Updated: 25.08.2025
Life is not meant to be certain, and this has been true of sports betting until the advent of matched betting, which proves that winning a bet can be a sure thing. The rule of matched betting is quite simple: remove the risk from the betting equation completely and you will always come out ahead, in terms of profit. So why has matched betting, which can certainly be considered a cousin to the equally risky world of sports betting, become so popular in recent years?
This article will provide you with all the answers to your questions about matched betting. We will tell you exactly what matched betting is, how it works, and most importantly, how you can start placing matched bets yourself.
If you want to make sure you keep winning when you bet online, we suggest you try matched betting. It's a method where you take both sides of the bet. ... You can use it with the free bet offers that various online bookmakers give out. It's a pretty ingenious system.
Match betting is where you choose an event that has two possible outcomes. You must place a bet on each of the possible outcomes, placing one bet at a traditional online sportsbook (such as Bet365) and the other at an exchange (such as Betfair). If done correctly, matched betting can guarantee you a profit, something that traditional sports betting doesn't offer - unless you're Philip J. Laycock, whose 1971 article in High Stakes: A History of Gambling claimed that tennis was the first sport to be rigged for profit. Interestingly, matched betting also requires some math to ensure that you make a profit regardless of the outcome.
Match betting requires an understanding of several basic terms. The first are the terms associated with placing a bet. A bet that an event will occur is a "back bet". A bet that an event will not occur (basically, a bet on the "opposite outcome") is a "lay bet". You usually use a traditional online bookmaker to place back bets, and you use an exchange to place lay bets.
For example, suppose you decided to place a £10 bet on Joe Biden to win the US presidential election over Donald Trump. You would have placed a £10 bet on Biden to win the election. But if you had decided to bet £10 on Biden to lose, you would have made a lay bet, betting against Biden.
Matched betting is best explained using an example, which is what we will do. Take a match between Manchester City and Burnley. If you think Manchester City will beat Burnley and score, say, five goals, these are the back and lay bets you would place.
So, you can calculate your total winnings from your lay bet as follows: £25 – (£10 + £0.50) = £14.50
There is no need to deduct anything from your lost bet in the sportsbook, as you only used £10 of the free bet amount. Therefore, looking at these two outcomes, it is clear that your matched bet has secured you a profit of at least £14.50, regardless of the outcome. You would not have lost money on either outcome.
Match betting requires both an exchange and a sportsbook. While you can use any exchange, you cannot use just any bookmaker. These are the best of the best bookmakers and they are suitable for matched betting.
888sport began its journey in 2008 and is operated by a publicly traded company. The United Kingdom Gambling Commission and the Government of Gibraltar have licensed 888sport. This operator has cultivated a strong reputation for fair play and for being an open book. They offer thousands of betting opportunities every day, across 35 different sports. Their odds are quite competitive, a factor that is obviously a must for serious punters. If you are looking for a welcome bonus, rest assured that they have an excellent one in place that requires a mere $10 qualifying wager.
In the online betting business since 2000, Bet365 is a publicly traded company licensed by the UK Gambling Commission and the Malta Gaming Authority. It has won several awards and has been considered one of the best online sports betting sites for many years. Bet365 offers very competitive odds indeed, and for those looking for matched bets, newcomers to the site can earn a total of £100 in betting credits before moving on to other ongoing free bet offers.
Betway is an excellent betting site where you can bet on just about anything, from football to politics to cultural events. Operating out of London and licensed by the UK Gambling Commission, this first class betting site allows you to bet on almost anything with high limits and impressive odds. If you are a football or basketball fan, you will find the odds on these sports to be particularly lucrative, although Betway's offer on other sports and events is a little below average.
With over 100 years of experience, Ladbrokes has become a household name in the UK for betting and gambling. The company moved into online betting in 2000 and is now listed on the London Stock Exchange. Ladbrokes is well licensed and operates under strict regulations in both the UK and Gibraltar; in 2015, the company merged with another prominent UK betting brand, Coral. These days, if you want to place a bet and see the results almost immediately, Ladbrokes is probably your best bet for an in-play service.
For over 90 years, Coral has been a leading name in the world of sports betting. In today's digital landscape, however, it has really made its mark as an online provider of sports betting services. Its online operations were solidified in 2015, following a major merger with fellow British bookmaker Ladbrokes.
Coral is offering a £20 free bet incentive for new customers. To qualify, a customer must place a bet of at least £5. But there are conditions, and this is where new customers might feel a bit put off: you can't use your qualifying bet on football markets; you can use it on any number of other betting opportunities, but not on football. Once you've qualified, you can use your free bets on football if you like.
