One of the great things about sports betting nowadays is that everybody is catered for. Fans of all sports, great and small, are able to effortlessly bet on them both pre-match and in-play. This, in turn, makes the viewing experience more involving and exciting than ever before.
With that said, one sport clearly stands above all others: football. The beautiful game simply dominates the modern betting landscape, in terms of markets, promotions, and essentially every other area. In this guide, you’ll learn everything you need to know about all the major football betting offers out there right now, including how they work, and where you can find them.
Let’s get started.
Types of Football Betting Offers
The evolution of online betting has also led to a dramatic increase in the volume and variety of football betting promotions. Some are simply better than others, though, and – whether you’re a newbie or a veteran – these five offer types are the ones we’d recommend prioritising.
Free Bets
The vast majority of wagers you place on football will use cash, delivered into your account either via real money deposits or winning bets. There is another way to bet on football though, and that’s by using free bets.
How it Works
To an extent, the term ‘free bet’ is self-explanatory. Rather than actually costing you any real money, football free bets are like virtual tokens. They can still be used as stakes when placing wagers, but – if that wager loses – you haven’t lost anything from your account balance. If it wins, you still get the profit as cash. In fact, the only major difference between free bets and real money bets is that, with the former, the stake won’t be returned with any winnings. Win a £5 wager at 2/1 with a free bet, for example, and you’ll return £10 (the profit), rather than £15.
How to Get
Basically, football free bets are pretty great. If they win, you make a profit; if they lose… you don’t lose anything. But, how do you actually go about getting them?
Many bookies nowadays hand them out as part of a welcome offer. You’ll begin by making some form of real money, qualifying bet. Then, when that settles, you’ll usually be given multiple free bets to spend. A common example is the ‘Bet £10, Get £30’ welcome offer, in which you bet £10 in cash, and unlock £30 in free bets.
Bookies also offer free bets as part of ongoing football betting promotions, with the most popular version being the ‘Free Bet Club’. These promotions ask you to place a certain number of real money bets during the week. Fulfil the requirements within a given week, and you’ll be rewarded with a free bet.
Best Football Free Bets From UK Bookies
Acca Offers
The acca might not be the smartest bet type out there, but it’s definitely one of the most popular! As such, a whole lot of football betting offers have sprung up specifically for accumulator fans.
How it Works
For the newcomers amongst you, an accumulator is one bet containing multiple selections. Each selection must win for the overall wager to win. They’re difficult to get right, but you can make major profits by doing so, making them the definition of a ‘high risk/high reward’ proposition.
Acca Insurance
For our money, the best accumulator offer is ‘Acca Insurance’. These deals give you insurance on one of the legs in your acca, meaning that – even if one selection loses – the bet will still win. That might not sound like a big deal, but it’s actually extremely valuable and gives you a much better chance of turning a profit.
Acca Boosts
Speaking of profits… let’s talk about ‘Acca Boosts’! These football betting offers are specifically designed to help boost your winnings. Typically, they’ll give you a percentage-based boost on your winnings, with that percentage increasing depending on the number of selections. You might get a 5% boost on a 4-folds, for example, then 10% on a 5-folds, 15% on a 6-folds, and so on.
Football Acca Offers From UK Bookies
Enhanced Odds
You probably already know that bookmakers’ odds change over time. The starting odds are based on two main factors: probability, and competitors’ prices. This price will almost certainly fluctuate, though, based on how much action the market gets.
How it Works
Nowadays, many bookies like to artificially drive additional action on a market by using Enhanced Odds. These football betting promotions involve inflating the price on a particular bet, thus making it more appealing. If a market was 8/1 previously, for example, the bookie might bump the odds up to a tastier 10/1.
There are a couple of other key things to know about Enhanced Odds.
Firstly, they’re short-term deals. If a match is kicking off at 12:30pm, for example, the promotion might not go live until the morning of that day. This means you need to make some pretty speedy judgements as to whether or not a particular offer appeals to you.
Secondly, Enhanced Odds are normally applied to multiples bets, rather than singles. A common example would be ‘Team A to Win 2-0, and Player X to Score’. Naturally these are harder bets to win… but that’s another reason why you’re getting such a good price on them!
