Matched Betting Explained: Is Matched Betting Safe?

A matched betting is a bet type which involves bettors leveraging on the free bets offered by their bookies to make profit. Bettors match bets in the sense that they can bet on both outcomes of a game; win or not win. Sometimes, this free bet is given to bettors by their long time bookies in order to retain them, these are called reload offers. The more familiar a bookie is with a bettor, the more inclined he would be to give the bettor free bets. But most times, bookies make this offer more readily available to their new customers.

Our top US Sportsbook Sites offering Matched betting

Things to know about the Matched betting

• Also known as ‘lay bet’, ‘double betting’ or ‘back bet matching’
• It is a bet that involves betting for a win and then a ‘no win’
• It is a bet which allows bettors to bet on both outcomes of a wager
• It is a safe and no risk bet type, bettors earn risk-free profit
• Returns depends on how much they put into it

Matched Betting Guide

Matched betting is not considered by some as gambling or betting, instead, they consider it guaranteed that they would win because it is not a game of chance but a mere application of some calculations to decide which move would best benefit them. Put simply, the matched betting involves placing a back bet with a bookie using the free bet he offers and then, placing a lay bet at the betting exchange to cover all the other outcomes of the game. It is not as tough as it sounds as you would realize in our explanations soon. You can also read our lay betting guide to make more sense of one-half of this betting strategy.

Bettors often need to place multiple bets in order to trigger these free bets from their bookies as this often helps to reduce risk and increase your own profit. For instance, let us assume that a bookie gives a $15 free bet if a punter bets $12 on soccer. It would be possible for that bettor to back Team A to win and also lay Team A to lose with a betting exchange, if the odds are right. That would mean that you get your $12 returned to you as well as the bonus from your bookie.

How to make money from Matched betting

How can you make money from matched betting? The answer to that question is quite simple and straightforward as you would see in the example below:

Let us assume that there is a soccer match between two teams; Team A and Team B and a bookie offers a $25 free bet that Team A would win. A bettor takes the offer; without matched betting, this is what it would mean for the bettor; If team A wins, he earns $25 but if Team a loses or there is a draw, the he loses the $25, the whole of it! Now this is where matched betting comes in to ensure that the bettor does not lose that free money. Matched betting would ensure that even if the bettor does not get the whole bonus, he unlocks a large percentage of it.

We will again use the example given above to explain matched betting. So, the bookie has offered a $25 free bet to win and the bettor takes the offer. This time, the bettor heads to the betting exchange to lay the bet. The bettor bets $12 that Team A would win at the bookie’s and bets $25 that Team A would not win or draw with the bookie. This would mean that the bettor would pay the betting exchange $25 if Team A wins but he would gain $12, but if Team A draws or loses, the bettor would make a profit of $25! Awesome isn’t it? Your money is safe and you even stand a chance to gain more!

Now let’s work it out;

Bookie- $25 free bet for Team A to win if bettor places $12 bet(back bet)

Betting exchange- $25 bet for Team A to draw or lose (lay bet)

Profit if Team A wins = $25 (that would be paid to betting exchange since you lost the bet you placed with them)

Profit if Team A loses or Draws = $25 (The amount of your ‘stake’ at the betting exchange would be given to you)

And just like that, can you make money from matched betting, without putting in your own money!

 

Some advantages of Matched betting

Matched betting is an avenue for earning risk-free profit, you cannot lose both ways. It seems too good to be true and some bettors tend to doubt if it is legal. But the matched betting is hundred percent legal. It is common and a lot of individuals have leveraged on it to earn as much as they can. To make it even more interesting, it is tax free! However, the betting exchange would collect a little amount of your profit as commission.

The only catch here is the fact that matched betting odds differ at the bookies and the betting exchange. Betting exchanges tend to offer lesser odds than the bookies; hence the bettor’s profit at the bookies may differ significantly to his profit at the betting exchange.

How much can bettors make from the Matched betting?

The amount of money that bettors can earn from the Matched betting varies from bettor to bettor. It all depends on how much time and patience the bettor is willing to invest in it. The more time a punter invests, the more profits he or she can make. That is why a punter might make a small profit while another makes it big.

Markets for Matched Betting

It depends on the market the bookie offers. If the bookie offers a win market, then the bettors lays the bet and plays for draw or lose. But if the bookie offers a draw or loses market, the bettor lays the bet and plays for win.

Strategies for the Matched Betting

• Start simple; try to start matched betting with a small amount that would be easy for you to monitor, then when you get the hang of it, you can start taking the more complicated offers.
• Ask for help when you need it. Do not just go in blindly and make mistakes that would make you lose the opportunity to earn.
• Get familiar: Some bettors get distracted by the profit they can earn and they start betting unprepared, after sometime of not earning, they drop the matched bet. For new matched bettors, it is important that you know what you are getting yourself into before you start.
• Odd boosts: Odd boosts are a brilliant way to make good returns from matched betting and they are one of the best ways to increase your overall profit each month. To incentivize punters to stake money on a certain market, the sports bookies boost the odds, meaning a greater potential return for punters. This encourages staking for new punters in the market

The best bookies who offer the best deals for Matched betting

Over the years, the matched betting has become very popular and because of its high profit earning, it keeps gaining more popularity, that it why there are a lot of bookies out there who now offer these deals. However, not all bookies offer great deals as regards. But you need not worry if you are a beginner in the matched betting and you are looking for the best bookie deals. All you need to do is just to visit our sports betting comparison page to select the bookie of your choice from a long range of options. You can choose whichever bookie meets your taste, convenience, requirements and offers the best odds deals!

If you feel that you would like to explore other betting scenarios that you can use once you have taken advantage of your free bets, you could read our guides on "What is a Long Term Bet?" or read up on the Lucky 63 Bet and others on our website.

Conclusion: Go Risk-Free with Matched Betting

Matched betting is by far the most risk-free bet type compared to other bets such as the double bet. It is profitable and safe. As discussed in the article, Matched bet gives you a chance to hedge all the outcomes of a game that may have caused you to lose. You get to bet with your bookies bonus or free bet and then you make sure you don’t lose it by backing your bet to win at the bookies and then laying it to lose or draw at the betting exchange. Whichever way the game ends, you win! That is why we recommend the Matched betting. Visit our operator comparison page today to choose a bookie that offers the free bet and the best odd deals and start matching your bets!