In search of the best places to bet on Cheltenham Festival? You’ve come to the right place! We’ve found the top sites to bet on the Festival. Simply compare, pick a favourite and sign up to start betting.
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New Customer Offer 100% up to £100. £10 minimum deposit. New customers only – £10 min deposit - The bonus will be applied once the full deposit amount has been wagered at least once with cumulative odds of 1.5 or greater. Wagering must be cleared within 90 days. 18+. Full T&Cs apply. Please gamble responsibly. begambleaware.org
New Customer offer Get up to £100 in free bets. Place 5 x £10 or more bets to receive £20 in free bets. Repeat up to 5 times to receive maximum £100 bonus. Min odds 1/2 (1.5). Exchange bets excluded. Payment restrictions apply. 18+. Full T&Cs apply. Please gamble responsibly. begambleaware.org
New Customer Offer 50% up to £125. Deposit using code SNWEL125. Bonus expires after 90 days. 6x turnover at 1.7 minimum odds before withdrawal. Max contribution to turnover requirements per bet is £100. Multiple bets on the same market do not qualify. 18+. Full T&Cs apply. Please gamble responsibly. begambleaware.org
New Customer Offer Bet £20, get £10. £10 minimum deposit and wagering. Void/cancelled or cashed out bets don't count towards wagering to activate the free bet. Must be used within 14 days . Neteller, Paysafe or Skill deposits not eligible. 18+. Full T&Cs apply. Please gamble responsibly. begambleaware.org
New Customers Offer Min. deposit £15; Bonus amount 50% of deposit up to £50; Wager deposit and bonus 8x within 60 days; 4/5 Min. single odds or 2/5 min. acca selection odds; Max. stake contribution equal to the initial bonus; Certain bet types and payment methods excluded 18+. Full T&Cs apply. Please gamble responsibly. begambleaware.org
New Customer Offer Bet £10, get £10 free bet. £10 minimum stake. Minimum odds 1.5, stake not returned and wagering of 10x. Free bet is valid for 7 days. Maximum winnings of £20. Skrill deposits are excluded 18+. Full T&Cs apply. Please gamble responsibly. begambleaware.org
New Customer Offer Paypal & some deposit & bet types excl. Min first £5 bet within 14 days of account reg at min odds 1/2 = 4x £5 free bets. Free bets valid for 7 days, stake not returned. No cash-out, restrictions & T&Cs apply. 18+. Full T&Cs apply. Please gamble responsibly. begambleaware.org
New Customer Offer Bet £10, get £10. £10 minimum deposit. Max £10 free bet is only valid for 14 days. Bet must be placed at odds of 1/1 or greater and be settled within 14 days of placement. System bets no eligible 18+. Full T&Cs apply. Please gamble responsibly. begambleaware.org
New Customer Offer Double the odds. Bet must be placed using real money in combination with the Odds Boost Token. Offer applies to Sport bets only. £10 Max stake. Each way bets are a maximum of £5 each way (£10 total stake). Extra winnings are paid in cash. 18+. Full T&Cs apply. Please gamble responsibly. begambleaware.org
New Customer Offer 3 x £10 risk free bets. Max £10 refund per bet, £30 overall. Min odds 1.5 (1/2). Only Cards and ApplePay deposits only. 100 Free Spins can be used on Paddy Power Gold Megaways only and are available to claim after you have deposited by an eligible method. Valued at £0.10 each and expire after 72 hours. 18+. Full T&Cs apply. Please gamble responsibly. begambleaware.org
Cheltenham Festival sees punters old and new pitting their knowledge of national horse racing against the bookies, and now this is possible online! Whether you’re an experienced Cheltenham bettor, or a complete horse racing newbie, there are plenty of betting options to choose from. Let us run through some of the must-know information on Cheltenham Festival betting before you pick where to place your wager from our list of top-rated betting sites. All our featured bookmakers are regulated by governing bodies, such as the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC), so you can rest assured that you’re in safe hands, whichever provider you choose.
Cheltenham in a Nutshell
The Cheltenham Festival is the UK’s pinnacle jump racing event of the year. The event takes place in March, though betting opens much earlier! Cheltenham comprises of four days of top-class horse racing, with 27 fantastic races, including the Gold Cup, the Champion Hurdle, Queen Mother Champion Chase and the World Hurdle, to name a few. It’s now recognised as one of the UK’s top sporting events, attracting over 260,000 attendees each year, and is considered in the same realm as events including Wimbledon, the British Grand Prix and even the FA Cup Final.
