Online betting has been an enormous growth industry over the last few years, and today there are more companies than ever trying to attract customers to bet with them. In such a competitive industry, the online betting companies have to offer significant incentives to be able to attract these potential new customers, and the standard way in which this is done is through a free bet.
Although the basic concept is the same, the free bets on offer to vary from one company to the next. Due to this it is important that when signing up for a new account, the customer takes some time to weigh up the options and ensure the best deal is obtained.
How should you go about choosing a free bet?
The sheer number of these online betting firms can be quite overwhelming at first, so in this article I hope to provide some sensible advice on how you should go about choosing one.
Firstly, ensure that you choose a reputable online betting firm. There are a huge number of companies out there and the absolute vast majority are fully regulated and safe to use. However, this is not to say there are not some out there that would be better avoided. A simple general rule of thumb is that the online equivalent of your local high street bookmaker will be fine. Equally if you see adverts on prime time TV, then this will also be the case. But if you stumble across an unknown Internet bookmaker you have to ask yourself if you fully trust them with your money? In which case, a quick way to check is to ensure that the appropriate gaming license has been obtained via the relevant authority. In the case of the UK, online betting is regulated by the Gambling Commission, and they would grant this license. Note though that there are other authorities regulating offshore bookmakers, examples being the gaming commissions of Gibraltar and the Isle of Man. You will be able to find this information at the online bookmakers website.
Once you have decided upon a reputable online betting company, the next step is to choose a free bet offer. As mentioned above, due to the competitive nature of this industry the free bet offers are changed on a regular basis. Therefore you should ensure you shop around before settling on one.
The offers tend to vary quite significantly, and it is not always the case that the biggest is best. It is important to check out the terms and conditions that apply to the free bet you choose. While one free bet may be significantly larger than another, you might find there are very specific requirements for the events you can use it on, or the period of time in which it can be claimed.
You may find that a lot of identical value free bets appeal, in which case take some time to have a look around the online betting website. Some sites are better laid out than others and some are easier to use. This is often a matter of personal preference, so take a bit of time to use the site first. Remember that you will be able to do this before you sign up, but that you will still qualify for the free bet offer when you do go ahead.