Horse racing punters always seek out the most favourable odds. But betting offers are important too. This article will present the best horse racing betting offers and promotions from the top bookmakers, saving you time and pointing you in the right direction for your racing bets.
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What Are Horse Racing Betting Offers?
Horse racing betting offers are special promotions that bookmakers provide to new and existing players. The idea behind these offers is to provide bettors with extra value in some way. This can come from reducing a player’s risk, increasing their chances of winning, or increasing the amount they could win. Users tend to be very keen on offers as they generally increase their chances of landing some winnings.
Which Are the Most Popular Horse Racing Betting Offers
Punters can often find themselves spoilt for choice when it comes to horse racing promotions at betting sites. Only football can compete with horse racing in terms of available bonuses. Popular options include extra places, money-back specials, and free bets. A ‘Best Odds Guaranteed’ policy goes a long way too, as it ensures punters always get fair value on winning bets. Here we take you through all the main horse racing offers.
Free Bets
Essentially, a free bet is a bonus that enables players to place a bet without using their own money. Sometimes, a bookmaker will allow players to ‘opt-in’ to receive a completely free bet, but there are other kinds.
- Matched Bets – Here, the bookmaker matches the value of your qualifying bet with a free bet of the same amount. For example, if you stake £10, you receive a £10 free bet to use on a future race.
- Free Bet Credits – Often, players must use a free bet in one go. Free bet credits work differently, as you can use the credit in a similar way to a regular cash balance. This enables you to spend the balance across different bets, singles or multiples, at different times.
- Risk-Free Bets – These bets offer something of a safety net for your wagers. Pick a winning selection and there is no difference, but if you lose, the bookmaker will refund your initial stake in the form of a free bet.
- No Deposit Free Bets – A very popular, but rarely seen offer for new customers. With this promotion, players can claim a free bet after registering, but before making their first deposit. With no financial commitment required of any kind, it is a completely risk-free bet.
- Loyalty-Based Free Bets – These are rewards for regular customers. Players may unlock free bets by meeting specific criteria, like the number of bets placed or the value of bets placed. They might not even know the criteria, but they can still qualify for the account-specific reward.
- Bet-Through-the-Card Offers – Rarely spotted these days, but should you find one, you can end up with a free bet for every race at a selected race meeting. To qualify, you would normally need to place a bet on the first race to unlock the free bets.
Best Odds Guaranteed
A Best Odds Guaranteed policy works by ensuring players never receive a payout less than the official starting price odds. Say you place a bet on a horse to win at 8/1, but due to fluctuation in odds, its official starting price (not necessarily the price at your bookie) ends up being 12/1. In this situation, should the horse win, a Best Odds Guaranteed policy would mean the bookie pays you out at 12/1, not 8/1. This promotion only ever works in the punter’s favour, as if the starting price was 6/1 instead, the bookie would pay out at the original 8/1.
Typically, Best Odds Guaranteed policies cover bets on UK races placed after 8.00 or 9.00 am on the day of the race.
Bet Boosts
There are two types of bet boosts available. One is where the bookmaker will be the one boosting. They will do this by increasing the odds for a particular horse or a special bet such as two horses to win, or a trainer to win. The boost value does not tend to be huge, but it may see the odds move from 5/2 to 3/1, for example.
The other type of bet boost is one that a customer can apply to any qualifying selection, rather than a bet selected by the bookmaker. Again, the increase is unlikely to be large, but it can end up giving you a market-leading price on your selection.
Bet X, Get X
With this offer, a bookmaker will give you a reward provided you bet a certain amount. The amounts vary, but a standard example would be to bet £10 and get £5 in free bets. Occasionally, the reward may be free spins, rather than free bets. You may need to bet the qualifying amount in one go, but other offers allow for a cumulative spend. The betting amount required will tend to be fairly low as bookmakers want these promotions accessible to most players.
Money Back Offers
With money back offers, a bookmaker will refund a losing stake if a particular outcome happens. Bookmakers may return your lost stake as cash, but it is more common that they will refund you as a free bet. There are a variety of money back offers in horse racing, but the list below shows the types you are most likely to see:
- Money back if 2nd – Bookmakers will refund losing ‘to win’ bets if your horse finishes as runner-up.
- Money back if 2nd & 3rd – As above, but covering 2nd and 3rd rather than just 2nd. Typically, you will only see this offer in races with large fields.
- Money back if beaten by a head – Here you will get a refund on a losing ‘to win’ bet if your horse loses by a distance of a head or less, regardless of its position.
- Pipped-at-the-Post – To qualify for a refund here your selected horse needs to lose by a small distance (usually a neck or less) AND finish in second.
Existing Customer Horse Racing Promotions
Existing customer promotions keep horse racing fans engaged long-term. Some bookmakers offer loyalty schemes that allow them to hand out free bets or other horse racing bonuses to active users. Examples of this include the Sky Bet Club, which requires £30 in qualifying bets (including horse racing) or Betway’s Free Bet Club. The latter is a little less horse-racing friendly, though, as qualifying bets must include 3+ selections.
