Sure Bets Betting Strategy

If you’re a bit more of an experienced sports bettor, then the chances are that you’ll have already heard of sure betting. But if you’re newer to the area, then maybe you won’t have. Fortunately, we’re here to provide you with somewhat of a guide towards these bets and how to utilise them.

Sure betting may be known to you under the alternative name of arbitrage betting or arbing. This is one of the betting methods that provide you with the ability of a guaranteed profit from the price differences between different bookmaker odds. And as we all know, being able to guarantee a profit from your bets is very much an appealing prospect.

The Process of Sure Betting

The great part about participating in sure bets is that there is very little risk involved. Therefore, it is due to this that it remains as one of the more popular betting strategies to employ by gamblers. In fact, its popularity has exploded in the past few years, and this is mainly due to the fact that online sports betting has increased in popularity, too.

Anyone utilising this method will know the exact outcome of their bets prior to an event starting. This is what makes it similar to matched betting.

So, to proceed with using the sure betting process, you need to seek out differences in odds between bookmakers on one and the same event. It’s common for online sportsbooks to not show the same odds for a certain market, so this isn’t a difficult process to engage in. Of course, it stands to reason that the larger the variation in price between the bookmakers, the more profit you’re potentially able to make.

Essentially, you’re required to place bets on all outcomes of that event across different bookies. Naturally, you’ll just need to find different prices by navigating around different sportsbooks. And if you can spare the time to do this, then sure betting will be a great route for you to take.

Fortunately, there are also online websites that make this a much easier process. You’ll need to seek out those markets with high liquidity too, as you’ll be required to place fairly large stakes on these bets. Yet, if you visit an exchange, then you can spot the differences between odds and liquidity, as they’re readily provided at such.

How Do Sure Bets Work?

It’s quite common knowledge that sports betting sites will always set the odds in their own favour. This sees them earn money by taking a margin of the odds offered on different events. With a sure bet though, you’re the one who is in control of the margin, and not the bookies. Therefore, you’re turning the odds in your favour to benefit yourself.

So, let’s utilise an example so as to explain this further. Let’s say that a football match is taking place between Everton and Manchester City, and two different betting companies are offering different odds on the match in the following way:

Outcome 1 – Everton WinsYou’ll then see two possible outcomes be in place, which are:
By applying the sure bet system and making a bet of £100 on Manchester City at 1/1 and £90 on Everton at 6/5, you will benefit from a guaranteed profit of £8 when the game is over. This sees you placing a £100 bet on Manchester City at betting site 1, while simultaneously placing a £90 bet on Everton at the second sportsbook.In this respect, the event has a sure bet status written all over it, with the standout indicator being the discrepancies in odds between the two sportsbooks. Those discrepancies are in place for the same outcome too, and that’s very much evident in the odds displayed.

• Your £100 bet at sportsbook 1 is lost

• You win your £90 bet with sportsbook 2. With the odds being 6/5 at this site, a win of £198 is garnered from it.

• Therefore, you may have lost £100 at sportsbook 1, but you received your £90 back from sportsbook 2 and you win £108 on top of that, which is where the £8 profit comes from.

• Alternatively, you lose your £90 bet with sportsbook 2 and win the £100 bet at odds of 1/1 via sportsbook 1.

• In this result, you receive your £100 stake back and win £100 alongside. So, after spending £190 in total with your bets, you receive the £100 stake back and an extra £100 on top from the win at sportsbook 1. In this case, your profit is £10.

Outcome 2 – Manchester City Wins

• You lose your £90 bet with betting site 2

• You win your £100 bet at odds of 1/1 with betting site 1, meaning that you receive your £100 stake back as well as a £100 profit.

So, if Everton wins in this scenario, you receive a £10 profit, whereas if Manchester City wins, then you receive an £8 profit. As you can see, regardless of which of the football teams wins the game, you receive a profit from your sure bets.

Things to Remember When Sure Betting

While it’s true that the example noted above does serve as a sure bet, it is purely an example. It can be difficult for such instances to appear where sure bets will be outrightly visible and accessible. Such large spreads between sportsbooks aren’t regularly seen these days.

Of course, sure bets don’t bring in huge amounts of profit, so it’s generally something that should be utilised as a profit-gainer over time. Or you’ll need to place very large wagers to get a decent size profit back. Ensure that you bet responsibly in these circumstances, too. There’s no point in wagering huge amounts if you can’t afford to do so – especially when the profit levels aren’t exponential on single sure bets.

Be aware that it’s also a lot harder to locate sure bets these days. Many betting brands have formed merger companies, so they’re now operating under one and the same parent umbrella. This means that they will offer the exact same odds, as they are formed by the parent company rather than the sportsbook itself.