Best free bets & betting offers (March 2026) | Cheltenham exclusive deals

The Cheltenham Festival runs until Friday. If you haven’t claimed a welcome offer yet, this week is the best time of the year to do it. There are deals live right now that won’t exist by Saturday.

I’ve tested and ranked nine sign-up offers currently available to UK customers, with particular attention to which ones are worth your time in 2026. The headline number is SpreadEx’s £60 package, but Bet365 is still the one I’d point most people to. I’ll explain why below.

UK betting offers: Free bets and bonuses in March 2026

Limited-time enhanced offers

Thanks to our partnerships with the best bookies in the UK, we often have special promo offers that are related to specific football matches or other sporting events.

Here, you can find the latest of our exclusive promo offers, but keep in mind that these don’t last long, so act fast if you want to claim them:

Bookie	Offer	Date	Claim
Sky Bet	£50 in Free Bets to use on Multis	13/03/2026	Claim offer
Sky Bet	60/1 odds on Lulamba to Place Top 3	10/03/2026	Offer expired
Paddy Power	60/1 on Kopek Des Bordes to win the Arkle or 60/1 on Lulamba to win the Arkle	10/03/2026	Offer expired
Betfair	50/1 on a goal to be scored in Newcastle vs Man City AND £10 Cheltenham free bet	07/03/2026	Offer expired
Sky Bet	50/1 on Chelsea to qualify vs Wrexham AND £10 horse racing free bet	07/03/2026	Offer expired
Betfair	50/1 on a goal to be scored in Tottenham vs Crystal Palace AND £10 Cheltenham free bet	05/03/2026	Offer expired
Sky Bet	50/1 on a goal to be scored in Aston Villa vs Chelsea	04/03/2026	Offer expired
Paddy Power	50/1 on a goal to be scored in Wolves vs Liverpool	03/03/2026	Offer expired
Sky Bet	50/1 on a goal to be scored in Arsenal vs Chelsea	01/03/2026	Offer expired
Paddy Power	50/1 on a goal to be scored in Man Utd vs Crystal Palace	01/03/2026	Offer expired

Cheltenham free bets for 12 March 2026 (Day 3: St Patrick’s Thursday)

Day 3 Paddy Power Cheltenham offer: Two offers running simultaneously today. New customers can back Fact To File at 50/1 to finish top three in the Ryanair Chase (4pm). Max £1 stake, winnings paid in cash at normal odds with the rest in free bet builders. Separately, bet £10 on any Cheltenham race at Evens or greater and receive 4 x £10 free bets for builders, multiples, or accumulators, valid 30 days. The 50/1 enhanced odds offer is today only.

Day 3 Betfair Cheltenham offer: New customers who bet £10 at Evens or greater receive 5 x £10 free bets (code ZSKAOL) for any multi bet including bet builders and accumulators. £50 total, valid across any sport. One of the strongest token values available today.

Sky Bet Cheltenham offer: Bet £1, get £50 in free bet tokens for multiples. Valid until Friday 14 March.

Get the offer >>>

New customers only. £5 minimum deposit. First minimum £1 single, e/w, or multis bet only. Odds of 1/1 or greater. 5 x £10 bet tokens. Free bets for multiples only. Free bet stakes not included in returns. Free bets are non-withdrawable. 7 Day free bet expiry. Eligibility restrictions. Further T&Cs apply.

Top betting offers – Sportsmole editors’ picks

As the top names battle it out for the best betting sign-up offers, we’ve examined the best UK betting sites and reviewed their offers, identifying some key features and determining which ones we’d place in the top bracket. Let’s look at the best betting offers:

1. SpreadEx – £60 in free bets for new customers
2. Bet365 – £30 in bet credits
3. NetBet – £20 free bets
4. Ladbrokes – £30 in free bets
5. 10Bet – £50 matched deposit
6. William Hill – £40 in free bets
7. Planet Sport Bet – £20 in free bets
8. Star Sports Bet – 50% back as a free bet
9. SBK – £30 in free bets

1. SpreadEx offer: Highest total value of free bets

The Spreadex sign up offer is the highest total value on the market right now. Bet £10 as a fixed odds single or each-way at minimum odds of 1/2, and you get £60 back in free bets, broken down as such:

• 3 x £10 free fixed odds bets
• 3 x £5 Total Goals football spread bets
• 3 x £5 Winning Favourites spread bets
• £1 racing Race Index spread bet

The free bets come in over consecutive days. Rather than having to use everything on one weekend’s fixtures, you’ve got time to pick your spots.

