Love it or hate it, matched betting has become extremely popular in recent years. For a determined handful, it’s a solid first step toward trading sports too.
Whether you are an experienced match bettor or brand new, we’ve put together an article jam-packed with value!
In this article you will learn:
- What matched betting is
- How matched betting works
- How to start matched betting
- The best matched betting tips
Enjoy, it’s a cracker…
What is Matched Betting?
You might have heard claims that matched betting is a completely risk-free method of making a profit. Whilst that’s not entirely true (there is a degree of risk to everything), it’s the lowest risk form of making money online I have found.
In a nutshell, matched betting is a way of profiting from the free bets and bonuses that bookmakers give out as promotions.
Top matched betting tip: Use a Premium Matcher For Best Results
If you’ve ever watched a sporting event, you’ll have come across free bets and bonuses being advertised by bookmakers and casinos around the world. They they do this to bring in new customers and keep current ones betting with them.
There are thousands of bookmakers and the market is extremely competitive.
Whilst the average customer will use this free bet on whatever takes their fancy, matched bettors can use it in a way that will guarantee profits, whatever the outcome.
They do this by matching their bets on another sportsbook or exchange, effectively hedging their bet by covering every outcome. This is where the term “Matched Betting” comes from.
How Matched Betting Works:
Matched Betting works by milking bookmaker offers through a three-step process. It’s very simple.
Matched Betting Example:
- Find a bookmaker’s offer. For example – Open an account and bet £10 to receive a £30 free bet.
- Next, make a qualifying bet – cover the bet on the exchanges for break even or a small loss.
- Finally, repeat the process with the free offer – cover the free bet on exchange again but this time to guarantee a profit.
Let’s look at a real example…
Betfair is offering a £20 free bet for a new account that bets £5 on their sportsbook (step 1 complete).
- We start by joining Betfair and placing a £5 bet on Redrum in the 2.30 race at odds of 4.0.
- To cover the liability this bet offers, we lay Redrum in the 2.30 race on Smarkets at 4.0.
Due to backing and laying at the same odds. We neither win nor lose on the initial bet.
Now we have a free £20 bet to play with! (step 2 complete).
All we have to do is repeat the process once more, with the free bet. We find a horse with similar back odds on Betfair and lay odds on Smarkets.
The horse Dobbin is 4.0 at both.
- Back Dobbin on Betfair at 4.0 for £20 free bet.
- Lay Dobbin on Smarkets at 4.0 for £15.
Whatever the result, we win £15 after commission (step 3 complete).
Learn better through video?
Click below for a high-quality video example of how to do matched betting.
Before we get stuck into some matched betting tips, let’s look at three of the most common questions regarding matched betting.
Is Matched Betting a Scam?
I have tried multiple ways to make money online and out of all of them matched betting was the easiest to learn and most profitable.
Matched Betting is clearly not a scam!
The only thing you should be aware of in the matched betting world. Is fake mentors or gurus that are selling matched betting lessons or courses for hundreds of pounds. The best way to start matched betting in the UK is to take up a free trial with a reputable company like OddsMonkey.
Is Matched Betting Legal?
Matched betting is certainly legal however bookmakers do not like it. Because they know long-term matched bettors will take money from them. This can lead to bookmakers closing accounts.
In essence, matched betting is similar to going shopping with a wallet full of coupons. They are promotions that the shop (or bookmaker in our case) has willingly distributed. You are just making the most of them, but this isn’t the reason they gave them out…
In summary; matched betting is 100% legal.
Understanding Laying Off For Profit On The Exchanges.
Many people who sign up for matched betting, aren’t typical bettors. However, don’t let that put you off. Understanding exchanges at first can be quite difficult for the less betting savvy amongst us.
Laying on Exchanges is becoming a bookmaker.
So, for example:
If you back a horse at 4.0 for £10 you win £30. However, the bookmaker loses £30. If the horse loses you lose £10 and the bookmaker wins £10
If you’re new to matched betting “becoming the bookmaker on exchanges” is the easiest way to understand laying fast.
Matched Betting Tips
1 – Organization and Record Keeping
Once you’ve grasped the basic principles of matched betting, your main challenge is going to be getting organized.
Being organized can mean the difference between making a few hundred a month from matched betting or pushing profits into 4 figures.
You don’t want to be the person that lays the wrong football team or horse and makes mistakes which could cost you money. Make sure you keep records of all your bets via Excel or Google Sheets. Track your profits and make sure your usernames and passwords for all bookmakers are recorded somewhere.
Putting it simply, if you want to move on to the more advanced matched betting strategies such as accumulator betting, value betting and even high-risk casino offers.
Organization and record keeping is key.
