Arbitrage betting in sports gambling is a betting strategy where you place bets on all possible outcomes in a sporting event with odds that guarantee a profit, no matter the final result of the event. These bets are also known as sure-bets, miracle-bets, sure-wins or sometimes simply arbs. In arbitrage betting, a gambler places multiple bets on one sporting event to guarantee a profit regardless of the outcome. The bettors who take advantage of this are sometimes referred to as “arbers.” While arbitrage betting is extremely popular in horse racing, it can also be used as a betting strategy in other sports as well. It is not possible in every sporting event, but when it is, it can be a very profitable strategy.
What Is Sports Arbitrage Betting?
An arbitrage bet in sports betting is an activity where you simultaneously place bets on every and all possible outcomes of a sporting event at favorable odds which will guarantee you a profit, whatever the result. Arbitrage betting is possible when there is a discrepancy between odds that allow a profit to be made by covering all outcomes. Obviously, this discrepancy doesn’t always present itself, which is important to note. Usually, this is a binary bet as it has only two outcomes. For example, a tennis match where there are only two final results possible.
Arbitrage betting opportunities most commonly present themselves when oddsmakers and sportsbooks disagree on the odds of a single game or they simply make a mistake when pricing the market. As you probably already determined, Arbitrage betting is actually far removed from traditional gambling, i.e., picking a winner and letting it ride. In fact, it is more of a mathematical process to ensure a profit. As it should be, most arbitrage bettors will confess to have little or no interest in a sport they are betting on. It’s important to note many football betting systems and horse racing strategies are based on the theories associated with arbitrage betting.
Proceed With Caution
Good arbitrage betting will require you to have many accounts open with a variety of bookmakers and sportsbooks with different amounts of money to be spread across these accounts at any one time. It is wise to create a spreadsheet to track all of your transactions. Many players actually use the Profit Accumulator and other tools to correctly calculate odds. It is no simple task and researching these tools will help you even more. Once you have spotted an opportunity, it’s important to double check the odds before placing both sides of the arbitrage bet. It is very common for odds to fluctuate after all, particularly in a popular event or if an event is about to start. The margins of an arbitrage wager can be very tight, and potential profit can be wiped out by failing to spot a shift in price at the right time.
Do Sportsbooks Allow Arbitrage Betting?
Arbitrage betting is perfectly legal. After all, it is calculating odds to your advantage- just in an unorthodox way. However, just because it is legal doesn’t mean it is allowed. Much like counting cards in blackjack, any sportsbooks will suspend you if they think you are arbitrage betting. The main reason is fairly obvious: it costs them money.
The problem sportsbooks face is identifying customers who are using arbing as a strategy. If you are consistently winning, sportsbooks will closely monitor your activity and, if betting patterns lead them to suspect you are arbitrage betting, your account could be restricted or closed, sometimes without warning. Some sportsbooks say they will never restrict or close accounts, but they are few and far between so be sure to proceed with caution.
Get Some Arbitrage Betting Software
The value of an arbitrage bet can be worked out using a mathematical formula, and for convenience and accuracy, most regular users will employ arbitrage betting software which is widely available. It allows the user to input both sets of odds, the stake, and any commission, to work out how much should be laid as well as the potential profit. Profit Accumulator’s Oddsmatching software finds thousands of markets every day to find and rate arbitrage opportunities to save players the time of trying to find their own which can be daunting.
How Much Can Be Made From Arbitrage Betting?
Arbitrage betting opportunities occur many times, every day and taking advantage of as many as you can is important because the typical return on each investment is usually pretty low. If you find an arbitrage bet that will generate you more than 5 percent profit, good for you because that is very rare. Therefore, arbitrage betting is not a get-rich-quick system. Even if you have large amounts of cash available. Arbitrage betting requires patience, diligence, and time. Professional arber Simon Renström is quoted as saying “If gambling is a high-risk lottery, in comparison sports arbitrage is more of a low-risk high-yield investment method. While not completely risk-free, most users reach a very high ROI (return on investment) compared with other investment methods; an average of 10 percent to 15 percent per month is common.”
