Free bet
A free bet is a betting token from a bookmaker that lets you place a stake without using your own money, and if it wins you are paid the winnings only, without the stake. That last detail is called stake not returned, or SNR, and it is the most common form. A free bet is never worth its face value in cash, because you cannot withdraw it and must place it on an uncertain outcome first.
How a free bet pays out
The sum is simple: return equals stake multiplied by decimal odds minus one. A €10 SNR free bet at 3.0, which is 2/1 in fractional terms, pays €20, while the same cash bet would return €30 including your own tenner.
Some offers are stake returned, or SR, and pay the stake back too.
Those are rarer, and they behave exactly like a cash bet once placed. The offer terms decide which type you hold, so the wording to look for is “stake not returned” or “free bet stake not included in returns”. The betslip helps as well, since the potential return it shows will leave out the stake on an SNR token.
A €10 free bet at different odds
Here is the same €10 stake at four prices, with the implied probability of each price and the return as a free bet against a cash bet.
| Odds (implied chance) | SNR free bet pays | Cash bet returns |
|---|---|---|
| Evens (50%) | €10 | €20 |
| 2/1 (33.3%) | €20 | €30 |
| 5/2 (28.6%) | €25 | €35 |
| 4/1 (20%) | €40 | €50 |
What a free bet is often confused with
A free bet is not cashback, which returns real money after a losing bet, and it is not a deposit bonus with wagering attached. Practice varies between bookmakers on expiry, minimum odds and which markets qualify, so there is no single standard to quote.
In Ireland, section 157 of the Gambling Regulation Act 2024 says a licensee may not offer an inducement to a specific person or group, though the inducement provisions still wait on commencement by the Minister for Justice.
Until they commence, the offer terms remain the place to check.
