Betting bonus for the UK: Pros & Cons
- Welcome offers for newcomers
- Bonuses for existing players
- Bonus bets often available
What’s the appeal of betting sites with a welcome bonus in the UK?
You can’t beat a free signup bonus for betting in the UK, although welcome offers can come in several formats. These sportsbooks design such offers to draw the attention of anyone who hasn’t yet signed up. Free bonuses and other welcome bonuses have many advantages, too. They’re intended to give newcomers the chance to try the site with less risk.
There are different types of bonuses though, with the main two being the no deposit bonus and the welcome bonus. We’ll provide a few highlights of these below.
| Free bonus | offers zero risk | usually given as a free bet |
| Welcome bonus | given on the deposit | can be a match deposit bonus or free bets |
Other types of betting bonus in the UK
Welcome bonuses of all kinds are perfect if you’re new, but what else might you expect to spot at a later stage in your membership of a sports betting site? They’re becoming ever more creative in this area, but we’ve listed a few of the more common options you might come across.
A reload bonus is offered on another deposit made at a sportsbook. They usually follow a welcome bonus, so you’ll need to complete the terms for that before you can look at any reload offers.
If you go on a losing streak of wagers at a sportsbook, you might get disheartened and stop betting for a while. That’s just what these sites don’t want, hence the popularity of a free bet offered on a loss. The idea is that you place a qualifying bet, and then if it loses, you receive the value of that bet back as a free bet on a future game or match.
Some bettors have higher bankrolls than others. Those might open the door to high roller bonuses designed with these individuals in mind. Worth looking for if you fall into this category.
These often appear on the best sports betting apps in the UK. They’re designed to promote the app, so they might appear if the sportsbook releases a new app or updates their existing one.
These are more common than you might imagine, and tend to link with the most popular sports. Baseball, basketball, and football are the most likely participants for such offers. When a league or competition is live, you might even see these bonus offers on the landing page for a sportsbook, making it easier to spot them.
These relate to a specific event like Wimbledon for tennis fans or the Premier League for football aficionados. It might be a case of special odds or a free bet given if you correctly guess the outright winner. Alternatively, there could be offers connected to certain matches. You might even see a betting promotion offering a better outcome than usual on ACCA bets.
Check your UK betting bonus possibilities at these online sportsbooks
We’ve handpicked five sportsbooks from our UK betting sites list to share with you here. We should state that bonuses are often changing, so it’s best to explore the current deals you can find at each site if you like the scope and coverage offered by that sportsbook. We also have sportsbook offers to share elsewhere here at TheGruelingTruth.com.
It couldn’t be easier to head straight for the promos on offer just now at BetUK. The menu puts them above the sports and casino areas, and there were plenty of offers to sort through when we visited while writing this report. It’s not a case of where to find a UK betting bonus, it’s more about which one is right for you just now.
They also provide a separate section called BetUK Specials, and that’s worth a trip to check the latest offers on current sporting events. You can search for outrights there, along with all the specials they currently offer. Football, horse racing, and tennis appear in the main menu, but you can dip into the A-to-Z section to spot popular and featured sports to speed things up, too.
Sportingbet: Personalised offers to consider
You can’t count on finding personalised promos at every sportsbook, so it’s reassuring to see that message at Sportingbet if you’re logged in. The site itself provides bettors with two key areas – one for the sportsbook and another for the live betting arena. The in-play area can be quite busy, with several dozen matches happening most of the time (if not more).
Watch for the green and red markings to note the odds that are improving or declining. This helps keep track during in-play events. You’ll get fractional odds as standard, and they look good compared with other sportsbooks you might consider. The A-to-Z gives you everything from alpine skiing to volleyball, so they don’t miss anything throughout the site.
Bet365: Deals for all
There’s always a new customer offer to explore at Bet365, one of the most trusted and best loved sportsbooks online today. The complete sports list covers all the top choices, along with others that are easily identified by the logos that appear alongside them. With Bet Boosts on offer for relevant sports of the moment, the sports betting section can get busy. However, the design makes it easier to move around and to find the latest odds and promotions.
While the obvious sports grab the headlines, there are some unusual ones there as well. We noted trotting and Gaelic sports among others. With promos and offers for new members and current ones, there’s plenty to look through on each visit.
