The Best Cheltenham Festival Betting Sites in the UK
For jump racing fans, the meeting that matters is the Cheltenham Festival. Every year in March the best National Hunt horses from the UK, Ireland, and France do battle up the famous Cheltenham Hill. The Cheltenham Festival lasts for four days, starting on Tuesday and ending on Friday. If you enjoy having a bet on the horses, we reveal the best Cheltenham Festival betting sites in the UK on this page.
Our racing betting experts look at a number of aspects, including bonus and odds quality, the regularity of Cheltenham Festival betting promotions and also whether live streaming is an option. Keep on reading to find out which UK bookies are best for betting on the Cheltenham Festival.
Top UK Cheltenham Festival Betting Sites
| Bonus | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Casino | Bonus | Payment methods | Link | T&Cs | |||||||||||||||||||||
| # | IMG |
|
|
Rating |
£30 Bonus |
Link | Claim Paddy Power Review Review | Bonus |
Bonus details:
n/a |
Payment methods |
Payment methods
(5 in total):
     |
Minimum Deposit | Withdrawal Time | Licences | Toggle | Close – Open + | T&Cs |
New customers only • Place your FIRST bet on any Football market and if it loses we will refund your …Read more
|
|||||||
| # | IMG |
|
|
Rating |
£20 Bonus Bet £5 Get £20 |
Link | Claim Coral Review Review | Bonus |
Bonus details:
18+ Eligible UK+IRE players |
Payment methods |
Payment methods
(5 in total):
 |
Minimum Deposit | Withdrawal Time | Licences | Toggle | Close – Open + | T&Cs |
18+ • Eligible UK+IRE players • Paypal & some deposit & bet types excl • Min first £10 bet …Read more
|
|||||||
| # | IMG |
|
|
Rating |
£30 Bonus Up to £30 in Bet Credits |
Link | Claim Bet365 Review | Bonus |
Bonus details:
Open account offer Up to £30 in Bet Credits for new customers at bet365 Minimum deposit £5 Bet credits available for use upon settlement of bets to value of qualifying deposit Min odds, bet and payment exclusions apply Returns exclude Bet Credits stake Registration required Time limits and T&Cs apply. 18+ begambleaware.org • #ad |
Payment methods |
Payment methods
(4 in total):
  |
Minimum Deposit | Withdrawal Time | Licences | Toggle | Close – Open + | T&Cs |
Open Account Offer • Bet £10 & Get £30 in Free Bets for new customers at bet365 • Min deposit r …Read more
|
|||||||
| # | IMG |
|
|
Rating |
£100 Bonus Up to £100 in Bet Credits |
Link | Claim Betfair Sportsbook Review Review | Bonus |
Bonus details:
18+ |
Payment methods |
Payment methods
(5 in total):
|
Minimum Deposit | Withdrawal Time | Licences | Toggle | Close – Open + | T&Cs |
New customer offer • Place 5 x £10 or more bets to receive £20 in free bets • Repeat up to 5 times t …Read more
|
|||||||
| # | IMG |
|
|
Rating |
£30 Bonus Bet £10 Get £30 |
Link | Claim William Hill Review Review | Bonus |
Bonus details:
New online customers only |
Payment methods |
Payment methods
(5 in total):
  |
Minimum Deposit | Withdrawal Time | Licences | Toggle | Close – Open + | T&Cs |
New online customers only • Min £10 stake • Win only • Min odds 1/2 • Free bets paid as 2x £15 • 30 …Read more
|
|||||||
| # | IMG |
|
|
Rating |
£40 Bonus £40 Money Back Offer |
Link | Claim Unibet Review | Bonus |
Bonus details:
18+ begambleaware.org |
Payment methods |
Payment methods
(5 in total):
|
Minimum Deposit | Withdrawal Time | Licences | Toggle | Close – Open + | T&Cs |
18+ begambleaware.org • New customers only • Min deposit £10 • Money back as bonus if first bet lose …Read more
|
|||||||
| # | IMG |
|
|
Rating |
£20 Bonus Bet £5 Get £20 |
Link | Claim Ladbrokes Review Review | Bonus |
Bonus details:
18+ |
Payment methods |
Payment methods
(5 in total):
|
Minimum Deposit | Withdrawal Time | Licences | Toggle | Close – Open + | T&Cs |
18+ • New UK+IRE customers • PayPal and certain deposit types and bet types excluded • Min £5 bet wi …Read more
|
As we stated in the previous section, we judge betting sites on a number of different characteristics. As far as our experts are concerned, Paddy Power is just about the best Cheltenham Festival betting site in the UK. The competition was fierce though and there was very little between most of our top Cheltenham betting sites. The final list is above.