Best Enhaned Odds Offers from UK Bookies
Early Payout
It goes without saying that, with most bets, you only collect your winnings when your bet has actually… won! That’s the way things have been done since sports gambling was invented, and is completely logical.
Well, Early Payout football betting offers change this completely. As the name suggests, these innovative promotions can pay out your winnings before the outcome has actually been decided.
How it Works
One of the best current examples of this offer is Bet365’s famous 2 Goals Ahead Early Payout deal. To qualify, all you need to do is place a regular, pre-match bet on one team to win. If your team goes up by two goals at any point in the match, your bet automatically wins, regardless of the final outcome. The offer applies to all the biggest club tournaments, including the Premier League and Champions League, and can be used for either singles or multiples.
SportNation’s First Five Payout promotion is another excellent example. It also involves you placing a pre-match 1/X/2 wager, but this time you’ll be paid out if your team scores within the first five minutes. Winnings are still paid in cash, and stakes of up to £250 are eligible.
Best Early Payout Offers from UK Bookies
Profit Boost
These football betting promotions work similarly to Enhanced Odds, in that they inflate the price on a certain market. The crucial difference with Profit Boosts, though, is that you are in control of which prices get boosted.
How it Works
The most common way to do this is by giving you tokens, to use as you see fit. Some bookies give these to you as a reward for completing a welcome offer or ongoing promotion. Others, like William Hill and Ladbrokes, simply give you one free Profit Boost token each day.
888sport are one of the best sportsbooks when it comes to Profit Boost tokens. They’re offered in a few different circumstances, with you either triggering a particular promotion or making a certain number of qualifying bets. Regardless of how you get them, they always give you excellent value, sometimes literally doubling the price you’re given on a market.
Betfred also have a fascinating take on Profit Boosts, with their Double Delight and Hat-trick Heaven offers. Both are activated when you place a First Goalscorer bet. If your chosen player scores not just one, but two or three goals, your odds will be doubled or even trebled accordingly.
Best Profit Boost Offers from UK Bookies
Football Offers From Top Bookies
By now, you should have a good feel for the types of football betting promotions which are available. Within each offer type, though, some versions are absolutely superior to others. Below, you’ll learn about some of the very best offers of the bunch, and where you can find them.
Ladbrokes
Ladbrokes are one of the oldest and most prestigious sportsbooks around, having been operating since 1886. Though they focused on horse racing for many decades, football betting has been a huge part of their modern-day success.
Ladbrokes Football Promotions
Perhaps Ladbrokes’ most useful current football offer is their Odds Boost (mentioned above). Each day, you’re given a fresh Odds Boost token to use on whichever football markets you please. There are no qualifying requirements whatsoever; you’re simply given it for… being a customer!
In addition, Ladbrokes offer some of the best Price Boosts around. Each day (or near enough), you’ll find some markets on which you can net some enticing boosted profits. On top of that, Ladbrokes also have Super Price Boosts, which take the odds even higher!
If you’re a newcomer to Ladbrokes, we’d absolutely recommend using their welcome offer to kick off your football betting. For a mere £5 bet at odds of 1/2 or greater, you’ll be given an excellent £20 in free bets, thus instantly quadrupling your spending power.
Betfred
Founded in 1967, Betfred certainly qualify as being a veteran bookmaker. And, given that the company was set up using winnings from an ‘England to Win the 1966 World Cup’ bet… it’s fair to say football is pretty important to them!
Betfred Football Promotions
We touched upon a couple of Betfred’s offers earlier, but both deserve a second mention. After all, Double Delight and Hat-trick Heaven really are two of the best Profit Boosts you’ll find. First Goalscorer bets can be tough to win, which is why they have relatively good odds in the first place. Both promotions drastically improve those odds, thus altering the risk/reward balance significantly in your favour.
Betfred also have an Acca Insurance deal in place. This applies to accumulators of five or more selections in all major competitions, and refunds your stake as a free bet – up to £10 – if just one selection loses.
Finally, Betfred have a classic ‘Bet X, Get Y’ welcome offer in place for new football bettors. In this case, you must bet £10 or more at evens or greater, and are rewarded for doing so with a hefty £30 in free bets.
888sport
888sport might not be as experienced as the past couple of bookies we’ve looked at, but they’re still absolutely one of the best options out there for football betting offers.
