Disclaimer: Readers who have or have had issues with gambling addictions, matched betting may pose a problem for you. Please check out some of our other posts and if you need help with a gambling addiction, you can find help here.
Matched betting, or more accurately betting promotion arbitrage, is a fantastic little side hustle to make some income. The main gist is you take advantage of the generous offers from bookmakers (bookies), to make a profit. These offers are used by the bookies to convert new bettors or entice customers from another bookie. However, using some math you can exploit these offers through a variety of techniques. I have written a post about each technique, how it works and what kind of profit can be expected from each one. You can read a short overview below, and follow the link if you wish to learn more.
Part 1 – Sign up offers
This is the first technique you will learn and use for matched betting. Bookies will offer very generous bonus bets to new customers who deposit and make bets up to that value. The value of these bonus bets can be up to $500 per bookie. The idea with this technique is make a small loss (>5%) on your deposit to claim the bonus bets. Then convert the bonus bets at a 70-80% rate, giving you a total profit of around 65-75% of the bonus bet. These two conditions can be achieved using the back/lay method; check out the post for a more detailed guide.
Part 2 – Multi promotions
Multi promotions are a more advanced technique, however once you understand them, they are very lucrative. Especially since the time commitment is very low. Multi promotion offers allow you to make high odd bets (due to them being multis) with your downside greatly decreased. This is because you will get a refund of bonus bets if one of your multi legs fail. Check out the post for a detailed walk through and some tips on what multi bets to place.
Part 3 – Racing promotions
Racing promotions are the most advanced technique we will cover in the series. This is due to high liquidity and fast moving markets, meaning you have to be confident ans know your stuff. It is also quite time consuming but the profits can be very high in return. These racing promotions work on the same back/lay method used for sign up offers however you are dealing with real-time betting and odds changes that can ruin your bets. Read the post for more information.
Part 4 – Dutching
Dutching is another relatively simple technique that can make some consistent profit for you. Instead of using the back/lay method to secure profits, dutching involves betting on both sides of the market using multiple bookies. This allows you to reduce your losses while increasing your chances of hitting a promotion with all the bookies you use for a bet. Follow the link to the post for more information about this consistent income generator.
Part 5 – Wrap up
The final post of this series is a wrap up of my experience with matched betting. I cover the profits earned from each technique and a few interesting stats. This post can give you an example of what you might be able to earn from this side hustle.
Have you given matched betting a go yet? Why/why not? Let me know if you have any questions below, I would be happy to answer them. Again I will greatly recommend looking into BonusBank if you are interested in trying out matched betting. They have some great tutorials and software to make your matched betting as efficient and effective as possible.