WhichBookmakerIreland · verified August 2026
The free bets worth claiming
Every offer below was checked against the operator's own terms this month, and rated on what it is worth once the conditions are applied rather than on the size of the banner. That way the biggest number and the best offer are the same thing by the time you get to it.
Matched free bets on a qualifying first bet
Qualify with a bet you were going to place anyway at 1.2 or better, then split the credits across two or three selections near 3.0 — the price at which a free bet keeps about two thirds of its face value.
Min. odds 1.20 on the qualifying bet. Free bet stakes are not returned with winnings. Credits expire if unused; check current terms. 18+, terms apply.
One thing that makes every offer here pay more
A free bet returns the winnings, not the stake — so it is worth most at longer odds. Back a 3.0 shot with €10 of a free bet and you collect €20; do it at even money and you collect €10. That single fact is why we value every offer below at decimal odds of 3.0, and why splitting a credit across two or three selections around that price is how experienced bettors use them.
See what an offer returns
Put in the numbers the operator is showing you today and this works out what to expect, and at which odds the offer pays best.
An estimate to help you compare offers, not a promise about any single bet. It assumes a fair market and ignores the operator's margin, so treat it as the upper bound of what to expect.
Every offer in detail
Rated 1–5 on value after the conditions. A market-standard offer scores 3; anything above that is doing something its rivals are not.
Matched free bets on a qualifying first bet
Credits expire if unused; check current terms
Place a qualifying bet, receive three times its value in bet credits once it settles. The classic structure, and the cleanest version of it in the market — the minimum odds of 1.2 are the most forgiving of any offer here.
Get the most from it: Qualify with a bet you were going to place anyway at 1.2 or better, then split the credits across two or three selections near 3.0 — the price at which a free bet keeps about two thirds of its face value.
The conditions that decide the value
- Minimum odds on the qualifying bet are just 1.2, so almost any selection qualifies
- Free bet stakes are not returned with winnings — a free bet at 3.0 pays double its face value, where a cash bet would pay triple
- Free bets expire, typically within days of being credited
- In the UK, wagering on the winnings is capped at 10× under the rules that took effect on 19 January 2026
Our take: The offer most people should claim first. bet365 combines the qualifying terms that are easiest to satisfy with the strongest platform in betting — live streaming, cash-out and fast withdrawals — so the account is worth having long after the credits are spent.
Eight times your stake back, plus the best ongoing concessions
Bet Builder rewards valid 90 days
A £5 qualifying bet returns £40 in free bets — an eightfold multiple, the largest ratio here — and Paddy Power then runs more money-back specials than any rival: refunds if a named player scores, if a race favourite loses, and so on.
Get the most from it: Take the £10 Bet Builder route rather than the £5 one: £50 with 90 days to use it beats £40 that expires in a week, and Bet Builders are where the concessions land.
The conditions that decide the value
- Qualifying stake is only £5, at odds of 2.0 or bigger
- The Bet Builder route pays £50 and stays valid for 90 days — unusually long
- Refunds from the ongoing specials are paid as free bets, not cash
- Each promotion has its own qualifying market and minimum odds
Our take: The best headline-to-stake ratio in the UK and Ireland, and the 90-day Bet Builder window means you are not forced to spend it in a weekend. Paddy Power prices its base markets at around 5.5% margin, so this is an account to keep for the promotions rather than for everyday singles.
Four times back, then best odds guaranteed forever
Check current terms
A £40 welcome free bet, and then a standing promotion that keeps paying: take an early price on a horse and if the starting price is bigger, you are paid at the bigger price.
Get the most from it: Claim the £40, then always take an early price rather than SP. The guarantee only pays on prices taken before the off, and that is where its whole value sits.
The conditions that decide the value
- Best odds guaranteed applies to racing on early prices taken before the off
- A maximum payout cap usually applies to the guarantee
- Free bet stakes are not returned with winnings
Our take: The rare offer that keeps giving after the welcome bonus is gone. For anyone who backs horses regularly, best odds guaranteed improves the price on bets you were placing anyway, with nothing to unlock and no expiry — over a season it is worth more than the £40 that got you through the door.
The exchange charges commission on net winnings instead of building a margin into the odds, so its introductory offers cut that commission rather than handing you credit to wager.
Get the most from it: Open it alongside a free-bet account rather than instead of one. Claim the free bets elsewhere, then place your ongoing bets where the price is better.
The conditions that decide the value
- Commission is charged on net winnings per market, not on turnover
- Rates fall as your lifetime activity rises
- No wagering requirement, because there is no bonus to wager
Our take: The best-value offer on this page for anyone who bets more than occasionally. It cuts a real cost you would otherwise pay on every single bet, with no expiry, no minimum odds and nothing to unlock — over a year that beats any one-off free bet, and you can lay as well as back.
Pinnacle runs essentially no promotions. It competes on margin instead, at roughly 2–2.5% against an industry norm nearer 5%, and it does not limit winning accounts.
Get the most from it: Claim the free bets above at bet365 or Betway, then place your regular bets here. Running both is strictly better than running either alone.
The conditions that decide the value
- Nothing to claim, nothing to wager, nothing to expire
- No UK licence, so unavailable to British customers
Our take: Two to three points of margin saved on every bet you place is worth more within a few weeks than any one-off free bet — and unlike a bonus, it never runs out. Pinnacle is the account to bet from once the welcome offers elsewhere are spent.
Frequently asked questions
Which welcome offer should I claim first?
On value after the conditions, bet365 — Matched free bets on a qualifying first bet — is the one we send most readers to in Ireland. There is nothing stopping you claiming more than one: each operator runs its own welcome offer, and opening two or three accounts also lets you take the best price on any given market. Claim them one at a time and use each set of free bets before moving on.
How do I get the most out of a free bet?
Use it at longer odds than you normally would. Because the stake is not returned with the winnings, a free bet returns only the profit — so its value rises with the price. A 10 free bet is worth about 5 at even money, about 6.70 at 3.0 and about 8 at 5.0. Splitting a 30 credit into three bets around 3.0 is the practical sweet spot: enough selections to smooth out the variance, at odds where the free bet keeps most of its face value.
Can I claim more than one welcome offer?
Yes. Welcome offers are per operator, not per person, so claiming one does not disqualify you from another — this is how experienced bettors approach it. What you must not do is open more than one account with the same operator, which breaches every set of terms and results in confiscated funds. Use one offer at a time, keep a note of the expiry dates, and only deposit what you would have staked anyway.
What changed in UK bonus rules in January 2026?
From 19 January 2026 the Gambling Commission capped wagering requirements at 10 times the bonus amount, banned bonuses that bundle several gambling products into one incentive, and required the full terms to be visible before you opt in. Operators must also provide a wagering calculator. Before the cap, requirements above 50x were common, so UK welcome offers are now materially better value than they were — and better than what is available in markets with no cap at all.
Why do the amounts here sometimes differ from the operator site?
Because offers change every few weeks. Every figure on this page was checked against the operator's own terms in August 2026, and we re-check them on a schedule — but the operator can move first. Treat our figure as the reason to look and their page as the final word, and read the terms before you deposit.