If being thrifty is your thing or if you go the extra mile to enjoy free stuff, I have an offer for you. Generally, online casinos and sports betting websites offer one or more free bets for new users. They can range from £10 to £200. Some come with strings attached so read all the fine print. Usually, the website will match your at least your first deposit, encouraging you to bet big quickly. With online casinos, your free bets may be for certain games or have other provisions so be careful.

There are plenty of online bookmakers out there to choose from but the four biggest, reputable ones areWilliam Hill,Ladbrokes,CoralandPaddy Powder. Through the beauty of the internet, placing bets is as fast as receiving money to your selected bank account. On your website, you can see things like available betting markets and your total winnings.

Websites likeSky Bet,888andBetfairare strictly internet-based and increasingly popular. Betfair is actually a betting exchange, which allows back and lay bets on sports.

To understand a back, let’s say you bet £25 on a team at 3.0 odds. If that team wins, you get a return of £75 (£25 x 3.0). If the team loses, you get no return and lose your £25.

With a lay, you act as the bookmaker to another person’s bet. Let’s say you bet £25 on a team at 3.0 odds. If that team wins, you lose and pay out £50 [£25 x (3.0 - 1)]. If the team loses, you win and keep the £25.

In other words, you can either win the back and lose the lay, or lose the back and win the lay. They even out in the end.

Bookmakers and betting exchanges  are in competition because betting exchanges cut out the need for bookmakers through these types of bets. The odds are often more favourable at a betting exchange than a bookmaker.

Another thing to consider when deciding on a bookmaker and free bets offered is seeing if the stakes are returned or not returned. Many free bet offers will not return the stakes. For example, if you bet £25 at 3.0 odds with no returned stakes, your return is only £50 (£25 x 3.0 – £25). A stake returned free bet is called an SR bet and one that isn’t is an SNR bet.

Here are some free casino bet offers out there from reputable websites:

Ladbrokes– £25 new player offer, £100 welcome bonus.

Paddy Powder– 100% sign-up bonus on first deposit (up to £100) and 50% bonus on second deposit (up to £50) on instant casino, £500 sign-up bonus on download casino.

William Hill– £25 new player bonus, free £30 when enrolling in VIP program, £25-£10,000+ in monthly loyalty bonuses.

Betfred– 100% welcome bonus worth up £100 deposit, 50% second deposit match bonus worth up to £100. Up to £50 bonus match on first sports bet.

Coral– Up to £225 welcome bonus, 10% cash back on sports and gaming, 100% new player bonus on poker, £50 monthly reload on both slots and roulette/video poker.

PartyCasino– 100% sign-up bonus up to £200 deposit, 100% match on each of next three deposits up £100 each (total value up to £500 at sign-up).

Jackpotjoy– 100% sign-up bonus match on first deposit (worth up to £100).

Intercasino– Up to £225 bonus match on initial slot games, up to £100 bonus match on initial table games.

32red– £32 bonus on initial deposit of £10 or more, up to £250 additional bonus on a combination of six offers on certain games.

888 –Up to £1400 welcome package.

Sky Bet– Up to £150 no-deposit bonus, up to £150 staking bonus.

Betfair– Free £25 bet on sports, 100% first deposit match bonus worth up to £50 on casino games, up to £500 bonus on poker, referral bonus system worth up to £2,000.