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*New members only. £10+ bet on sports (ex. virtuals) at 1.5 min odds, settled within 14 days. Free Bets: accepted in 7 days, valid 7 days; £20 use on sportsbook, £10 on Bet Builder. Stake not returned. T&Cs + deposit exclusions apply. Bet Responsibly. GambleAware.org. 18+
*New members only. £10+ bet on sports (ex. virtuals) at 1.5 min odds, settled within 14 days. Free Bets: accepted in 7 days, valid 7 days; £20 use on sportsbook, £10 on Bet Builder. Stake not returned. T&Cs + deposit exclusions apply. Bet Responsibly. GambleAware.org. 18+
Valid Today
June 13, 2026
Virgin Bet Cheltenham Festival Free Bets & Offers
While only established in 2018, Virgin Bet has quickly become a mainstay at Cheltenham Festival with its wide range of markets and attractive odds on the four-day festival. With competitive odds to rival more established names, Virgin Bet also has a sign-up offer, exclusive to new customers, which sees them claim £30 in free bets when they spend £10 on a qualifying wager. You will also get £10 in free bets if your horse loses every day in selected races.
With Best Odds Guaranteed and a host of other key features expected to return for Cheltenham Festival 2026, Virgin Bet is one to consider when placing your bets at the horse racing event of the year.
Virgin Bet Cheltenham Offers Explained
Virgin Bet’s Bet £10 Get £30 sign-up offer is a fantastic way to celebrate the Cheltenham Festival. On top of that, you will get up to a £10 free bet if your horse loses every day in selected Cheltenham Festival races. After creating your account, you must make a qualifying wager of £10, which must be a multi-bet wager on the festival with a minimum of three legs.
Once you’ve done that, win or lose, those £30 in free bets are yours for the taking. These will come in the form of 3x£10 in free bets. You will have seven days to use those free bets, which is the perfect time to use on the Cheltenham Festival.
Cheltenham Festival Virgin Money Back as Free Bet
One of Virgin Bet’s most popular promotional offers, the bookmaker gives money back as a free bet if your horse loses. This is a max £50 free bet and must be placed on certain markets. Here are all the races that this offer applies to for 2026:
14:00 County Handicap Hurdle on 10/03/26
14:40 BetMGM Cup Handicap Hurdle on 11/03/26
14:00 Jack Richards Novices Handicap Chase on 12/03/26
14:00 County Hurdle on 13/03/26
Virgin Bet Cheltenham Festival Extra Places
Nothing beats getting a little extra at Cheltenham Festival, and Virgin Bet is offering just that with their Extra Places offer. A deal which takes place every day at selected races in the UK and Ireland, we expect Virgin Bet to pay out on a host of extra places at the four-day festival, meaning your each-way bet could go a little further. These extra place races are as follows for day one:
14:40: Juvenile Handicap Hurdle - 6 Places
15:20: Ultima Handicap Chase - 6 Places
16:40: Sun Racing Plate Handicap Chase - 5 Places
17:20: National Hunt Challenge Cup - 5 Places
Virgin Bet Cheltenham Festival Price Boosts
Some of your selections for the Cheltenham Festival could be getting a whole lot bigger with Virgin Bet. Price boosts often see a surge in odds to a jockey, horse, or trainer at a particular meet, meaning you can get bigger odds and bigger returns on certain races than at any other provider.
How to Claim Virgin Bet Cheltenham Free Bets
It’s never been easier to sign up to Virgin Bet ahead of the Cheltenham Festival and claim the £30 in free bets. Here’s all you need to know on how to claim:
Go to the Virgin Bet official website or download a free iOS or Android app and click on the “Join Now” button in the upper right corner.
A registration window will pop up requiring that you supply some personal and contact information. Provide the info and click on “Next Step” and then on “Create Account.”
Verify your identity and address by uploading documents like photo IDs and utility bills.
Once you’ve successfully verified your account, go to the Cashier, choose a payment method, and make a deposit of at least £10.
Wager at least £10 on any sporting event, including Cheltenham Festival, on offer with minimum odds of 1.5. The bet must be a bet with minimum odds of 1.01 per selection. The offer is available for 14 days after registration, during which the qualifying bets need to be placed and settled. There is no Virgin Bet offer code you need to use.
Allow between 24 and 72 hours after the qualifying bet has been settled for the notification window to pop up and ask you to accept or reject the free bets. In case the notification doesn’t show up within the defined time frame, feel free to contact customer support.
On top of that, you will then get up to £10 in free bets if your horse loses on selected Cheltenham races.
