Sports arbitrage betting is a quite popular and effective strategy in betting. Below, we’ll explain how this system works and how you can successfully use it.
What is Sports Betting Arbitrage?
Sports arbitrage is the opportunity to wager bets on opposing outcomes of a sporting event at different bookmakers and secure a profit, regardless of the final result.
Sports like tennis and volleyball, where matches must end with a winner and no possibility of a draw, are ideal for arbitrage opportunities.
Let's move from the basic definition of sports arbitrage betting to a concrete example.
In a volleyball match between China and the USA, two bookmakers offer the following odds for a win:
China to win:
Bookmaker #1 – 1.25
Bookmaker #2 – 1.43
USA to win:
Bookmaker #1 – 3.90
Bookmaker #2 – 2.85
Next, we perform a simple mathematical calculation to determine the bookmaker’s margin. The formula used is:
S = 1/odd1 + 1/odd2, where S represents the bookmaker's margin.
Applying this to our case:
1/1.25 + 1/3.90 = 1.056
1/1.43 + 1/2.85 = 1.051
Thus, the bookmakers' margins are 5.6% and 5.1%, respectively.
An arbitrage opportunity exists when the sum of the implied probabilities of opposite outcomes is less than 1. In our case:
1/1.43 + 1/3.90 = 0.9557
How to Calculate the Stakes
Now, let’s calculate how much to bet on each outcome. Assume we have a total budget of $1,000. We use the following formula:
1000 / (3.9 × 0.9557) = $268.30
1000 / (1.43 × 0.9557) = $731.70
By placing the above amounts, you no longer need to worry about the match's result. Whether China wins or the USA wins, you will earn a profit:
a) 268.30 × 3.90 – 1000 = $46.33
b) 731.70 × 1.43 – 1000 = $46.33
As you can see, investing $1,000 returns a profit of more than 4% within just a couple of hours.
Finding Arbitrage Opportunities
You can find sports betting arbitrage opportunities manually. However, today, it is much more convenient and time-efficient to use specialized scanners.
BetBurger is one of the leading services in this field, especially in the EU betting community. Over eight years, tens of thousands of bettors have gained an edge over bookmakers through BetBurger's arbitrage opportunities.
Among the advantages of BetBurger are:
- Fast scanning speed and quality.
- A vast number of scanned bookmakers (450) and sports types (50).
- Extensive additional features, such as a functional hidden menu, one-click navigation to bookmaker sites, and much more.
If you are just beginning your journey with arbitrage betting, you’ll likely appreciate BetBurger’s large selection of educational materials on this strategy available on their website.
Conclusion
If you want to make real, risk-free income from betting, then sports betting arbitrage is the perfect strategy for you.
