Is arbitrage betting risky?
Arbitrage, Value and Matched betting are the only ways to consistently profit from bookmakers. For this exact reason, bookmakers don’t like users who abuse these strategies. Along with this guide, we also recommend reading our common misconceptions page.
Despite beginners often thinking so, arbitrage betting is not illegal. No consequences will ever be taken. Below are the most common areas of risk outlined.
Can bookmakers take my money?
Absolutely not. If your account is legitimate with name, address, bank details and age all correct, you will encounter no issues when withdrawing funds.
Using false information including a fake date of birth, an account in someone else’s name, or a deposit method belonging to somebody else, could cause the user difficulties as these are all against bookmaker terms and conditions.
At some point during your arbitrage betting journey, you will undoubtedly be asked for documents to confirm your identity and address. This is not a concern as long as your account is legitimate as mentioned above.
Can my account be banned?
Unfortunately this is the case for arbitrage bettors on occasions. When taking advantage of bookmakers by repeatedly taking value, they will eventually apply stake restrictions (bans) to your account. They may also disallow you from receiving promotions. Although this seems incredibly unfair, it is always mentioned in terms and conditions that they reserve the right to close your account for almost any reason!
We strongly recommend reading our top tips to avoid account limitations, as maximising betting account health is one of our top priorities as arbitrage bettors. This included stake suggestions (never stake large amounts) and other tips.
Is it possible to lose?
When done correctly, it is impossible to lose when arbitrage betting.
The only instances of losing money are through user error. To prevent this we recommend our matched betting calculator here (to ensure correct stakes are used), and to track all your bets placed on a spreadsheet here (to avoid confusion when multiple bets are on at once).
Furthermore, you should familiarise yourself with bookmaker void rules here, to ensure you are only ‘arbing’ on bookmakers who follow the same rules.