In this article, we’ll explain what arbitrage betting is and show you exactly how to use it to generate steady yet subtantial profits from sports betting.
What is Arbitrage in sports betting?
Arbitrage betting is a simple but powerful way to make consistent profit from sports betting with little or no risk. It works by betting on all possible outcomes of the same event using different bookmakers who offer slightly different odds. For example, imagine a tennis match between Player A and Player B. You place a bet on Player A to win with one bookmaker and a bet on Player B to win with another. Because the odds are slightly off between the two bookmakers, you can set your bet sizes so that no matter who wins, you still come out ahead.
This happens more often than most people think. Every bookmaker sets their own prices for thousands of events at once, and small differences appear all the time. These small errors create opportunities for smart bettors to profit before the odds are corrected.
How can we find and place arbitrage bets?
Finding these chances on your own would take hours of searching through endless betting markets and comparing prices by hand, which is nearly impossible to do fast enough. That is where Profitocracy steps in. Our software automatically scans odds across dozens of bookmakers in real time, tracking changes every minute to find the exact moments when these low risk opportunities appear. All you have to do is review the list of arbitrage bets, choose the ones that suit you, and place the bets at the suggested amounts. The system does the complicated work in the background, so you can focus on making steady profit with confidence.
Arbitrage example
Let’s look at a simple example using Lebron James in a basketball game. One bookmaker offers a bet for Lebron to score 25 points or more at odds of 2.3, and another bookmaker offers a bet for him to score under 25 points at odds of 2.1.
You place $250 on the “25 or more” bet and $275 on the “under 25” bet. Now, no matter what happens in the game, one of those bets will win:
| Event | Bookmaker | Odds | Bet size | Profit if won | Percent return |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 25 | A | 2.1 | $275 (rounded) | $52.50 | 10.00% |
| 25+ | B | 2.3 | $250 (rounded) | $50.00 | 9.50% |
As you can see, if Lebron scores 25 or more, your first bet wins and covers everything you placed on the other. If he scores less than 25, your second bet wins and does the same. Either way, you end up with around $50 profit.
So you’re not guessing or predicting, you’re covering both sides of the result. The profit comes from the small difference in the odds between the two bookmakers, and our software shows you exactly how much to bet on each side so it all balances perfectly.
What are middles?
A middle happens when two bookmakers offer different lines on the same bet, and there is a small gap/intersection between those lines. You bet both sides of that gap. If the final result lands inside the gap, both bets win and you collect a bigger profit. If it lands outside the gap, one bet wins and the other loses, and with the right prices and bet sizes you still keep a small profit or a very small cost (just like a standard arbitrage).
Middles example
Let’s go back to our Lebron James example to understand how a middle works in practice. Suppose Bookmaker A offers a bet for Lebron to score under 25 points at odds of 2.1, while Bookmaker B offers a bet for him to score 23 or more points at odds of 1.95. You place $250 on the “under 25” bet and $270 on the “23 or more” bet.
| Event | Bookmaker | Odds | Bet size | Profit if won | Percent return |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 25 | A | 2.1 | $250 | $5.00 | 1.00% |
| 23+ | B | 1.95 | $270 (rounded) | $6.50 | 1.25% |
Now, look at what happens. If Lebron scores 23 or fewer points, your “under 25” bet wins. If he scores 25 or more, your “23+” bet wins. In both of those cases, you make a small, steady profit of around one percent. But here’s where the middle comes in — if he scores exactly 24 or 25 points, both bets win at the same time. That means you get paid from both bookmakers, giving you a total return of:
250 x 1.1 + 270 x 0.95 = $531.50 risk free!
These double-win situations are rare, but when they happen, they create a big payout with very little risk. It’s your choice whether to go for the smaller, guaranteed profit like in the earlier arbitrage example, or take a shot at the bigger win when a middle opportunity appears. Profitocracy’s software shows you when these gaps exist, so you can decide what works best for you.