With free versions of Microsoft Excel such as Google Sheets, there’s no excuse not to start recording every back and lay bet you make. Consider recording at least the following bits of information for each bet you make:
- Stakes used
- Back or lay
- Type of bet (a qualifying bet, free bet, risk-free etc)
- Profit/loss
- Time taken to complete
You should also be keeping some overall data points such as:
- Monthly profit/loss
- Total funds (in bookie accounts/bank/e-wallet)
Added to that, you’ll be lost without some way of keeping track of all the bookmaker accounts you have open. After a year or so of matched betting, you’ll probably have over 100 bookmaker accounts and in an ideal world, you should have unique, secure passwords for each of them.
There are plenty of tools on the market such as LastPass that will keep your passwords safe and secure. Most of them have free versions, a top matched betting tip!
Keeping records, mostly likely via Excel, is so important when matched betting. Working in these areas will show you what the most effective use of your time is.
2 – Treat Matched Betting Like A Business
You’ll no doubt have heard plenty of people talk about how matched betting has given others the chance to be “free” with finances, time and generally love being their own boss.
The problem is, most people are terrible at being their own boss.
Structure is vital to success in most areas of life, matched betting is no different.
A schedule is extremely helpful in keeping you on track. Decide how much time you can dedicate to matched betting each week and stick to it. Morning, afternoon or night, find 30 minutes a day to run through offers.
Figure out which offers are the most profitable, which days have the most opportunity and set out the most productive schedule that works around your life.
Keeping A Diary is another very helpful tip.
This can be a simple desk calendar or you could even keep track of this on your phone. Pencil in the key dates coming up in the Sporting Calendar. When bookmakers are more than likely to post new, very lucrative offers. An example of these could be the Cheltenham Festival, the Grand National, Wimbledon or the Champions League Final. Bookmakers will target these events and a successful matched bettor should too.
Bank and staking rules are crucial if you want to survive for more than a week in this game. Although a casino offer may have an EV of £20, doesn’t mean you are in a position to risk your £40 for it. Consider how much money you have dedicated to matched betting and how much you are willing to risk on each kind of offer.
Free bets on sports are often much less risky than certain casino offers, but that doesn’t mean you are completely safe. You could make a mistake placing the bet, have your account frozen or in the worst-case scenario, the bookmaker could go bust and take your money with it.
Make sure you are never going all in with your bankroll.
3 – Small profits add up
After a week of £20 free bets being thrown around, it can seem like £5 free bets are not worth bothering with. But like anything, they soon add up.
Little wins matter just as much, the best matched betting profits come through consistency. At the end of of the year these little profits can add thousands to your bottom line.
4 – Avoid Mug Betting (Dangerous)
The title says it all really. Don’t be a mug and throw money back at the bookies.
Mug betting has caused a fair amount of debate within the matched betting community. Some people swear that placing regular bets with the aim of appearing like a normal bettor will keep your accounts open for longer.
The fact of the matter is, this is simply not true. Placing mug bets here and there will only give back the hard-earned value you have taken from them before they eventually ban you anyway.
5 – Be Consistent
Consistency and structure are often very underrated!
I know people who have made six figures from the world of matched betting by consistently doing the same thing day after day for a couple of years. If you stay consistent the profits will really add up in the long term.
The Best Matched Betting Strategy For 2024
There are dozens of routes you can take with matched betting. Some are naturally easier than others. Some are more profitable but may carry more risk.
Here are just a few different kinds of matched betting strategies:
- Arbitrage Betting
- 2 Up Offers (large payouts)
- Accumulator Matched Betting
- Shop Arbing (known as sharbing)
- Low-Risk Casino Offers
- High-Risk Casino Offers
- Value Betting (Bookmaker Boosts)
Matched betting offers the opportunity to make thousands or potentially tens of thousands in profit!
I have seen people build businesses using their matched betting profits, buy houses or pay off their mortgages. If you take action then there is still a lot of money to be made from matched betting in 2024.
Ultimately, the best matched betting strategy is one that suits you. This will depend on how much time you have free, how much money you have in your bank balance and your tolerance to risk.
Ready to get started?
We suggest reading our article below on the best matched betting service to help kickstart your profits!
Recent Release: Is OddsMonkey The Best Matched Betting Service?
34 thoughts on “5 Matched Betting Tips: How to Win Regularly in 2024…”
One tip I could give with this would be make good use of the big sign up offers it is a lot harder after they are gone. Pleasant to see a balanced view of matched betting. Greetings.
Hey Marcus,
Fair comment – probably the easier pickings I would imagine!
Caan
Hi Marcus.
What community do you use for matched betting? Thanks
Hi Robbie, a good matched betting community would be here on profit rush: https://profitrush.com/community/
Cheers,
Caan
Bgos me l lost so much please give me free sure prediction
Thank you for sharing such an informative article. It will surely help people to make money online through Matched Betting
Thanks Charles, no problem. A lot of our readers have or have had an interest in Matched Betting so it just made sense to create such an article. Obviously it’s very different to trading on the machine but there is a little overlap in how things work!
