Glossary
Free bet
A free bet is a bookmaker token that stakes a bet without risking your own money, usually returning winnings minus the stake — the engine of matched betting.
Free bets are the core promotion matched betting converts into value. Because a free bet typically returns the winnings but not the stake, the optimal play differs from a cash bet, which is why oddsmatchers compute free-bet and qualifying calculations separately.
The feed supplies the matched back/lay prices and ratings a tool uses to extract value from a free bet; whether a given free bet is offered to a user is set by the bookmaker.
Related terms & coverage
OddsRelay delivers this as part of one already-matched feed. See live coverage on the coverage dashboard.