For the fixed odds tokens: use them on selections at evens or higher. A £10 free bet on a 1/4 favourite returns £2.50. The same token on an evens selection returns £10. A lot of punters get this wrong.

We used the spread betting credits on a Bundesliga Total Goals market. The interface explained the stake-per-point model clearly, and the credits processed instantly at kick-off. If you’ve never tried spread betting, these are risk-free credits to learn with, but keep your own money out of it until you’re comfortable. Spread betting losses can exceed your initial deposit.

2. Bet365 offer: Best free bets for the longest expiry window

At £30 in free bets, Bet365 is not the biggest offer here, but the terms are the most forgiving on the list. Sign up using the Bet365 bonus code 365MOLE, then bet £10 at minimum odds of 1/5 (that threshold rules out almost nothing) and receive £30 in bet credits.

The 90-day usage window is what separates this from everything else. Every other offer here expires within a week. Claim today, and you still have credits for the Grand National in April, the FA Cup Final in May, or any Premier League fixture through to June.

When we tested the cash-out feature during a Premier League match, it processed in under 3 seconds. We split credits across three separate markets, including a 50p football bet and a £15 horse racing bet. Both were accepted without issue. The denomination flexibility is real.

One thing to understand before claiming: these are bet credits, not withdrawable cash. You can only withdraw winnings generated from them, not the credits themselves. That’s standard across the industry, but it catches first-time claimants out.

3. Netbet offer: Best multi-sport free bets structure

NetBet’s welcome offer rewards you with £20 in free bets when you join and place your first £10 bet at odds of 1/1 (2.00) or higher. Your bonus arrives as four £5 Free Bets within 24 hours, and each of the bets has to be used for a specific purpose:

• 1 x £5 Football Bet Builder (min odds 4.0)
• 1 x £5 Football Acca (min 4 legs)
• 1 x £5 Horse Racing Acca (min 2 legs)
• 1 x £5 Tennis In-Play

You’ll have seven days to use these Free Bets.

4. Ladbrokes offer: Best free bets value per pound

With the Ladbrokes sign up offer, deposit and bet £5, and get £30 in free bets. Of all the welcome bonuses listed, this one triggers with the smallest minimum deposit, instantly making it one of the best new customer betting offers.

One token must be used as a football Bet Builder. The remaining free bets cover 50+ sports, including horse racing, tennis, darts, golf, rugby, UFC, cricket, esports, and greyhound racing.

Mastercard and Visa debit cards are the only eligible deposit methods to trigger this offer. All other payment methods do not qualify. Prepaid Cards, Moneybookers, PayPal, Paysafe, Neteller and Skrill are all excluded.

Ladbrokes also offers a range of betting promotions for existing customers. After using the welcome bonus, customers can enjoy regular betting promotions and new offers.

Some are released daily and typically focus on a specific upcoming tournament or event. These can be price boosts, best odds guaranteed, free bets, free-to-play games, bet-and-get offers, or prize draws.

Punters can also play 1-2-Free, Instant Spins at no extra cost. The Instant Spins wheels can be played daily and can reward even more free spins and bonuses as well as Ladbucks, the bookie’s own digital currency, which punters can then spend in the Ladbrokes arcade.

5. 10Bet offer: 100% first deposit match up to £50 real cash bonus

10Bet’s sign up offer is structurally different from the others here. It matches your first deposit pound-for-pound up to £50 in real cash.