Cheers,
Caan
Hi Caan, this is a very good article. You do not beat about the bush as I have read your trading book too. How I like it getting straight to the point! a very good summary of matched betting and how it works. Do you think it is still possible to do this for a living? Regards, Scott
Hi Scott, it would depend on what you deem ‘a living’. There is certainly regular money to be made. For those on a low income its an attractive proposition. However, the glory days of full time matched betting for £5,000+ a month are probably gone.
Personally I spent my years trading and only done a few bonuses as I thought were very easy and obvious. The very large bonuses of £100 at Cheltenham are rarer now.
Caan
Matched betting has certainly changed in the last few years since it became mass market.
How do you see matched betting evolving over the next few years Caan?
It can’t go anywhere can it, unless bookies stop offering bonuses. However, the high end days are less frequent. A great long term option for those who want some beer tokens and money on the side. That’s my true view!
Hi guys, i’m a complete noob to this but I noticed many of the casinos e.g if they give you a free £20 bet they only pay out once youve deposited x5 this into your account. How does this affect matched betting?
There are matched betting strategies to make the most of them sort of bonuses too. However, they are a little more tricky / higher risk.
Great article Caan. I was a match bettor for 18 months and earned decent money doing so. There’s still 1 offer which is lucrative to me but I’ve been restricted by most bookies. My advice to newbies would be to join a community. Pooled knowledge is a god send for some of the offers. Well worth the subscription fee. (Not sure if I am allowed to name who I used)
Hi Dave, thanks for the comment. Not against naming others at all, although I / we have noticed those others make an effort to censor and stop members from mentioning others services on their forums and affiliated communities. At the moment Profit Rush is up and coming, and pretty much on par with the big services (will have the same bookies very shortly). It’s also 100% FREE.
Check it out at profitrush.com
Caan
Hi Caan
This may be a little unrelated but i want to know what the sentence below means
“I matched my $2 lay bet for 2.72”
Please leave a reply in my email (as well, please)
Hi, a lay bet is when you take someone elses bet (like a bookmaker). Thus you ‘lay’ it off.
Hello caan, was like a fresh water poored on me on a very hot day as I read your article on marched betting though ibhavent headed of it before. I’m in south Africa and please how can I do marched betting with casinos offering like up to 500% on initial or any other deposits. Thanks
thanks for the information
No problem, glad to help. Matched Betting is a cool way to make money online.
how to tips for cricket match betting
Interesting read Caan I started out in matched betting and it gave me a rudimentary understanding on betting markets which I found useful when I started trading as well leading me to trade. One thing though “Mug bets” can be a good idea if you back and lay those bets too, as well as exercising common sense, smaller bookmakers will probably block you if the even slightly suspect that your a matched better but it can work with big bookmakers as it did with me. If your lucky enough to have the time to pursue trading full time guys, its a great way to earn money while you learn.
Sure its something people do, but with technology and algorithms, I think its largely a mistake to think you can trick artificial intelligence with large datasets (Bookies have this).
Great article Caan, I have been matched betting for around 18 months and was so super skepitcal when I started. I dont do it as much as I should but that does stop me from getting gubbed. I probably make around £200 a month but know full well I could make £500 or more if I put more effort in. I also have to give the forums a shout as they have really helped me out.
Great to hear, few hundred quid a month not to be sniffed at 🙂
Cracking article about matched betting. I have been doing it on the side for a year now to top up on some treats but running out of accounts now do you have any advice for how you can keep accounts open longer?
From what I hear matched betting was the golden goose a few years ago with people losing jobs and buying new cars off the profits! Sods law I missed that one. JJ.
Its all a numbers game. Keep them open longer? Don’t win so quickly?
… better off looking it at like getting value for your time, target the high-value offers. Hit them hard and fast and don’t get upset when restricted.
Thanks very much for useful information.
Hi Caan I’m interested to hear you thoughts on lay to lose/minimum bet guarantee, lot of guys make decent returns on this by arbing and underlying but obviously speed is key and I would assume a good understanding of the market would also be a massive advantage. I’m interested in your thoughts on how you would you go about make the back and lay process as quick and efficient as possible.
Cheers
Rich
Hey Rich, you’re right that with arbing and underlay/overlay you make much better returns, and I’d say it’s worth doing on top of your matched betting efforts.
Re speed, this can be achieved by having an alert system hooked up to your mobile phone, so you can put on the exact back and lay instantly. I’ve been Matched Betting for a few years now and found this to be the best set up.
I’ve been matched betting on and off for a while now, whenever I have time, and I’ve almost made £1000. You’re right about keeping a diary- putting everything in a word document has made things a lot easier.
I have been following you I confirm you are king of bet prediction
really cool ideas
Is it possible to get the educational videos and books by downloading them .