In the simplest terms, free bets are exactly what they appear to be – the promise of free money provided by the house to spend at a betting shop or casino. Although there are multiple types of free bets, they are all offered to serve the same purposes; either to attract new customers to a betting shop or to keep existing customers coming back and not switching over to a rival should they need to reload their account.

Free bets are almost exclusively found online, where the competition to attract customers is the fiercest. With so many different websites all offering essentially the same bets at the same odds, the deciding factor for a potential new customer is often which site will offer the best bonuses based on their needs.

Because of this ultra competitive marketplace, a wide variety of bonuses have evolved. They can range from a website matching the initial deposit made by a new customer, rewarding customers with internal loyalty points which can be redeemed for free bets at a later date or offering generous reload bonuses so that unlucky customers can top up their accounts.

One place where free bets are often not found, though, is on the high street. Traditional betting shops often do not offer free bets to customers due to gambling regulations; however some casinos offer customers reward points which can be redeemed for internal bonuses and perks.

Jun 28 2010