Virgin Bet Payment Methods
You won’t be in short supply when it comes to deposit methods with Virgin Bet at Cheltenham Festival, with the below options available to you.
Visa Debit
Visa Fast Funds
PayPal
Trustly
Skrill
Apple Pay
Google Pay
Bank Transfer
Wire Transfer
Virgin Bet Cheltenham 2026 Offer Terms and Conditions
Here are the all-important terms and conditions for Virgin Bet’s Cheltenham Festival sign-up offer:
Players must be 18 or above to qualify for the promotion.
The offer is available only to those players who are residents of Great Britain and are physically located there at the time of claiming the offer.
The promotion is available for 14 days after registration.
Only bets made as £10+ in one go qualify for the promotion.
Voided, cashed out, or cancelled bets don’t qualify.
The free bet tokens must be claimed within seven days.
The tokens must be used within seven days after claiming them.
The free bets are not valid for multiple or each-way bets.
Virgin Bet Cheltenham Bonus Codes
The good news is that there’s no bonus code when it comes to signing up with Virgin Bet’s new customer offer. Just sign up and make the qualifying bet in order to unlock your £30 in free bets to use at the Cheltenham Festival.
Tips to Maximise your Virgin Bet Offer During Cheltenham Festival
In order to have the perfect Cheltenham Festival, you will need to use your Virgin Bet sign-up offer in the best way possible, that means maximising your three £10 free bets after placing your £10 qualifying wager.
Given the limitation of the free bets, that they cannot be used on multiples or each-ways, one thing you could do is look at which races Virgin Bet will be providing enhanced odds on. A feature of their previous Cheltenham Festivals, Virgin has given out enhanced odds on selected races. This could give you a bigger win than previously thought.
One important thing to note is that the £30 Virgin free bet bonus expires after seven days, so it is vital you use them within this time.
Comparing Virgin Bet Free Bet Cheltenham Offers to Competitors
Virgin Bet’s offer gives you £30 to spend at the Cheltenham Festival in free bets, but how does that compare to other competitors and their sign-up offers? Here’s all you need to know about the alternate new customer deals heading into the 2025 festival.
Paddy Power Cheltenham Sign Up Offer: Bet £10 get £60 in Free Bets
Paddy Power is one of the most renowned bookmakers for horse racing and the Cheltenham Festival and is offering a higher bonus of £60 compared to Virgin Bet's £30. However, while many people may already have a Paddy Power account, Virgin Bet offered a viable alternative with its £30 in free bets, as well as offering Best Odds Guaranteed.
Betfair Cheltenham Sign Up Offer: Bet £10 get £30 in Free Bets
Betfair is a leading bookmaker for Cheltenham with a generous sign-up offer of Bet £10 Get £30, which is the same value as the current Virgin Bet new customer offer. However, there are limitations with those free bets. The £30 must be used on Bet Builders or Accumulators, whereas the Virgin Bet offer doesn't have to be be used on multiples or each-way markets.
Coral Sign Up Offer: Bet £5 get £30 in Free Bets at Cheltenham Festival
The Coral sign-up offer of Bet £5 get £30 dishes out similar value to that of Virgin Bet for the Cheltenham Festival.
Why Choose Virgin Bet for Cheltenham Betting
While there are some limitations with your £30 free bets from Virgin Bet at the Cheltenham Festival, this should not put you off being able to win big with the bookmaker.
You can use the £30 free bets on any single market which is a big perk, as some providers only allow their free bets to be used in accumulators or bet builders, which have a higher risk of losing. On top of that, knowing that you could get up to £10 in free bets even if your horse loses on selected races means you can continue to re-invest with Virgin Bet all festival long.
Secondly, Virgin Bet provides Best Odds Guaranteed for the Cheltenham Festival in the past and we expect the bookmaker to do the same again in 2026. This means you won’t find better odds anywhere else throughout the four-day event.
Virgin Bet’s user-friendly platform on desktop and app means it couldn’t be easier to bet with the bookmaker and they are fast becoming a very reputable brand at Cheltenham Festival.
Virgin Bet Cheltenham NRNB (Non-Runner No Bet)
On January 30, 2026, Virgin Bet announced that they will be offering Non-Runner No Bet (NRNB) on select races at Cheltenham Festival 2026. However, this has now been updated to all 28 races, meaning you can now get your stake back if your horse doesn't run in any Cheltenham race!
A Non-Runner No Bet (NRNB) offer gives bettors the opportunity to receive a stake refund if their chosen horse does not compete in a certain race at Cheltenham Festival. This is a significant and popular policy among bookmakers at the races, given that there are so many horses entering multiple fields during the festival.
