Most punters will at least once make the mistake of backing both teams in a match to win a bet. But what they soon realise is that betting on all the outcomes in a game is never a good strategy unless the odds are in your favour. Why? Because you'll always end up losing money by virtue of how bookmakers set their prices.
- Roulette Arbitrage Betting Strategy
- Roulette Arbitrage Betting Rules
- Roulette Arbitrage Betting Definition
Arbitrage betting involves covering every outcome of an event. In order to guarantee a profit no matter the outcome. Here is an example of a number of arbitrage bets found using the software rebelbetting. For example if we take one of the arbitrage bets above. Next month's AMA: How to turn 100,000$ in to 3.50$ by betting one sports! Original Poster 5 points 5 years ago. That sport is Russian soccer or Russian. You can make each trade or bet quickly, but in between making those bets or trades you should have access to a computer running arbitrage software that will tell you of each arbitrage opportunity. No lose betting opportunities (or 'arbs') sometimes only exist for up to 10 minutes until the odds change and the opportunity has disappeared.
Arbitrage sports betting is a strategy which involves finding variable odds across multiple betting sites that guarantee a profit no matter what happens in the match. So, it's actually possible to win this way? Casino niagara promotions entertainment. Yes, but you'll have to be very patient and determined.
With the prevalence of online bookmaking today, arbitrage sports betting has become increasingly difficult but there are still some opportunities for a sure win if you look hard enough and act fast.
We explain the meaning of arbitrage sports betting, discuss how it works in practice, give you tips for spotting arbing opportunities and debate whether it's really a strategy worth trying out.
What Is Arbitrage Betting?
To understand arbitrage betting it's important first to understand how bookmakers make money. Every time you place a bet, you pay a hidden transaction fee, also known as the bookie's margin, vigorish or overround. The amount ranges from 3% to 20% depending on the bookie and betting market. This margin is built-in to all betting markets but the easiest example is where the true probability of an outcome is 50%, such as a coin flip.
To help explain, the bookie typically pays out at odds of 9/10 in these situations (not EVS) because the 10% difference in odds (the margin) is theirs to keep if you win the bet. The margin is a safety net for bookies to ensure they make a long-term profit even if their odds aren't dead right every time.
So where does arbitrage sports betting come in? Arbing takes advantage of the occasional small discrepancies in odds between different bookies on the same match. The aim of arbitrage is to bet on both sides of a market in such a way as to eliminate the bookie's margin and guarantee a very small profit no matter what happens.
Roulette Arbitrage Betting Strategy
Does that sound complicated? Maybe this example will help…
How Does Arbitrage Sports Betting Work?
Let's say Betway has set the Match Winner odds for an upcoming tennis match between Djokovic and Nadal as follows:
- Nadal – 17/20 (1.85)
- Djokovic – EVS (2.0)
At Sportingbet, you see the odds for the same match as follows:
- Nadal – 7/10 (1.7)
- Djokovic – 5/4 (2.25)
For this Match Winner market, the best odds for Nadal (17/20) are with Betway and the best odds for Djokovic are with Sportingbet (5/4). By taking a bet on Nadal with Betway and another bet on Djokovic with Sportingbet you can create a situation where you're guaranteed to make a profit no matter what happens in the match.
How can this be? The combined cost of your two bets covering all possible outcomes is slightly less than your payout if either bet wins—and you have a 100% chance of one bet winning!
Roulette Arbitrage Betting Rules
To use the same example, let's say you decide to bet R200 in total on the above-mentioned match between Nadal and Djokovic. Your first step is to use anarbitrage betting calculator to work out how much profit you stand to make from the bet and also the amount you need to stake on each selection to guarantee a profit.
You will divide your total spend between the two bets based on the odds for each selection. If you don't stake on each bet correctly, one outcome could lose you money which makes your arbitrage bet pointless. The voice poker face.
