How arb betting works at bookmakers

Everything you wanted to know about arbs, but hesitated to ask. All information in one place, in the format of "Frequently Asked Questions", with easy navigation through the sections. Complete information for beginners: what do you need to know to place such bets? What will you have to face? How much will such rates bring in 2021? Go!

What is the arbs betting?

Arbs (another name is an arbitration situation) is a situation in which you can place bets on opposite outcomes in different bookmakers and get a win for any outcome of the match. The simplest example: bets on victories of roughly equal rivals, which are estimated by different bookmakers above the odds of 2.00.

• Wager 10,000 rubles for tennis player №1 in BC №1, coefficient 2.10, payment of 21,000 rubles.
• Wager 9767 rubles for tennis player №2 in BC №2, coefficient 2.15, payment of 21000 rubles.

In total, we make a bet on 19,767 rubles and get a guaranteed payout of 21,000 rubles, which gives us a profit from the transaction of almost + 6%. 

This is the simplest example, which is easiest to understand, in fact There are a lot of varieties of arbs - three or four or more original, incomplete, partially returnable, uneven, pre-match, live prematch, live-live and a bunch of other types

Do such situations exist?

Yes, and often enough. There are hundreds of bookmakers around the world, and they are not synchronized with each other. If BC # 1 will load on the first player, they are literally forced to reduce the odds on him, inviting players to bet on the opposite outcome. At the same time, the situation in BC # 2 may be mirror-like, and they will increase the odds for the first tennis player.

Another reason is the difference in the efficiency of the office. For example, there is news that the leading player in team # 1 was injured. TOP offices drastically change the odds from equal to 1.50-2.50. And in less efficient ones, the previous quotes at 1.95-1.95 hang for another 5-10-20 minutes. Now you can place bets on W2 in a large office for 2.50, and bets on W1 in a small one for 1.95, having received a surebet with a profitability of almost 9%.

Reasons why arbitration situations arise:

• Bookmakers change odds due to overload;
• Bookmakers can't keep up with each other;
• Bookmakers initially set their quotes incorrectly;
• Bookmakers estimate the probabilities of live outcomes differently.

All this can be used by placing bets on surebets. Why aren't people doing it en masse? Most simply do not know about such a possibility even now, and do not understand the mechanics by which bookmakers work. In addition, the bookmakers themselves do not like bets on arbs, which we will discuss below.

How legal is it to bet on arbs?

It depends on which side you look at. From the point of view of the law, betting on arbitration situations is completely legal. But bookmakers often consider such bets to be a violation of their interests and counteract them in all possible ways. Often in their internal rules you can find clauses on the prohibition of arbs, but, by and large, this is a semi-bluff and it is still realistic to bypass these prohibitions.

Which bookmakers are better to use for playing on arbs in 2021?

Interestingly, there are a number of bookmakers who do not oppose arbers and give them a quiet job. These are large professional offices, the main of which are Pinnacle and SBObet, as well as betting exchanges that earn a percentage of the players' profits. The problem is that professional bookmakers do not arb with each other and you will inevitably have to add weak bookmakers to your arsenal. 

In general, the weaker the bookmaker, the easier it is to find a arb in them, because they work slower, than their older brothers. But such offices cut bills for literally a couple of bets and there is much more fuss with them. An acceptable mid-range option is large recreational bookmakers like Bet365, Marathonbet, Unibet, 188bet, Dafabet, William Hill, and so on. There your account will live longer, and it is quite possible to find good arbs.

Of course, the more working accounts you have, the more profitable your arbitrage game will be. If you are registered with only 5-10 bookmakers, then the lion's share of arbs will simply pass you by. In addition, with the help of this strategy, it is very convenient to wager the bookmaker's bonuses, and this moment should also be used with maximum efficiency.

How to search for arbs?

You can do it manually, monitoring with your eyes several open lines of the bookmaker's office. You can even achieve some success in this, learn to think about the existence of an arbitration situation in your mind and learn the table of zero arbs. It is believed that the ability to find bets on arbs manually can be more useful, because this way you can find more profitable and less noticeable forbets. 