Paddy Power Cheltenham Promotions
Paddy Power comes out on top for betting on the Cheltenham Festival for a number of reasons. They are usually one of the first bookies to go non-runner no bet, a huge positive for punters who want to get on early. Paddy Power are never afraid to run money back specials that involve refunding losing bets if the banker of the week wins.
Paddy Power Cheltenham Promotions: Money Back Specials up to £50!
Paddy Power loves to grab the attention of punters with amazing money back specials. Every year at Cheltenham Paddy Power usually offer money back on all losing bets if a certain horse wins a race (usually the ‘banker’ of the week). For example, in 2019 Paddy Power offered money back on all races on Day 1 of the Cheltenham Festival if the SP favourite won!
So, if you are planning on taking on a hot favourite, check to see if Paddy Power have a money back special. The maximum refund is usually £50 and is paid as a free bet token. Certain wagering restrictions may apply to the free bet, check Paddy Power for full T&Cs.
Paddy Power Cheltenham Festival: Extra Place Specials
At Cheltenham big fields are usually the order of the day. The Champion Chase and Arkle are the two exceptions, but the rest of the races normally have 16+ runners. If there is a big field, Paddy Power can usually be relied upon to have extra place specials available for each way punters.
For Graded races, no matter how big the field is the standard e/w terms are 1/5 odds 1-2-3 places. Paddy Power offers extra places for Graded Cheltenham Races regularly, usually paying out on the 1-2-3-4 at 1/5 odds.
Handicaps can have up to 24 runners at Cheltenham and in fields of that size standard e/w terms are 1/4 odds 1-2-3-4. You will often find extra place offers for these races with Paddy Power too, but there is a condition. They may offer 5 or even 6 places, but only at 1/5 odds rather than 1/4 odds.
| Bonus | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Casino | Bonus | Payment methods | Link | T&Cs | |||||||||||||||||||||
| # | IMG |
|
|
Rating |
£30 Bonus |
Link | Claim Paddy Power Review Review | Bonus |
Bonus details:
n/a |
Payment methods |
Payment methods
(5 in total):
|
Minimum Deposit | Withdrawal Time | Licences | Toggle | Close – Open + | T&Cs |
New customers only • Place your FIRST bet on any Football market and if it loses we will refund your …Read more
|
William Hill Cheltenham
While Paddy Power ended up as our best Cheltenham festival betting sites, William Hill wasn’t far behind. One of Britain’s best-known bookies on the high street and online, William Hill are top-notch when it comes to Cheltenham festival coverage.
You can stream every race live and there are one or two William Hill Cheltenham promotions that you will definitely want to check out. To give you a taste of what you might expect, we look back on one of the best past William Hill Cheltenham promotions below…
William Hill Cheltenham Double Your Winnings Offer
For the past couple of years William Hill has run a ‘Double Your Winnings’ promotion for certain races at the Cheltenham festival. This offer does exactly what it says on the tin. If you land a win or each way bet on the nominated Cheltenham race, William Hill will double your returns up to a maximum bonus of £100. Check out some of the key terms and conditions associated with this William Hill Cheltenham Festival promotion below…
William Hill Double Your Winnings Cheltenham T&Cs
- Applies to first bet placed on nominated race only.
- Pre-race win or each way bets only.
- Max bonus paid is £100 regardless of the amount won.
- Bets placed using Free Bet tokens will qualify.
- If your first bet is a non-runner the offer transfers to your second bet.
- Check William Hill for full terms and conditions.
| Bonus | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Casino | Bonus | Payment methods | Link | T&Cs | |||||||||||||||||||||
| # | IMG |
|
|
Rating |
£30 Bonus Bet £10 Get £30 |
Link | Claim William Hill Review Review | Bonus |
Bonus details:
New online customers only |
Payment methods |
Payment methods
(5 in total):
|
Minimum Deposit | Withdrawal Time | Licences | Toggle | Close – Open + | T&Cs |
New online customers only • Min £10 stake • Win only • Min odds 1/2 • Free bets paid as 2x £15 • 30 …Read more
|
Cheltenham Festival Free Bets and Promotions
The Cheltenham Festival is one of the UK’s biggest betting events and bookies try to take advantage of this by running lots of specials and welcome promotions to catch the eye of potential new customers. The range of different promotions on offer for the Cheltenham Festival is quite diverse. Some bookies prefer to run money back specials or enhanced each way promos, while others offer enhanced odds for new customers. Below we look at the different type of specials you might encounter for this year’s Cheltenham festival.
