Gambling Arbitrage
Arbitrage betting takes time, dedication, and practice to execute effectively, but it’s one of the most rewarding practices in sports betting. If done correctly, you’re assured to have a bigger bankroll. Arbitrage (or arbing), is the practice of purchasing something (typically an asset or product) and then selling it almost immediately in another market for a higher price. It is often (incorrectly) said that this produces risk free profit. This practice occurs in any market where the same item has the potential to be sold for different prices. Arbitrage is a form of 'no risk' gambling or a type of gambling in which you can't lose, no matter what happens. Opportunities for arbitrage are few and far between, however, and when they do occur they don't always create a very high reward. As the Iovation website proudly states, this also prevents Arbitrage betting. Whatever measures players take to disguise their arbitrage betting activity, bookmakers are still in the best position to recognise arb opportunities. Think about it: if professional bettors can build arb finding software, then so can the bookmakers. Otherwise known as “arb betting” or “arbing,” arbitrage betting is a simple betting strategy that involves placing bets on every possible outcome of an event.
In today’s lesson, we will be discussing arbitrage betting and matched betting.
Sports betting has been around for quite some time now that most experienced bettors have found a way to make money sports betting without incurring much risk on their end.
Some may say that these betting strategies come with no risk at all.
How are they able to do that? Let’s find out.
- No Risk Bets 101: Arbitrage Betting
- No Risk Bets Guide: Matched Betting
- Can You Make A Living From Matched Betting?
No Risk Bets 101: Arbitrage Betting
What is Arbitrage Betting?
Arbitrage betting is a sports betting strategy where you place bets on all possible outcomes of a single event at odds that will guarantee a profit.
Since you’re betting on both sides of a single event, whoever wins the game or competition, you’re guaranteed to win one of your bets.
Arbitrage bets are also known as sure bets or just simply arbs.
In today’s betting market, the competition among bookmakers is very competitive that their odds differ for most of the ongoing sporting events to attract more customers.
With arbitrage betting, sports bettors are taking advantage of the difference in the odds being offered by sportsbooks.
It’s an easy way to make sure money with no risk.
Is Arbitrage Betting Legal?
Arbitrage betting is perfectly legal as long as gambling is also considered legal in your area.
The fact that different bookmakers will offer different betting odds for the same event is not the fault of any sports bettors.
Unfortunately, some bookmakers are not very excited about these so-called arbers. These are people who do arbitrage betting. Some arbers reported that they’re account got closed without any valid explanation from their bookmakers.
Why do bookmakers close accounts suspected of arbitrage betting?
Because bookmakers lose money to arbers.
Most bookmakers claim that they do not ban those who do arbitrage betting. But that’s not entirely true, so make sure to be careful with your betting transactions. Make it look normal or unsuspicious as much as you can.
How To Find The Games To Arbitrage Bet On
So how do arbitrage bettors place their bets?
It’s simple, they sign up to a handful of sportsbooks or bookmakers, and find a sporting event that at least two bookmakers have different point of views on.
The easiest way to do arbitrage betting is to place a bet on sports that only has two certain outcomes like basketball, American football, ice hockey, or tennis.
Arbitrage betting may be quite hard to do when betting on soccer as there are three possible outcomes for each soccer match.
For example, there is a game between the Miami Heat and the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers are home and are favored to win the money line at -130 while the odds for a Heat win is at +110. Those odds are available at your first sportsbook.
Now, as you shop for the better odds, you came across a second sportsbook where the Heat are the team favored at -115, while the Lakers are underdogs for +105.
To win a guaranteed profit, you, as a smart sports bettor, will place a bet where the Lakers are considered underdogs, which is at your second sportsbook.
Let’s say you placed a thousand dollar bet for a Lakers win, you’ll win $1050 if they emerge victors against the Heat. Since the Heat are the underdogs on your first sportsbook, you place the same amount of bet, and if they do win, you’ll get $1100.
If the Lakers win, you’ll win $50. For a Heat win, you’ll profit $100. Regardless of who wins the game, you’re going to make money and that is what arbitrage betting is all about.
How Much Can You Make Arbitrage Betting?
Since you already know that arbitrage betting is legal in your area and you know how to do it, you may be asking how much can you make out of it.
Arbers with a huge capital can easily make hundreds of dollars out of a single game, but not everyone is blessed with such a bankroll.
For starters, odd differences will not be that significant in most games. Most sporting events or arbitrage opportunities return less than 1.2% of your investment.
You’ll be lucky to find a 3% return arbitrage betting. That is highly dependent if you’re able to find a sporting event that two bookmakers see very differently.
If you’re starting capital is low, don’t expect to make a hundred dollar any time soon.