 There are special clear formulas that allow you to calculate the presence of a arb, its profitability , leverage bet amount:

Plug availability: 100 / K1 + 100 / K2 + 100 / KN

We divide one hundred percent by each of the odds that make up the arbs shoulders and add up all the results. If the resulting number is less than one hundred, then the arb is present. If more than a hundred - no. If you subtract the resulting number from one hundred percent, then this will be an indicator of the profitability of the arb - the percentage of profit from a particular bet.

For example, we have the same two-way arb with odds of 2.10 and 2.15. Is there an arbitration situation at all?

100 / 2,1 + 100 / 2,15 = 47,62 + 46,51 = 94,13, there is an arb

100 – 94,13 = 5,87% – net profit from this arb

To calculate how much you need to put on your shoulders to get equal profit, you need to use the following formula:

(100 / К / V) x S

We divide one hundred (percent) by the leverage ratio and the number of arbs (V), then we multiply by S - the amount allocated for the entire transaction, for example, 20,000 rubles.

(100 / 2,1 / 94,13) х 20000 = 10118 rubles

(100 / 2,15 / 94,13) х 20000 = 9882 rubles

This is exactly how much you need to put on the shoulders of the arb in order to get approximately the same winnings at the exit: 10118 x 2.1 = 21247, 2.15 x 9882 = 21246. Or +1246 rubles of profit (the same + 5.87% profit from the deal). 

But in fact, you can do everything much easier - just use special services for finding arbs, which are called scanners. As a rule, the scanner allows you to test your functionality for free on low-profit arbs (up to 1-2%), and surebets with increased profit are provided to owners of a paid subscription.

List of popular arb scanners:

• Surebet;
• Allbestbets;
• Positivebet;
• Oddstorm;
• Betspan;
• Arbmate.

The price for such services ranges from $ 20 to $ 150 per month and is usually fully justified by the profit brought. The scanner also contains built-in calculators that allow you to carry out all the necessary calculations in a couple of seconds.

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By the way, the arb scanner does not always find the best deal for the arb leverage. They are designed in such a way that they catch the first profitable option and give it to customers. If you check all the leverage of the arb on the BetMAX extension, you are likely to find even better quotes that will increase your profit on the trade.

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I understand that a arb is a risk-free model of the game?

Not really. As a betting model, arbs are really win-win. You get a guaranteed profit from each transaction, which can reach 10-15% of your investment. And fast enough. Risks in arbitration are laid by bookmakers and their attitude to such activities. 

Bookmakers cut accounts for arbs, calculate winning bets by refund, in some cases they can block the account along with all the money won. They can also force you to go through long verifications, provide proof of account ownership and oppose in every possible way. All this puts certain risks in the process and leaves the probability of remaining in the red on the basis of individual transactions. 

How to deal with bookmaker restrictions?

First of all, you will need a lot of game accounts. Not only different bookmakers, but also within each bookmaker. Small bookmakers are capable of killing in a few days, so you will have to constantly register more and more new gaming accounts. At some point, relatives and friends will run out, then you will have to resort to buying ready-made accounts, drops (purchased sets of real documents for registration) or renderings (in fact, fake documents, or rather their photos). Needless to say, this is no longer very legal in terms of legality. 

You will also have to learn and master all the subtleties of anonymization on the Internet. It will be necessary to create virtual machines for each account, use proxies, vpn, vps and other technologies. At the same time, it is necessary to do everything very clearly so as not to confuse the data of one account with the technical settings of another, otherwise both accounts will be blocked in a couple of hours.

How do bookmakers identify arbs in general?

Now, in 2021, bookmakers are very advanced in identifying arbs, even compared to the situation five years ago. Basically, betters are caught in the manner of the game, stupid mistakes due to inattention or on their own greed. Below are a couple of recommendations on what you shouldn't do if you don't want to sleep.

• Do not bet on the entire amount in the bookmaker's account, and do not bet on the exact amounts that the arbs calculator gives you, round them up to the nearest whole number. The first bookmakers can regard as "betting with complete confidence", and the second very much hints at bets on a certain automatic system, which the bookmakers do not like very much. Also, avoid max limit bets.

