Hundreds of punters who are tired of losing football bets are changing their tactics to guarantee profits every week.
The process of matched betting has been around for more than a decade now and is not necessarily associated with football fans.
This is because it is not a form of gambling, it’s merely a mathematical process – no knowledge of sport or betting is needed. It’s a hit with students and full-time mums but, increasingly, football fans are beginning to realise its value.
Matched betting involves placing two bets on opposite outcomes, so that the stake is covered and no loss can be made. The profit is generated from the bonus offered by the bookmaker – for example a £10 free bet.
This means there’s no risk of losing money. And with so many bookmakers around offering bonuses to both new and existing customers, there’s a lot of scope for sustainable profits. It’s legit, legal and repeatable – so you can see why it’s popular.
Missing the buzz?
But no-risk means no reward in terms of excitement, right?
Perhaps this is why traditional football bettors have been reluctant to try matched betting in the past.
But the opinion that matched betting can’t be exciting is not strictly true. Plenty of people who used matched betting are football fans from a traditional betting background – they simply use matched betting to make sure they don’t lose money.
As well as offers with guaranteed profit, there are offers that offer no risk, but still have the scope to win big.
A good example of this is the 2up offer that Bet365 and Paddy Power promote. This is where they pay out if the team you have backed goes 2-0 up.
This is a very popular offer with matched bettors who like football. They make the offer risk-free but backing and laying (betting against) a team and then hoping the team they have backed goes 2-0 up.
If this happens, they win their bet with Paddy Power or Bet365 and then have several options – hope the other team comes back to draw or win so that the lay bet wins, or cash out all or part of the lay bet.
Mixing it up
This is just one example of a risk-free offer that appeals to traditional sports bettors because of the chance for bigger winnings.
Many people who matched bet use a combination of guaranteed profit offers and risk-free offers that can yield big returns, for example – no-deposit free spins at casinos.
So why are traditional gamblers migrating to matched betting? Aside from being sick of losing money, there are probably a few factors.
The rise of football tipsters who get paid to promote certain bookies is of increasing concern, as is an awareness of responsible gambling.
Many matched bettors see themselves as getting one over on the bookmaking industry and even believe that matched betting is the only smart way to gamble.
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