Arbitrage Betting: How It Works
Sooner or later, every sports bettor realizes that beating the bookmaker without an effective strategy is nearly impossible. One of the most effective and well-known strategies is arbitrage betting, and that’s exactly what we’ll discuss in this article.
What Is Arbitrage Betting?
Arbitrage betting, or surebet, is a situation that arises from discrepancies in odds offered by different bookmakers on opposite outcomes of the same sporting event.
If such an arbitrage opportunity exists, the bettor can place bets on all opposing outcomes and guarantee a profit, regardless of the final result.
You might ask: “How is this even possible?” After all, bookmakers aim to prevent such situations. And indeed, they do try. However, arbitrage opportunities still arise due to several factors:
- Competition between bookmakers, which pushes them to offer inflated odds;
- Errors made by bookmakers when setting the odds;
- Delayed reaction by some bookmakers to changes during a match or event.
The first two reasons usually lead to pre-match arbitrage, which occurs before an event starts. The third reason relates to live (in-play) arbitrage, which happens while an event is already in progress.
A Clear Example of an Arbitrage Bet
Let’s say there’s an upcoming match: Galway United vs Waterford, part of the League of Ireland. Here are the odds from two bookmakers:
Bookmaker 1:
Under 2.5 Goals = 1.75
Over 2.5 Goals = 2.00
Bookmaker 2:
Under 2.5 Goals = 2.14
Over 2.5 Goals = 1.86
Now we’re interested in the Over 2.5 from Bookmaker 1 and Under 2.5 from Bookmaker 2. Here’s why:
- Bet €45 on Over 2.5 at 2.00 (Bookmaker 1)
2. Bet €42 on Under 2.5 at 2.14 (Bookmaker 2)
3. Total stake: €87
Let’s look at the possible outcomes:
If the match ends with 2 or fewer goals (Under 2.5):
You win: (42 × 2.14) − 87 = €2.88 profit
If the match ends with 3 or more goals (Over 2.5):
You win: (45 × 2.00) − 87 = €3.00 profit
So, regardless of the result, you profit. This example shows how effective arbitrage betting can be. However, this is a very straightforward case. In reality, such clear-cut opportunities are rare and require considerable effort to find.
Find out more information on arbitrage betting here: Guide to Arbitrage Betting: How to Arbitrage Bet
How to Find Arbitrage Bets
You can search for arbitrage bets manually, but this requires theoretical knowledge of how to calculate them and a lot of time.
Because of the time-consuming nature of this process, many bettors rely on arbitrage scanning services. These are websites with software that automatically detects arbitrage opportunities and tells users how much to bet and where to do so.
One of the most popular such services in the market is BetBurger. As of today, BetBurger scans odds from over 600 bookmakers across 45+ sports, more than any of its competitors. Another strength of BetBurger is its extensive functionality. The developers continually add features and expand the list of bookmakers to improve user experience.
Of course, this service is not free, which may be seen as a downside. However, the profits it can generate often justify the cost. Many users report earning 15–20% monthly returns on their bankroll, even after paying for a subscription.
Conclusion
As you’ve seen, arbitrage betting is a legitimate strategy that can generate consistent profits. With the right tools and knowledge, it’s possible to beat the bookmakers without relying on luck.