•  Try not to withdraw funds from your account without an urgent need. Each conclusion is a reason for the office to pay extra attention to you. Withdraw money only if you have already accumulated a decent amount or if you urgently need to transfer money to other offices.

• Do not bet with suspiciously high profitability. Even 25-30% is already a lot, most likely there is either a mistake or a trap. The first will be calculated as a refund, and you will lose money; for the second, the account will be cut or blocked with a high probability. Bookmakers sometimes deliberately provoke such situations to identify fresh arb accounts.

• For the same reason, try to dilute your arbitrage rates with the usual ones. Bookmakers perfectly see every disproportionate stream of surebet bets. And if you constantly fall into it, then your account will not live even for a couple of days. The best way to dilute is to bet on popan express bets of 3-5 outcomes and simple single bets at random. From time to time you will receive winnings on them, so you will not lose much.

• Try to avoid arbs in unpopular championships. They bet little on them and the stream of such rates is noted by the offices in the first place. It is best to use only football, basketball, tennis, hockey and TOP leagues in them. Also, do not place bets on "pop" surebets, which are publicly available from the scanner. They are also perfectly visible in the volume of arriving rates.

• Try to break the bookmaker's rules to a minimum and do not draw too much attention to your account. Do not go to the offices from the pages of scanners, do not use unnecessary programs or macros to automate the process, work very carefully with virtual machines, proxies and accounts.

But remember, no matter how attentive you are, no matter how hard you try, you will definitely be identified. Not in two days, so a little later. These are inevitable costs, and after a while you will have to create a new account. If you stick to these guidelines, you can delay cutting or blocking, but you will not avoid it.

Are there any associated costs in this type of activity?

Actually, we have already considered them. A beginner arbitrator who makes up to ten arbs a week does not really need all these tricks. It is enough for him to buy a subscription to a scanner and look for the fattest arbitrage situations. But over time, if you want to increase the turnover and deal with arbs on an industrial scale, you will definitely have to spend not only on the scanner, but also on drops, rendering, virtual machines, paid proxies, and so on.

What bankroll do you need to work with this strategy?

The answer is pretty obvious - the more the better. The owner of a bank of 100 thousand rubles will earn much more than one who has a bank of 10,000 rubles. And with a bank of 10 million rubles, you can allocate only 1-2% for each arb, which is practically safe, and at the same time have good earnings from the turnover of funds in the bookmaker. 

It's better to start with a small bank. Allocate 5-10 thousand and try to grasp the very essence of the arbitrage game. When you gain experience and understand what the average gain from a deal you get, how many deals you can conclude without stress per day or month, scale the process to more substantial amounts.

By the way, what percentage of the bank can be bet on arbs?

There is no single answer here. As with regular betting, this point depends on the size of your bank and your personal willingness to take risks. With a modest bankroll, you have to risk more in order to earn at least something. But still, it is advisable not to go beyond 20-25% per transaction. With an impressive bank, it is better to immediately reduce the risks to safe values ​​of the order of 5% per transaction or even less.

How much can you earn on arbs in 2021?

This is also a sore point for specialists in this field. At the beginning of the 2000s, arbers took out new apartments and houses from the BC. In the early tenths, you could make money pretty quickly for a good car. Now, in 2021, with increased risks and the volume of work, earnings from arbs are comparable only with a good salary somewhere in the middle region of Russia. Much still depends on skills, willingness to work and the size of the game bankroll. Roughly speaking, about 15-20% of the bank per month, but you can do more if you try and optimize costs (scanner, accounts, etc.).

How to get started with arbs?

To get started, study this material carefully. Once you have funds available, you are ready to start. Place the bankroll on a separate bank card or e-wallet account for subsequent distribution to offices. 

You will need to register accounts in several bookmakers, for a start, five or six will be enough. Then, buy a subscription to a quality surebets scanner, for example, allbestbets or surebet. 

Start trying average yield surebets, betting on each no more than 5-10% of your bankroll. Gradually increase the number of arbs played by bookmakers. With the growth of experience, you can smoothly increase both the size of your bank and the amount of money involved in one bet. You will master all the other subtleties over time on personal experience and according to our materials.