Arbitrage Betting | How To Win From Sure Betting
Ever since sports betting has existed, people have been looking for ways to beat the system and work around the variance, or rather, ensure they would win no matter what. While in most cases the best you can do is try to make good value bets and beat the bookies in the long run, arbitrage betting is the one method that pretty much ensures a win, as long as you do it right.
Arbitrage betting is the method of using more than one bookmaker in order to find the right odds to make an event profitable for you in either case. To make a very trivial example, let us imagine you were watching finals of a major football tournament. The odds at Bookmaker A on Team A to win the title are 2.10, while the odds at Bookmaker B on Team B to win the title are 2.10.
In this example, placing a $100 bet on Team A with Bookmaker A and $100 bet on Team B with Bookmaker B, will ensure you win $10, in the end, no matter what. With a $200 investment, this is a 5% return of investment, with absolutely no risk.
Is Arbitrage Betting Real?
Arbitrage betting is very much a real thing, but there are certain restraining factors. For starters, bookies are now more linked in than ever, and they use much of the same technology in determining their odds. This means you will seldom find opportunities for good arbitrage bets, but they do still happen. Another good way to arb bet is by placing one bet with a local live bookmaker and the other with one of the online bookmakers. Local shops tend to get the odds wrong more often than online ones.
Is Arbitrage Betting Safe and Legal?
When it comes to the legality, there is absolutely nothing illegal about arbitrage betting. In the end, you are simply placing two or three bets with various bookmakers at the odds that they set. However, many bookies don’t like players who arb bet and if they decide you are doing this, they could lock your account, lower your limits or politely ask you not to bet with them anymore.
As long as you are doing it with safe bookmakers, arbitrage betting will never result in funds confiscation or any other such issues. Some bookmakers actually encourage arbitrage betting, so it is smart to bet with such bookies.
The Downfalls Of Arbitrage Betting?
While arbitrage betting is safe and real, there can be some issues with it. For starters, in order to make any kind of significant profits from it, you will need to have a pretty big bankroll floating around the internet. The edges you can have on arbitrage bets are usually only 2% to 3%, making you place big bets in order to make some real money.
Furthermore, a single mistake in placing the bets can cost you several bets, and the odds are changing so fast that it is possible to make a mistake of such type on occasion. If you are going to arb bet, make sure you are very careful and do so only when you are positive you have an edge.