When it comes to on-line gambling you are literally spoiled for choice. There are so many sports books open to you it is difficult to know which one gives the most bang for your buck. Is it the sites offering free bets or the ones promising cash bonuses for signing up?

On the surface, you might think it’s obviously the latter but if you dig into the T&C’s you’ll discover it’s sadly not that simple. The player is expected to wager the bonus amount, and often their deposit, usually multiple times, before it can be taken out. In the case of ‘Winner’ for example the bonus and deposit must be gambled 8x before it can be withdrawn.

Small print like this makes it even harder to find the best bookie bonus. Luckily for you, kindly internet person, there is no need for you to give up and play a few spins of UK roulette instead. Watching that little ball roll is fun but we’ve taken the stress out of searching and are just going to tell you straight.

Best Online Free Bet Bookie – Paddy Power (£30 worth of bets)

This one is a little tough as there are quite a few worthy contenders. Ladbrokes offers, technically, the highest bonus (will match your first bet up to 50 euros) however to take full advantage of that you have to risk 50 euros. Additionally, other sites also offer £30 lump sum bets while the Paddy Power (PP) one is split into three £10 bets, which one you prefer will be a matter of preference.

However, while that maybe a draw, those other sites only give you a seven day window. PP, on the other hand, allows you 30 days to make your bets. Additionally, the bonus can be taken advantage of in several countries while many others are limited to either the UK or the US.

To take advantage of PP’s offer sign up online, deposit and bet £10. You will then automatically receive three free £10 bets. Any winnings can be taken straight out.

Best Online Bonus Cash Bookie – Bet365 (£200 x6 bonus turnover)

There was less competition in this category with only one other online bookie offering something as comparably good which is little known sport’s book ‘Tipico.’ The Maltese company offers E100 x3 bonus turnover. If you’re confused by what this means it’s the same as the Winner example above. To be able to take the money out you must bet it three times and in the case of Bet365 six times. Gains wise Tipico is the better choice as you have to put in the least risk to collect however it loses out to Bet365 as Tipico is unavailable in the UK and can only be taken advantage of in a handful of countries in the EU.

Best Overall – Paddy Power

While hundreds of pounds is certainly tantalising the odds of your bonus surviving the turnaround circle isn’t great. My advice - stick to the free bets.