Of course matched betting doesn’t only work on football, it can be used on any event which allows you to place a bet within the T&C’s of the offer at the bookmakers, and is available on the betting exchange to be laid off.  Generally, we tend to stick to football, as with the sheer volume of games available, you are never stuck for a good matched bet option to use, and also the odds prior to kick off are fairly static - meaning once you have calculated your bet using the onscreen prices, you are more likely to actually get the bet on at those odds, rather than the prices moving one way or another all the time - but the choice is up to you.

As a comparison, let us look at a stake returned offer, like the current one at Coral, bet £10 and get £10 free.  This is probably the simplest offer of all, as the qualifying bet can be done at ANY odds, and the free bet stake is included in any winning returns, plus the free bet is credited instantly when you place your first bet. So, we can even cash it out on the same selection.

 

For this example we are using Arsenal in their Premiership game at Derby near the end of last season.  Arsenal are 1/4 (1.25) at Coral, and 1.31 to LAY at Betfair.

Step One – Obtaining a free bet risk free

               

Place a bet at Coral to obtain a FREE bet or bonus, and LAY this selection on a betting exchange, to make your liability as small as possible, thereby obtaining the free bet for the lowest cost.

 

Here is the selected bet (see figure four to see how this was calculated)

 

                BACK Arsenal at CORAL with £10 at odds of 1.25

 

LAY Arsenal at BETFAIR with £9.92 at odds of 1.31 (you will need £3.08 in your BETFAIR account to cover this bet’s liability)

 

If Arsenal win, we win £2.50 at CORAL, and lose £3.08 at BETFAIR for a 58p loss

 

If Arsenal don’t win (draw/lose), we lose £10 at CORAL, and win (after commission) at BETFAIR £9.42 for a 58p loss.

 

We have gained our £10 bet, or £10 of free stake money to play with, and it has cost us just 58p, as shown below.

 

               

Figure Four: Calculating the Coral qualifying bet using the laytheodds.com online calculator


 

Step Two – Cashing out a free bet (stake returned) for risk free profit

 

The free £10 is instantly credited with this particular offer, and the free bet stake money will be returned in the winnings if the bet wins at CORAL. So, we can use ANY odds, and still make a healthy profit, so place exactly the same bet.

 

Here is the selected bet (see figure five to see how this was calculated)

 

                BACK Arsenal at CORAL with the free £10 at odds of 1.25

 

LAY Arsenal at BETFAIR with £9.92 at odds of 1.31 (you will need £3.08 in your BETFAIR account to cover this bet’s liability)

 

If Arsenal win, we win £12.50 at CORAL, and lose £3.08 at BETFAIR for a £9.42 profit

 

If Arsenal don’t win (draw/lose), we lose £0 at CORAL (as the FREE bet was our stake), and win (after commission) at BETFAIR £9.42 for a £9.42 profit.

 

A 94.25% return on investment from our initial £10 bet, and even accounting for the 58p we lost to obtain the free bet, that is £8.84 overall profit, still over a 88% profit margin from our initial £10 bet.


 

Figure Five: Calculating the Coral cashout bet using the laytheodds.com online calculator

 

This particular profit has been achieved from a starting bank of less than £20.  This is because the whole process has involved depositing just £10 into CORAL, and having £6.16 in BETFAIR. 

 

There are over 40 approved offers that can be used at the time of writing.  So, there are plenty of opportunities to grow your betting bank.  As you can see, you can start with a very small bankroll doing the free £10 bet offers, move onto the free £20, £25 and £50’s and beyond, as your bank increases. A full list of the current recommended bookmakers can be found at here

 

 

What next?

 

One of the most frequently asked questions via our site is, “I have taken up all of the sign up offers, but what do can I do next?”

 

Well, the good news is, we have seen a tremendous upsurge in offers for existing customers, as bookmakers are keen for your business and to reward customer loyalty.  This is a growing trend that is set to continue. Each profit might appear quite small, but these are quick and easy to do, and quickly accumulate into some very useful amounts over the month.  Best of all, these are all risk free.

 

There can be any number of “reload” offers during any month, whereby you can claim a % of your deposit (typically 10-20%) in the form of a free bet, that has to be wagered over a certain number of times before it can be withdrawn. Also, refund offers, whereby bookmakers will refund your stake money if say a match ends goalless, or a certain player scores the first or last goal. Again, these can all be turned into risk free profit.  Add to that some regular casino and games offers, and you have a great foundation on which to build some consistent profits on a month by month basis.

 

You can also apply the same techniques to telephone account offers and some bookmakers will also allow what is known as “partner friendly” bonuses, whereby a second member of the same household can sign up and get a free bet bonus too.  Or, you could pull some friends or family in, and split the profits with them, the opportunities are huge and ongoing.


Initially, have a look around the site, get signed up (it’s free), get hold of a copy of the matched betting spreadsheet, or go to the online calculator page, and try a few “paper trades” to see the potential outcomes.  Once you are happy, then you can start to work your way through the initial list of bookmakers included on the site, or drop us an email to matchedbets@laytheodds.com and we can advise you on the best way to tackle any of the offers, or with any other questions you have whatsoever.