If you're on the hunt for the best free bet offers, this guide will run you through the basics of how these fun promotions work. However, the term “free bets” is thrown around quite loosely, and it's important to read the terms before claiming any.
There's a big difference between genuinely free bets and those with specific conditions, like making a real deposit first. We'll talk about the different types of sportsbook bonuses that may involve these free bets and what they typically involve. Then you can claim them with confidence and without any surprises.
A free bet typically refers to a sportsbook bonus bet that allows you to make a wager using house money, and not your own real betting funds. It often comes in the form of free bet tokens or credits added to your account. With that being said, “free bets” is a term that is thrown around loosely.
Many of the top sportsbook bonuses include some sort of free bet. It could be released as part of the sign-up bonus, as a reward for reaching a certain betting milestone on the site, or gifted to you as a prize for entering an online giveaway.
However, they are often conditional bonuses that aren’t always entirely free, nor do they always work like a normal stake made with your own money.
For instance, you may have to make an initial deposit to unlock your welcome free bet. Or perhaps you use your free bet and win, only to realize that you only get to keep the winnings and not the full original stake. Even so, walking away with the payout of a bet won with a free wager is still better than nothing.
That’s just one example though. It’s important to understand the different types of betting offers presented to you. It could be a no-deposit bonus free bet offer, a first bet offer, etc.
Whatever it is, we’ll walk you through some of the most common types of ‘free bet’ offers and what they actually mean.
Now that we’ve clarified exactly what free bets are, you’ll be keen to pick up some of this betting credit. Free bet tokens are a great way to try out new sites or new types of bets in general. They’re one of the big reasons how and why you can use multiple sportsbooks to your advantage:
Everyone knows that DraftKings is one of the biggest sportsbooks in the US, so it’s only fair that it would have lots of promos for new and existing customers. Take the brand’s welcome offer that will simply give you $150 in bonus bets just for you signing up to its site and then betting $5. That’s right, just bet $5 and you’ll instantly get $150 in bonus bet tokens. That’s one of the leading betting welcome bonuses on the market.
However, the fun doesn’t stop there because DraftKings has plenty of other ways to pick up bonus bet credit. One of the best ways of doing this is via the VIP program, although you will also find its Promotions page regularly topped up with profit boosts, jackpot pools and a whole lot more.
You can rely on FanDuel to serve up lots of bonus bet deals. Things start off great thanks to the brand’s welcome offer. This will simply give you $200 in bonus bet credit if your first sportsbook bet of $5 or more wins. From here, you will be able to use all of those bonus bets on anything from massive showdowns in the NFL and NBA through to the most obscure sporting events.
There are plenty of deals for existing customers too with a nice line in profit boosts and same game parlays. What’s best is that FanDuel is available in the majority of states where sports betting is legal which means that you’ve got a good chance of getting lots of bonus bets.
Trust Caesars Sportsbook to put on a deal that gives you lots of bonus bets in a slightly different way. Here you just have to sign up to its online sportsbook for the first time and if your first bet loses, Caesars will refund your stake by 100% up to $1,000. This means that you could have a total disaster and then get those bonus bet credits to enjoy some more betting.
It’s also worth noting that Caesars has a great loyalty scheme called Caesars Rewards. This could give you everything from bonus bet tokens through to some particularly lavish real-world benefits. So sign up to Caesars and see what you can win.
Betting bonuses like free bet offers come in many shapes and forms. Let’s highlight a few differences between the most common ones you’ll see at big sportsbooks, including no deposit betting bonuses, first bet freebies, loyalty free bets, and referral bonuses.
The no deposit bonus releases free bet credits into your account without ever needing to make an actual deposit.
It’s a bonus often suited to just about any sports fan. However, some of the best sportsbooks for UFC bettors tend to capitalize on these promos because of how quickly the outcome of a bout can change.
A no deposit bonus allows you to test the waters and learn how to place your bets without risking any of your own bankroll. However, should the outcome of your bets go against you, you’ll find that you haven’t dented your own cash balance – ideal for something as unpredictable as MMA.
No deposit bonus offers are usually found at the sign up stage, although at the moment they are rare in the US market due to the huge value in the regular welcome offers. They are also far smaller than other offers like deposit matches. They may have some pretty steep wagering requirements attached, too.
