Free bet

With a free bet, you place a bet without money being debited from your account for it. The provider puts up the stake. If the bet comes in, in many cases only the pure winnings are credited, that is the payout without the staked free-bet amount. If the bet loses, you lose none of your own balance.

The word free bet comes from English and means roughly "free wager". In German you'll also come across the terms Freiwette or Gratiswette. They all refer to the same principle.

The exact design varies from offer to offer. Common requirements include a minimum odds level or a deadline by which the free bet has to be used. Specific amounts or conditions are always set out in the rules of the offer in question. This page therefore deliberately gives no figures.

If the free bet loses, it is used up, but your own balance stays untouched. Even so, a free bet is no reason to place a bet you would otherwise never play. Here too, a considered choice is what counts.

Some providers also split a free bet into several smaller parts or allow it only for certain bet types. Whether that is the case is set out in the conditions. Treat a free bet like a normal bet and only tip on something you would have chosen anyway.

You can read more in the guide GGL licence and legal sports betting.

The most important difference from a normal bet lies in the payout. With many free bets you get only the winnings, not the stake back. The overview shows the principle without specific amounts.

A free bet is a form of betting bonus. The same strict requirements therefore apply as for other bonus offers in Germany. Advertising must be factual, and player protection takes priority. The Joint Gambling Authority of the Federal States monitors these offers too.

• Conditions: often minimum odds and a deadline.
• Payout: frequently only the winnings without the stake.
• Regulation: advertising guidelines and player protection apply.
• Licence: only authorised providers may advertise.

A free bet is therefore not a special case, but is subject to the same framework as any other bonus. So read the conditions just as carefully.

A free bet is often tied to a previous action, for example a first bet or a particular event. Which requirement applies is stated in the rules of the offer and varies from promotion to promotion.

Free bets come in a few different shapes. What a specific free bet looks like depends on the offer. You'll often come across these terms.

• Credit after the first bet: often tied to a previous action.
• Winnings without the stake: if successful, often only the pure winnings are paid out.
• Minimum odds: the free bet often applies only from a certain odds level.
• Deadline: the free bet expires if you don't use it in time.

Which of these points apply is stated in the conditions. Check them before you use the free bet, so that you aren't surprised.

Whether a provider may offer free bets at all depends on its licence. In Germany, the advertising and bonus rules are tightly framed. A free bet from an authorised provider therefore always moves within this fixed framework. You should avoid tempting offers without a German licence.

Read the conditions of a free bet carefully. Pay attention to the minimum odds, the validity and whether the stake is paid out as well. A free bet is no reason to bet more than planned. Use your provider's protection functions and bet responsibly. Gambling is only permitted from the age of 18 (21 in Bremen) and can be addictive.