Other bookies provide daily race boosts or extra places. Through extra places, the bookmaker will enhance the each way terms. If ordinarily a race was paying three places at 1/5 odds, it may instead pay out on four places. Typically, the increase will be one or two places.
Horse Racing Betting Offers for Festivals
Major racing festivals like Cheltenham, Royal Ascot, and the Grand National attract huge interest, and bookmakers roll out special promotions to match. It is a sport that sees a lot of promotions anyway, but particularly during these peak times. Below, we highlight what offers you might find for three of the big UK horse racing meetings.
Cheltenham Betting Offers
As the most prestigious meeting on the National Hunt calendar, the four-day Cheltenham Festival is always a sight to behold. Punters place bets worth hundreds of millions of pounds on the event, across markets, making it a major occasion for bookmakers.
To attract as many users as possible, bookies will usually put on a range of offers for the event. Daily free bets, spanning the entire Festival, are not uncommon, while others prefer to run Bet and Get deals to encourage real-money betting. With almost all Festival races run over hurdles or fences, some type of faller insurance may also feature.
Grand National Betting Offers
Although the Grand National Festival meeting is a three-day affair at Aintree, the spotlight inevitably falls on the Grand National itself. Most promotions tend to be specific to jump racing’s most valuable race, rather than covering the whole meeting. A regular promotion includes extra places for each way bets.
As standard, the race should only cover four places each way, but bookmakers will regularly extend this to cover five, six, or possibly seven or eight. Bookies may run some sort of faller insurance that will refund your bet in the event a horse topples over one of the fences.
Royal Ascot Betting Offers
Each summer, Royal Ascot sees five days of premium flat racing action, with all the biggest horses, trainers and jockeys in attendance. Many bookies will offer extra places for several races each day, and free bets are a regular feature too. By shopping around, you are likely to come across some ‘Money Back if X’ deals, too.
Another thing to look out for during Royal Ascot is the free-to-play competitions. Usually, these will involve players picking horses they think will win or place in the day’s races. Through them, a user can win a share of a big cash prize or scoop free bets.
How to Claim a Horse Racing Betting Offer as a New Customer
Although few UK bookmakers run dedicated horse racing sign up offers, most feature more general deals that allow horse racing bets. A very standard welcome offer for sports is ‘bet £x and receive £x in free bets’. Here is how to claim such an offer.
- Create an account at a bookmaker by completing the registration form.
- If required during registration, select the promotion you want or input the relevant promo code.
- Make your first deposit, then place a qualifying bet. This bet usually comes with a minimum odds requirement.
- The bookmaker will credit the free bets to your account after the bet is placed or, more often, settled.
- Spend the free bets at the sportsbook before they expire (often within seven days).
Tips for Maximising Betting Offers
To get the most from offers, remember that the best promotions tend to come during bigger races/festivals. Instead of betting the same amount every week, it’s often smarter to hold back some money in preparation for these major events.
Having accounts with multiple bookmakers will also increase the number of offers available to you. In some cases, you can combine promotions on the same race to significantly reduce your risk or boost your chances of winning.
Lastly, it is important to check the T&Cs page relating to the offer. This way, you can ensure you qualify and do not waste money on ineligible selections. Cashing out bets, for example, often prevents a bet from qualifying.
Responsible Gambling & Limits
Given the quality of horse racing bet offers available, it is possible to get a little carried away with spending. This is why we strongly recommend setting up responsible gambling controls, particularly deposit limits. If you feel you need to step back, self-exclusion tools are available. If you have multiple accounts, GAMSTOP can block you from all of them, while GambleAware can provide you with confidential support.
Where to Find Horse Racing Betting Offers?
Our team of experts is constantly searching for the latest horse racing betting promotions, especially during the build-up to major festivals. By checking our pages, you can find out about all the leading offers plus their key terms. As such, you will never have to miss out on a valuable racing betting opportunity.
FAQ
Which is the best horse racing betting offer?
The best betting offers horse racing sites offer is a matter of opinion. Keen each-way bettors may prefer extra place offers, for example, while casual punters may prefer a completely free bet as there is no risk involved.
Is it legal to bet on horse racing?
Yes, it is perfectly legal to bet on horse racing in the UK provided you are over 18 years old. This applies to both horse racing betting apps and desktop betting.
What is the best-paying horse racing bet?
If you are seeking a large payout, successful forecasts and tricasts regularly provide large returns. Acca bets are also a good option, but these require you to bet on multiple races rather than just one.
Do horse racing betting offers have an expiration date?
Some horse racing betting promotions can have a fixed expiry, particularly if they relate to a specific festival or race. Other offers, like welcome bonuses, are often more continuous and may not have a strict end date.