Arbitrage trading is nothing new and it has been used on the stock market for hundreds of years. In simple terms, it is the art of making a trade with a known outcome i.e. a profit. It is now possible to do the same with your favourite sports match. For example, a game between two sides, A + B, can have three outcomes, WIN A, WIN B or a draw.



At the start of the game, your friendly online bookie will have made his book based on his opinion and the weight of money already laid on the match. Of course, he will want to make his usual 20% from the book so betting ALL three outcomes with that one bookmaker would result in a net loss to you of around 20%. However, other bookmakers from around the world will also have created their books and their opinion and the weight of money will differ slightly and greatly in some cases. This is opportunity number one.

For example, in an International game there is always a patriotic element who will bet for their country so it stands to reason that a bookmaker in one country will have taken a different weight of money than the other. That difference may be greater than 20%. See the opportunity? Bet one outcome with one bookmaker, another outcome with another bookmaker and it is possible to guarantee a small profit of say 5% regardless of the outcome of the game.

The gamblers amongst you would be sniffing at the 5% but this is not a gamble, this is a guaranteed profit. People put their money in a bank for a whole year for 5% and you are looking at making that in just 90 minutes, or however long the game is. A word of caution, there are other people looking for arbitrage opportunities and some pretty smart computers too, so by the time you spot the opportunity the odds might get gobbled up, leaving you with a bet on one outcome and then you are just back to gambling. You need to automate your betting process to conquer this pitfall.

Never mind, if you are stuck with a bet then there is always our other opportunity and that is bet in play. Most big bookmakers now offer bet in play on the bigger matches. Make sure that your arbitrage bets are on such matches because you may find yourself in need of a get out of jail card. You will be amazed at how the odds change with bet in play. A missed penalty, a fallen wicket, a dropped catch, a fumble, may all send the odds spiralling. This is where you need a cool head and don't try and wait for the very best price, just one that will guarantee you a profit will do nicely.

So there you go, arbitrage before, arbitrage in play but whatever you do, arbitrage, don't gamble. One final word of caution, start small, skim your knees with tiny bets, just to prove to yourself that you've got the character, discipline and know how to stay under control in what can be some very tense moments.