Almost every online horse betting site has signup offers that give you something extra for joining. Whether it’s welcome offers, little ways to enhance your horse betting, or free bet promotions, you should keep an eye out for great deals.
Here, you can learn all about these horse racing betting offers and free bets.
What Are The Bonus Offers for Horse Betting?
- Risk-free betting sign up offers: These refund your stake in cash or as free bets, if the first wager you place loses. For example, Paddy Power offer you a risk-free first bet of £10 when you join.
- Bet-and-get welcome bonuses: This allows you to place wagers that qualify you for free bets. For instance, the horse racing betting site Coral offers a bet £5 get £20 signup bonus.
- Deposit deals: Here, you can fund your betting account via an accepted payment method, and then receive free bets matched to a set value. The Bet365 welcome bonus matches your first deposit up to £100.
There are three main types of promotional offers for horse betting. The most popular sign up offers are welcome bonuses for new customers, free bets and daily ongoing promos for existing players.
Welcome offers (or no deposit bonuses) are awarded to you upon signing up as a new customer, then entering a promo code and/or making a deposit. Free Bets are bonus funds for you to gamble with on a sportsbook, but they differ from new customer bonus offers as they in most cases require you to place a qualifying bet. For example, William Hill horse racing website offers you extra £30 in free bets, but you first have to £wager 10. Also, your wagers need to meet certain conditions before withdrawals.
Special Horse Betting Promotions
As well as horse betting free bets and welcome offers, you can also receive general promotions that help you when betting on the major races like Cheltenham, Grand National Royal Ascot and so on:
- Bet boosts offers: A boost allows you to enhance the odds for horses of your choosing. These give you a slightly bigger price than what is currently available. Unibet provide three odds boosts for horse racing every day.
- Enhanced odds specials: These horse betting offers have strict stake limits and you can only access them for a limited time – but they add even greater value. William Hill and their Flash Odds promotion is a good example.
- Acca bonuses: Great if you are brave enough to place system, combination, and accumulator bets on the horse, these may give you extra winnings. As an example, Betfred offers their All Correct Bonuses offer.
You should also check out these free bet offers that cover your horse betting wagers:
- Winner bonuses: These can come in the form of free bet offers, as you back a horse that earns victory over a certain price and get a little something extra. Both 888Sport and Bet365 offer a 4/1 winner bonus.
- Free bet clubs: These offers reward you with bonuses when you bet so much each week. Being loyal to certain horse racing bookmakers pays. Paddy Power and their Paddy’s Rewards Club is a great example of this.
- If your horse finishes second at certain meetings and in particular races, then your stake is returned as a free bet. Unibet Racing and Betfred have such free bet offers.
Top Horse Betting Sites in the UK
- Betway UK
- bet365 Horse Betting
- William Hill Site
- Paddy Power
- BoyleSports / best odds
Many horse racing betting sites in the UK believe they are best. Industry leaders such as Betfair, Bet365 and Betfred are among those considered top dogs.
When it comes to the best horse racing betting sites the UK has to offer you, the major players are sites like Paddy Power, who provide regular specials and promotions on all major horse racing, and even have a Rewards Club that gives regular punters bonuses on a weekly basis.
Their sister site, Betfair, also operates both a Sportsbook and Exchange betting service, so you can take fixed odds horse racing prices and lay the ones you don’t fancy when taking on fellow punters at the same time.
Furthermore, William Hill allows you to boost the odds of three horses of your choosing each day on their sportsbook. Bet365 are another popular service provider, and they are often the first of the online horse betting sites in the UK to price up races following final declarations. Similarly, Betfred have plenty of betting bonuses relating to horse racing, especially if you like placing system and combination wagers.
UK Most Popular Horse Betting Deals
One thing that you will find all online horse betting sites in the UK have in common are offers and promotions. For example, welcome bonuses are awarded when you sign up, make a deposit, and place qualifying bets, and money back deals are especially useful if your horse finishes second at selected race meetings or the SP favourite.
Best Odds Guaranteed offers have you covered on the day of a race, so you don’t miss out on a bigger starting price (SP). There are also extra place races, where fourth, fifth, and even sixth place pays out on any each-way wagers you make.
The Major Horse Betting Events To Bet On Online
- Cheltenham Festival (March)
- Grand National at Aintree (April)
- Newmarket Guineas Festival (April/May)
- The Derby at Epsom (June)
- Royal Ascot (June)
- Glorious Goodwood (July/August)
- York Ebor Festival (August)
- Doncaster St Leger Festival (September)
- British Champions Day at Ascot (October)
- Newbury Winter Carnival (November)
- Kempton Christmas Festival (December)
Common Types of Horse Racing Bets
There are many types of bet available to you on horse racing betting sites in the UK. For example, win bets keep it simple, which is where you bet on which horse will win the race.
Whereas, there are more complicated bets types, such as a forecast bet – where you back two horses in the same race, one to finish first and the other second in a set order.
These bets operate as two wagers in one, to cover either order. Somewhat similarly, a double bet is where you wager on two horses again, but in different races. Both must win for the bet to pay and their odds are multiplied together.
Each-Way bets are where you back a horse both to win and fill a place as two wagers in one, and a place bet allows you to bet on a horse to finish placed. Note the precise terms vary depending on the type of race and number of runners.
Finally, probably the most interesting type of bet available, a without the favourite bet means you wager on which horse would win if the favourite wasn’t racing. This bet pays out to you if your horse wins or comes second to the favourite.
What Are the Best Horse Racing Tracks in the UK?
Among many racecourses for which online horse betting sites in the UK offer you can bet from, these are widely considered the best. Each hosts a Group 1 Flat race and/or Grade 1 National Hunt race:
- Aintree, home of the Grand National.
- Ascot, of Royal Ascot fame.
- Cheltenham, the home of British National Hunt horse racing.
- Chepstow, where the Finale Juvenile Hurdle and Welsh Grand National are run.
- Doncaster, site of the St Leger.
- Goodwood, where the Glorious meeting takes place.
- Epsom Downs, home of The Oaks and The Derby.
- Haydock Park, site of the Sprint Cup and Betfair Chase.
- Kempton Park, home of the King George VI Chase.
- Newbury, where the Ladbrokes Trophy and Lockinge Stakes take place.
- Newcastle, site of the Fighting Fifth Hurdle and Northumberland Plate.
- Newmarket, the headquarters of British Flat horse racing.
- Sandown Park, where the Eclipse Stakes and Tingle Creek Chase are run.
- York, home of the Juddmonte International and Nunthorpe Stakes.
How to Open a Betting Account?
If you want to open an account with one of the top horse racing betting sites in the UK, you, firstly, need to fill in the registration form after clicking on “Join” or “Sign Up”, entering personal details.
You should then create a username and password for your betting account, then you can make your first deposit. It’s important to check that the option you use is compatible with the welcome bonus.
You may also be asked to enter a promo code to unlock the sign-up offer, or it will be automatically awarded when you place qualifying bets.
Then you place a horse racing bet by logging in to your betting account, and locating the races and horses you want to back on the sportsbook. Add selections to your betslip, then enter your stake and confirm the wager.
Good luck!