Arbitrage betting in theory is an easy way to make money with no risk, but it’s not for everyone.
Great discipline should still be followed when you practice this betting strategy.
In the good old days, it was possible to earn a livelihood by arbing, but it’s much more difficult to find arbitrage opportunities because of how sharp the lines are set nowadays.
No Risk Arbitrage Betting Strategy To Follow
If you decide to do arbitrage betting, you should have accounts with multiple bookmakers to reduce the risk of your account being suspended or closed down.
After that, subscribe or install an application that can notify you whenever a sporting event’s odds change significantly. Calculate how much you want to place for the said event for either team for you to make a reasonable profit.
If you’re fast enough to take advantage of an odds difference between two sportsbooks, then all you have to do is wait for one of your bookmakers to pay you after the game is concluded.
Arbitrage betting is not rocket science.
If you see an odd difference that can make you money, then it’s a great idea to grab it while it’s there. Do it as fast as you can for you not to miss out.
No Risk Bets Guide: Matched Betting
Another good no risk betting method to follow is matched betting. This betting strategy allows a sports bettor to make money out of the free bets offered by several online bookmakers.
What is Matched Betting?
Matched betting started in the early 2000s, at the same time that online bookmakers started appearing on the Internet. Since then hundreds of bookmakers opened online and made the industry very competitive.
For that reason, online bookmakers decided to offer more promotions to attract more customers.
This type of promotion is given to those who sign up for a new account.
Sign up bonus is automatically credited to your account if you’re eligible for it. It’s free money once you meet the requirement for the bonus.
Since matched betting is done by placing wagers on all outcomes of the game, there are zero risks involved.
That is why matched betting is considered to be one of the easiest ways to make money online.
Is Matched Betting Legal?
Matched betting is 100% legal, and you won’t be jailed doing it as long as gambling is allowed in your country or area.
Bookmakers would not say if they will ban players who do match betting.
Since this practice is done by signing up with different bookmakers and betting exchanges to take advantage of their promotions, we don’t think they will ban you from doing just that.
Matched betting is not illegal to do since you’re only placing bets on two different outcomes of a certain game. This eliminates the risk involved in gambling.
You’re not stealing from anyone, instead taking advantage of an opportunity to profit using this hedging strategy.
How To Do Matched Betting?
So how can you get started matched betting?
First, you have to sign up with at least one bookmaker and one betting exchange that offers sign up bonuses to new customers.
Most of these bookmakers andexchanges require you to put some real money in before they give you your bonuses. You just need to follow their instructions on how you can cash in to start matched betting.
Afterward, you just need to familiarize yourself with their platform until you’re ready to place your first bet and start matched betting online.
Let’s say there is a tennis match between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal for the Australian Open championship, and Nadal is slightly favored.
You can back Djokovic on your bookmaker, and lay a bet on Djokovic on your betting exchange. By doing so, whatever the result of the match, you are guaranteed to make a profit.
Another example is a game between Liverpool and Manchester City. Liverpool is the slight favorite to win. You want to do matched betting for this game but there are three outcomes for the game unlike tennis: Liverpool win, Manchester City Win, and draw.
You may consider placing a bet for Manchester City and then lay Manchester City on the betting exchange that you have a free bet.
Once the soccer match between Liverpool and Manchester City is over, you can take your profit since you have a bet on all three outcomes of the game whether it is a Liverpool victory, Manchester City win, or a draw.
If you’re wondering why you’re able to win even if there is a draw. It’s because when you lay a bet you are betting on two outcomes: Manchester City win and draw.
“Back” Bet
To back means to place a bet for something to happen. This is similar to the bets you place with your sportsbook or your bookmaker. The bookmaker gives the odd. If you think that is favorable for you, you place a back bet with them.
“Lay” Bet
To lay means to place a bet for something not to happen. This is the type of bet you place on the betting exchange. For laying bets, you are the one who will be giving the odds, and you’ll be waiting for a fellow sports bettor to accept your odds.
Matched Betting or Arbitrage Betting: Which one is better?
Matched betting is considered as a form of arbitrage betting because you are also placing bets on all possible outcomes of a sports event.
The noticeable difference is that for arbitrage betting, you’re looking for a difference in odds that will require to do a lot of line shopping to find the right arbitrage opportunities. While in matched betting you utilize free bets to guarantee a profit.
To answer the question, which one is better, we’re going to say it’s matched betting.
Matched betting is simpler to do since you just need to look for promotions. These promotions are offered by most betting exchanges and bookmakers. Once you’re qualified, all you have to do is deposit a part of your bankroll and wait for them to credit your sign up bonus.
