What Is Matched Betting?

First off, it isn't gambling

This is by far the most important thing to clarify. I am not preaching a method that promises to win multis and make thousands of dollars each week. Depending on your strategy, there may be even weeks when you lose some money.

However, this is a rare occurrence, and matched betting allows you to gain an edge over the bookies simply by taking advantage of the promotions bookies offer. Furthermore, there are ways to insure your bets, guaranteeing that you will not lose money even if your bet doesn't win.

While this may sound confusing, it really is quite simple once you are exposed to it!

What are promotions?

The promotions are the lifeblood of the matched bettor, as they are essentially just a marketing ploy from the bookies to try and attract customers, however, if you are smart about it, they can also give you quite a nice income week in, week out.

There are quite a few different types of promotions, and I try to cover as many as possible in this website, but the main ones of concern are:

Again, these phrases may sound like pure jargon if you have never even been on a betting app before, but again, Down Under Odds will be able to provide simple explanations of all these offers to give you some great tools in your money-making arsenal.

What is a betting exchange?

Betting exchanges are vital for matched bettors, as it gives you the ability to place the insurance I mentioned before.

They are essentially peer to peer bookmakers, meaning that it is actually the punters setting the odds. This means that not only do you get better odds, but you also able to take the position of the bookie, which is betting on an outcome not to occur.

This is known as a lay bet, and it allows you to bet on the bookie with the promotion, and then place a lay bet on the same outcome on the exchange.

For an example, if a bookie is running a promotion where you get your stake back as a bonus bet if your horse runs 2nd or 3rd, you would place a bet with them, and then also place a lay bet on the exchange.

This just leaves you with a qualifying loss, which is generally just a small percentage of the total stake, and easy to stomach.

If the horse wins, you break even, if it comes 2nd or 3rd, then you win by getting the bonus bet. Any other outcome and you are just left with the qualifying loss.

How much can you make?

This is a question with a million different answers, and it all comes down to how much time you want to commit, and how big you want your stakes to be.

If you are running a dozen accounts and willing to bet the full amount, then you can easily clear about $1000 in a good week, but it is also quite reasonable to just run a couple of accounts and be content with a $100 profit a week.

Regardless, it is a great source of income, and you are fairly rewarded for your risk and effort. Again, it is definitely not going to allow you to quit your job, but it does give you a nice bit of extra income that can allow you to go on that holiday, buy that dinner, or upgrade your car.

How can I get started?

If you have read to here, then I would take a guess and say that you are looking how to make some money from the bookies ‘generosity’.

Luckily for you, matched betting is an incredibly easy side hustle to start. All you need is Betfair, a gambling app that offers a healthy amount of promotions, and a few hundred bucks to place the bet and cover the liability.

You can quickly grow your bankroll with signup bonuses, and from there you can then earn money consistently through ordinary promotions.

Here is an article about your starting bankroll requirements.

What is the catch?

The biggest catch is that this is not a long term source of income. Bookies do not appreciate you just abusing the promotions, and eventually your account will be banned.

There are ways you can delay this, but it is eventually inevitable. There are still ways to make money once you have been promo banned, but they are not as profitable as if you had promotions.

Nevertheless, this should not scare you away from matched betting and potentially making some very healthy profits with minimal risk. What more could you want from a side hustle?

Learn how to avoid getting gubbed here.