Nadal is the favourite to win and has smaller odds, so you'll need to bet slightly more on him than Djokovic to ensure your return equals more than the total cost of your two bets.
You will need to divide your R200 as follows to ensure a profit:
- Bet R110 on Nadal with Betway @ odds of 17/20
- Bet R90 on Djokovic with Sportingbet @ odds of 5/4
To calculate your profit, subtract the total cost of your two bets (R200) from their potential returns.
- If Nadal wins the match, your return is R203.50 and your profit is R3.50 (1.75% profit).
- If Djokovic wins the match, your return is R202.50 and your profit is R2.50 (1.25% profit).
How To Find Arbitrage Sports Bets
It's all very well making a guaranteed profit with arbitrage sports betting, but how do you even go about finding betting opportunities? The straight and truthful answer is—with great difficulty. These bets are seldom obvious and it usually takes a lot of practice looking at odds before you can spot them.
If you see odds of EVS or better on both sides of the market, you know for sure you have a viable arbitrage betting opportunity. But in most cases, the market's odds make it far less clear and you'll have to use an arbitrage betting calculator to find out.
5 Ways You Can Take Arbitrage Bets Under The Radar
- Round your bets up or down to the nearest rand.
- Don't deposit and withdraw funds every time you win.
- Bet on the occasional accumulator.
- Use a site with a betting exchange like 1xBet (if you are outside of South Africa) where you aren't betting against the bookmaker but rather other punters.
- Don't take bets for the maximum stake every time.
Is Arbitrage Betting Legal?
Yes, arbitrage betting is legal. However, some bookmakers still don't allow players to place these bets, stating in their T&Cs that they close the accounts of known arbers. Some off-shore betting sites like Pinnacle actually encourage arbitrage sports betting because it helps increase betting volume—even if they are guaranteed to lose some arbitrage bets to punters, they are bound to win some too.
Can My Betting Account Be Closed For Arbitrage Betting?
Yes, your account can be closed by a bookmaker if you are found to be arbitrage betting. However, it's not so easy for bookmakers to know when customers are arbing—you can often place these bets without raising any red flags by following a few simple guidelines.
Roulette Arbitrage Betting Definition
Can You Make Money Arbitrage Betting?
The only way to make money with arbitrage sports betting is to spend a lot of time and money doing it. Even with the help of odds comparison sites like Oddschecker, finding arbing opportunities on sports betting sites in South Africa is very time-consuming. The next hurdle for arbitrage bettors is having a big enough bankroll to make it worth the effort.
Roulette Arbitrage Betting Strategy
Does that sound complicated? Maybe this example will help…
How Does Arbitrage Sports Betting Work?
Let's say Betway has set the Match Winner odds for an upcoming tennis match between Djokovic and Nadal as follows:
- Nadal – 17/20 (1.85)
- Djokovic – EVS (2.0)
At Sportingbet, you see the odds for the same match as follows:
- Nadal – 7/10 (1.7)
- Djokovic – 5/4 (2.25)
For this Match Winner market, the best odds for Nadal (17/20) are with Betway and the best odds for Djokovic are with Sportingbet (5/4). By taking a bet on Nadal with Betway and another bet on Djokovic with Sportingbet you can create a situation where you're guaranteed to make a profit no matter what happens in the match.
How can this be? The combined cost of your two bets covering all possible outcomes is slightly less than your payout if either bet wins—and you have a 100% chance of one bet winning!
Roulette Arbitrage Betting Rules
To use the same example, let's say you decide to bet R200 in total on the above-mentioned match between Nadal and Djokovic. Your first step is to use anarbitrage betting calculator to work out how much profit you stand to make from the bet and also the amount you need to stake on each selection to guarantee a profit.
You will divide your total spend between the two bets based on the odds for each selection. If you don't stake on each bet correctly, one outcome could lose you money which makes your arbitrage bet pointless. The voice poker face.
Nadal is the favourite to win and has smaller odds, so you'll need to bet slightly more on him than Djokovic to ensure your return equals more than the total cost of your two bets.
