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Sometimes two bookmakers post odds on the same two-way market that don’t add up. If you back both outcomes at the right stakes, you lock in a small—but certain—gain. That’s arbitrage betting (or “arbing”) in a nutshell: exploiting price inefficiency rather than predicting results.

Explaining the concept behind sports arbitrage and why it is an investment and not gambling
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How It Works – the 90-second primer

Identify a two-way market where the combined implied probabilities of both prices total under 100 %. In the Sweden example, 1/2.45 (40.8 %) + 1/1.75 (57.1 %) = 97.9 %.
Stake in inverse proportion to each price so the pay-out is the same whichever side wins. Formula: Stake A = (Total Stake × Price B) / (Price A + Price B).
Bank the spread. Here a £300 total stake yields £306 no matter the scoreline—guaranteed £6 profit, a 2 % return in about 90 minutes.

Returns per arb are low—typically 1–4 %—but, like government bonds, the risk is near zero if executed correctly and books honour bets. Scale is your friend: churning ten 2 % arbs a day on £500 stakes can clear ~£300 a week before limits bite.

The Catch – and How to Survive It

Bookmakers hate consistent arbers; limits arrive once you’re flagged. To last longer, stick to mainstream leagues, round stakes, and normal kick-off windows—blend a few “mug” accas in for camouflage. Use odds-scanning software to surface top-flight arbs instead of obscure Syrian fourth-division lines, and rotate accounts to manage gubbings.

Arbing won’t make you rich overnight, but approached like an income portfolio—steady, compounding, and disciplined—it’s as close as sports betting gets to a risk-free return.

Arbitrage Betting Explained: Your Introduction to Risk-Free Sports Profit