Betting exchanges are a fascinating new phenomenon in risk markets which has turned the traditional bookmaking and gambling business on its head. Betting exchanges are gaining credibility and influence all the time and with each month that passes seemingly another country legalises the entire operation, and it would seem that it is only a matter of time before the big exchanges are totally legalised and accepted worldwide.



Another great attribute of a betting exchange is that if you don't like the odds you can post a price of your own on the and then see if anyone one else is ready to ‘match’ you and thereby take your bet on. Put very simply, betting exchanges are a secure place where members of the betting public can exchange bets with each other incognito, at odds that they state themselves. It seems that as betting exchanges are the way of the future, many companies have jumped on the band-wagon and have setup new betting exchanges.

The Odds

Odds shown by betting exchanges on average are about 20% higher than those offered by traditional bookies. When you compare odds at betting exchanges to odds at bookmakers, you should take the commission into account as you don’t pay commission at the bookmakers. There will still be occasions when a traditional bookmaker will offer more attractive odds than those that are offered on the exchanges. The odds you tender obviously need to be realistic in order to be matched, but if you are not content with the current price being requested by other punters you can simply leave an 'order' in the exchange at your odds and hope that somebody eventually takes your offer. The attractiveness of using exchanges is there is no bookmaker, which means there is no edge built into the odds, which often results in significantly better value odds. Professionals work on thin margins, there are some that enjoy higher margins but they are the few, generally speaking most professionals work to small margins and so a 20% increase in odds despite the commission which can be as high as 5% is a huge boon.

Betfair – No.1 Player

Betfair is the foremost player in the betting exchange market, with an estimated +85% market share by value. Betfair's exchange boasts a high degree of liquidity, across a wide range of sports betting markets, alongside a professional customer service operation and a fully integrated telephone and internet betting service. Unlike an established bookmaker, Betfair has no vested interest in the outcome of an event and therefore their interests are 100% in line with those who oversee sport.

In-running (betting while a race is being played) is one of the features that truly makes betting exchanges like Betfair come alive. The phenomenal success enjoyed by Betfair and others in the last eighteen months is testament to the appeal of the product to the betting population.

Sports Betting

Sports betting is concerned with predicting sports results, while using the conclusion of a particular sporting event to make a wager. Horse racing and soccer are the biggest volume markets but tennis, cricket and other popular sports also contribute a significant amount as well. As sports bettors become more informed shoppers, a mounting number of players will migrate to the betting exchanges. For sports betting there are over fifty different sports on the exchanges covering events from 122 different countries.

Trading On The Trading is like any other profession, it takes time to study and there are hurdles to overcome. And as financial exchanges have proven to be efficient mechanisms for trading shares, options, and other kinds of securities, so have the betting exchanges proven successful in the world of online gambling. The numbers of people betting from home utilising the talents of the internet, continues to grow at a rapid pace and one of the biggest areas of growth in Britain is online trading, both in sports and other markets. Exchanges are very good for dealing with in-running events, where using trading techniques similar to those used in the city, or by spread bettors, you can secure in a guaranteed profit before the end of an event.