The 8x wagering requirement on both deposit and bonus means a £50 deposit generates £800 in required turnover before withdrawal. That sounds like a lot, and it is. But the 60-day window to clear it is the most generous on this list, and the minimum odds on accumulator legs (2/5) are lower than most competitors’, which helps build turnover without taking long-shot odds.

We placed a 4-fold accumulator at an average of 1.6 per leg (well above the 2/5 threshold) and cleared roughly £60 of the wagering requirement in one bet. At that rate, a patient bettor can work through it without overreaching on odds.

10Bet has held a UK Gambling Commission licence since 2003. PayPal, Skrill, and Neteller deposits don’t qualify. Debit card only.

6. William Hill offer: Best mobile-first free bets

The William Hill welcome offer provides £40 in free bets, as four £10 tokens. Place a £10 qualifying bet at odds of 1/2 or higher and receive four separate £10 free bets.

Each of the free bets must be used as a full £10 single stake. You can’t split them or carry over unused portions.

Registration is available on both the William Hill website (williamhill.com) and the iOS/Android app (you’re not limited to mobile to claim this offer).

I tested the live betting product during a Championship football match and found the layout clean and quick to navigate. Daily accumulator boosts were visible without digging through menus, a small thing, but it matters for regular users.

One thing to note: the offer was £60 until recently. At £40, it’s still a reasonable welcome package, but if you’ve seen the £60 figure mentioned elsewhere, that limited-time offer has ended.

7. Quickbet: Best betting offer for sports/casino choice

The Quickbet sign up offer is a straightforward “bet £10 get £10”. The qualifying bet must have odds of 2.0 or greater (on single, double, multiple, or Bet Builder bets).

New customers alternatively pick the casino welcome offer (100 Cash Spins at 10p per spin on Big Bass at the Races). Winnings from them are credited as cash with a 10x wagering requirement.

If you primarily bet on sport, take the free bet. You can’t claim both offers.

The 24-hour free bet expiry is the main drawback. Once your qualifying bet settles and the token lands in your account, the clock starts immediately. That’s tighter than most operators at this level. The free bet can be split and used in any amount you choose, which is more flexible than William Hill’s all-or-nothing £10 rule, but the winnings will have the free bet stake deducted, so a £10 free bet at Evens returns £10, not £20.

One thing to opt in for before depositing: the offer requires players to activate sport bonuses and marketing communications during registration. If you skip this step, the free bet won’t trigger.

Pros

• Choice of sports free bet or 100 cash spins at registration
• Covers football, racing, and a wide range of sports markets
• Cash spins winnings paid as cash (no stake deduction)

Cons

• 24-hour free bet expiry from credit (tied for the shortest on this list)
• £10 value is the lowest headline figure here
• Opt-in for marketing required to qualify
• Skrill deposits excluded

8. Planet Sport Bet offer: Simplest free bets offer, but fastest expiry

Planet Sport Bet is a smaller operator with a straightforward offer: bet £10 at odds of 1/2 or higher, receive £20 in free bets after entering the Planet Sport Bet promo code. The structure is clean, but the 24-hour expiry is problematic. Sign up on a Wednesday evening, and your tokens are gone Thursday evening, whether you’ve used them or not.

The platform covers the main sports markets like football, horse racing, tennis, golf, and the interface is functional on mobile. It doesn’t stand out against the major operators in terms of depth or breadth, but it works.

We placed a qualifying bet and had the tokens credited within 40 minutes. Customer support responded to a live chat test in 6 minutes. There’s nothing broken here — the offer just doesn’t compete with the top tier on value or expiry terms.

9. Star Sports Bet offer: Get up to £25 back

Star Sports offers new customers a 50% cashback free bet if your first bet loses, up to £25, plus 25 free spins on Gold Horsey Winner. We’d mirror the same opinions with StarSports as with Planet Sport Bet.

While their platforms are both easy to use and involve predominantly the same markets as all of the other big platforms on our list, the cashback bonus of up to 50% of your stake in cashback when you place a £50 bet isn’t comparable in terms of value to any of the other promotions we’ve looked at.