10bet: Competitive UK betting bonus options
While their site has a casino as well, they’ve split the promotions page into two, so you just need to hit the sports tab to see only those deals. They have a welcome bonus to claim first, followed by other offers that are specific to certain sports. We noted some for football, horse racing, and rugby. They were connected to upcoming matches or races too, so that gives reason enough to check back in that area for other deals in days to come.
As for the sportsbook itself, moving around is simple given the quick links area followed by the sports, each offering a tiny logo to separate it from the rest. Each sport has its own homepage, along with live coverage and updated odds.
The darker shade in the promotions area confirms you’re looking at a sports offer, while the greenish-blue shade denotes the casino offers. They provide details of Combo Boosts and Bet Builders, while offering other promotions connected to specific weekdays.
The sportsbook is marked out by a football logo, but it reveals many more sports ready to bet on. There is extensive availability of odds and information across the board, but finding live events and your favourite sports only takes a moment. You can also easily return to the main sportsbook page whenever you need to. The bet slip also appears only when you add something to it, at which point you can choose your stake to go ahead with the wager.
Stay alert for these 3 features of most UK betting bonus deals
It’s always reassuring to see several betting bonus offers to choose from, but be sure you take some time to check the details before you go ahead and claim something. We’ve covered the most important features to note below.
Whenever you see a bonus bet or similar offer, chances are it will have minimum odds attached. For example, a free bet deal might have minimum odds of 1/2 or greater. This detail will appear in the small print. In cases where you make a real bet with the chance of receiving a free bet in return for a losing wager, the bet you place might also have minimum odds to meet.
These apply when you are successful in making a bet. For instance, you might receive winnings from a free bet and you’re required to wager them several times to be able to cash out. Wagering is always given as a multiplier. If you see a multiplier of 5x the bet amount and you wagered £5 on the winner of a horse race, you’ll need to multiply the £5 bet by five to get £25 as your wagering amount. Be aware too that the bonus amount or free bet amount is typically sticky. This means you cannot withdraw it; instead, the sportsbook will retain it and allow you to withdraw the remainder of your winnings.
This doesn’t apply for a no deposit offer, but betting sites with a welcome bonus for UK players will usually impose a minimum amount to deposit to unveil particular offers. This applies no matter whether the deal is for a deposit bonus or a free bet. Fortunately, most leading UK sportsbooks keep their minimum deposit amounts quite low, so you might see £10 or even £5 in some cases.
Bonus tip: Never forget to check for a bonus coupon
Some UK gambling websites don’t issue these, but it’s impossible to know whether you’ll need one or not until you check. Since you can rarely – if ever – retroactively input a bonus code, look before attempting to claim anything, otherwise this is a sure way to miss out.
Selecting betting sites with a welcome bonus in the UK
If you’ve yet to join an online sportsbook, you can see how finding one with a solid welcome offer is a good start. Add some specials and a good range of sports to that, and you’ve got a mix that offers plenty of scope. Free bets, bonus bets, deposit match offers, and many sports-specific deals are waiting, so there are lots to look for when you begin your search. Stay tuned to TheGruelingTruth.com for the latest available offers.
Top sports betting bonuses in the UK
Betting bonus UK FAQ
⛳ Who is giving free bets?
Free bets sometimes turn up as part of a signup bonus at betting sites in the UK. You might occasionally see them at other times, too, so the best way to find them is to check the available deals for all online sportsbooks.
⛹ What’s the catch with bonus bets?
You do not usually keep the value of the bonus bet itself, only the funds won while using it. If you lose the bet, you’ve lost nothing, but any winnings will have the value of the bet deducted prior to payout.
✨ How long do bonus bets take?
They typically complete once the event or match has finished. You can read more about bonus bets and other types of sports betting promotions at TheGruelingTruth.com.
❓ Are there betting sites with a welcome bonus in the UK?
Yes, most sportsbooks do offer a welcome bonus to new players. You can often claim this either when signing up or within a certain period if you deposit during that time.
🌌 Can current members get betting bonuses for online sportsbooks?
Yes, it is quite common to find a selection of promotions at most online sportsbooks. It’s best to check availability of these offers before you add funds to your account, in case there is something you can claim.