You will need to divide your R200 as follows to ensure a profit:
- Bet R110 on Nadal with Betway @ odds of 17/20
- Bet R90 on Djokovic with Sportingbet @ odds of 5/4
To calculate your profit, subtract the total cost of your two bets (R200) from their potential returns.
- If Nadal wins the match, your return is R203.50 and your profit is R3.50 (1.75% profit).
- If Djokovic wins the match, your return is R202.50 and your profit is R2.50 (1.25% profit).
How To Find Arbitrage Sports Bets
It's all very well making a guaranteed profit with arbitrage sports betting, but how do you even go about finding betting opportunities? The straight and truthful answer is—with great difficulty. These bets are seldom obvious and it usually takes a lot of practice looking at odds before you can spot them.
If you see odds of EVS or better on both sides of the market, you know for sure you have a viable arbitrage betting opportunity. But in most cases, the market's odds make it far less clear and you'll have to use an arbitrage betting calculator to find out.
5 Ways You Can Take Arbitrage Bets Under The Radar
- Round your bets up or down to the nearest rand.
- Don't deposit and withdraw funds every time you win.
- Bet on the occasional accumulator.
- Use a site with a betting exchange like 1xBet (if you are outside of South Africa) where you aren't betting against the bookmaker but rather other punters.
- Don't take bets for the maximum stake every time.
Is Arbitrage Betting Legal?
Yes, arbitrage betting is legal. However, some bookmakers still don't allow players to place these bets, stating in their T&Cs that they close the accounts of known arbers. Some off-shore betting sites like Pinnacle actually encourage arbitrage sports betting because it helps increase betting volume—even if they are guaranteed to lose some arbitrage bets to punters, they are bound to win some too.
Can My Betting Account Be Closed For Arbitrage Betting?
Yes, your account can be closed by a bookmaker if you are found to be arbitrage betting. However, it's not so easy for bookmakers to know when customers are arbing—you can often place these bets without raising any red flags by following a few simple guidelines.
Roulette Arbitrage Betting Definition
Can You Make Money Arbitrage Betting?
The only way to make money with arbitrage sports betting is to spend a lot of time and money doing it. Even with the help of odds comparison sites like Oddschecker, finding arbing opportunities on sports betting sites in South Africa is very time-consuming. The next hurdle for arbitrage bettors is having a big enough bankroll to make it worth the effort.
Most arbitrage bets yield no more than 2% profit after offsetting the bookmaker's margin, so you need to bet huge amounts to make any real money. This can be a problem for many bettors, not only in terms of having the finances but also successfully getting these large bets down with some bookies. Depending on the operator and betting market for which the arbitrage opportunity is available, your bet size might be limited to R1 000 or less, which doesn't allow you to make much profit each time you win an arbitrage bet.
Is Arbitrage Betting Even Any Fun?
Another question worth asking yourself is 'Will arbing take all the fun out of sports betting?' to which I would answer a resounding, 'Yes!'. Why many of us like betting in the first place is because we like being right about our predictions and making some money while we're at it.
By betting on all possible outcomes of the match, you remove the fun of cheering on your team and hoping your bets win. Success is never guaranteed with traditional bets but at least you can get a decent amount back when you do land a winner!
In Summary
Arbitrage sports betting is a good idea on paper but it requires a lot of hard work and patience for very little reward. Many years ago back when bookmakers were all offline and couldn't adjust odds so quickly, there were more opportunities for arbitrage bettors to make a quick buck.
Nowadays, the small differences in odds you find across bookmakers are so rare and insignificant that it's difficult to bet them profitably. We recommend you avoid arbitrage sports betting and stick with traditional wagers. If you're a conservative punter and like to play it safe, check out these low-risk soccer betting markets for inspiration!
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Have any experience placing arbitrage bets and making money? Kudos to you—we want to hear about it in the comments below!
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