FAQ

The registration and verification process is undoubtedly an important part of working with arbitrage betting ("surebets"). However, people who engage in arbitrage betting are usually already familiar with betting, have opened accounts with bookmakers, and so on.

Which rules often differ between bookmakers? What should one pay attention to in order to avoid losing on a surebet?

Rules regarding bonuses and bonus withdrawals

Many bookmakers offer bonuses to new users: welcome bonuses for registration or the first deposit. However, it is important to understand that bonuses often come with strict wagering requirements. For example, to withdraw bonus funds, it may be necessary to bet an amount equal to six times the deposit. Alternatively, other actions may be required, often with time limits. It is essential to study these conditions carefully to avoid finding yourself in a situation where the bonus becomes difficult to withdraw or is not profitable.

You should also pay attention to the validity period of bonuses and possible restrictions on bets placed on certain types of sports or events.

Deposit and withdrawal rules

Depositing funds generally does not cause problems. The only difficulties you might encounter concern minimum and maximum deposit amounts.

One of the most important rules to examine carefully concerns the conditions for withdrawing funds. Some bookmakers set minimum withdrawal amounts, restrict the use of certain payment systems, or have specific processing times for withdrawal requests. While some bookmakers process withdrawals within a few minutes, others may require several days. You must also take into account any withdrawal fees or other hidden costs.

Bet cancellation policy

Bookmakers reserve the right to cancel bets under certain circumstances. For example, if it is determined that a match was fixed or if there were technical errors in the calculation of the odds. It is important to study carefully the rules that allow a bookmaker to cancel bets, so that you are prepared for such situations. Generally, canceled bets are refunded at odds of 1,0, which means that the bettor receives only the amount originally bet. While a regular bettor does not lose money directly, in arbitrage betting, if one part of the surebet is settled at odds of 1,0 and the other part of the bet loses, this results in a net loss.

Bet settlement rules

Each bookmaker sets its own rules for settling bets, particularly in unusual situations. For example, there may be differences in how bookmakers handle bets on postponed or interrupted events. Some bookmakers cancel such bets immediately, while others keep them active and wait for the match to resume, sometimes for up to 24 hours or even 48 hours. This can be problematic if these bets are part of a surebet. In fact, many arbitrage betting scanners offer filters that allow you to choose bookmakers with corresponding bet settlement rules.

Betting limits and restrictions

Some bookmakers set limits on the amount that can be bet. These limits may include minimum and maximum amounts, especially for arbitrage bettors who win large sums. Bookmakers may reduce limits for successful bettors, limiting their ability to place large bets. It is possible that one bookmaker has already reduced your limits while another has not, and this restriction could be applied just a few seconds before placing a bet. Therefore, before placing a surebet, it is important to check the available limits for all your bets.

Conclusion

Studying bookmaker rules is just as crucial a step in arbitrage betting as anything else. We hope our advice helps you avoid financial losses and unpleasant surprises.

The "Both Teams to Score" bet, often abbreviated as "BTTS," is a popular betting market, especially in football. This type of bet predicts that both teams in a match will score at least one goal each, regardless of the final outcome. The bet offers two options — "Yes" and "No." If you choose "Yes," you are betting that both teams will score. On the other hand, selecting "No" means you expect that at least one of the teams will fail to score, or neither team will score at all.

Key Features of the "Both Teams to Score" Bet

1. Simplicity and Clarity: BTTS is one of the simplest types of bets as it doesn’t require predicting the match winner but only focuses on whether both teams will score or not.
2. Exclusivity to Football: The BTTS market is almost exclusive to football and is included in nearly every bookmaker’s lineup. These bets generally come with attractive odds due to their straightforward nature. For bookmakers, this market provides good margins, while it offers fewer opportunities for arbitrage bettors.
3. Easy to Understand: The straightforward nature of the BTTS bet makes it popular with beginners, as understanding the outcome is easy without deep technical analysis.
4. Potential for Quick Wins: A "Yes" outcome on BTTS can be confirmed relatively quickly in a game — after all, a goal only takes a moment to score. As a result, these bets are often popular in weekend "combo" bets. Conversely, bets on "Both Teams to Score — No" may need to be held until the final moments of the game.
5. In-Play BTTS Betting: Live BTTS bets are open until the last few minutes of a match if one team has yet to score, making them suitable for live betting strategies.
6. Settlement Terms: BTTS bets are settled only based on the regular 90 minutes of play, excluding any extra time.

Most likely, you saw this term in English-language sources. In this case, a middle bet is a translation of middle - middles. 

Negative middles in betting are a strategy where a bettor bets on opposing outcomes of a single event, with a scenario where both bets may win simultaneously under certain conditions. Generally, these middles imply that both outcomes cover different possibilities in the same event, but the odds do not fully cover each other. When the event outcome falls into the middle, both bets are successful.

Example of a Negative Middle

Imagine a football match where you have two possible bets on the total goals:

• Total over 2.5 goals with odds of 2.0

• Total under 3.5 goals with odds of 1.8

For example, your betting budget is 100 dollars. You place 50 dollars on the first bet with odds of 2.0 and 50 dollars on the second bet with odds of 1.8.

Possible bet outcomes after the match:

• If exactly 3 goals are scored, both bets win, and you receive a payout on both: 2.0×50+1.8×50 =175 dollars.
• If 4, 5, or more goals are scored, only the first bet wins with a payout of 2.0×50 = 100 dollars. The second bet loses, resulting in a net outcome of 0 dollars.
• If 0, 1, or 2 goals are scored, only the second bet wins with a payout of 1.8×50 = 75 dollars. The first bet loses, the overall result is negative -25 dollars (hence the name negative middle)/

Features and Risks

• Potential Profit: If the event outcome falls into the "middle" (in this example, exactly 3 goals), both bets win, resulting in increased profit.
• Risk of Loss: Unlike surebets, where any combination of outcomes results in a profit, some outcomes in negative middles can be unprofitable.