The first bet offer presents you with the chance to receive bonus bets back into your account if your first bet loses. You might have seen it as a welcome offer at Caesars Sportsbook, for instance.
The idea is simple enough:
Usually, this promotion is aimed at new users, providing you with the chance to get familiar with the sportsbook with a kind of safety net. As we all know, regardless of how much football, esports, basketball, or baseball news you take on board, predicting the outcome of upcoming fixtures is never an easy task. That’s why a first bet freebie can feel like a form of bet insurance.
Just remember that even though your initial stake amount is added back into your account in the event of a loss, your free bets or bonus credits are not the same as having that wager back in cash.
You’ll find that loyalty bonus bets are the most common type of reward aimed at returning players. Usually, these bets can be unlocked by completing specific tasks online, such as:
Once you reach a certain goal, a free bet is added to your account. Most will not require a promotional code to unlock them, but you may be expected to opt into promotions prior to receiving free bets in this way.
The online sportsbook market is hyper competitive at the moment, given that there is a wide choice of sites to bet on. To encourage players to keep wagering with them, sportsbooks are rolling out these type of free bet promotions in an attempt to build a loyal player base. So the more you play at the same sites, the more likely you are to see more free bet tokens as loyalty perks.
The refer-a-friend bonus is a staple found across baseball betting sites, football sportsbooks, and just about any other sports betting platform in between. Again, the idea is simple enough, requiring you to send your unique referral code to a friend.
Once your friend or family member uses your code to register, they’ll be expected to pay a qualifying deposit before you receive your own bonus bets.
| Free Bet Bonus | Deposit Required | Bonus Code Required | Wagering Requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| No-deposit bonus | No | Likely | High |
| First bet offer | Yes | Likely | Low |
| Loyalty bets | No | No | Low |
| Refer-a-friend bonus | No | Yes | Low |
These questions are well worth answering before you opt-in and unlock any free betting offers:
Typically, if you’re wagering with house money, only the profit on the wager will be credited back to you. The stake isn’t included. For example, if you stake $100 with free bet credits on a winning bet at -110, you’ll get back a total of $90.91. Had you used your own betting cash, it would return $190.91.
The best free bet offers would be legitimately free with no conditions attached. However, many will require you to make a deposit before you can unlock them, or fulfill a certain requirement. That’s not to say a true free bet bonus could not exist. But always read the fine print before claiming one.
Due to the very nature of betting bonuses, you’ll find that wagering requirements will vary considerably. Some bonus bets that you get through a rewards program may come with something as simple as a 1x playthrough. On the other hand, any free bets released as part of a no-deposit bonus may extend up to 50x.
You’ll also want to consider how long you have to play through your bonus, too. Sure, a 50x wagering requirement isn’t really what you’re after; however if you have 50 days to meet the requirement, it may still be worth taking a look.
Most sportsbook offers will come with specific terms and conditions attached. Usually, this will include a selection of markets that are considered ineligible. Before you start working through some top football news stories, make sure that the NFL, NCAAF, and CFL are covered.
While looking at markets, you’ll also want to consider the minimum odds requirements. Although not directly related, higher minimum odds will minimize your chances of using your bonus bets on the favorite as an outright winner. Instead, you’ll then need to consider proposition bets, like betting on the first touchdown scorer.
Sometimes a free bet offer may require you to enter a promotional code. The promotional code lets the sportsbook know which specific bonus you’re trying to activate so it can credit you accordingly. In all our sportsbook bonus reviews, we’ll always do our best to get you the latest promo codes available, it there are any. Sometimes we might even have our own exclusive code for you to use when you sign up!
Always read the terms and conditions of any bonus you come across, free bet or not. For example, it is important to understand that most bonus bets will become void if you try to cash them out or if the outcome results in a push.
Another thing to bear in mind is that you may not be able to unlock additional promotions at the same time. You may be only allowed to use one free promotion at a time. Or claiming a specific bonus might void your chance of claiming another free bonus bet offer.
Free bets are great tools for the modern sports bettor provided they are selective in their choices of how to deploy them. With various terms and conditions to factor in, here’s a look at some of the best strategies to try out if you’re about to use one:
This may seem a little counter intuitive but being more aggressive when you have free bets available makes a lot of sense for many sports bettors. This is a chance for you to play with house money so opting for a selection that would return more is a strategy that should serve you well over the medium and long term. This isn’t a reason to chase very unlikely wins or change what you bet on, but more how you bet on it.