Future Racing betting ceases at 10am on the day of the overnight declaration stage and all bets placed after that stage will be 'non-runner money back’, ie. your bet stake will be refunded if your horse fails to compete.
Virgin Bet Cheltenham Betting Markets
Virgin Bet has a host of horse racing betting markets for the Cheltenham Festival. Let’s examine them below:
Virgin Bet Cheltenham Win Markets
A market you will be familiar with if you’re using the Virgin Bet Cheltenham Festival Sign Up offer. One of the most popular single markets out there, the win market does what it says on the tin. Back a horse to win and if it does, you will win too! This is one of the markets you can use your three £10 free bets on with Virgin Bet, so make sure to look at the form guides and back your horse wisely.
Virgin Bet Cheltenham Each Way Markets
Each-way betting is a crucial feature offered by all reputable bookmakers and is one that Virgin Bet prides itself on. If your horse doesn’t win but you’ve placed an each-way bet, you will still make money so long as your selection finishes in one of the positions Virgin Bet is paying out on. You’re in luck too, as Virgin Bet offers extra places on races at Cheltenham, meaning your selection has a higher chance of securing a payout.
Virgin Bet Cheltenham Accumulators, Multiples Markets
With their extensive betting options, there are some pretty effective ways to make your money go further at Cheltenham Festival and Virgin Bet. By adding multiple Cheltenham selections to your bet slip, you can select the multiple bet option, which combines your picks into one, simple, easy-to-read Virgin Bet Slip. This method offers greater odds compared to betting on each horse individually – but does come with greater risk.
You can place your acca on a win-only or each-way market, giving you great chances of winning. With many bookmakers, if your acca loses, you lose, but with Virgin, they have given money back as a free bet if one horse doesn’t place. This is subject to terms and conditions, and each race will vary, so look out for the options closer to the festival.
Virgin Bet Cheltenham Forecast, Tricast Markets
A forecast is another type of bet where you must correctly predict the finishing positions of the competitors in a certain race. Virgin Bet provides forecasts, where you will predict the top two finishers, and tricasts, where you will try to predict the top three. This is a high-risk, high-reward market but with the copious amount of information provided on each race by Virgin Bet, there’s a chance of you making the most informed decision possible.
Virgin Bet Cheltenham Special Markets
There are numerous different special markets which you can utilise every single day at the Cheltenham Festival with Virgin Bet. Daily specials on Virgin Bet could include the number of placed favourites in a single day, the most successful jockey at Cheltenham Festival, or the most successful trainer. However you look at the event, Virgin Bet has you covered.
Exclusive Virgin Bet Features for Cheltenham Bettors
Here are some of the best exclusive features you can get when using the Virgin Bet app or on desktop.
Virgin Bet Cheltenham Live Streaming
At Cheltenham Festival, you will be able to live stream every race on the Virgin Bet website. Unlike some bookmakers, racing on Virgin Bet has no stake restrictions; all you need to do is have a funded account to be able to watch all the action live and the drama unfold.
Virgin Bet Cheltenham Best Odds Guaranteed
One of the biggest benefits of Virgin Bet is that they have provided Best Odds Guaranteed over previous Cheltenham Festivals. Virgin offers Best Odds Guaranteed from 10am on the day of the event on all Horse Racing from the UK & Ireland. To be eligible for this, you must be a member of Virgin Bet and place a bet which includes one or more win or each-way selections on UK or Irish horse racing after 10.00am (UK time) on the day of the race. This offers great value to all Virgin Bet customers for all four days of Cheltenham Festival.
Cheltenham 2026 Schedule & Key Races
The Cheltenham Festival is expected to welcome over 250,000 spectators across four days of world-class jump racing, with the event set to take place between Tuesday 10 – Friday 13 March 2026.
Here are some of the biggest questions surrounding Virgin Bet and the Cheltenham Festival:
Do Virgin Bet give free bets? Yes, Virgin Bet will provide £30 in free bets with its sign-up offer.
Does Virgin Bet pay out for extra places? Virgin Bet will pay out for extra places on select races at the Cheltenham Festival. This will include four or five places for some.
Responsible Betting
Cheltenham Festival week is one of the most exciting times in the racing calendar, but it’s important to always bet responsibly. Set limits, stay in control, and only wager what you can afford to lose.
Virgin Bet and all licensed bookmakers promote responsible gambling and provide tools to help you manage your betting activity. If you ever feel that gambling is becoming a problem, support and advice are available through BeGambleAware.org or by calling the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133.