Betfred has been based in Gibraltar since 2004 and is licensed by the UK Gambling Commission. It offers a wide and varied range of sports and markets to its customers, but is particularly good at betting on football. If you want to bet on politics, eSports or just about any other non-sports event, you can do that here too. Betfred's odds on tennis and basketball are as competitive as you'll find anywhere, and their prices on football and racing aren't bad either. One more thing: if you are looking for a matched free bet, you can get £40 worth of free bets here for a minimum spend of £10.
10Bet has been in the online betting industry since 2003 and is licensed in the UK, Malta and Sweden. Although not as well known in the UK, this sportsbook operator is steadily growing in popularity. 10bet offers solid sports coverage with above-average odds that are posted early, allowing punters to get in before the real market moves. Matched bettors will be pleased to know that 10bet is offering a 50% bonus up to a maximum of £50 on a minimum deposit of £15.
Founded in Dublin in 1988, Paddy Power has maintained its headquarters in Ireland to this day. The bookmaker has a huge presence in the UK and operates under a license from the UK Gaming Commission as well as one from the Malta Gaming Authority. Paddy Power has a great reputation as an online sportsbook, a reputation that's even better after its massive merger with Betfair in 2016. If you're into matched betting, you'll be pleased to know that Paddy Power offers a risk-free £10 free bet for new customers, which is a great way to test the waters. Also, if you're into football (soccer, in American parlance) or horse racing, or just betting in general, you'll be particularly pleased with the odds you can get at Paddy Power.
Matched betting requires an initial stake to bet on the outcome of events. Therefore, in order to assess the financial requirements for starting a matched betting business, one must first assess how much one is willing to bet. If you're ready to dive in, keep in mind that your betting capacity is directly proportional to your earning potential.
You should also be willing to invest some money in a reliable matched betting site, such as Profit Squad, Profit Accumulator, or OddsMonkey. As we'll see later, these sites are essential tools for safe and successful matched betting. This may sound like a frustrating expense, but these subscriptions are much more likely to result in a net profit than not.
In the end, it all comes down to how much you want to invest, largely based on your commitment to the whole matched betting thing. Probably the safest way is to start slow and, once you've been coasting along with recurring, guaranteed profits from this whole thing for a long time, begin to increase your investment again in descending amounts.
In this section, we will instruct you on how to place a matched bet. Let's return to the previous example of the Manchester City vs. Burnley match, where you want to place the Over 3.5 goals back bet with a sportsbook and the lay bet with an exchange. You can execute these matched bets by following the steps below:
Matched betting is a betting strategy that allows individuals to profit from the free bets and sign-up incentives that bookmakers give out. It differs from standard gambling because your risk is essentially zero; in fact, the only way you can lose is if you make a miscalculation or fail to follow the instructions properly. To understand how it works, let's first talk about how you would go about placing a bet in the traditional sense. When you gamble, you are betting on the outcome of an event, such as a football match. If the team you are betting on wins, you get your money back plus some profit. If the team loses, or if the outcome is such that you lose the bet (for example, if the game ends in a tie or you bet on the losing team), you lose your bet.
You receive a £10 free bet from a bookmaker and place it on a team to win. At the same time, you place a bet against that team on a betting exchange. No matter how the game ends, one of the bets will cover the loss of the other, leaving you with a profit. On average, such a transaction gives you between 60-90% of the value of the free bet.
For this reason, matched betting is often referred to as "betting without risk". However, it is not a way to get rich quick, but rather a systemic method that requires precision, attention to numbers (odds), and the kind of discipline you need to play an activity like poker.
In order to make matched betting work for you, two essential elements must be in place: legal bookmakers and reliable betting exchanges. Most people who are new to the concept start with reputable companies like Bet365, 888sport or Ladbrokes, all of which are happy to give out generous bonuses to new customers and are reliable when it comes to paying out winnings. For lay bets, which are made in conjunction with the back bets that the bookmakers want you to place, most matched bettors use betting exchanges such as Betfair.
To avoid miscalculations, knowledgeable players use the math engines of match betting software such as OddsMonkey, Profit Accumulator, and Profit Squad. These platforms do the work for you by making wonderful games profitable. They also calculate your stakes and tell you the guaranteed winnings you can expect. How do these platforms do this? Quite simply, they use the principles of matched betting and then some. All three of the software (or non-software) matched betting services you see here do the same thing.
| Bookmaker | Welcome Bonus | Matched Betting Features |
|---|---|---|
| Bet365 | £100 in bet credits | Wide market selection, fast payouts |
| Paddy Power | £10 free bet | Strong odds on football and horse racing |
| 888sport | Bet £10 get £30 bonus | Plenty of live betting options, easy registration |
Although matched betting is perceived as low-risk, novices can make mistakes and end up losing money. The main dangers are 1. Not placing bets at the right time. 2. Not betting the correct amount. 3. Not following the betting system.
