A beginner's guide to betting arbitrage
Betting arbitrage is a popular sports wagering technique used by plenty of professionals, but it can be a bit confusing to understand at first.
When gamblers here that it’s wagering on all the possible positions for a specific match, they wonder how that’s possible and why anyone would want to do so in the first place.
What most bettors don’t realize is that arbitrage betting makes sense, and that it can be profitable under the right circumstances. We’ll explain how gamblers find the situations where arbitrage makes sense down below, and also walk new gamblers through the process of getting started with this mysterious wagering technique at American gambling sites.
Our top recommended bookies for June 2023
Arbitrage Betting Key Facts
- Arbitrage betting is wagering on all the possible positions of a sports bet
- It’s used to guarantee a profit
- The system works well for gamblers good at analysis
- It is difficult to get started with
What is Betting Arbitrage?
Before taking the time to learn how to use betting arbitrage in sports betting, it’s important to understand what betting arbitrage is. It’s a simple, yet powerful concept. Arbitrage betting, or arbing as many bettors call it, is wagering on all the possible positions of a wager. This practice normally doesn’t make sense because it loses money, but when done properly it can be profitable for discerning gamblers.
Why is it used?
Arbitrage betting is used because it can be profitable when done properly. By selecting wagering positions at different sportsbooks with care, knowledgeable gamblers can guarantee that they earn a profit no matter who wins. Imagine a volleyball match with two teams. An arbitrage bettor would wager on both teams to win at different sportsbooks. This player would collect enough winnings from either of the two outcomes to make more than was spent on the two wagers together. This is an excellent example of the power of arbitrage betting when done right.
Who uses it?
Experienced gamblers, and analytical gamblers that know how to use betting arbitrage calculator tools and betting arbitrage software are the ones that use this technique most often. That’s because finding arbitrage opportunities is difficult and normally requires analysis of many different sportsbooks. Many times the gamblers that use this technique aren’t even interested in the sporting events, just the profit that can be made off the contests. This will lead them to wagering on a wide range of different sporting events just to get the best arbitrage opportunities.
Why Does it Work?
Many gamblers that hear about arbitrage betting think that it sounds too good to be true, and one of the first things they ask is “does betting arbitrage work?”. The answer is yes, it does in some circumstances. Arbitrage betting works because different sportsbooks place different odds on the same betting positions. While one sportsbook might favor one player or team, another sportsbook could favor the opposite side to win. When the odds are miss-matched enough it results in powerful wagering opportunities that can result in some impressive profiting opportunities.
When is the Best Time to Use Arbitrage?
The best time to use the technique is whenever it’s possible to do so. Gamblers often use arbitrage on prop bets around major events like the Super Bowl. That’s because odds makers are working overtime to produce as many different prop bets as possible, and inconsistent odds are more common during this time. Careful bettors can take advantage of the situation to get many different profitable bookmaker arbitrage opportunities.
The best betting sites to test out arbitrage betting strategies
Adding Arbitrage Strategies into Regular Wagering
While there are some gamblers that use arbitrage for all of the wagers that they place, most bettors add it in as an additional strategy to supplement more standard one-sided wagers.
Understanding how to use betting arbitrage software to spot the betting arbitrage opportunities is a good way to get started and to ensure that you aren’t missing out on powerful wagering opportunities. Taking the time to learn the technique and to start looking for opportunities is a good way to win more consistently and to lock in guaranteed profits whenever possible.
Another similar strategy to arbitrage betting is known as hedging. We go into a full guide about betting hedge here, but it’s essentially betting against your main wager to protect against serious losses.
Hedging a bet is an excellent form of protection when placing parlay bets or future bets, and it’s a very common strategy that gamblers use. When hedging a bet a player wagers against his or her initial wager to help recoup some of the money in the event that the initial wager goes bad. Hedging is most commonly used when odds change dramatically from the initial wager, and it should only be done by professionals that understand the process well.
