Matched Betting Without Free Bets – How to do it

Matched betting is a great way to earn some extra cash. Some people earn more than they would in a 9-5 job by dedicating just a fraction of the hours towards it. But what happens if you're unable to claim free bets or participate in bookmaker promotions? Can you do matched betting without free bets?

Getting gubbed by a bookmaker can be extremely frustrating. Especially if it is by one which offers many promotions and free bets. Unfortunate as it may be, it happens to all of us at some point.When it does, you'll most likely receive an email from the bookmaker similar to the one below.

You may have your account restricted in a way that you are unable to participate in promotions, be limited to the amount you can stake on markets or both.

A lot of people give up matched betting once they have lost their main accounts due to gubbing. However, there are still plenty of ways to make money without using free bets or bonuses from bookmakers.

​Although your online accounts may be restricted, you don't have to have an account at a land-based bookmaker. You can simply walk in and take advantage of any offers they have available. 

The downside to this is that you may have to travel between various bookmakers which can be quite time consuming. However, there is profit to be made from in-store bookmaker offers and 'sharbing'.

Always use cash when betting in a land-based bookmaker as your debit card may be linked to your online account. If you're seen taking too much value from the offers, your account may be restricted if it is not already.

Despite your account being restricted, you may still be able to participate in a number of different offers which can prove to be profitable when matched betting. These can include price boosts and extra place offers. These offers can be difficult to profit from if your account is stake restricted but they can return a good profit if you are simply excluded from promotions.

Note: Always do your research in to whether or not you are able to participate in the promotion before placing any bets.

You may think you have done ALL of the new customer offers but it's likely you haven't. New bookmakers are popping up every week and if there's profit to be made from their signup offer, one of the matched betting sites will pick up on it and add it to the list. The list of new customer offers is growing and if you had think you have completed them all, check back in a couple of weeks time to see if any new ones have been added. It's likely that they have.

Many matched bettors stay away from casino offers as the majority of them are not risk free. However, they can prove to be VERY profitable over time if they have a +EV.

Most bookmakers which also provide a casino service have separate sign up offers for each of their products so if you have completed the new customer for the sportsbook, it's likely you can still claim the new customer offer for the associated casino. 

Casino reload offers can prove to be very profitable but if you don't wish to take any risks with your own money then there are plenty of no deposit casino offers available for new customers at a number of online casinos. Check out the casino section on ProfitSquad.co.uk for an extensive list.

Arbing is a great way to generate a profit from your gubbed accounts. You may have been told to avoid arbing when matched betting as it is basically taking advantage of the odds bookmakers display compared to those on a betting exchange. However, once your account has been gubbed and you're not able to take part in promotions, arbing can bring in a profit from those accounts.

You can read more about what arbing is and how it works in our arbing article.

Bingo offers are often overlooked by matched bettors but they can return a very good profit. Online bingo has exploded in recent years and as a result there are hundreds of online bingo sites which offer profitable new customer bonuses. 

Bingo bonuses range anywhere from £5 up to £50 and although the strategy to extracting a profit from these offers is different to standard matched betting, they are another source of income for matched betting without free bets.

Many of the top matched betting sites such as MatchedBets and OddsMonkey provide a number of bingo offers and if you haven't worked your way through them, you're missing out on a lot of potential profits.

Each way arbing is another great way to make a profit without free bets or bonuses. It works by backing a horse each way and laying off the win and place parts of the bet on a betting exchange.

If you haven't done each way arbing before it does require a bit of learning but most people who have done matched betting should be able to get the hang of it pretty quickly.

Mike Cruickshanks product, Each Way Sniper is a tool which finds all of the each way arbing opportunities for you and you can expect to make in the range of £5-£10 per each way arb. 

Provided you are not stake restricted, you should be able to make a good and consistent profit from each way arbing.

This article has highlighted some of the ways you can continue to make money matched betting without free bets. Some of the methods listed depend on whether or not your account is stake restricted but even if they are, there are plenty of other money making opportunities.

It is always good practice to do all you can to ensure your accounts do not get stake restricted or excluded from free bets and promotions. We have a handy article which will help you avoid being gubbed which you can find here. 

Active accounts are very precious and can make you a lot of money in the long term. Once they have been restricted, it is very difficult to get them back so do all you can to avoid that happening.