Guest Post: Get a Money Saving Boost – with matched betting

I run a blog offering money saving and money making tips. In particular, I share lots of information about something called matched betting. It’s a guaranteed way to make extra money. However, many people have never heard of it or are a bit scared about trying it out. But once you get started, it’s a reliable source of additional income. So I’m grateful for Emma to allow me the opportunity to tell you all about it here on her blog.

Matched Betting?

Matched betting doesn’t involve you betting or gambling in the traditional sense. Instead, it involves you following a set process in order to make money from the free bets bookmakers give out as incentives for you to join them. Matched betting involves placing bets which cancel each other out. Therefore, instead of losing money, you simply get your money back. As you use the free bets given to you by bookmakers, you end up being able to keep this money.



As there are more than £2000 worth of bonuses available to new customers, matched betting is a risk-free way to make a lot of money simply from signing up to different bookmakers.

What convinced me to try it was the fact that it had been featured as a way to make money in so many national newspapers:

“With bookmakers offering ‘free bets’ to tempt new customers, you can play the system and pocket hundreds of pounds – with little risk to your own cash” 

- (The Guardian, June 2010)

Can you explain how this works in more detail?

The matched betting process is very simple. But it can take a while to get your head around how it works. My guide to matched betting aims to break down all of the steps for you. But here’s a summary of how it works:

1. Open an account with an online bookmaker offering a free bet for new customers.
2. Join a betting exchange. These are websites which allow you to bet against the outcome of a particular game or match.
3. Place a qualifying bet. Instead of choosing a random bet, you place two bets both for and against the same outcome. This means backing a bet with a bookmaker and also laying against that outcome with the betting exchange. This means that when the match is finished, you will get your money back.
4. You will then be given a free bet from the bookmaker. Repeat the same process, placing two bets both for and against the same outcome. Once again, you’ll get your money back. But as you have used free money given to you by the bookmaker you actually make the value of the free bet so will be in profit.

As you always back and lay against the same outcome you will always get your money back. This means it is a risk free way of making extra money. And anything you make is also tax free.

How much money can I make matched betting?

By following this set method, you can always make at least 70% of the value of the free bets offered by bookmakers.

With more than 50 bookmakers in the UK offering bonuses worth well over £2000, there’s at least £1500 to be made simply by signing up.

But bookmakers also want you to keep betting with them after this, meaning there are ongoing reload offers all the time. This means matched betting can be an ongoing source of extra income for many people.

If you can spare two hours per day, most people tend to make £500-£1000 per month. I keep a matched betting diary on my blog showing how much I’ve made, the types of offers I’ve completed and how much time I’ve been able to spare. As a busy mum of two young children, I don’t have a lot of free time. I normally only ever spend a maximum of six hours per week matched betting if I’m lucky. So I’m chuffed to have made more than £7500 since starting matched betting just over a year ago.

How do I get started?

It’s possible for you to research all of the offers that are available, analyse the terms and conditions, and look for bets where the back and lay odds are the same or very close. But this takes a long time!
If you’re anything like me, the whole matched betting world can also seem very complicated. Before I started, my experience of bookmakers was also limited, apart from an annual visit to place a bet on the National (which other customers or the cashier helped me work out how to do).

Instead, I use a matched betting service called Profit Accumulator, which spoon feeds me all of the information I need. It tells me what offers are available, helps me find suitable bets, makes the calculations for me and shows me how to place the bets. There’s a full Profit Accumulator review on my blog.

They offer a free trial where you can access their training and tools for two offers. This is a great way to see whether matched betting might be for you, whilst also making £35-£40.

If you do decide to take the plunge and give it a go then check out my website for help and advice.

There are some top tips for getting started, frequently asked questions and a guide to the terminology of this strange land.

Thanks once again to Emma for having me. If she decides to give it a go herself, I can’t wait to hear how she gets on.

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