Smarkets Review UK: Promo Code COMMFREE for 0% Commission
- Bonus: 0% commission for 60 days
- Promo Code: COMMFREE (enter it when you register)
- Top sports: Football, tennis, cricket, basketball and ice hockey, including in-play
- Bet types: Back and lay bets on a peer-to-peer exchange
- Min deposit: £10 first deposit by debit card or Instant Banking
- Licence: UK Gambling Commission, account 39173
18+. Use Smarkets code COMMFREE to trade with 0% commission for 60 days. New UK, IE & Malta users only. Min. £10/€10 first deposit only using Debit Card or Instant Banking. Full T&Cs apply.
Smarkets is a betting exchange, not a bookie. You bet against other punters, you can back or lay, and Smarkets takes a 2% commission on your net winnings. New customers who use the Promo Code COMMFREE pay no commission at all for 60 days, which is the best way to try exchange betting without it costing you anything extra.
It suits punters who like to shop for a price or lay a short favourite. The downsides are a Trustpilot score of 2.2 from 626 reviews (checked October 2026), mostly down to frozen accounts and verification delays, and prices that can move before you get matched. Here’s how it all works, with simple £ examples, and how Smarkets compares with Matchbook and a normal bookmaker.
At a glanceSmarkets key facts
| Website | smarkets.com |
| Welcome offer | 0% Commission for 60 Days |
| Promo Code | COMMFREE |
| Minimum deposit | £10 first deposit by debit card or Instant Banking for the offer |
| Commission | 2% on net winnings as standard; 0% for 60 days with Promo Code COMMFREE |
| Excluded deposits | Skrill, Neteller, PayPal and virtual or prepaid cards (including virtual Monzo cards) |
| Licence | Smarkets (Malta) Limited, Gambling Commission account 39173 |
| Founded | 2008 in London by Jason Trost and Hunter Morris |
| Sister site | SBK, Smarkets’ fixed-odds bookmaker, runs under the same licence |
| App | iOS and Android |
| Trustpilot | 2.2 / 5 from 626 reviews (checked October 2026) |
How the Smarkets 0% commission offer works
Most welcome offers give you free bets. Smarkets does something different: it switches off its commission. Normally Smarkets takes 2% of your net winnings. Sign up with COMMFREE and that drops to 0% on every bet that settles within 60 days of your first deposit.
The 60 days start from your first deposit, not from the day you register. So you can open the account in August and only start the clock when the football season or the jumps season is properly under way.
You must type COMMFREE into the promo code box during registration. Smarkets won’t add it afterwards, and anyone who skips it goes straight onto the 2% rate. Your first deposit must be at least £10 and made by debit card or Instant Banking. PayPal, Skrill, Neteller and virtual cards, including virtual Monzo cards, don’t count.
Two groups are left out: existing SBK customers, and anyone who bets through an API or trading software. Bets that settle after day 60 pay the normal 2%, even if you placed them during the offer.
It depends on how much you win, not how much you stake. Win £200 net over the 60 days and you save £4 (2% of £200). Win £1,000 and you save £20. If you lose overall, it saves you nothing, but it doesn’t cost you anything either. It’s a modest perk for casual punters and a useful one if you bet often.
Smarkets promo code COMMFREE
Enter COMMFREE in the promo code box when you register, make a first deposit of £10 or more by debit card or Instant Banking, and every bet that settles within 60 days of that deposit is commission-free. Forget the Promo Code and you’re put straight on the standard 2% rate.
| Smarkets Bonus | 0% Commission for 60 Days |
| Smarkets Bonus Code | COMMFREE |
| Min deposit | £10 first deposit by debit card or Instant Banking |
| Conditions | New UK, Ireland and Malta users, 18+. Promo Code must be entered at registration. Skrill, Neteller, PayPal and virtual or prepaid cards (including virtual Monzo cards) don’t qualify. 0% applies to bets that settle within 60 days of your first deposit, then 2% returns. Not for existing SBK users or customers using an API or trading software. One per person and household. |
| Website | smarkets.com |
| Claim | Get 0% Commission |
How to claim the Smarkets free bets
Who owns Smarkets?
Smarkets was founded in London in 2008 by Jason Trost and Hunter Morris. UK customers bet with Smarkets (Malta) Limited, licensed by the Gambling Commission under account 39173. The same licence covers SBK, Smarkets’ fixed-odds bookmaker, which is why existing SBK customers can’t claim COMMFREE.
The Commission’s public register lists no regulatory action against this account. Being UKGC-licensed means your account comes with the usual protections: deposit limits, GAMSTOP self-exclusion and a free independent dispute service if a complaint isn’t sorted.
