Matched betting in the UK is easy. Simply open up your laptop, smartphone or tablet, navigate to a bookmaker and start placing your bets. However, matched betting abroad can be more of a challenge. Current regulations in popular holiday destinations such as Spain mean that UK residents trying to access sites such as Bet365, Paddy Power and Coral will be unable to and will most likely be greeted with a message upon trying to access their accounts stating that due to their current location, access to the site is restricted.
This can be a problem for many matched bettors and indeed punters. Many people like watching the football abroad and plan trips around big sporting events such as the World Cup. It can be frustrating to finally get to your destination, sit down with a beer in the sun, only to find you are unable to place a bet online! The same applies to matched bettors who bring in a regular and healthy income from bookmaker offers. If you are on holiday for 2 weeks and are unable to matched bet, essentially it could be costing you hundreds of pounds. Or perhaps matched betting has giving you the chance to have more freedom with your time away and you decide to spend more time abroad or even become an expat. In order to do so, you may rely on matched betting to continue to bring in an income but are unable to do so when you're outside of the UK.
However, not to fear as there are ways around being unable to place bets abroad and thankfully, it's not too difficult. Follow these simple steps and you should be able to have full access to your betting accounts wherever you are in the world.
1. use a vpn
VPN stands for 'Virtual Private Network' and basically allows you to access websites by fooling them into thinking you're in a different location to where you currently are. There are many VPN services available which you can use on your laptop, tablet or smartphone allowing you to choose which country you wish to access a website from.
VPN's usually come with a charge but many have free trials which you able to take advantage of for a week or two which may cover your time away. One recommended VPN for matched betting which has a free trial is Tunnel Bear. Tunnel Bear is an app which you can download for your smartphone or tablet for free and is very easy to set up. Simply install the app from the app store, register and choose a location you wish to browse the web from.
There are many VPN's available for your PC or Laptop also and a quick google search should bring up some recommendations. By using a VPN, you should be able to access your bookmaker accounts from abroad without any issues.
Do not try and access your betting accounts from outside of the UK without using a VPN as by doing so and then immediately accessing through a VPN may raise suspicion.
2. UK BANK ACCOUNT & ADDRESS
If you already have your bookmaker accounts set up and are simply going on holiday, the use of a VPN should be all you need. However, if you're setting up new bookmaker account from abroad or are living abroad, you will need a UK address and bank account.
It is possible to make deposits and withdrawals via other methods such as PayPal, Neteller or Skrill but often you are not eligible to receive promotions when using these methods. Therefore, it is always advised that you use a valid debit or credit card in your own name at a valid UK address.
You may also need proof that you reside at the given address so make sure you have a valid document such as a bank statement or energy bill ready to send to a bookmaker to validate your account. Often bookmakers don't ask for such documents until you request a withdrawal and if you are unable to provide them, you may not be able to withdraw your funds.
Documents generally have to be no older than 3 months which is worth keeping in mind if you are outside of the UK for longer than that and are looking to open new bookmaker accounts or need to validate your account.
3. UK telephone number
Most bookmakers will ask for a valid mobile number when you register an account with them. If you're abroad, make sure you have a UK sim card so that you can receive promotional offers from bookmakers. Many last-minute offers such as price boosts and reload offers are sent via text message and so you'll be able to get notified of profitable offers when you're not at your PC.
A valid UK phone number may also be required to validate your account. UK pay-as-you-go sim cards are cheap and are a worthwhile purchase if you are matched betting abroad.
Conclusion
Matched betting abroad is entirely possible if you follow the steps above. The most important thing to remember is to use a VPN. If you're using your mobile phone to place bets, download a VPN app before you leave the UK and enable it before accessing any betting websites. If you forget, it's possible you could have your account suspended. If that happens, explain via email that you are on holiday and didn't realise you were not allowed to place bets abroad and then do not use that account for at least a couple of days.
By using a VPN, you should be able to do matched betting just as you do from within the UK and continue to earn money whilst on holiday.