The best free bet offers should provide value at the foundation of their promotion, but to place a £50 bet only to get up to £25 maximum back, we’d put it toward the lower end of our list.

10. SBK offer: Best for downside protection

The SBK promo code unlocks £30 free bets, but with a slightly different structure from the rest. The bonus is credited in staggered payouts.

Upon settlement of your £5 bet, you get a £5 Bet Builder and a £5 Multiple. After 24 hours, you receive a £5 Horse Racing Multiple and a £5 Football Bet Builder. The final £5 Bet Builder and £5 Multiple tokens are credited after 48 hours.

It’s not the worst, but it’s also not the best free bet sign-up offer we have looked at today. SBK feels overthought, unlike the Betfred offer, which is just £30 on any sportsbook and £20 on two accumulators.

How do free bets work? A first-time bettor’s guide

A free bet lets you place a wager without using your own money. When it wins, you keep the profit but not the stake. When it loses, you’re down nothing.

Practical example: £10 free bet at 3/1. Win and receive £30 (profit only). With your own £10 at the same odds, you’d receive £40 (profit plus stake). That gap matters when choosing which selections to use free bets on. Higher odds extract more value from a free bet token.

Key restrictions to check before claiming:

• Payment exclusions – Skrill, Neteller, and PayPal are excluded from most offers
• Non-withdrawable – you can’t cash out the free bet itself, only winnings from it
• Minimum odds – most offers require at least 1/2 (1.5) or Evens (2.0) on qualifying bets
• Time limits – typically 7 days; Bet365 is 90 days; Planet Sport Bet is 24 hours

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How to claim free bets at any UK bookmaker | Step-by-step guide

Here’s exactly how to claim betting sign-up offers:

Step 1: Choose Your Bookmaker

Select from our recommended betting sites above. Consider factors like:

• Free bet amount
• Minimum deposit requirements
• Wagering requirements
• Available sports markets

Step 2: Register Your Account

• Click the sign-up button
• Enter personal details (name, DOB, address)
• Create username and password
• Enter any promo codes if required

Step 3: Verify Your Identity

• Upload photo ID (driving licence or passport)
• Confirm address with utility bill
• Complete any additional KYC requirements

Step 4: Make Your Qualifying Deposit

Most free bet offers typically require a deposit. For example, a ‘Bet £10, Get £30’ offer will usually require a minimum first deposit of £10 or more within a certain timeframe of your registration. Some payment methods may be excluded, especially e-wallets such as Skrill or Neteller, so we recommend making your first deposit with a traditional card payment to ensure you qualify.

• Navigate to the cashier
• Choose payment method (debit card recommended)
• Deposit the minimum required amount
• Ensure payment method qualifies for the offer

Step 5: Place Your Qualifying Bet

Each betting offer comes with minimum odds and wagering requirements. Typically, this is around 2/1, but some offers lower the threshold to appeal to a wider range of customers. The current Bet365 offer we discussed involves a £10 bet on any sports market with odds of 1/5 (1.2) or higher.

If your bet falls under this, you will not qualify for the free betting credits, so it’s crucial to take this on board when you sign up.

Your first bet needs to meet the minimum stake requirement exactly or exceed it. For instance, if the offer requires a £10 qualifying bet, placing a £5 bet won’t count towards the requirement, and in many cases, splitting it into two £5 bets won’t be eligible either.

• Find a qualifying sporting market specified in terms of
• Meet minimum odds requirements
• Place bet of the required amount
• Wait for bet to settle

Step 6: Receive Your Free Bets

Another important component is the expiry date. You don’t want to sign up for a betting offer and come back to it the following day only to find it has expired. While this is rare, some bonuses include a 24-hour expiry.

• Free bets credited within 24-48 hours
• Check your account balance
• Use within specified timeframe

From our experience, this can be the case with smaller providers. All of the big names we’ve touched on today range from between 3-7 days, but in the case of Bet365, once you have placed your qualifying bet, you have up to 90 days to claim the £30 in betting credits – again, always check the expiry to avoid this potential disappointment.