Testing out Software and Calculators
An excellent way to uncover powerful arbitrage betting opportunities is to make use of software and special calculators designed to uncover these opportunities. These special programs won’t find the opportunities for the players, but will verify that they are actually profitable. Skilled arbitrage bettors still need to find their own powerful opportunities, but they have a tool to double check the exciting options that they uncover.
New bettors especially should get familiar with different arbitrage calculators and start making use of them to find winning opportunities. Taking some time input values that look like they might be valuable is an excellent way to develop an eye for finding these exciting opportunities. Over time, many arbitrage bettors learn to spot the profit-generating opportunities without using calculators or software programs, but this is after placing dozens or hundreds of profitable wagers.
Is Betting Arbitrage Legal?
Yes, it’s completely legal to use arbitrage techniques to earn a guaranteed profit in sports betting. Many gamblers are warry of the practice because arbitrage can be illegal in some industries. The Forex industry for example does not allow investors to use arbitrage practices on the same currency. This is very illegal and can result in serious negative consequences if found out.
This is not the case in the sports betting industry though. Gamblers that are legally allowed to place sports bets can use arbitrage whenever it makes sense to do so. players will have to be members of several different sportsbooks to get started, but once they do they can confidently use this technique to lock in more wins and to become more profitable overall.
Getting Started with Arbitrage Betting
Anyone can use arbitrage practices to generate profits from sports betting with the right set of bets available. There are a few steps that players must take to start benefiting from arbitrage opportunities though. The first is to get a good calculator to make use of.
This can be something as simple as a bet calculator that explains the payout potential of each wager involved in a particular set of positions. After a good calculator is available and the player knows how to use it well, they can start looking at different sets of odds and trying to find those golden arbitrage opportunities.
With a good reliable calculator available, gamblers can begin looking for powerful arbitrage betting positions. To do this they must be members of multiple sportsbooks. Don’t just join any random sportsbooks though, take the time to look for well-known and well-liked sportsbooks, that also put different odds on the same bets frequently. After researching the different sportsbooks, players notice that many of the books use the same odds that other books use.
It’s not beneficial to be a member of several different books that all use the same odds. Instead, players need to carefully seek out the sites that use different odds more frequently. With several different sportsbook memberships that are all using different odds it is more likely that players will uncover those profitable arbitrage opportunities.
Try Arbitrage Betting and Lock in Bonus Offers Too
Arbitrage betting is an exciting concept and something that many new sports bettors try to master. It’s a way to unlock guaranteed profits and a way to become more profitable over time as well. New gamblers interested should take some time to join up with some of our recommended sportsbook options about the best sports betting sites and to try to uncover arbitrage opportunities. While looking for those arbitrage offers gamblers can also unlock powerful bonus prize payouts. Unlock deposit bonuses, bet match bonuses, insurance offers and more to make getting started with sportsbook wagering online even more profitable.
Betting arbitrage is one of those ideas that seems complicated at first, but that becomes easier and more useful over time as understanding grows. Interested gamblers should take the time to get to learn how it works to take full advantage of its many benefits. With enough practice it’s even possible to guarantee profits with some sports bets using arbitrage.
Awesome online betting bonuses
1.
Get up to $1,000 back in bonus bets
Players from Virginia accepted
Requirements (WR): 1x Deposit, Min. Deposit: $10
2.
5 x $50Bet Credits
Players from Virginia accepted
Requirements (WR): 1x Deposit, Min. Deposit: $10
3.
Bet $1 & Get $200 in Bonus Bets
Players from Virginia accepted
Min. Deposit: $10
Bet $1 and Get $200 in Bonus Bets at bet365. Deposit required. Bonus Bets winnings are added to Bonus Bets balance. Bonus Bet wager excluded from returns. T&Cs, time limits and exclusions apply. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-Gambler 21+
4.
100% up to $500
Players from Virginia accepted
Requirements (WR): 1x Promo, Min. Deposit: $10
5.
100% up to $100
Players from Virginia accepted
Requirements (WR): 1x Promo, Min. Deposit: $10
