One of the advantages of betting on horses at a large online bookmaker is the opportunity to take advantage of deposit bonuses and free bet offers.
Typically, these types of horse racing betting bonuses and promotions are directed towards sports betting customers, but those same bonuses may also be used to wager on horse races.
You may also find additional bonuses reserved specifically for the horses, but let’s begin with a quick list of the best horse racing bonuses first.
The main thing to keep in mind is that all the same rollover requirements that apply to sports betting offers also apply to horse racing bonuses. So if an offer comes with a 5x rollover on sports, for example, the same would apply to horse racing. In that case, you would be asked to place wagers totaling five times the original deposit + bonus amount before withdrawing.
Other Horse Racing Betting Offers
You will find the occasional bookmaker with separate bonuses for sports betting and horse racing, but the offers at most betting sites are interchangeable. However, it is common to find additional offers at your bookmaker that are designed specifically for horse racing. Below are a few examples.
Race Rebates: Racing betting rebate offers return a percentage of every bet placed over a certain time period back to your account. For example, your bookmaker may offer a 10% rebate on all wagers placed Friday through Sunday. If you were to wager £200 over the weekend under such an offer, you would get back £20 on Monday. These offers are particularly useful because the rebate is returned whether you win or lose.
Best Odds Guaranteed: Most of the big horse racing betting sites have this offer running for nearly every race 24/7. Under a best odds guarantee, you can take their price on your selection, but if the starting price is higher, they will pay you out at the bigger odds.
Price Promise: A price promise is a guarantee that your bookmaker will offer odds that meet or beat all competing bookmakers for certain categories of races. For example, a notable betting site offers a price promise on all races shown live on Channel 4. In this particular offer, the bookmaker will meet or beat any price found at Ladbrokes, William Hill, Paddy Power, Coral, Betfred, and Boylesports.
Rolling Free Bets: This type of offer isn’t too common, but it’s great when you can find it. Rolling free bet promos give you free bets whenever you back winners for particular races. If you keep winning, you keep getting free bets.
Money Back Specials: Money back specials can take many forms, but what they all have in common is returning certain wagers if they lose. A typical example of a money back special would be a promise that if you back a horse to win, but he comes in second place instead, they will return your original stake.
Free Live Streaming: Nearly all major betting sites provide live streams of horse races so you can watch the action live from your desktop or mobile, but access to those streams usually requires you placing at least one small bet on any race that day. Occasionally, bookmakers offer free live streams to everyone – even if you don’t plan on betting that day.
Non-Runner No Bet: Major racing events such as the Cheltenham Festival, Aintree Grand National and Epsom Derby tend to attract the “non-runner no bet” offers. These specials return your wager on all ante-post selections if your horse doesn’t run. Normally, the big drawback of ante-post betting is the risk of losing your bet if your horse scratches. These offers eliminate that drawback completely and make ante-post wagers that much more attractive.
Terms and Conditions to Know
All horse racing bonuses come with a few terms and conditions. It’s just the nature of the business. The mere existence of a few terms and conditions should not be cause for alarm, but you should most definitely understand how they work and get into a habit of always giving them a look before claiming any offer.
Maximum Race Rebate: Race rebate offers usually come with an upper limit on how much you can earn back each day or week. It usually works out such that the higher the rebate percentage, the lower the upper limit. For example, SkyBet offer a huge 20% horse racing rebate that maxes out at £25.
Qualifying for Best Odds Guarantees: Only certain bets qualify for best odds guaranteed promotions. You will often find that ante-post wagers (bets that are offered in advance of the race and before the declaration state) are excluded from best odds guarantees. It is important to understand exactly where any best odds guarantee applies.
“Competing” Bookmakers for Price Promises: Online bookmakers that promise to meet or beat the prices offered by competing bookmakers always provide a specific definition of who they consider to be their competition. Invariably, this definition only includes large, well-known betting sites.