Tips
How to Make the Best Bet
Predicting the winner of a horse race is totally different to placing a bet on a game of football, for example. Whereas there are just two teams contesting a game of football, there can often be up to 40 different horses in one race alone.
Of course, you could always follow the odds and side with the bookies’ favourite, but with so many possible scenarios in each race, this is far from a guarantee. Races often throw up surprising results – 2019 saw many upsets, from Country House’s stunning Kentucky Derby victory to 66/1 outside Croco Bay winning the Grade 3 Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Challenge Cup Handicap Chase at Cheltenham festival.
Something else to consider as well is that horse racing betting odds are notoriously volatile and can change price at the last moment.
While there are tipsters out there, they can’t guarantee you a victory. We recommend doing your research. Looking into recent form, the pedigree, the jockey and the ground type are just a few good areas to look into before you make your choice.
Bet Types
Cheltenham Betting Options
With so many races across the weekend, there are plenty of different betting options. Here are some of the most popular:
Win
Betting on a horse to win a race means you’ll only receive a payout if the horse comes first.
Place
With a place bet, you’re betting that a horse will come in the top three. Your payout will depend on the final position. The number of horses in a race will affect which places receive payouts.
Forecasts
This is a bet on the first two places in a race, which can offer much better odds than a first place bet. A bet on the first three places can offer better odds still, and is known as a tricast. You’ll need to predict the correct finishing order to receive the payout for these bets. Some sites also allow you to bet on a reverse forecast and tricast, where you predict the top three finishers but don’t specify the order.
Each Way
An each way bet sees punters place two bets, effectively: one win and one place. Each bet is even, and if the horse wins, both stakes will be paid. If the horse only places, the place stake is paid out, but the win stake is lost.
Ante Post
Ante Post bets are bets placed at least one day in advance of the event. While the odds for these bets tend to be better, they are riskier as they don’t take on-the-day factors, such as weather or injury, into consideration.
Each Way Betting Calculator
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Editor's Choice
Welcome Offer
50% up to £50
T&Cs Apply
New Customers Offer
Min. deposit £15; Bonus amount 50% of deposit up to £50; Wager deposit and bonus 8x within 60 days; 4/5 Min. single odds or 2/5 min. acca selection odds; Max. stake contribution equal to the initial bonus; Certain bet types and payment methods excluded
18+. Full T&Cs apply. Please gamble responsibly. begambleaware.org
Accumulators are one of the most popular betting types and there’s the promise of some pretty big winnings if you get it right. Accumulator bets are bets on multiple different races. These can help you rack up the big bucks and typically come in doubles (two selections), trebles (three selections), four-fold (four selections) and so on.
There is of course the possibility of really winning big, but in order to do so all your selections must come in. That’s why the best bookies will offer acca insurance, which pays back your stake as a free bet should just one of your bets let you down.
Some online bookmakers allow punters to place bets while the race is in full swing, which can be truly exhilarating. Live betting is not only exciting, but it can help you gain better value odds. The outright favourite you may have wanted to bet on to begin with, for example, may not have very favourable odds at the start of the match, but should they get off to a bad start then the odds of their victory will lengthen, giving you better value for your money should it eventually win.
The best sites will even offer you live streaming options on the Cheltenham races, meaning that making a live wager has never been so easy.
Bonuses
Horse Racing Bonuses
Online bookies roll out a range of bonuses and promotions in the run up to Cheltenham Festival, which can help punters get the most bang for their buck. You’ll have access to your standard welcome rewards, such as deposit match bonuses, free bets and bet insurance, as well as other promotions, including guaranteed odds, price boosts and #nameyourodds, to name a few.
Free Bet
Free bets are a great way to get into the action when you sign up to site. They’re usually awarded to you when you make a qualifying bet, like ‘bet £10 get £30 in free bets,’ but some sites can offer you a free bet just for signing up. They will come with wagering requirements and other stipulations, so it’s worth keeping that in mind before you sign up.
Best Free Bet Bonus
Get up to £100 in free bets
T&Cs Apply
New Customer offer
Get up to £100 in free bets. Place 5 x £10 or more bets to receive £20 in free bets. Repeat up to 5 times to receive maximum £100 bonus. Min odds 1/2 (1.5). Exchange bets excluded. Payment restrictions apply.
