Matched Betting Guide

The basic premise of matched betting is to use the free bets given by sports bookmakers to make a guaranteed profit. Sounds too good to be true? It's not! We're going to show exactly how it works, and how you can make sure you profit from it.

On this page you'll find out:

  • How to do matched betting
  • Some top matched betting tips
  • How much money you could make

How to Do Matched Betting

Matched betting involves using the free bets offered by sports betting sites to make a guaranteed profit. The way to do this is by using the free bet to back a particular outcome, for example betting on a hockey team to win. You then use a betting exchange such as Betfair to 'lay' the same game. To 'lay' is basically to bet that your initial bet will not happen.

Most bookmakers will require you to make a bet in the first place in order to claim your free bet. For example, you may have to make a bet of $5 to claim a $20 free bet. So, bet your $5 on the sports betting site, making sure that your bet is at sufficient odds for you to be able to claim the free bet. Now lay the same bet on your betting exchange site. You should break even or make a very small loss from this first bet. Now you receive your $20 free bet, and by backing and laying the same event, you'll make a profit which should exceed 70% of the $20 bet.

You can continue to claim new offers from different sports betting sites, and follow the same model so as to make more guaranteed wins. The process is very simple, and there's no limit on how much you can make by matched betting. You're only limited by the amount of free bets that you can locate, and with so many sports betting sites clamouring for business, that shouldn't be a problem.

Getting Started

It can be a little tricky to firstly locate the free bet offers, and secondly find the right event to back and lay. Luckily, you can just join one of the many matched betting services out there, which helps you to find your free bet, tells you exactly what bet to back and lay, and tells you how much of a profit you'll make. It takes the headache out of matched betting and is very much recommended.

  • Create a new email address

  • Join a matched betting service

  • Keep records of your betting

  • Make sure to have a sufficient bankroll

  • Don't make bets with very high odds

How Much Can I Make?

There is no specific limit on how much money you can make from matched betting. You should expect to make a return of at least 70% of the offer on your first bet. From then on, the more matched bets you make, the more money you can earn.

There are a huge number of sports betting sites offering free bets, and these sites will generally have reload bonuses as well, so you'll be able to continue making money indefinitely. Note that we would suggest you start with a bankroll of $200 to be able to cover your bets.

Matched Betting FAQs

Matched betting is 100% legal in Canada. You're simply taking advantage of a free bet from an online bookmaker to make money. Some people are hesitant to use matched betting because it sounds 'too good to be true' but this system is perfectly legitimate.

We recommend that you use a third party helper site when you begin matched betting, as it can be rather time consuming locating free bets and then finding the best event to back and lay. It's far easier to let a matched betting helper site do the hard work, and tell you exactly which bets to make. Then all you have to do is to make sure you have enough funds in your betting exchange to cover any bets you need to make, make the recommended bets, and watch your balance increase.

There are only two difficult aspects to matched betting. The first issue is to be able to keep finding new free bets, which involves a lot of online searching. The second difficulty is in finding the best bet to make so as to maximize your profits. We strongly recommend that you sign up with a matched betting helper site, as they will do all of the research for you. Expect to pay around $20 a month to join a matched betting site, which you can recoup by making your matched bets.

Sports betting sites do not like losing money, and that goes for matched betting. Whether you could be banned for matched betting depends on the site in question, but it is possible if you're maxing out free bet offers. It's recommended to not bet on odds that are particularly high, as becoming too greedy is the primary reason that matched bettors get banned or restricted on sportsbooks. If you stick to more reasonable amounts and odds, and do not max out every single offer on the site, then you should not be banned or restricted.