As opposed to arbitrage betting where you have to look for varying odds between dozens of bookmakers.
If you’re looking for a way to make easy money, matched betting is the better option.
Can You Make A Living From Matched Betting?
Some sports bettors doing matched betting claim to make thousands of dollars doing matched betting. These are the people who invested a lot of their time looking for opportunities to do matched betting, and made this betting method their full-time job.
For casual sports bettors, don’t worry, as you can also make money matched betting.
You just have to find promotions from bookmakers and betting exchanges that you can make use of to do no risk matched betting. The amount that you can make here ranges from a meager ten-dollar up to hundreds of dollars.
The money that you can make doing matched betting highly depends on how many promotional offers you can find and qualify for.
Matched Betting in the US
US matched betting is fairly new. You can only do matched betting in the United States if you live on one of the states that online gambling or betting is not considered illegal.
To give you further details on this, let’s take a look at the table below.
The good news is since more states are allowing online sports betting, some US states may follow suit and allow its residents to do no risk matched betting as well. Just hang tight and you can start matched betting in the US soon.
Here’s an update on where other US states stand on sports betting.
| Sports Betting Status | US States |
|---|---|
| Allowed | Nevada, New Jersey, Delaware, Indiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, West Virginia, Arkansas, New York, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Oregon, Illinois, Michigan, Iowa, Montana, Washington, Washington D.C., Colorado, North Carolina, Tennessee |
| On-going process | Connecticut, Maine, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland, Missouri, Kansas, Louisiana, California, Arizona, Virginia, South Dakota, Ohio, Wyoming, Nebraska, Alabama, Vermont, Florida, Georgia |
| Not Allowed | Idaho, Wisconsin, Utah, Wyoming, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Minnesota, Idaho, Hawaii, Alaska, Texas, North Dakota |
Best Online Betting Sites for US Residents
Sports Gambling Arbitrage
We’ve reviewed a handful of betting sites who serve US customers and we were able to identify these two companies as the best sites to place your bets with if you’re in the US.
| US Betting Sites | Exclusive Offers | Restricted Countries |
|---|---|---|
| 5Dimes | France, Hungary, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Russia, Ukraine and United Kingdom | |
| Intertops | Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Armenia, Australia, Bangladesh, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Eritrea, Ethiopia, France, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Greece, Greenland, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Mali, Myanmar, Niger, Nigeria, Samoa, Swaziland, Togo, Tonga, United Kingdom, Uganda, and Zimbabwe |
Matched Betting in the UK
There are more tools and websites available for those matched betting in the UK compared to thosebetting in the US.
Sports Betting Arbitrage Bot
UK citizens have been seeing a lot of ads about matched betting in many of their media outlets there. This makes it easier for them to look for matched betting offers and promotions.
The gambling laws and regulations in the UK and most of Europe are more liberal compared to some US states. Most countries in Europe can easily do matched betting at the comforts of their own home.
Best Online Betting Sites for UK Residents
| UK Online Betting Sites | Offers | Restricted Countries |
|---|---|---|
| BetNow | Australia, Afghanistan, Congo, Eritrea, France, Guinea-Bissau, Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, Libya, Mali, Malta, North Korea, Panama, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, and Yemen | |
| BetOnline | Australia, France, Greece, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, and Switzerland |
Matched Betting in the AU
Sports Betting Arbitrage Software
Matched betting in Australia is legal and allowed by their government.
We encouraged bettors to sign up with multiple bookmakers to take advantage of these promotions and offers. Doing so makes it easier for them to make money matched betting.
Some bookmakers also allow residents from NZ or New Zealand to participate and engage with matched betting.
Best Online Betting Sites for AU Residents
| AU Sports Betting Sites | Offers | Restricted Countries |
|---|---|---|
| 5Dimes | France, Greece, Hungary, Portugal, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland, Ukraine, and United Kingdom | |
| 1XBet | Burkina Faso, Cyprus, Czech, France, Italy, Kenya, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and USA |
No Risk Bets – Final Thoughts
Matched betting and arbitrage betting are both no risk betting strategies you can do to make money online.
Arbitrage betting is great for those with thousands of dollars that they can use for betting. For the reason that having more betting money means more winnings for arbers.
For casual bettors or sports betting beginners, no risk matched betting is the easiest way to build up your bankroll.
If you can find lots of promotional offers from bookmakers and betting exchanges, and qualify for them. You can start making money matched betting right away.
Remember to always keep track of your bets, so that you can easily know where your money is. Having multiple bookmakers can sometimes make tracking your money difficult for some sports bettors.
Also, gamble only what you can afford. Simply doing that will help you avoid trouble.
Good luck!
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