What to Bet on in the UK with Free Bets – Major Sporting Events

2026 has got a lot in store for sports fans with all of the annual favourite events making their yearly return, plus a popular biennial event getting its 2026 renewal.

Later on in the year, in September, the Ryder Cup will take place at Bethpage Black on New York’s Long Island. The Ryder Cup is a biennial men’s golf competition that takes place on alternating courses in the United States and Europe.

We still don’t know what the line-ups will be over three days, but the odds currently have the hosts, the USA, as odds-on favourites to wrestle back their crown from Europe, which won the last event held in Italy.

The Americans are around the 10/13 mark to win this year’s event, with the Europeans 7/4 to retain their title. A draw has been priced up at around 12/1.

Using free bets effectively requires knowing when all major sporting events take place. Here’s a calendar of key UK and international sporting events:

Month	Event	Sport	Location
January	Snooker Masters	Snooker	Alexandra Palace, London
February	Six Nations Rugby	Rugby	Various
March	Cheltenham Festival	Horse Racing	Cheltenham Racecourse
April	Grand National	Horse Racing	Aintree Racecourse
May	FA Cup Final	Football	Wembley, London
June	Wimbledon Tennis	Tennis	London
July	The Open Championship	Golf	St Andrews
August	Premier League Kickoff	Football	Various
September	The Ryder Cup	Golf	Bethpage Black Course, New York
October	Champions League Group Stage	Football	Various
November	ATP Finals	Tennis	Palasport Olimpico, Turin
December	PDC World Darts Championship	Darts	Alexandra Palace, London

These events provide great opportunities for bettors to take full advantage of free bet promotions on high-profile tournaments, matches and races.

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Best new customer betting offers – Latest promotions

Although sports betting platforms will use their main offerings to attract new customers, they will also offer limited-time promotions that capitalize on specific tournaments capturing national interest. The most obvious recent example is the Euros, where Ladbrokes, William Hill, and Coral offered specific Euro-based best-betting offers.

Bet365 went one step further by aligning itself as a global sponsor of major UEFA competitions, offering extensive promotions and Early Payout specials to welcome new customers. This is mirrored through other tournaments, including the World Cup, the Super Bowl, the Grand National, and the Rugby World Cup—to name a few. Ultimately, the idea is to capitalise on trending markets and attract sports betting fans who follow these big tournaments.

Sportsmole’s pick for the best betting sign-up offer

Out of all the promotions we’ve explored today, it isn’t easy to decide on one. The truth is, at least half of the ten we looked at could have a strong case – we’d say, though, out of all the options, it’s Bet365.

Their offer includes £30 of betting credits on any of their sports betting markets. While all the others we touched on include a cluster of popular sports, Bet365 proves why they’re consistently named the best online betting sign-up offers.

All their sports markets are included in their betting credits; you can use the free bets in any denomination you want, including sixty-50 pence bets if the mood strikes you.

The minimum odds of 1/5 and the 90-day use period for your betting credits help Bet365 stand out. While the other bonuses have their high points and positives, the best free bet offers UK customers can currently take advantage of are those from Bet365 and Betfred.

Best Free Bets by Sport

Different sports betting sites specialise in various markets. Below is a table of the best betting offers by sport:

Sport	Best Betting Offer	Bookmaker
Football	£40 in Free Bets	BetFred
Horse Racing	£30 in Free Bets	Betfred
Tennis	£20 in Free Bets	Ladbrokes
Golf	£30 in Free Bets	Coral
Esports	£30 in Free Bets	SBK

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How I rated the best betting offers

If you are wondering how I came up with the rankings for the betting offers, I have outlined below some of the criteria that I considered when writing this review.

For me, the most important consideration in evaluating a bookmaker’s offer is the transparency of its terms and conditions. Regardless of any offer, you should always ensure that you read the full terms and conditions to be completely aware of what you need to do before claiming it.

Here are some critical factors for rating a betting offer.

