One of the main reasons people stop matched betting is because they don’t understand how they can make a long term profit. When you first start matched betting you are likely to work your way through the sign up bonuses at the various online bookmakers, casinos and bingo sites. These bonuses usually see good returns and are generally easy to complete. So what do you do after you’ve signed up to all of the bookmakers and there are no more sign up bonuses to claim? Simple. You have two options :
1.Quit. You’ve probably made around £1,000 so far which isn’t bad going for an hour or so a day for a few weeks.
2.Learn how to do the reload offers and make a regular income every single month.
Reload offers are the backbone of matched betting. Sign up offers are great but they don’t last forever. Reload offers do. There are numerous offers given by countless numbers of bookmakers every day which guarantee a profit. All it takes is a little learning on how to do them. Once you have completed an offer a couple of times you will be able to complete it much quicker and it will all become standard practice. Do you really want to turn down making an extra £500-£1,000 a month forever just because you don’t want to put in a few hours of learning how to do it?
The value of each reload offer varies. Some will make you only a couple of pounds, others will turn a profit of £50+. The aim is to complete a number of these offers each day or several times a week which will all add up to a substantial monthly/annual side income. Reload offers can also be a little more tricky to do compared to sign up offers but the matched betting sites do all of the hard work and calculations for you and so you just have to place the bets.
As well as daily reload offers, there are numerous sporting events throughout the year that provide an opportunity for matched bettors to make an above-average profit. During these events bookmakers run extra promotions to entice people to their site and place bets. Cheltenham Fesitival, the World Cup, the European Championships, Wimbledon, the Grand National, the Olympics and the US Open are just a few events which see bookmakers go crazy with promotions and open the door for matched bettors to make a guaranteed profit. These events alone could make you an additional £1,000 or more each year.
Matched Betting Tools
As matched betting gets more popular, the number of matched betting sites has increased. This provides competition between the sites and each one is constantly thinking up new ways to offer customers something more than their competitors. As a result, matched betting sites have been working overtime on developing new tools to help matched bettors make more of a profit than ever. Tools such as MatchedBets’ ‘AccaBackers’ which generates accumulators with good matches to be used with ACCA refund offers. Accumulator refund offers used to be quite complicated but there is a huge profit to be made from them. Several of the top online bookmakers offer Accumulator refunds on a daily basis and so there is always a number of them to complete. With the use of ACCA tools such as this, matched bettors can complete these offers in a fraction of the time and therefore generate a greater profit.
Matched betting sites now also develop tools for specific promotions. At various sites you’ll see calculators specifically for long running promotions such as the Bet365 ITV offer, making completing the offer quicker and easier.
Profit Tracking
Although profit tracking doesn’t directly impact the money you make from matched betting, it has been shown to increase motivation. If you keep track of your profits in an organised way, you are more likely to continue matched betting in the long term and therefore make more money. Thankfully some of the top matched betting sites automatically track your profits in your account which eliminates the need for updating spreadsheets. It is also a good idea to note down your balances at each bookmaker and exchange to keep track of where your funds are.
Avoiding being ‘gubbed’
If you’re going to do matched betting long term then you need a steady supply of bonuses, free bets and promotions. These are what gives you the edge and make your guaranteed profit. Without them, you’ll make a fraction of the profit and it may not be worth your time. It is unfortunately quite a common occurrence for punters’ bookmaker accounts to be ‘gubbed’. Being gubbed, or ‘gubbing’, is when bookmakers place restrictions on your account towards promotions. There are different levels of gubbing where you may be resticted to a maximum stake on promotions or price boosts, or you may have promotions removed from your account all together. Bookmakers place these restrictions on accounts when they sense customers are taking advantage of promotions or are participating in matched betting. Fortunately, there are a few things you can do to ‘stay under the radar’ of the bookies and to minimise the chances of being gubbed. First, lets take a look at what might be a red flag to the bookmakers.
Some give-away signs that you are matched betting
1.You only place bets when using enhanced odds or on promotions
2.You place bets at lower odds followed by higher odds with your free bet (as you do with your qualifying bet and then your free bet in matched betting)
3.You bet on unusual football leagues or events (when you’re matched betting you simply look for the best match rather than your knowledge on the event)
How to avoid being gubbed
1.Place the occasional ‘mug bet’. Mug betting is when you place bets on events where no promotion is involved in order to look like a regular punter.
2.Try to stick to high-profile events. If you have the choice of placing a matched bet on a Premier League match or an Bolivian third division reserves game, go for the Premier League! It’s less suspicious and will make you look more like a regular punter placing a bet.
3.Put accumulators on every now and again. Again, try to use high profile matches.
4.Try out the bookmakers casino or games section. It doesn’t have to be for high stakes but again it makes you look like a regular customer.
5.Don’t bet strange amounts. If your back bet is £33.76, place a £35 bet and adjust your lay stakes.
6.Restrain from withdrawing after every win. Chances are you’ll use that bookmaker again so if you’re able to, leave some funds in your account.
Realistic earnings with matched betting in the long term
How much you make with matched betting really depends on how many offers you complete. Once you get the hang of the regular reload offers you shouldn’t have to dedicate more than an hour a day to earn between £500-£1,000 a month. If you break it down into days, £1,000 a month is only £33 a day. There are more than enough daily offers available to reach that amount of profit, as well as the extra profit you’ll make around the times of the major sporting events as mentioned earlier.
It is important not to forget about other opportunities to make a profit other than at bookmakers. Online casinos offer bonuses and free spins on a regular basis to their customers which can either be risk-free or have a positive expected value. These offers can occasionally land you a big win and so are worth doing if you are in it for the long run.
Choosing a matched betting site
One of the most important factors of being successful with long term matched betting is subscribing to the right matched betting site. Some are better for beginners, some have more advance tools and some have a more active community for motivation and assistance. It is advisable that you read through the reviews on this site to see which matched betting site is right for you. We’ve personally tested out, as premium members, all of the sites we list here and all views are of our team who have participated in matched betting for many years.