Loyalty Bonuses & Free Bets For Existing Customers April 2024
Many aspects of modern life encourage us to shop around to always make sure we are getting the best deal. Unfortunately this means existing customer loyalty is not as important to many companies as it used to be. There are many great betting sites available in the UK operating in a highly competitive environment. This means punters can shop around for depth of market, the best odds and top offers on a bet by bet basis.
The problem is many of us bet with a bookie because we enjoy betting with them not just because of a great introductory offers and regular promotions. When you come back every week and place your bets with a betting site you want to feel this is recognised and rewarded by the bookie. Some bookmakers are much better than others at offering loyalty points, bonuses and free bets and in this section we show you some of the best regular loyalty deals around from UK bookmakers.
Existing Customer Free Bet Of The Week
Virgin are a brand that is all about bringing entertainment to the masses and that is why their branded betting site matches this ethos when it comes to its offers. They tend to be lower stakes and more applicable to the typical punter.
Their current £5 free bet when you place two £10+ football bet fits with this idea. To qualify you need to bet £10+ twice on any single or bet builder with odds of 1/2+ between Friday and Monday. You will then get a £5 free bet withing one day that is valid for 7 days and can be used on any sports. Nice.
Opt-in req. 1st £10 min cash bet on any football match (ex. virtuals) this weekend (min odds 1/2). Free Bet: accept within 24 hours, use in 7 days on sportsbook only. Stakes not returned. T&Cs apply.
Latest Loyalty Promotions
Upcoming Event Offers For All Customers
Best Bookmakers For Loyalty Offers
Bet365
If you bet regular and often and you want the security that you will be able to get the markets you want with good value odds and honest long term existing customer offers then there is no beating Bet365 in my opinion. They do not oversell their promotions and concessions, instead they are designed to be reliable and ever present, genuinely providing enhanced value with fair terms. The retention at Bet365 is outstanding, it is where I choose to bet most, there is a reason why.
Betfred
Betfred are the self-proclaimed ‘bonus king’ and from that tag line you would expect a lot for regular players. If you bet on traditional sports such as footy, racing, golf, rugby, snooker, darts, cricket and tennis then this is one of the very best sites for consistent free bet, extra place and money back promotions year round. The site looks dated and isn’t the most attractive, but in terms of value for the big sports there are few better.
BetVictor
This site provides so many bonuses, free bets and spins to existing customers. They don’t shout about this, you will only ever discover this as a loyal customer. BetVictor are spending most of their resources on rewarding consistent customers, which to me seems more fair. The offers they do have also tend to focus on providing the best odds or fairest terms and they also have the best free football prediction game, golden goal.
Coral
Coral may be owned by the same company as Ladbrokes but they have an entirely different identify. Here the free bets and bonuses are the major draw, although they enhance many lines too, especially accumulators. The weekly free bet offers are probably the best available right now and you can also get access to more linked free bets (e.g. bet on something get a free bet) than anywhere else.
Ladbrokes
Ladbrokes are the place to go if you like price and odds boosts. They reward customers with fixed price enhancements but also give the option to allow you to boost the price on any bet you like once each day, with all winnings in cash. Specific events also have additional boosts assigned to them meaning if you bet on the bigger markets on a consistent basis you can get a lot of added value here over time.Free Bet Clubs
BetVictor may be a little late to the party when it comes to loyalty clubs but now they finally have one it now makes them one of the most complete bookmakers there is. Not only are they great for odds and all core sports they now reward you for placing bets with them each week.
The club gives you a £5 free bet if you place five £5 bets on any sports through the week (up to 23:59 Sunday). Each bet needs to be 1/2+ and you can't place multiple bets on the same outcome. Other than that it is an open loyalty club rewarding customers whatever sports they like to bet on. You need to opt-in to utilise the club.
18+ Opt in & place 5 Sports bets of £5 or more, each with odds of 1/2 or greater & we'll give you a £5 Free Bet to use on any sport. Free Bet expires in 7 days. Click for full T&Cs
The Pools are now far more than football, they offer everything you would expect from a modern betting site. They also have a wealth of history and experience that helps them tap in better to what customers want and this is reflected in their offers.
The loyalty club from pools gives as a good amount in free bet fund percentage wise, a £5 free bet for £30+ cash bets placed at evens+ in one week (Monday to Sunday). The odds being evens to qualify is a little higher than other clubs but horse racing is included here, in fact all sports excluding virtuals.
New & Existing eligible customers only. 18+, UK only. When you stake £30 or more on Sports bets (Mon - Sun) you will be awarded a £5 Free Sports bet the following Monday. Players who have been credit restricted will not be eligible for this promotion. Cashed out bets excluded. Odds and market restrictions apply
Click To See More Accumulator Free Bet Clubs
Boost Your Own Odds
Odds Boost from Ladbrokes is a truly outstanding feature for loyal punters. Pick any pre-event singe bet you like (including accas) and boost your own odds.