The free bet stake won’t be returned anyway, so opting for heavy favourites or short priced selections will limit the amount these free bets can yield.
Let’s say you think a running back is a solid bet to score a touchdown at -120, this is great but a $100 free bet will only return you $80. If you believe the 2 or more TD line is also overpriced at +600, that $100 free bet would pay out $500 in profit instead.
You may – and will likely – have fewer winning selections when being more aggressive with the prices you’re betting, but when a pick hits, it will pay out more.
Since free bet stakes aren’t returned, avoid pushes because you won’t get your stake back the same way you would if you had placed a bet on push results with your own money. In free bet terms, a push is essentially a loss for the bettor.
If you’re betting the favorite on the spread, take the alternate spread -7.5 line at a bigger price instead of -7. It may lose, but if it landed on exactly 7, you wouldn’t see a return anyway.
Online sportsbooks handle cash out differently when it comes to free bets. Some may opt to simply suspend the cash out value until the bet outcome is known. This means you won’t have the option to cash out. It’s like a bet in the pre-internet era: it wins or loses.
Some betting sites will offer cash out on wagers made with free bets. However, this won’t show as an option until the current valuation of the free bet has passed the threshold of the original stake.
For example, say you make a $100 free bet wager at +550. The likelihood is that cash out wouldn’t be available until the current value of the bet reaches $200, keeping in mind the sportsbook’s house edge applied to the cash out calculation, of course. Even then, the value will be lower than if you’d made the bet in cash because they wouldn’t pay out the stake portion of the wager.
It’s not impossible to cash out free bets for a profit, but your valuations will be lower if they are available, so keep this in mind. In some instances, it may be better to simply let the bet reach it’s conclusion on this basis.
On the rare occasion that you’re utilizing a free bet for a large-scale potential win, keep in mind that there could be a maximum win limit applied. This limit is likely going to be lower than the maximum payout if you’d been using cash. Look out for this limit when reading the terms and conditions.
For example, say you have a parlay bet on NFL using your free bet credits. It’s got a lot of legs, and if you win it, you stand to win $15,000.
You see the max payout on an NFL spread may be $20,000 at your sportsbook. However, the free bet terms dictate the maximum win possible using the bonus funds is $10,000. They will always defer to the lower payout in this instance.
Removing a leg from your parlay will reduce the overall odds and your potential return, but if you were already above the threshold for maximum payout, you’re taking on additional risk for no additional return.
Let us talk you through the process of releasing your first betting bonus.
Depending on where you live, your choice of free bets could vary. Even sportsbooks live in multiple locations across the country may have different free bets for players in each state.
With such a competitive range of promotions available to sports bettors in 2026, making an informed choice about where to play can help tilt the odds in your favor. That’s why it’s a good idea to check out our full lists of sportsbooks available in your state.
Hopefully, you now have a better understanding of how free bets work. You’ll find that you can pick them up at the sign-up stage, as part of an ongoing promotion, or for simply completing certain tasks.
Most promos that are called “free bets” are better understood as bonus bets with special terms and conditions. They are forms of free bet credit that you can wager with, without direct risk to your own cash funds. However, to get them, they often require a deposit or come with a certain amount of wagering requirements before you can fully enjoy them.
You may be hard-pressed to find a true free betting bonus, so always read the terms and conditions first. And if you play with them strategically, you may just walk away with some real winnings.
Betting bonuses come in various shapes and sizes, with free bets often being part of them in some way. You could claim bonuses like no-deposit sign-up offers and bonus bets received by entering giveaways, referring friends, and landing on tournament leaderboards.
Yes. Many of the best sports betting sites often ensure that you can begin playing with your welcome bonus almost instantly.
Free bets always vary, depending on the sportsbook and the special terms and conditions attached to them. However, you can always find out the unique rules on how to use them by reading its T&Cs.
Absolutely. There is no reason why you can’t look to add these deals to your account through your mobile phone.
You can win money with a free bet. However, there are never any guarantees, and should your wager win, you’ll likely only walk away with all winnings, minus your original stake.
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