- Cheltenham Festival Money Back Specials: Paddy Power is famous for offering money back on losing bets on a race (or races) if a certain horse wins at the Cheltenham Festival. In 2019 they escaped lightly, but in 2018 they offered money back on all losing Champion Hurdles bets if Buveur D’Air won (which he did!).
- Cheltenham Festival Enhanced Each Way Promotions: Enhanced each way terms are by far the most common type of promotion for Cheltenham. Nearly every major UK bookie, including William Hill, Betfair and Bet365 offer extra places at 1/5 odds for all the biggest Cheltenham Festival races. So, if you are an each way punter make sure to shop around to find the best terms.
- Cheltenham Festival New Customer Offers: Many betting sites use the Cheltenham Festival to try and snare new members by offering huge enhanced odds on a certain horse. For example, in 2019 Paddy Power offered 80/1 on Clan des Obeaux for the Gold Cup for new customers. Stakes were limited to £1 but even so, if you fancy a horse and the odds are enhanced then this type of offer is worth considering.
- Cheltenham Festival Free Bet Offers: William Hill ran a brilliant promotion for Day 1 at Cheltenham in 2019. If you signed up and placed a £20 win or e/w bet on the first race, you were awarded free £10 bets for the remaining 6 races on the card. A William Hill promo code was required for this offer, so watch out for any similar William Hill Cheltenham specials in 2020.
- Cheltenham Festival Non-Runner No Bet (NRNB): Ante-post betting is a risky business as if your horse doesn’t run, you lose your stake. Most races are ante-post up until final declarations, but for Cheltenham the likes of Betfair, Paddy Power, and Betfred go non-runner no bet sometimes as much as a month before the race. With NRNB if your horse doesn’t run you get your money back. So, if you are having a bet well in advance of the festival, make sure to check if any betting sites are NRNB,
| Bonus | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Casino | Bonus | Payment methods | Link | T&Cs | |||||||||||||||||||||
| # | IMG |
|
|
Rating |
£50 Bonus £50 Free Bets & 50 Free Spins |
Link | Claim Betfred Review | Bonus |
Bonus details:
First bet must be placed at evens or greater |
Payment methods |
Payment methods
(5 in total):
|
Minimum Deposit | Withdrawal Time | Licences | Toggle | Close – Open + | T&Cs |
New UK customers only • Register using the promo code BETFRED60, deposit and place first bet of £10+ …Read more
|
Given the amount of promotions usually available for the Cheltenham Festival, it is prudent to shop around and find the one best suited for your betting needs. To find out more about how to bet on the Cheltenham festival and information on some of the biggest races, keep on reading.
Cheltenham Festival Betting Sites – Big Race Winners 2019
| Race | Winner | Jockey / Trainer |
| Champion Hurdle | Espoir D’Allen | M Walsh / G Cromwell |
| Champion Chase | Altior | N De Boinville / N Henderson |
| Stayers Hurdle | Paisley Park | A Coleman / E Lavelle |
| Gold Cup | Al Boum Photo | P Townend / W Mullins |
Cheltenham Odds 2020: The Gold Cup
The biggest race of the whole week at Cheltenham is the Gold Cup. This race is the pinnacle of the sport for staying chasers and while the Grand National may be the nation’s most popular race, the Gold Cup is of a much higher quality. In 2019 Irish trainer Willie Mullins finally landed his first Gold Cup with Al Boum Photo. He will look to retain his crown in 2020, while the likes of Clan des Obeaux and Santini will be snapping at his heels.
Last year’s winner leads the way in the market at around 4/1, with the likes of Kemboy and Monalee at 8/1 and 20/1 respectively.
However, at odds of 10/1, we think Presenting Percy is a very tempting price. It’s probably true that he’s not as feared as he once was, and he disappointed last year in the Gold Cup when he went off as the bookies’ favourite. And although he finished third in the Paddy Power Irish Gold Cup at the start of February, punters are still happy to back Patrick Kelly’s gelding. It might be wise to wait to see who’ll be onboard, but if Davy Russell stays in the saddle despite the temptation of riding Delta Work due to the injury to Jack Kennedy, then we expect him to go close. So Presenting Percy is the My Betting Bonus tip for the 2020 Cheltenham Gold Cup.
