page.
Stake Not Returned: The Rule Behind Every Free Bet
Bet £10 of your own money at 2/1 and win, and the bookmaker returns £30: £20 profit and your £10 stake. Use a £10 free bet at the same price and a win returns £20. Terms put it in a few words, usually “stake not returned”, sometimes shortened to SNR; bet365’s version is “returns exclude Bet Credits stake”.
The winnings from a free bet are paid into your cash balance. At most bookmakers they can then be withdrawn like any other money, with no further conditions. A few offers add a wagering requirement, covered further down.
Reading the Odds: Fractions and Decimals
Minimum odds are written in both formats, so it helps to read each quickly. A fraction shows profit against stake: 2/1 pays £2 for every £1 staked. A decimal shows the total return per £1, stake included: 3.0 is the same price as 2/1.
| Fractional | Decimal | £10 cash bet returns | £10 free bet returns |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1/2 | 1.5 | £15 | £5 |
| Evens | 2.0 | £20 | £10 |
| 2/1 | 3.0 | £30 | £20 |
| 4/1 | 5.0 | £50 | £40 |
| 9/1 | 10.0 | £100 | £90 |
The gap between the last two columns is always the £10 stake. At short odds it swallows most of the return.
Minimum Odds on the Qualifying Bet
Most sign up offers ask for a qualifying bet before the free bets arrive, and that bet must be at or above a minimum price. A bet at shorter odds simply does not count.
| Bookmaker | Qualifying bet | Minimum odds | Free bets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ladbrokes | £5 | 1/2 (1.5) | 6 x £5 |
| Betfred | £10 | Evens (2.0) | 3 x £10 sports + 2 x £10 acca |
| William Hill | £10 | Evens (2.0) | 4 x £10, valid on Bet Builders |
| SBK | £10 | 3.0 | £40 in free bets |
Ladbrokes: New UK+ROI customers only. Certain deposit methods & bet types excl. Min first £5 bet within 14 days of account reg at min odds 1/2 to get 6 x £5 free bets (selected sportsbook markets only, valid 7 days, stake not returned). 18+ GambleAware.org. Betfred: New customers only. Register, deposit with Debit Card, and place first bet £10+ at Evens (2.0)+ on Sports within 7 days to get 3 x £10 in Sports Free Bets & 2 x £10 in Acca Free Bets within 10 hours of settlement. 7-day expiry. Eligibility & payment exclusions apply. 18+ GambleAware.org. William Hill: Promo Code FBB40. New UK customers only. First deposit £10+, then a £10 single from main balance at EVS+ (2.00+) on any sports market (excluding Virtuals). £40 in Free Bets (4 x £10) after settlement, each valid on any Bet Builder, 7-day expiry, non-withdrawable, used in full. Excluded deposits apply. One per customer. Online only. 18+ GambleAware.org. SBK: New UK customers. Min £10 first deposit. Place a bet of £10 at min odds of 3.0 and get £40 in Free Bets within 48 hours. Restrictions apply. 18+ GambleAware.org.
The qualifying bet is your own money, so its result is yours too. A £5 Ladbrokes qualifier at 1/2 that wins returns £7.50; a £10 SBK qualifier at 3