To reduce risks, it is recommended to
A well thought out strategy has the potential to generate £500-£1000 per month, even for complete beginners. If your strategy is good enough, the income potential goes even higher with the use of automation tools.
Matched betting's popularity in recent years is not due to luck alone. It has a number of attractive features that continue to attract newcomers. Below are some of the biggest advantages of this strategy.
Our goal is to provide a completely balanced presentation of matched betting, so having already examined the positive aspects of this strategy, we will now examine the negative aspects. The following are the main drawbacks associated with matched betting.
You should be aware that betting on the outcome of a game can result in "gubbing" or account suspension at some online bookmakers. The gubbers cannot keep your money, but they can and do make it impossible for you to bet with them. Your only option is to serve your suspension if you are indeed guilty of match betting, and then bet with them again if they allow it, which they may not. And what is the risk? Almost none, really. You may lose some accounts, but you won't lose your money.
Consider a Test cricket match between England and India. It is being played in England, and you have placed a so-called matched bet at a bookmaker, backing the home team to win. You have also backed the hosts to win, this time at a bookmaker.
If the bets were placed carefully, there would be guaranteed winnings no matter how the game turned out. But there was always the chance of making a stupid mistake. Like betting on England to win (backing) but betting against India to win (laying) in the same game. If England won or the match was tied, you would make a profit. But if India won, which they very well could have, the money would have gone down the drain, all because of a fundamental misunderstanding of how to bet. A win for the betting payday procession.
Matched betting and arbitrage betting are terms that are often used as if they mean the same thing. However, there are some fundamental differences between the two. They are similar in that they both try to eliminate risk when betting. Most importantly, matched betting is not illegal, while arbitrage betting may or may not be, depending on where you live.
As mentioned above, one of the biggest risks in matched betting is simple human error. Below are some of the most common mistakes you need to avoid when playing matched betting.
Profits from matched betting should be certain, but the practice is not easy. However, you can increase your chances of winning by following a series of steps that are very useful - in fact, the most useful.
After reading this article, you now know what match betting is and how it guarantees a profit by taking the risk element out of betting. With our information on the pros and cons of match betting, you should also understand what you can do to reduce the risks of match betting while still enjoying the benefits.
If this sounds like the kind of betting strategy you want to employ, then all you have to do is sign up with a sports book and a betting exchange, take advantage of your first matched bet, and see if you can't build on it in some way.
There are no laws in the UK that make matched betting illegal. So if you are caught playing matched betting, you won't be fined or get into any other legal trouble.
However, because matched betting is a surefire way to make a profit, it won't win you any friends with the bookmakers. If they notice that you're using their site and making a lot of money (and especially if you're showing signs of money, such as making a deposit), they may limit your account and/or cancel it altogether. And once that happens, the bookmaker in question is no longer a potential source for using your profitable, risk-free matched betting strategy.
For almost all gamblers, the answer is yes. Profiting from gambling is what most gamblers do it for (and if you do it for any other reason, you should probably stop). Profiting from gambling is what matched bettors do, and the way they do it is so foolproof that millions of people could do it every day without affecting the betting markets and without anyone on the losing end getting hurt. It is a largely consequence-free way to make money. And yet, it really is.
Matched betting is a system designed to eliminate the risk of betting by placing bets on both outcomes of a two outcome event. If your calculations - made before placing your matched bets - are correct, you will make a profit. But if you're wrong, you're just as likely to take a hit as you would in a normal game of chance.
There are numerous betting platforms in the UK that are highly suitable for matched betting. Some of the top options include 888sport, Bet365, Betway, Ladbrokes, Coral, Paddy Power, Betfred and 10Bet. Some of these sites, especially Ladbrokes, have also created an exchange, which is another requirement for matched betting.
The selection is not as wide as with sportsbooks, but you still have a few excellent choices, such as Smarkets, Betfair, and Betdaq. Of these, Smarkets is the most user-friendly. However, if you are looking for the widest range of markets and the best liquidity, you will want to use Betfair. If commissions are your primary concern, Betdaq offers the absolute best in that department.
Your potential earnings from matched betting depend mainly on how much of your own money you are willing to risk. If you are able to bet thousands, then thousands is what you can potentially make. The flip side is that you need to seriously consider how much you're sinking into not only the betting itself, but the various necessary components that come with it.
