Arbitrage Betting Explained in Simple Terms

Tania Levees

Upd 5 days ago

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Arbitrage betting (also known as “arbs” and “surebet”) is a way of placing bets that allows you to make a profit regardless of the outcome, by taking advantage of differences in odds offered by different bookmakers. No complex math — just simple, real-life example 👇

Imagine you’re dealing with the same product:

In Shop A, you can sell the product for $110
In Shop B, you can buy the same product for $100

You buy it in Shop B for $100 rubles and immediately sell it in Shop A for $110.
Your profit is $10, and you don’t care what happens to prices afterward.

👉 In betting terms, the shops are different bookmakers, and the product is a match outcome.

Arbitrage Betting Example: Federer vs Nadal

Imagine a tennis match between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Since tennis has no draw, there are only two outcomes:

Federer wins (Nadal loses)
Nadal wins (Federer loses)

Let’s say:

Bookmaker A offers 2.40 on Federer
Bookmaker B offers 2.10 on Nadal

If you bet $180 on Federer and $160 on Nadal, you’re guaranteed a profit.

Outcome	Odds	Calculation	Profit
Federer	2.40	$180 × 2.40 = $432	$432 − $340 = +$92
Nadal	2.10	$160 × 2.10 = $336	$336 − $340 = −$4

To balance both sides correctly, you’d need to adjust the stakes according to the odds (shown below in the arb formula). After recalculating, your profit will equalize — usually a few percent of your total stake — regardless of who wins.

How to Calculate the Arb?

Arbitrage Percentage = (100 / Odds 1) + (100 / Odds 2) + … + (100 / Odds n),

where n is the number of ways

✅ If the Arbitrage Percentage is less than 100%, you have an arb.

For example, remember the tennis match between Federer and Nadal that we told you about? So, the arb percentage is:

Arbitrage Percentage = (100 / 2.1) + (100 / 2.4) = 47.61 + 41.66 = 89.27%

Since the arbitrage percentage is less than 100%, this is an arb opportunity.

💰 How to Calculate Stake for Each Outcome?

W = 1 / Odd / T * B,

T is total probability of outcomes in decimal expression

B is total stake

Don’t want to calculate the arb yourself? Use our arb calculator. Just enter the odds and the stake, and it will do the math for you.

How to Find Sports Arbitrage?

You can find arbitrage opportunities in two ways:

Manually: calculate arb % using the formulas above or a surebet calculator.
Using scanners: tools like RebelBetting, Arbster, OddsShopper, BMBets, or Surebet.com scan odds across hundreds of bookmakers and highlight opportunities automatically.

Arbs and “Ways” in Sports Betting

Ways in Surebet	Sport	Example Outcomes
2-Way	Basketball, Tennis	Team A wins / Team B wins
3-Way	Football (Soccer)	Home win / Draw / Away win
4-Way	Tennis (exact score)	3:0 / 0:3 / 2:1 / 1:2
5-Way	Football (exact goals)	0:0 / 0:1 / 1:0 / Exactly 2 goals / Over 2.5

Gambling Park notes that 4-way and 5-way arbs are rare and usually not worth chasing. Bookmakers add higher margins to these markets and limit stakes much faster. In the end, profits are smaller and the risk of missing the arb is higher.

What Causes Arbitrage Opportunities

Arbitrage exists because bookmakers don’t always agree on odds. Common reasons include:

Bookmaker errors — a mispriced line, accidental or strategic
Odds delay — some bookies update slower than others
Market imbalance — heavy betting on one side shifts odds at one site but not yet at another

But remember: arbs rarely last more than a few minutes. Bookmakers monitor each other and adjust quickly.

How Bookmakers React to Arbers

While arbitrage betting isn’t illegal, bookmakers dislike it because it guarantees player profit. As a result:

Accounts may be limited or closed
Bet sizes may be restricted
Certain markets may be suspended or delayed

To avoid detection, many arbers use multiple accounts, varying stake sizes, and VPNs — though these actions can still violate bookie terms.

Arbitrage Betting: Pros and Cons

Pros

A guaranteed profit is possible in theory if stakes are calculated correctly, with unchanged odds.

The approach doesn't require predicting match results, only comparing prices across bookies.

It relies on mathematical differences in odds rather than intuition or luck.

Cons

Bookmakers may restrict or close accounts that use this approach regularly.

Opportunities are short-lived and often disappear when odds are updated.

Managing the process requires multiple bookmaker accounts and sufficient capital.

Conclusion

Arbitrage betting is one of the few ways to make money in sports betting without guessing the result — if everything is done correctly. It requires careful calculations, fast action, and accounts with several bookmakers. When done properly, it can bring small but steady profits. But if you make mistakes or act too slowly, you may lose the opportunity or face account limits.

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