Get one token every day from midnight that doesn’t expire until midnight (i.e 24 hours later). Use your odds boost on any sport or market. Bet up to £50 with no minimum odds or stake. All winnings are returned in cash. This is a great tool for putting control in your own hands, no need to be sucked in to backing a pre-selected odds enhancement, simply make your own.
Ladbrokes also boost odds for other markets, such as all the races in a selected horse racing meeting, in play bets for live football matches, and more.
Free Prediction Games – Cash Prizes
All eligible customers get one free entry each week to the Coral Football Super Series free to play football predictor. If you guess the correct result of four questions about the weeks selected match you will earn £50 in cash. This is not shared out between all winners, each player with 4/4 correct will get the prize.
Even if you miss by one you will receive a £2 free bet and 2/4 right answers will still earn you a £1 free token, each within 24 hours of the game finishing and valid or 7 days (any sports).
This season there is also a monthly jackpot in addition of £25,000 for the player, or players, who get the most points in a month, one point for every correct predition.
Open to UK & IRE online and mobile customers. Predictions can be made right up to kick-off. To see this weeks match, to play or more more terms visit Coral.
Customer Retention in the Betting Industry
It’s not uncommon for us to hear of online betting sites providing inviting welcome bonus offers. These are, of course, provided as a way of enticing new players to sign up and deposit at their sites. However, what about those players who remain loyal to the site in question? Can it be said that these loyal members receive the same sort of attention as newcomers? Or are they pretty much forgotten about once they have completed the sign-up process and deposited?
Can it be said that being a loyal player at an online betting site is no longer looked upon with gratitude? And if there is something on offer to regular gamers, what exactly is it? Can a site work well with both new players and ongoing bettors? Plus, what techniques do such sportsbooks and casinos use for retaining their regular gamers?
The Value That New Players Bring
It’s important for online sportsbooks to bring new players in to their sites, as this keeps their collection of gamblers growing. This influx of players visiting the sportsbooks and signing up for accounts ensures that they stay relevant. Often times, those who have signed up previously will utilise the first deposit bonus or welcome offer and then choose to locate an alternative for the same reasons.
Yet, many of these newcomers take the decision to stay around and continue betting on a regular basis. Of course, all betting sites want to continue inflating their rosters of players. With more players, there’s the potential for more bets to be placed on a regular basis. Obviously, these sites make their money from the wagers placed by their players. With more players registered, there’s more chance to obtain more revenue. That’s pretty much a given.
Therefore, in a bid to entice bettors to sign up to their sites and place bets, intriguing promotions are advertised and handed out. Potential new players will see these offers and instantly want to take advantage of the rewards, which feature bonus funds, free bets, cashback options and so on. Generally speaking, these will require you to make a deposit prior to receiving the perks associated with such. On the other hand, some sites also allow you to receive no deposit bonus rewards, which are given to you as soon as you register for an account.
But can it be said that a large portion of these newcomers stick around to become regular sports bettors afterwards? After all, if so many do, why do these sites need to continue catering to new players in such a way?
The Loyalty of Regular Players
There have been some suggestions that anyone who does remain around as a loyal player at a sportsbook isn’t likely to receive the same treatment as a newcomer. Furthermore, online sites tend to heavily promote their rewards for newcomers rather than those that cater to regular bettors. Yet, sportsbooks do actually need loyal players to remain active at their sites too, and often times, it would be easy to say that these players are much more necessary than new ones.
After all, if these players are placing bets on a frequent basis at their chosen sportsbook, they’re offering up a much more stable source of revenue for the platform. A newcomer may sign up, deposit, place a bet and then simply leave afterwards. Yet, if you have a stable base of regular bettors adding their money to the platform, surely this is better?
Well, as it happens, most sportsbooks do provide their loyal players with great promotions to enjoy as well. They’re just not pushed forward as much as those perks for newcomers. Then again, a loyal player is already there and betting on the sports events. A newcomer needs something to stand out and grab their attention from the get-go. Otherwise, they could just skim across the sportsbook and wonder what exactly makes it so much better than any other sports betting site. That’s why the welcome offers are often displayed in large typeface and blatantly spread out across the homepage of the sportsbook.
The Only Winner Is the Customer?
Despite the fact that some people have suggested that online sportsbooks are a lot more biased towards newcomers, others have argued against this. Alex Donohue, operating as the Director at Alex Donohue PR, spoke of customers taking the decision to steer more towards one single operator for the majority of their sports bets. Donohue, who recently launched his own public relations agency to focus on delivering digital PR for SEO and responsible gambling communications, spoke of some recreational players have a suite of operator apps on their mobile device…”, but he continued on by saying that very few bettors “aren’t strictly motivated by price” and who then shop around over the long-term.