How betting on Smarkets works: back, lay and commission
On an exchange, punters set the prices. One person backs a result to happen, another lays it, meaning they bet it won’t. Smarkets just matches the two and takes a cut from whoever wins. If nobody is willing to take the other side of your bet at your price, it sits unmatched until someone does or you cancel it.
Backing: a £ example
You back Arsenal to win at 3.0 (2/1) with £10. They win, so you make £20 profit. Smarkets takes 2%, or 40p, and you keep £19.60. With COMMFREE in your first 60 days, you keep the full £20.
Laying: a £ example
You think a 4/1 favourite at Cheltenham won’t win, so you lay it at 5.0 for £10. If it loses, you win the backer’s £10, minus 2% = £9.80. If it wins, you pay the backer £40 (£10 × 4). That £40 is your liability, and you need it in your balance to place the lay.
In-play markets
You can trade in-play on football, tennis, ice hockey, basketball and cricket, so you can back a side at half-time or lay a team that’s just gone a goal up.
Smarkets vs a bookmaker
A bookie builds its margin into the odds and pays no commission. An exchange takes commission instead, lets you lay, and the prices come from other punters rather than a trader. The catch is liquidity: on smaller markets there may not be enough money waiting to match your bet at the price you want.
What do players say about Smarkets?
Smarkets scores 2.2 out of 5 on Trustpilot from 626 reviews (checked October 2026). It’s polarised: 61% one-star and 27% five-star. Smarkets replies to almost every negative review, usually within a week, asking customers to email the team with their account details.
The complaints are mostly about what happens when something goes wrong with an account, not about the betting itself.
- Frozen accounts. Several 2026 reviews describe accounts locked during checks, with balances out of reach for months. One reviewer said a compliance check took about a month.
- Withdrawals back to the deposit card. Reviewers report withdrawals arriving in around six hours, but money can only go back to the card you deposited with. One reviewer’s funds were stuck when that card expired.
- Missed prices. Some say prices moved before their bets were matched. Smarkets replied that prices and liquidity change quickly as other users act.
- Praise from long-term users. Positive reviews mention good prices, a clean website, friendly support and years without problems.
Smarkets: the good and the not so good
Pros
- No commission for 60 days Win £500 net on the exchange in your first two months and you keep all £500 instead of £490.
- You can lay If you think the favourite won’t win the Grand National, you can bet against it, something a bookie won’t let you do.
- Low standard commission 2% on net winnings, the same rate as Matchbook, so the cost stays small once the offer ends.
Cons
- Account check complaints A 2.2 Trustpilot score, with reviewers describing balances frozen for months during compliance checks.
- Prices can move away On quieter markets your bet may not get matched at the price you wanted, or at all.
- Strict sign-up rules Miss the Promo Code at registration or deposit with PayPal and you’re on 2% from day one.
Smarkets vs Matchbook, Betfred and bet365
Smarkets and Matchbook are both exchanges with the same standard commission. Here’s how they compare with each other and with two traditional bookmakers.
| Site | Welcome offer | Promo Code | Type | Commission | Trustpilot |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smarkets | 0% Commission for 60 Days | COMMFREE | Exchange | 2% (0% for 60 days) | 2.2 |
| Matchbook | Bet £20 Get £30 | NEW30 | Exchange | 2% (0% on Matchbook Zero markets) | 4.1 |
| Betfred | Bet £10 Get £50 | Not needed | Bookmaker | None, margin is in the odds | 3.1 |
| bet365 | Bet £10 Get £30 | 365GMBLR | Bookmaker | None, margin is in the odds | 1.3 |
If you want free bets, the bookies give you more for your money: Betfred’s £50 for a tenner beats anything the exchanges offer. If you want to lay, or you bet often enough for commission to add up, Smarkets and Matchbook both make sense. Matchbook has the much better Trustpilot score and a longer commission-free deal (0% for 110 days with a separate Promo Code), while Smarkets’ 60 days start from your first deposit rather than sign-up. See the best UK betting sites for the full list.
Is Smarkets worth joining?
Yes, if you’re curious about exchange betting or already know you like laying. COMMFREE costs nothing to claim, the 60-day clock starts only when you deposit, and 2% afterwards is a fair rate. Punters who bet regularly on football or tennis in-play will get the most from it.
Keep your eyes open on the account side. The Trustpilot reviews describe long verification holds, so get your documents in early and withdraw to a card that won’t expire soon. If you’d rather have free bets than a commission holiday, Matchbook gives you both options.
