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Snapshot – how bookies are using free bets with football

At last year’s European Championships in France, enhanced odds for new customers around the biggest games was recognised as the ‘go to’ offer for leading operators.

Now, at a time where high profile ‘season-defining’ matches are coming thick and fast, we cast our eye over the football specific bookmaker offers demanding market attention.

Whilst the standard welcome offer of matched free bets or deposit bonuses for use on any sports market continues to be popular across the industry, it is more interesting to look at the companies providing a point of difference for both new and existing football customers.

A good example is Boylesports providing double returns for bets on all pre-match markets in tomorrow’s Manchester derby, if either side hits the crossbar during the 90 minutes. Bear in mind that Paul Pogba alone has hit the bar on at least eight occasions this season.

It is not necessary to dig too deep in the history books to find evidence of late heartache for the blue half in this fixture. Injury time strikes from Michael Owen and Robin Van Persie prove that it might be worth betting on 888sport for Thursday night’s match. The bookmaker is offering up to a £25 free bet as a ‘late goal refund’ if a goal scored in or after the 88th minute costs punters a win.

For those looking slightly further ahead, Sunday’s North London derby between title-seeking Spurs and top four chasing Arsenal follows its Manchester counterpart in qualifying for the ‘4 Means More’ promotion on William Hill.

Customers pick up a 25% free bet bonus on top of any winnings from 1×2, BTTS and Match Result & BTTS markets, if there are four or more goals scored in the match. Last season, the corresponding fixture reached the four-goal mark after Alexis Sanchez struck late on to rescue a point for the Gunners in a 2-2 draw.

Next week, the Champions League semi-finals get underway with Atletico Madrid’s visit to the Bernabeu. You wouldn’t normally expect matches involving Real Madrid to be low scoring, especially given the goal scoring exploits of four-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo.

However, those lining up a Correct Score, Half-Time/Full-Time or Scorecast selection for this high-stakes Madrid derby, should probably look no further than bet365 for a ‘Bore Draw Money Back’ safety net. In La Liga this season, only five of Atletico’s 17 away matches have seen both teams score, while Diego Simeone’s side have kept clean sheets in 53% of these matches.

Finally, if punters prefer to take up a non-match specific football offer on a new account, Matchbook might be the way to go. If they sign up and place a pre-game back or lay bet on any Premier League match, they will be credited with Double Odds’ bonus funds on top of the normal winnings.

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