However, when speaking to Gambling Insider magazine in 2019, Donohue also said that for many people, it is as simple as wanting to keep all their funds in one place and not have to visit several sportsbooks to utilise such. Therefore, in his opinion, the operators that go above and beyond expectations are much more appealing to customers, rather than those providing the best value.
He noted that a slick user interface, fast and easy withdrawals, and high-quality branding and marketing will appeal more to gamblers than other things. However, even though most online operators provide their players (both new and old) with intriguing promotions, sometimes the competition can prove to be quite a costly area.
Offers and Features Provided to Regular Players
Different sports betting sites provide their players with different promotions to enjoy. This is common across the new player and loyal player demographics. However, some sites do cater to both types of players very nicely, affording both sets of bettors the capability of obtaining great rewards. One such site that is a pure example of this is Paddy Power, and this is one of the UK’s biggest-known platforms.
The promotions at Paddy Power are actually very extensive, and you’ll find that they expand beyond what the norm is. It has various promotions focusing on specific sporting events, such as the French Open or the PGA Championship etc. These are great to take advantage of if you’re a regular bettor and enjoy betting on specific sports more so than others. Of course, when different sporting tournaments are on throughout the year, different promotions catering to them will also become available.
However, there are other sportsbooks that do lean in favour of existing customers. The key is to try and locate a sportsbook that has a nice balance between providing new players and loyal players with rewards. Other sportsbook promotions and features that regular bettors can take advantage of include:
- Live Streaming of Events: Allowing players who bet on specific events to watch certain sports via their computer or mobile device through live streaming. This is a great perk for anyone who isn’t at home with a TV when betting, as they can watch as the games unfold and potentially make live bets in response to what is happening.
- Enhanced Odds: It’s not uncommon to find some gambling sites providing their regular players with the potential to receive enhanced odds on specific events. This increases the rewards that they receive if they place a winning bet on such.
- Free Bets: While this is a reward that sometimes caters to new players as a welcome offer as well, it’s also something that may be provided on a regular basis to frequent bettors. Free bets are provided to allow users to make wagers on different sporting events as long as they meet specific requirements.
- Loyalty Points and Rewards: Something else that keeps some bettors at an online sportsbook is the ability to claim loyalty points whenever they place a bet. These points are then built up and able to be exchanged for either bonus funds or real money that can be withdrawn.
- VIP Schemes: While you generally need to be a high roller to be considered a VIP player in most cases, the schemes in place to reward such frequent, high bettors can often be exceptional. They often contain bonus rewards, which increase as you ascend up the levels of the VIP ladder, cashback offers on net losses for the week or month, birthday rewards and your own personal account manager, among other things.
- Betting Tips: As a regular player, you’ll also get to benefit from receiving tips on the best bets to go for at some sportsbooks. This can be very helpful, and it can prove to be a reason why some players choose to stick with one sportsbook over another. Betting tips give helpful insight into the upcoming events and which ones could possibly provide you with more chance of receiving a winning pay-out.
- Tournaments: At the same time, some sites will allow you to engage in sports betting tournaments, pitting you against other players at the site. This brings about more of a sense of competition, which is what some bettors really crave. So, instead of simply betting against the platform with your sports wagers, you’ll be competing against others at the site and trying to be one of the best with your bets.
Has the Digital Age Had an Effect on Loyalty?
It seems as though the digital age has actually brought more to the loyalty front, at least in terms of the offers available to cater to frequent bettors. Land-based sports betting shops may have provided some different promotions, like enhanced odds and such, for players to receive the benefits of, but there are certain perks that they can’t physically offer. That’s where the online sports betting scene has overtaken the land-based scene. With more being available to regular bettors, why wouldn’t loyalty be something that is as effective now as it ever was?
Of course, the state of the world also has an effect on things. During the recent force majure many gambling groups pushed players to move from the land-based scene to the online world for their sports betting needs. This may have also resulted in some newbies to that scene remaining as active participants in sports betting. Therefore, they will also have been able to benefit from regular promotions for loyal players.
Is Loyalty Dying?
It’s very difficult to say 100% whether loyal betting is a dying art, although it wouldn’t appear to be so. As long as players are able to access a site that really caters to them and their needs, then remaining loyal to such a site shouldn’t be an issue. As noted, some sites really do cater to both types of player well, so newcomers and loyal players can both obtain rewards for their sports betting needs.
Alas, it’s more so about whether or not they can do all that they need to with regards to the bets themselves at their chosen sites, it would seem. Promotions are always going to be nice to have available and potentially claim, but they’re not the be all and end all of a regular sports bettors journey. Instead, as Donohue stated last year, there’s much more for a gambler to be concerned about. If they can do everything they need to with their money in one specific place, then perhaps this works more in their favour than a site that is throwing out masses of promotions at them specifically.
Both newcomers and regular players will likely remain relevant and important to online sportsbooks. And as long as sites can advertise their promotions in the way that they require, newcomers will continue signing up and potentially become the next regular gamblers there.
