WHAT IS ARB BETTING? If you follow the betting world a little, you will have heard the term ‘arbing’ and it comes from the word ‘arbitrage’ which is used for people who simultaneously buy and sell assets on the trading market.
Despite increasing in popularity in recent years, it has actually always been a factor in betting but technology has made it easier to access.
It’s now reached a stage where it’s quite possible for anybody to have a go. In this article we will explain…
- What Arb Betting is
- Which Sports Can You Arb
- How an Arb Works
What is Arb Betting?
Arbing takes advantage of two different places where significantly different odds are offered. Arber’s look to cover all outcomes of a sporting event with every single one guaranteed to turn a profit. Whether it’s two or three outcomes (including the draw), arbing looks to cover all bases.
In the eyes of an Arb bettor, there is little to no risk.
Which Sports to Arb?
When looking to practice this method, it mostly requires a lot of research and a chunk of time sitting at the computer. The more market knowledge you have though, the easier things become.
When an opportunity to ‘arb’ comes, it will normally only last for a few minutes as the odds fluctuate between various outlets. For this reason, you need to be able to recognise when all two or three outcomes would return a profit. Ultimately, this means that most sports can be used but you might find it easier to stick with one at a time first.
Horse racing and cricket and tennis are usually one of the easiest sports to place a winning Arb with.
How Arb Betting Works
So how does it actually work?
If we use tennis as an example, player A could have odds of 1.9 and player B could have 2.9 with one firm.
However, Betdaq’s exchange could be offering 1.6 for A and 3.9 for B.
This would be a big arb opportunity…
An arber would then place a winning bet at 1.9 while laying off the same bet on the exchange simultaneously.
As an example:
- £100 bet to win at 1.9 returns £190 profit with a potential loss of £100
- £100 lay bet to lose at 1.6 brings a potential loss of £160 but a win of £100
When matched against each-other the two bets cancel out all losses but leave a winning position of £30 on the favorite. An additional lay bet can then be placed to produce a win-win situation on the match (this will reduce the winning margin though).
Of course, this is a simple example and the more money you put on one of these situations, the more profit you will see. With the profit margins relatively small, but with patience and research of certain situations as well as quick reactions it’s quite possible to make it pay.
Is it legal?
Although arbing is frowned upon and the bookmakers reserve the right to restrict accounts, it isn’t illegal because all you are doing is placing two bets with two different sources. If you want to stay in the game, diversity is key to prevent it from becoming obvious.
Summary
Betdaq betting exchange is a fantastic site to use as it effectively acts as a price comparison site; with this; you can practice and write notes without fearing suspension.
Nowadays, you will also find arbitrage software that offers alerts when arbing opportunities arise. Overall, this is a method of making money but you have to remain patient and research the market fully. As long as you are willing to wait, there will be opportunities for you.
If you’re looking for bigger profits though, you might want to check out Betdaq trading and our API products.