888Sport Football Promotions
Their welcome offer is similar to Betfred’s, and serves as a great way to launch into your football wagering. To trigger it, you must use the code ‘30F’ at the deposit stage, then bet at least £10 at minimum odds of 1/2. All football markets are eligible for this qualifying wager. Once you’ve placed it, you’ll be given a generous £30 in free bets… which can also be used on football!
888sport’s Win Win promotion is similar to a Profit Boost, in that it gives you a bonus on your winnings, and it’s also another great way to grab some football free bets. In short, if you win a bet of £10 or more, at odds of 4/1 or higher, you’ll be given a £5 free bet – in addition to your winnings – as an extra reward.
SportNation
Since relaunching their site in 2017, SportNation really has gone from strength to strength. They’re also incredibly dedicated to the beautiful game, as evidenced by both their sponsorship of National League side Solihull Moors, and their excellent range of football promotions.
SportNation Football Promotions
Arguably the most impressive of those is the Create A Bet Bonus. To qualify, simply place a wager using SportNation’s Bet Builder (more on those below), at minimum odds of 4/1 and with at least three legs. If it wins, you’ll be given a free bet equal to your stake, and this can be repeated once a week, every week.
SportNation also have an excellent take on the Free Bet Club. To enter it, you must bet £25 or more on doubles, at evens or higher, in a given week. Do so, and you’ll be credited with a £5 free bet, with this promotion also available once a week.
Last but not least is the Double Rewards promotion. Every time you place an in-play bet on the Premier League, either singles or doubles, you’ll be given reward points. Save up enough, and you’ll be able to exchange them for even more football free bets!
Bet365
Over the past two decades, Bet365 have gone from not even existing to being one of the biggest sportsbooks in Britain. Along with brilliant leadership and user-friendly features, their constantly engaging promotions have played a huge part in this.
bet365 Football Promotions
Their Open Account Offer is one of the best on the market right now for new football bettors. You can deposit anywhere from £5-100, and – once you’ve settled qualifying bets to that value – Bet365 will match the amount in the form of free bets. Whether you see this as a risk-free bet, or a way to double your spending power, it’s simply a fantastic promotion.
Following that, Bet365 have a few ongoing football betting promotions for their customers. We’ve already discussed the wonderful 2 Goals Ahead Early Payout Offer, but their Bore Draw Money Back promotion is another classic. It also applies to Match Winner bets, refunding your entire stake if your bet lost and the game finished 0-0.
Bet365 have their textbook Soccer Accumulator Bonus on offer too. You only need three selection in your acca to trigger a 5% bonus to your winnings, but four will get you 10%, six will give you 15%, and so on.
Bet Builders & Football
Superior prices are the main attraction for placing multiples over singles. Actually creating them, however, can be a bit of a pain. Sometimes that’s because a bookie’s interface isn’t intuitive, but it can also simply be difficult to know what selections to choose.
Bet Builders solve both problems. Most major sportsbooks have them nowadays – including Bet365, William Hill, and Ladbrokes – and they make it easier than ever before to stick down doubles, trebles, 4-folds, and so on. They are essentially tools that have been designed to help you craft your own football multiples bets.
Click ‘Bet Builder’ within a game’s markets, and you’ll immediately be shown the most popular bet types: Double Chance, Both Teams to Score, Half Time/Full Time, and so on. If you like the look of any odds, just click that selection to add it to your bet, and keep doing so until you’re happy with your multiples. Then simply set a stake, and place the bet as normal.
If you’re new to football betting, we’d recommend using Bet Builders immediately, rather than trying to create your multiples manually. Do make sure that you balance your risk and reward, though, scaling your stake to the probability of the bet actually winning.
Bottom Line
Whether you’re a complete newcomer to football betting, or you’ve got some experience in it, the sheer amount of choice within this field can seem overwhelming. There are simply so many bookies, promotions, and bet types out there that it’s hard to know where to start.
After reading this article, though, you should be able to attack your football betting with newfound clarity. Both welcoming and ongoing promotions provide enormous benefits to bettors, and you now know exactly which football betting offers to target, and where to find them. All that remains is for you to go out there, follow our instructions… and have fun!