Free Bets & Bonuses For Winners
There’s a reason why bookmakers love big race meetings such as the Cheltenham Festival, which is that lots of punters want to place bets. Some of them won’t necessarily have done a lot of betting before, so the bookies get to compete with each other to woo them and gain their business. Just as the bookmakers love the big meetings, though, so do the punters. Around the big events, such as those held at Cheltenham, is the best time to find exciting offers that you can take advantage of in order to try to get the best chance to win.
There’s no reason to be shy about it, it’s a reciprocal arrangement. The bookies would ideally like to take your money and you’d ideally like to take theirs. It’s all part of the dance and the excitement of the occasion. One of the ways that bookmakers attempt to make themselves appealing is by having great offers and this is where you can look to make yourself some extra money when you win.
| Bookie | Offer | Visit | |
|---|---|---|---|
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ITV Racing 4/1 Offer | Back a winner at 4/1 or more and get a risk free bet on the next live ITV race (up to £50) at bet365 | |
| Offer applies to first single bet placed. Applies to Win and Each-Way Fixed Odds markets and Enhanced Place Terms markets only. Bet restrictions and T&Cs apply. New and eligible customers only. | |||
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3/1+ ITV Racing Free Bets | Free bet up to £25 (equal to stake) for every 3/1+ winner you back in a live ITV race | |
| Place a win single bet in any live ITV / ITV4 race. If your horse wins at SP odds of 3/1 or greater (Racing Post decision final), you will receive a free bet to the same value of your stake, up to 25, valid for 48 hours. Exchange, cashed out, free & mutiple bets excluded. First cash bet qualifies. | |||
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High 5 | 15% Win bonus (up to £100) if your horse wins by 5+ lengths in any ITV, ITV4 or other select. Claim in every race. | |
| Races with 6+ runners, pre-race singles only, selected races/markets, 15% of winnings paid as a free bet up to £100 (4 day expiry), bets placed after 17.30pm the day before race, unamed fav bets do not apply, player / country / payment method restrictions & free bet rules & terms apply. Online Only. | |||
What Are Free Bets For Winners?
If you’ve read some of the other pages on this site then you’ll know roughly what to expect here. Different offers work in different ways, so it’s important to have an idea about how the various ones are put together and what you need to do to make the most of them. Here we’ll break down some of the more valuable free bets for winners promotions that will come your way around the time of the Cheltenham Festival, as well as other meetings.
One thing that’s worth pointing out front and centre is the manner in which these sorts of offers differ. The most obvious thing is that they are existing customer offers, so open to everyone. Unlike welcome offers, which are normally specially targeted at new customers, the type of offer that we’re talking about here can be used by anyone with an account. That means you don’t need to panic and think, "But I already have a Betfair account!".
Best Value Free Bets and Bonus For Winners
William Hill High 5 - 15% Boosted Winnings
This is a cracking offer type that you won’t need to do anything about in order to take advantage of. William Hill's High 5 offer, for example, is applicable to almost all National Hunt jump racing and pays you a 15% enhancement on your winnings if your horse wins by five or more lengths.
The bonus is paid as free bets with extra winnings up to £100. There is no minimum stake (online), you can claim this in evert available race too. Free bets are valid for 4 days, are awarded within an hour of the race ending, and can be used on any sport markets. High 5 is available on all selected meetings (generally 1+ / day) including any racing on ITV or ITV4. This means it will cover all major Cheltenham meetings and festivals.
Other bookmakers are known to offer this type of deal sporadically however William Hill are the only betting site with a permanent bonus for jump racing. If you are reading this during the flat season Hill's also pay a 15% bonus (also up to £100) on 2+ length winners, an offer known as 2 Clear.
Betfair 3/1+ Free Bets For Winners
Betfair really do give you 'free bets for winners'. The only catch is the winner you back must have a price of 3/1 or greater to get your free token, then again except for the really small field races this will cover well over 95% of runners in ITV races at Cheltenham.
In summary the offer works as follows: bet on any horse at odds 3/1 or greater in a live ITV or ITV4 race and if that horse wins then you’ll receive your stake back as a free bet race (up to £25) on top of your normal winnings. If you bet on the SP then the horse will need to be 3/1+ when the race starts to qualify.
The free bet matches your stake up to £25 with no minimum. If you bet more than £25 you will still get a free bet but only up to a value of £25. The free token is awarded for any horse racing the next day, with any subsequent winnings from the free token given in cash, stake not returned of course.
This is, quite literally, rewarding you for winning. You can claim the offer in every single live race, for example, back three 3/1+ winners in one day get three free bets the next day. Great offer that truly will add value for those that bet on top televised racing.
How To Get Free Bets For Winners At Cheltenham
When it comes to taking advantage of these types offer around the time of Cheltenham it’s a bit of a no brainer. Depending on how seriously you’re looking to take your betting over the week of the Festival, you’ll probably be planning to do one of three things:
- Place all of your bets well ahead of time and then forget all about them.
- Place a selection of bets in advance and then place some as each race comes about.
- Place your bets one at a time after the result of the previous one is known.
When it comes to making use of the Free Bets for Winners type of offer, it’s really the second two types of bettors that will benefit. If you’re placing your bets well ahead of time and then forgetting all about them until you look to see how much you’ve won then that’s great, but there aren’t really any offers like this for the ante-post market.
Instead what you want to is place a bet with a bookmaker like Betfair that offers a given amount of your stake back as a free bet or bonus if your horse wins, or wins with certain conditions. Then, when it does win, use the free bet to bet on the next days racing.
A common way to use these offers when it comes to Cheltenham is to have an 'extra' bet. Most serious punters know which horses they’re going to bet on and how much they’re going to bet, so being given a free bet doesn’t usually affect that. Instead you can treat yourself to an extra little bit on the side, perhaps opting for the horse you were torn on whether to bet on when you had your initial flutter. If it loses then you’re no worse off, but if it wins then you’ll have a decent bit of added income.
As far as the Boosted Winnings are concerned, it’s entirely up to you how to use them. The races come thick and fast during the Cheltenham Festival, so you might want to use these unexpected winnings to place a bet you weren’t thinking of placing previously. Of course you can just keep hold of the winnings and there’s nothing wrong with that.
