Arbitrage betting: principles of operation and potential risks

There is a way to place a bet and stay ahead regardless of the outcome of the match. It is called betting arbitrage and it has been known among sports fans for many years – the point is to bet on all possible outcomes of the same event using different bookmakers. You can take a look here at a list of popular platforms that are often used for so-called arbing (the second name often applied to arbitrage).

Despite the widespread popularity of this method, even many experienced bettors do not know about it. Then it is worth analyzing its specifics in more detail.

The example

For example, tomorrow there will be a match between two professional tennis players. On one betting platform, the favorite is player A, so the odds for his win is 2.05. On the other one, in turn, player B is favored – there his victory is estimated with a rate of 2.04. If a bettor places a bet on two opposite results on these two sites, he is guaranteed to get a certain profit, regardless of the outcome. 

Potential risks 

Many bookmakers are often against arbitrage betting, so they could cut the betting maximums or even refuse to accept a bet from a user (basically, cancel out their prediction or block their account). That’s why most of the bettors only come up to arbing just once or twice. 

You should also always pay attention to the odds and keep an eye on them throughout the preparation time for a particular match. The bookmaker can quickly change the coefficient if before the game, there is sudden news that a player previously recognized as a favorite on this platform has suffered an injury. On another site, the figures may remain the same even at the time of the competition – the re-evaluation may be postponed indefinitely or not carried out at all. 

Convenient methods

There is one classical way to use arbitrage betting: wagering on two different outcomes using two platforms. The risk would be reduced only if a bet is placed at the odds that guarantee the profit. That is why this most common form of arbing is the go-to option.

There are some strategies that include betting with a one sportsbook, since the movement often allows one to find the odds difference at the one particular site. Yet, it is much better to find another bookmaker since the arbitrage often leads to the misconceptions described above (reducing the betting maximums and canceling the bets). 

Although the whole arbitrage algorithm may seem difficult, it could be managed quite easily. There are even free calculators that allow people to spot new opportunities in such disciplines as tennis, baseball and soccer, which are the most suitable options for arbing.