Cheltenham Festival Betting Tip 2020: Presenting Percy @ 14/1 Paddy Power
Cheltenham Gold Cup Odds Comparison
Odds last updated: 13:55 13 March 2020
| Horse | Paddy Power | William Hill |
| Al Boum Photo | 3/1 | 3/1 |
| Santini | 5/1 | 11/2 |
| Delta Work | 5/1 | 5/1 |
| Lostintranslation | 9/1 | 11/1 |
| Clan Des Obeaux | 8/1 | 8/1 |
| Kemboy | 15/2 | 7/1 |
| Presenting Percy | 14/1 | 14/1 |
| Monalee | 20/1 | 18/1 |
| Bristol De Mai | 22/1 | 25/1 |
| Chriss Dream | 25/1 | 28/1 |
Cheltenham Festival Betting Tips and Advice
There are almost 30 races during the week and the handicaps are especially challenging. Our horse racing experts have bags of Cheltenham festival betting experience. Check out some of their key Cheltenham betting tips and advice below…
How To Bet On The Cheltenham Festival
- Discipline: Don’t place bets on races at Cheltenham just for interest. Choose your selections wisely and don’t bet on every race. Discipline is key.
- Course Form: One of the key stats to look for is whether a horse has previous course form. Cheltenham has one of the stiffest finishes in racing and if a horse has already proven his ability to stay on strongly up the hill, it is a huge plus.
- Ground: As an old professional gambler once said, there are three important things to consider before backing a horse; The ground, the ground, and the ground! There is no point in backing a slow ground horse when conditions are quick and vice versa. Look back at your selections previous results to ensure that it will handle the prevailing ground conditions at Cheltenham.
- Trainer/Jockey Form: Stables and jockeys can be streaky and their form comes and goes. So, make sure to watch out for red hot trainer/jockey combinations in the weeks leading up to the Cheltenham Festival. If you spot a smaller yard that is firing in the winners and they have festival runners (especially in the handicaps) they can often be worth following for the week.
- Market Movers: If you follow market moves, be selective.
Cheltenham Festival Betting Markets
Depending on what bookmaker you use, there will be a big range of Cheltenham Festival betting markets to choose from. Win and each way bets are common and popular, as are forecasts, tricasts, and placepots. Some bookies, like William Hill and Paddy Power, have Tote Placepot/Quadpot/Jackpot betting available, as well as other markets like betting without. You can discover more about the many markets at Cheltenham Festival betting sites below…
Cheltenham Festival Betting: Ante Post/Futures
Ante-Post markets are usually formed for the big races at Cheltenham as soon as the previous year’s festival has finished. With ante-post bets, you will get excellent odds but they are inherently risky wagers. If you back a horse ante-post and it doesn’t run for whatever reason, you lose your money. National hunt horses are very susceptible to injuries, so keep that in mind when choosing your stake size for ante post bets. Watch out for when bookies like Paddy Power and Unibet go NRNB (non-runner no bet) too, as this means you’ll get your money back if your selection doesn’t run.
| Bonus | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Casino | Bonus | Payment methods | Link | T&Cs | |||||||||||||||||||||
| # | IMG |
|
|
Rating |
£40 Bonus £40 Money Back Offer |
Link | Claim Unibet Review | Bonus |
Bonus details:
18+ begambleaware.org |
Payment methods |
Payment methods
(5 in total):
|
Minimum Deposit | Withdrawal Time | Licences | Toggle | Close – Open + | T&Cs |
18+ begambleaware.org • New customers only • Min deposit £10 • Money back as bonus if first bet lose …Read more
|
Cheltenham Festival Betting: Win/Each Way
Straight win or each way bets are by far the most commonly placed wagers at Cheltenham. A straight win bet means your horse has to win to get a return. Each way bets split your stake between the win and place markets, so you’ll need your horse to finish in the places to get anything back. Many betting sites, like Betfair and Betfred, run extra place e/w specials throughout the week.
Cheltenham Festival: Betting Without
Although the Cheltenham Festival is an ultra-competitive meeting, there are usually a few races where there is a red hot odds on favourite. For example, the mighty Altior has been a very short price at Cheltenham the past couple of seasons. Most bookies, including Paddy Power and William Hill, formed ‘Betting Without Altior’ markets. The market worked exactly the same as the normal win/each way market but bets were settled with Altior discounted from the final result. In 2019 if you backed the runner up Politologue in the betting without Altior market, you were paid out as a winner at reduced odds compared to starting price (SP).
