What is arbitrage betting?
Arbitrage betting means backing every outcome of one market at different bookmakers, at odds high enough that each outcome returns more than the total staked. The set of bets is called a surebet, and it exists only while the bookmakers disagree on the price.
The test is one line of arithmetic: add up 1 divided by the odds of each outcome, and a sum under 1 is a surebet. The stake on each outcome is the total times 1 over its odds, divided by that sum, so every outcome returns the total divided by the sum.
Why a surebet gets voided or limited
A bookmaker can void a bet placed at an obvious error in its price, and a price far above every other bookmaker's is the kind it reviews. Bookmakers also set a maximum stake per bet and can lower it for an account, so a stake larger than the limit is refused or cut.
Settlement rules have to match too. Football markets are settled on 90 minutes plus stoppage time unless the market names extra time, and two prices pair only when both bookmakers settle the market the same way.
Is arbitrage betting legal?
Arbitrage means placing a bet on each outcome of one market at different bookmakers, so it is legal wherever betting with those bookmakers is legal for you. Each bookmaker's own terms decide whether it keeps taking your bets.
Surebet questions
How much money do I need for a surebet?
Any amount the bookmakers accept as a stake works, because every stake scales with the total you set. The profit is a share of the total staked, so a larger total returns more in money at the same odds, up to each bookmaker's own maximum stake.
Which markets have the most surebets?
Over and Under goals and Asian handicap lines pair most often, because many bookmakers price them and small differences in their lines open a gap. A 1X2 surebet needs three prices at up to three bookmakers, and it is rarer.
Why are the stakes rounded?
Round stakes are easier to type and fit the amount you have. Rounding moves each return by a little, so the lowest return sets the profit, and a surebet with a thin margin can lose it at a coarse unit.
What if a price changes before I place the second bet?
Work the stakes out again at the new price, with the stake you already placed fixed. A price that has dropped makes the cover cost more, and the returns show whether each result still pays back more than the total staked.
