These days, punters all around the world are constantly coming out with new and exciting ways to make money through betting online.
Some of these methods are more sure-fire than others, so naturally, these are more popular with the players.
In today’s article, we’re going to be checking out one of those: matched betting without using free bets.
As we all know, there’s a limit to how many free bets one can acquire, so our matched betting tutorial puts those to one side and shows you how you can make an income without them.
Let’s check it out!
Chapter 1
What is Matched Betting?
One of the most popular betting techniques in the world right now, matched betting is a way to effectively guarantee profit from betting online.
It uses mathematics to cover all the outcomes of an event so that no matter what happens in that event, you’ll make a profit.
Matched betting usually takes place on the outcome of sports events, but you can also do it for political events, for example.
Most of the time, matched betting uses free bets to make an overall profit, but there are actually a bunch of alternatives to this as we will explain shortly.
Chapter 2
How to Profit from Matched Betting Without Using Free Bets
If you’ve read this article with keen eyes so far and now find yourself wondering how to do matched betting without free bets, you’re still in the right place.
We’re about to explain how to make money matched betting without free bets, and it’s not as complicated as you might have thought.
Check out the options below!
Option 1 – Arbing
Arbitrage betting, often known simply as arbing, is a very popular form of matched betting these days. It uses odds discrepancies between bookmakers to win money.
If a bookmaker over-values a market, you could take the bet and then place a smaller stake on the other possible outcome to ensure an overall profit.
Arbing can be done with the naked eye, but this requires a lot of work.
Instead, we recommend using an arbing tool (of which there are many to choose from) so that you can spot any arbing opportunities (also known as arbs) much more easily.
Option 2 – Extra places
If you’re interested in horse racing, you might have come across this betting tactic before.
It requires a bit of practice to truly master, but can be a great way to make money if you can get it right.
It’s a form of each way betting that doesn’t necessarily guarantee a profit, but if you can be sharp with your odds and know a thing or two about horse racing, this could be the one for you.
In this guide we’ve described how does extra place matched betting work.
Option 3 – Using a betting exchange
When it comes to placing bets online, you have two options: using a bookmaker or using a betting exchange.
There are a few small differences between the two, but the bottom line is that a betting exchange tends to offer better value than that of a bookmaker.
Sites like Betfair are betting exchanges whereas Bet365 is a bookmaker, so you might want to consider matched betting with the former or one of their competitors.
Option 4 – Casino offers
Lots of online sportsbook sites also have a casino section where you can play slot games, roulette, blackjack and more.
You might not have much of an interest in playing these games, but the right casino offer can certainly land you some cash that you could then use to place matched bets on the sportsbook and win some money.
Some sportsbooks will allow you to take part in both their sports and their casino bonuses, but more often than not, new customer offers will be restricted to one or the other.
For this reason, we recommend reading the terms and conditions before you get started.
Another thing worth noting about casino offers is the fact that they can have pretty tough wagering requirements.
You might need to play through your initial deposit and bonus amount as many as 100 times before you are able to place any sportsbook bets, so make sure you keep an eye on that.
Option 5 – Odds boost
Perhaps one of the more simple ways to take part in matched betting is to get involved with a good old-fashioned odds boost.
Here, you’ll be taking advantage of the good nature of the bookmaker boosting their odds for a particular market.
For example, if you’re being offered boosted odds for Leicester City to beat Manchester United, you could then find the best odds on another site for ‘Manchester United or draw’.
If you play your cards right and put down the right stake for each market, you could guarantee a profit using this tactic.
Option 6 – Matched deposit bonuses
The world of online sportsbook bonuses doesn’t always revolve around free bets. In fact, there are a host of other bonuses available should you wish to use them.
For example, you might get a matched deposit.
A matched deposit is usually a new customer offer whereby you’ll get a percentage of your first deposit (up to a certain value) back in the form of bonus cash to play with.
A 100% matched deposit of £100 would see you land £100 in bonus cash on top of your initial £100 deposit.
Do this with two sportsbooks and place matched deposits on each and you could see the cash start to roll in.
Sportsbook bonuses aren’t always restricted to new customer offers.
Every now and then, they might send you a promo code to use to get an extra bonus even if you already have an account!
Option 7 – Refund offers
One more sportsbook welcome (or existing customer) bonus is that of the refund offer.
With this, you’ll effectively get your money back on a losing bet on a particular market, up to a certain value or over a certain set of odds (or any combination of these factors).
Using the refund offer in combination with matched betting can have some great financial results.
Chapter 3
Mistakes to Avoid
Matched betting without free bets might seem like plain sailing, but there are a few things some players have been guilty of that can have an impact on your overall experience with them, such as losing money or even leaving you in some legal trouble!
Perhaps the main thing to suggest here is to never bet more than you can afford to lose.
Matched betting, even without free bets, can certainly win you money but it should not be seen as a career, and you should only ever use your disposable income just in case you do lose money.
It’s also important to stay within the law when you take part in matched betting.
While techniques such as arbing could get you banned from a bookie, they’re not actually illegal so you won’t find yourself in any hot water on that front.
However, some players like to bet on fixed matches, and this kind of behaviour could very well land you under some legal scrutiny.
Chapter 4
Tips From the Expert
Above and beyond avoiding the mistakes we just noted, we’ve got some further advice that can help you get the best out of matched betting without free bets.
Check out our top tips on the matter below!
Tip 1 – Use a guide
Some of the matched betting options we discussed earlier on can be a little complicated to execute, so it’s always worth doing your homework before you get stuck in.
For any of our matched betting without free bets options, there are plenty of great guides and tips online to check out.
Take a look for yourself with a quick Google search!
Tip 2 – Read the terms and conditions
With any sportsbook or casino bonus, reading the terms and conditions is crucial.
Sometimes, you might have to play through your bonus a whole bunch of times, use it within a certain period of time or be excluded from certain casino games or betting markets.
Spotting these before you get started will make the whole process much smoother for you.
Tip 3 – Act fast
Some of the ways to make a profit from matched betting, such as arbing, effectively rely on mistakes from the bookmaker.
As such, these mistakes can be rectified pretty quickly, so if you come across anything of the sort, we recommend jumping right on it rather than waiting around.
Chapter 5
Conclusion: Can You Do Matched Betting without Free Bets?
Who said you had to use free bets in order to make money from matched betting?
There are tonnes of other great ways to get involved.
As long as you play within your means, matched betting without free bets can be a lot of fun and can land you some cash in the process.
Chapter 6
FAQ
Is matched betting without free bets possible?
Absolutely. There are loads of great ways to get involved with matched betting without using free bets. Check out some of our suggestions above!
How do I do matched betting without free bets?
It really depends on what you feel most comfortable with. We’ve put together a few tips in this article that you can check out to see what works for you.
Is matched betting without free bets legal?
In most cases, matched betting is perfectly legal. Just be aware that the casinos and sportsbooks themselves are often not too fond of it, so make sure that you stay a little vigilant so as not to have your account deleted.