• Best value: Punters want the best value that they can get from a betting offer. As we know, the cheapest qualifying deposit and wager needed to unlock a welcome offer is £5, which currently pays out £30 in free bets. Most of the time, betting offers are triggered by a £10 wager, so any of these bonuses that offer the highest percentage of free profit to play with will consistently score highly.
• Ease of use: I also consider how easy it is to claim and subsequently use the reward. Bonuses shouldn’t be hard work; they should be enjoyable. Betting is a leisure pursuit, after all.
• Wagering requirements: Any wagering requirements, if applicable, should be clearly stated in the terms and conditions of the deal. While wagering requirements are generally more relevant to casino bonuses, some bookies enforce them, too, which I am not a fan of.
• Minimum odds: You must ensure that the odds of your qualifying bet meet the requirements of the bonus terms and conditions. This is even more important when betting on accumulators (accas), due to their multiple legs. I rate bookies that require fair odds as better than those that ask for unfair and unlikely-to-win odds.
• Eligible bets: Some bookies can be flexible and allow bettors to wager on the markets they want to unlock a promotion. Others require players to place their bets on a specific market or insist that it must be a bet builder or accumulator. I prefer flexibility.
• Maximum winnings: Because the bookies are the ones that are fronting the stakes for the free bets, winnings can be capped. The higher the payout cap of the promotion, the better.
• Expiry period: I considered this twice. Firstly, how long do I have to make the qualifying wager after I sign up for a new betting account, and how long do I have to use up my free bets after they have been credited? Because the event you want to bet on might be some time in the future, you will enjoy as much time as possible for both scenarios.

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Beyond free bets: Other popular betting offers

While we’ve covered nine of the biggest names in UK sports betting and their betting offers, this is merely the tip of the iceberg when it comes to all of the other types of betting offers available on the market.

To that end, here are some additional types of betting offers, along with an explanation of how they work.

No deposit bonus

No-deposit bonuses are harder to find but are considered to be the best betting sign-up offers because punters aren’t required to deposit any of their own money.

A no deposit bonus often has less scope than the more common deposit bonuses, as your bookie will give you something for free.

Bet Insurance

Betting insurance is for players who are not entirely confident that their bet will win. Some sports betting sites allow players to insure a bet at any time. The cost of bet insurance typically depends on the current odds for an exact outcome.

Bettors can insure the rate in full or partially. If a bet goes on to lose, the insured part is returned to the punter’s balance. This makes it a good option for almost all types of players as the risk is lower and the winnings are not completely wiped out.

Difference between free bets and deposit bonuses

Deposit bonuses aim to supplement your initial deposit with free betting credits. This is the industry-wide approach, and it is the most common of the promotions you will encounter as a new customer.

The main difference is that deposit bonuses require you to put some of your own money in, and free bets are for simply registering with the site.

Betting Offers for Existing Customers UK

While welcome bonuses grab headlines, the best betting sites also reward loyal customers:

Regular Promotions Available

• Acca Insurance: Money back if one leg fails
• Profit Boosts: Enhanced winnings on selected bets
• Best Odds Guaranteed: Automatic price improvements
• Free Bet Clubs: Weekly rewards for regular betting
• Cashback Offers: Refunds on losing bets

Daily and Weekly Promotions

Beyond welcome offers, bookmakers provide regular promotions:

Daily Offers

• Price boosts on popular markets
• Flash bonuses during major events
• Enhanced accumulators

Weekly Promotions

• Free bet clubs (bet £25, get £5 free)
• Accumulator bonuses
• Cashback on specific leagues

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Recap

When selecting betting sign-up offers, value should be your primary consideration. Compare the total free bet amount against the deposit required. Always review the terms carefully, paying close attention to wagering requirements and any applicable restrictions. The platform’s usability matters too—ensure it suits your betting preferences and offers the sports markets you’re interested in. Don’t forget to look beyond the welcome offer and consider the ongoing promotions available to existing customers.

Our top recommendation remains Bet365 because of its generous welcome bonus, user-friendly terms, and excellent platform features.

Remember to gamble responsibly and never bet more than you can afford to lose.

FAQs on betting offers