![\"Free](\"https:\/\/www.oddsmonkey.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/TCs-example-1024x155.png\")
<\/p>\nThere are a load of bookmakers around in the UK. And they’re all desperate for your custom. Online bookmakers, in particular, offer potential customers numerous incentives. The idea of these is to entice you into joining them and they usually take the form of free bets.<\/p>\n
But things aren\u2019t always as they seem, and these free bets aren\u2019t always truly free. In some cases, they can lead the customer into throwing their own money away, leaving them out of pocket!<\/p>\n
We\u2019re going to take a look at how these free bets work. Also, we’re going to show you how you can turn the tables on the bookmakers and use these free bets as your own personal money generator!<\/p>\n
A bookmaker typically displays a big banner that advertises \u2018\u00a350 FREE BET\u2019. Then in tiny, tiny words at the bottom of the banner they write \u2018terms and conditions apply\u2019.<\/p>\n
Terms and conditions certainly do apply – lots of them. Soon, that \u00a350 free bet looks to be anything but free.<\/p>\n
Here’s a quick example of some T&Cs for a free bet:<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
To get the free bet, you usually have to deposit an amount equivalent to the amount being offered. So for a \u00a350 free bet, you might have to deposit \u00a350 into your bookie account. This changes, depending on the bookmaker, so always read their individual T&Cs.<\/p>\n
Then, you have to place that \u00a350 of your own money on a bet. But not just any old bet. There are normally stipulations which say that you must place it on a bet above evens (2.0). Or, that you can only place it on accumulators, and so on.<\/p>\n
The goal of the bookmaker here is to increase the chances of you losing your initial \u00a350.<\/p>\n
Once the \u2018qualifying bet\u2019 has been settled, the bookmaker will then credit your free bet into your account within 24 hours.<\/p>\n
Once you have the free bet in your account, it should be as simple as placing it on whatever you want to, right?<\/p>\n
Wrong.<\/p>\n
Again, there are numerous stipulations which say what you can, and what you can\u2019t place your free bet on. These could be things like placing it at odds of above evens, or only being able to place it on certain sports or events.<\/p>\n
The bookmaker tries to stack the odds as heavily in their favour as they can. So much for a warm welcome, huh?!<\/p>\n
So, you’ve managed to find two winning bets for your qualifying deposit and free bet. You probably have a nice amount in your account, and you want to withdraw it.<\/p>\n
Think again!<\/p>\n
Another sneaky T&C that bookmakers sometimes slip in, is that you have to roll over the qualifying deposit and free bet amount anywhere between 3 & 20 times before you can withdraw it.<\/p>\n
By \u2018rollover\u2019 they mean you must place that amount as a bet. So, if your qualifying deposit was \u00a350, and your free bet was \u00a350, and they say you have to roll it over 3 times, then you must place \u00a3300 worth of bets.<\/p>\n
If you choose one of the bookies that has 10x rollover requirements, well, you’ll need to place \u00a31000 worth of bets.<\/p>\n
Oh, and there are usually minimum odds that you must placed the bets at.<\/p>\n
But the good thing is, if you manage to place \u00a31000 worth of bets at minimum odds of 2.0, you should have at least \u00a32000 sat in your bank account by the end of it, right?<\/p>\n
Unfortunately not. They even cap the maximum winnings sometimes too.<\/p>\n
As you can see, free bets – at least in the form that the bookies advertise them – are anything but free!<\/p>\n
They\u2019re huge money generators for the bookmakers, and they use simple psychology to grip customers.<\/p>\n
They paint them as a promotion, a present for new customers. A way of saying “thank you for joining up” and using their service.<\/p>\n
But what they\u2019re actually doing is making it difficult for you to win. If you were to win, most people would just smile, say “thanks for the free money”, and run for the hills, never to be seen again.<\/p>\n
You see, by making it very easy for you to lose your money, they are increasing their chances of keeping you as a customer.<\/p>\n
People don\u2019t like being losers. They lose that initial money and they want to get back at the bookmaker and so they generally place even more bets to try and win their money back.<\/p>\n
And so on\u2026<\/p>\n
If you’ve read this far and for some strange reason still want to do free bets in the way the bookmakers want you to, here are a few tips to ensure you don\u2019t lose your money ultra quick:<\/p>\n
As we mentioned earlier, there is actually a way to turn these free bets into real cash. The best thing is, it doesn\u2019t involve any actual betting.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s called matched betting, and a growing army of people are taking part. To make things better, it\u2019s done by people from all walks of life. Betting experience isn\u2019t necessary at all.<\/p>\n
Watch our video to find out how it works.<\/a><\/p>\n So, you already know about the free bets that bookmakers offer to try and lure customers into betting with them.<\/p>\n There are thousands of pounds worth of these free bets that are waiting for customers. Almost every bookmaker in the industry uses this technique to tempt customers.<\/p>\n With matched betting, you place your qualifying bet and free bet at the online bookmaker as normal. But you then offset the liability of these free bets with an online betting exchange by laying the selection that you backed.<\/p>\n
\nSo what is matched betting?<\/h2>\n