Cheltenham Festival In Running Betting
Say you fancy a hold up horse who is priced up at 5/1. During the race, your selection will be most likely nearer last than first and chances are, you will get much bigger odds in-play than if you backed the horse pre-race. The Betfair exchange is one of the most popular sites for in-running betting on Cheltenham, but you can bet live on racing with Bet365 too.
| Bonus | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Casino | Bonus | Payment methods | Link | T&Cs | |||||||||||||||||||||
| # | IMG |
|
|
Rating |
£100 Bonus Up to £100 in Bet Credits |
Link | Claim Betfair Sportsbook Review Review | Bonus |
Bonus details:
18+ |
Payment methods |
Payment methods
(5 in total):
|
Minimum Deposit | Withdrawal Time | Licences | Toggle | Close – Open + | T&Cs |
New customer offer • Place 5 x £10 or more bets to receive £20 in free bets • Repeat up to 5 times t …Read more
|
|||||||
| # | IMG |
|
|
Rating |
£30 Bonus Up to £30 in Bet Credits |
Link | Claim Bet365 Review | Bonus |
Bonus details:
Open account offer Up to £30 in Bet Credits for new customers at bet365 Minimum deposit £5 Bet credits available for use upon settlement of bets to value of qualifying deposit Min odds, bet and payment exclusions apply Returns exclude Bet Credits stake Registration required Time limits and T&Cs apply. 18+ begambleaware.org • #ad |
Payment methods |
Payment methods
(4 in total):
|
Minimum Deposit | Withdrawal Time | Licences | Toggle | Close – Open + | T&Cs |
Open Account Offer • Bet £10 & Get £30 in Free Bets for new customers at bet365 • Min deposit r …Read more
|
Cheltenham Festival Betting: Value Is King!
The most basic thing you can do to ensure you maximise winnings from betting on Cheltenham Festival races is to find the best odds. Because even the smallest differences in odds for single bets turn into quite substantial differences over time. A difference of 0.1 in odds translates as a 10% difference in returns. Over a sample of 100 or 1000 bets.
As you can see from our Gold Cup odds comparison table, Paddy Power, William Hill, and Unibet are all best price for different horses. This demonstrates just how important it is to shop around when betting on the Cheltenham Festival.
Cheltenham Festival Live Streaming Betting Sites
More and more UK betting sites are now offering customers live horse racing streaming. With most UK bookies, you need to place a bet of a certain value on a race to qualify for live streaming. The majority of our top Cheltenham Festival UK betting sites have live streaming available for every Cheltenham race during the week. With Paddy Power and William Hill, you’ll need to place a £1 bet on a race if you want to watch it live.
Cheltenham Festival Mobile App Betting
Mobile betting is quickly catching up with desktop betting in terms of popularity. Younger punters in particular like betting on their mobile phones for example, so it is imperative that old and new betting sites cater to these customers. Most of our top Cheltenham festival betting sites have good mobile apps and web apps where you can bet on the Cheltenham festival AND watch every race live. We liked the Paddy Power and BetVictor mobile apps, and even though they don’t have live Cheltenham streaming, LeoVegas Sport’s mobile app is worth a second look too.
| Bonus | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Casino | Bonus | Payment methods | Link | T&Cs | |||||||||||||||||||||
| # | IMG |
|
|
Rating |
£100 Bonus 100% profit boost of up to £100 of winnings on first bet – mobile only |
Link | Claim LeoVegas Review Review | Bonus |
Bonus details:
T&Cs apply |
Payment methods |
Payment methods
(4 in total):
|
Minimum Deposit | Withdrawal Time | Licences | Toggle | Close – Open + | T&Cs |
T&Cs apply • New reg only • Claim by placing a min deposit £10 via “My Offers” page …Read more
|
Cheltenham Festival Betting Sites FAQs
Is it legal to bet online on the Cheltenham Festival in the UK and Ireland?
If your betting site is licensed by the UK Gambling Commission you can rest assured that you can bet legally on the Cheltenham Festival.
Do any betting sites have live Cheltenham Festival streams?
Yes, the majority of the top UK Cheltenham Festival betting sites in our list have live streaming of every Cheltenham race available. In fact, you can stream every single UK and Irish horse race live with William Hill and Paddy Power. To qualify for live Cheltenham streaming, you’ll need to place a qualifying bet on the race you wish to stream. The minimum stake can vary, check our betting site reviews for further information.
Which UK Betting Site has the best Gold Cup odds?
As we explained briefly earlier, it is absolutely vital that you find the most generous odds if you are betting on the Cheltenham festival. Our Cheltenham Gold Cup odds comparison table neatly demonstrates how prices can vary quite a lot between betting sites. Paddy Power, William Hill, and Unibet are all usually pretty good for Cheltenham odds, but as we are always saying, shop around to make sure you locate the value.
Do bookmakers give away Cheltenham Festival tickets?
Some bookies do give away Cheltenham Festival tickets, especially those who sponsor races during the four days. Keep an eye out on bookmaker’s social media channels for ticket giveaways as well as promos on their site regarding this. Furthermore, if you manage to gain VIP status with a bookmaker, you might get free Cheltenham Festival tickets that way.