18+. Full T&Cs apply. Please gamble responsibly. begambleaware.org
Matched deposits are another very common bonus you can claim when betting horse racing, and they’re very easy to get your head around. The betting site will match a percentage of your first deposit up to a certain amount, giving you extra funds to play with. A common matched deposit will look something like, ‘100% up to £100,’ which means that you have the chance to double the value of your bankroll. Of course, this is capped at a certain amount – in this instance £100 – so anything extra deposited will not be rewarded as part of the bonus. And, as usual, there will be wagering requirements attached to it that you should bear in mind when signing up.
Best Matched Deposit Bonus
100% up to £100
T&Cs Apply
New Customer Offer
100% up to £100. £10 minimum deposit. New customers only – £10 min deposit - The bonus will be applied once the full deposit amount has been wagered at least once with cumulative odds of 1.5 or greater. Wagering must be cleared within 90 days.
18+. Full T&Cs apply. Please gamble responsibly. begambleaware.org
Offers aren’t just available to new customers, however, as existing players can get in on the action through some pretty exciting promotions. These are usually reserved for the biggest races so, when CHeltenham comes along, there’s plenty of choice for punters. Common bonuses include odds boosts, where you can get better prices on a selection, and money-back promotions, where you get back a portion of your stake if your bet loses.
The great thing about modern day betting is that you can do it wherever you are in the world thanks to the quality of the mobile betting experience. All of our featured horse betting sites have fully optimised mobile sites if not top quality apps, meaning that placing a wager on Cheltenham has never been simpler. The best sites, however, will offer native apps which give you the best mobile betting experience.
Mobile apps also come with the added bonus of having push notifications to keep in the loop whenever a new offer is on the way or if there’s been a change to the odds. It’s thanks to features like this that you’ll always be able to get the best out of the betting opportunities for the Cheltenham Festival.
New Sites
You no longer have to rely on the established names to get a great horse betting experience, because some of the newer sites out there have a lot to offer. In fact, some of 2021’s top new bookies, such as Mr Play, specialise in horse racing, and might even provide an even more complete betting experience.
What’s more, in order to stand out from the competition, new sites can offer some pretty great welcome bonuses. They’ll also have access to some of the finest sports betting technology meaning that they’re well worth checking out when you’re choosing the horse betting site for you.
Banking
Payment Options
The leading betting operators ensure that players can pay in the most convenient, secure, and reliable ways possible, and each site ranked on Compare.bet offers multiple payment options. Whether you prefer the simplicity of a debit card or the ease of managing your funds with e-wallets, there’s sure to be an option that suits you.
Our preferred option is with e-wallets, as they are the most secure and convenient option for making deposits and withdrawals.
Since 14th April 2020, credit cards have been banned from all gambling sites. The ban was announced by the UK Gambling Commission following the Government’s Review of Gaming Machines and Social Responsibility Measures.
Paysafecard makes managing your spending a breeze thanks to its pre-paid card and PIN management systems.
Compare and bet
Now that we’ve covered the key elements of betting on Cheltenham festival, you’re probably ready to try it yourself. Simply use our list of top online sportsbooks to compare, find your favourite and start betting today!
Yes! Many online bookmakers support in-play betting— also known as live betting— which allows you to place bets while the race is in action. Choosing a Cheltenham Festival betting site that offers live streaming gives you the chance to take advantage of sudden changes.
A straight forecast bets means that your two selections must finish in the exact order that you picked. When it comes to reverse forecast bets, however, it doesn’t matter which out of your chosen horses finishes first or second.
What happens if I back a non-runner? There are many reasons for which a horse may not partake in the race, and each bookmaker has its own rules when it comes to non-runners. While many will refund your stake, this isn’t guaranteed. For this reason it’s important that you read the terms and conditions before placing your bet.
Whilst there are plenty of self-proclaimed horse racing pundits offering betting tips, but we’d recommend taking their advice with a pinch of salt, as you can’t guarantee they have good intentions. Compare.bet advises bettors to do plenty of their own research before wagering any money, comparing various sources to make an educated betting decision.
For sure! Most online betting sites have either a mobile-friendly web page or a mobile app, which means you’ll be able to bet on your favourite horse racing event, or any other event for that matter- including rugby, golf and F1- no matter where you are- all you’ll need is an internet connection. You’ll even have access to the same fast payment methods, betting options and bonuses, so you needn’t miss out on a thing!
The people behind this page
Compare.bet's online gambling content experts helped write, edit and check this page:
Gavin is a writer for Compare.bet, contributing to our expert online reviews. Gavin has over two years of experience writing about topics including online casino and sports betting.
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