Top UK horse racing bookies, free bets, odds and offers
THE Haldon Gold Cup is this week with the new Friday afternoon slot set to showcase the top 2 miles and 1½ furlongs chase.
Best Mate, Cue Card, Politilogue and Greaneteen are just some of the top class horses to take part in past runnings, with a successful outing here a potential springboard to big races to come this season.
We've put together a handy guide on the best bookies for betting on racing in the UK, with a cluster of free bets to choose from.
- Tote
- William Hill
- bet365
Signing up to a horse racing betting site is a straightforward process once you know who you would like to bet with. Make sure you scout around to secure the best sign up deals and offers, giving you more bang for your buck. Here's the simple process in signing up
- Once you have made your decision and picked a sign up offer, you need to head to the sign up page of that bookmaker. Some sign up offers will come with links that you can click – like above – that remove the need to go looking for the sign up page, while some other sign up offers will come with offer codes that you will need to remember and input when asked.
- When you reach the sign up page, you will be required to input your details and confirm that you are 18 or over through age verification – some bookmakers may also require you to send things like identification documents and utility bills depending on their process.
- Once you have put in your details, you will need to agree to the terms and conditions of the site and click ‘sign up’. You may be sent an email confirmation with a link to click – but otherwise you should be ready to place some bets on the horse racing!
There are also a few conditions to keep in mind before you start betting:
- When opening accounts, players will need to provide a phone number and addresses during the registration process. You will likely need an SMS verification code before completing your registration.
- Each betting offer is usually limited to one IP address, one phone number, and one household. You won't be able to claim them multiple times.
- Some bookmakers have payment restrictions for certain bonuses, so you might not be able to use Skrill, Neteller, PayPal, Apple Pay, or similar banking options for your 1st deposit. Debit card deposits are usually available. Each website has a list of deposit methods available in the FAQ section. You can also ask customer service for a list of available payment methods.
- In addition to the sports bonus, a lot of operators will also offer a casino bonus to newcomers. If you like casino games, you should check them out, just bear in mind the wagering requirements for each bonus.
After you're done with account opening, you'll be able to place bets. Bear in mind that sports bets have terms and conditions, so make sure to read up on those before gambling. Here are the types of horse racing bets you can place on the Haldon Gold Cup:
There are lots of different ways to place a bet when it comes to betting on horse racing, with the most simple being a ‘win only’ bet. This means that your whole stake is being placed on a horse to win a particular race and you only get a return if they pass the post in front. For example, £5 on a horse to win at 4-1 would return £25 as described above.
Another hugely popular way of placing a bet on racing is through ‘each-way’ betting. Once again, you are picking one horse in a particular race, but with an each-way selection you are placing two separate bets. For example, if you place £5 each-way on Frankel at 10-1, £5 is placed on the horse to win and the other £5 is staked on the horse to place.
That means that your £5 on the horse to place will bring a return if your selection finishes second or third – and sometimes fourth, fifth and sixth depending on the type of race and the number of runners – with the place part usually paying a fifth of the win odds.
Rates can vary of course, but if Frankel finishes third and you’ve backed him each way at 10-1, most firms would pay a fifth of the odds on that. Half of your stake that was placed on Frankel to win would lose, but the other £5 would be a winner at 1/5 of the odds, or 2-1 in this case. You’d therefore get a return of £15 on your £10 each-way bet and a £5 profit.
Another race specific bet is an Exacta, which requires you to find the horses who you think will finish first and second in race. Picking them in an exact order is known as a straight Exacta, while with a reverse Exacta the order of the horses doesn’t matter as long as they finish first and second.
You can also place bets which require more than one horse to win in horse racing, which are known as multiple bets. There are a wide range of multiples available, including the following…
Remember to gamble responsibly
A responsible gambler is someone who:
- Establishes time and monetary limits before playing
- Only gambles with money they can afford to lose
- Never chase their losses
- Doesn’t gamble if they’re upset, angry, or depressed
For help with a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 or go to www.gamstop.co.uk to be excluded from all UK-regulated gambling websites.
