Matched Betting explained
Matched betting in a nutshell
Matched betting is essentially a form of arbitrage that takes advantage of free online bets, and uses them to create a scenario where by you…. cannot lose or fail to profit whatever the outcome of a particular event happens to be.
Free bets are the key to the matched betting strategy they are offered by a large number of online bookmakers. These free bets are often along the lines of bet £25 Get £25 free.
The matched betting model and strategy has become possible due to betting exchanges. Betting exchanges are similar to bookmakers the major difference is that regular punters can ‘bet’ against an event happening. For example if you had an opinion that a particular team would lose a given football match, a betting exchange will allow you to bet (lay) against that team losing.
On the smart money matched betting strategy
When matched betting the idea is to maximise profits the higher the free bet stakes the better your overall return will be. A £50 free bet is much better value than a £10 free bet for example. From personal experience we have found the best time to take advantage of high value bets are when special events are taking place. A prime example is the famous ‘Cheltenham horse racing festival’ in March. For some reason at this time of the year bookmakers love to give big free bets away that you normally cannot get at other times of the year. An example this year (2009) is ‘ladbokes’ they were offering a free £200 bet throughout the festival. To qualify all you to do was open an account place a bet and you would receive a free bet to the same value. This type of great offer never seem to materialise at others times of the year. So take advantage when they come along. Onthesmartmoney.com follows a rule that we will not get involved in a matched betting scenario unless the free bet value is of at least £50. To see the bookmakers that current qualify see our Qualifying free bet list
To help explain the process of matched betting more clearly we have created a step-by-step matched betting guide. You may also wish to take a look at a matched betting blog we have also created to demonstrate the process further and the potential profit you can make from following our matched betting guide.