Pre-COVID, when sports betting was a little less popular than it is in 2026, arbitrage betting, or “arbing” as it’s fondly referred to, was one of the only legitimate ways you could lock in guaranteed profits on bets.
Fast-forward to today and it’s a slightly different story.
But all hope isn’t lost just yet, as arbitrage betting still has a little bit to offer, despite other betting strategies taking the spotlight.
So, What is Arbing?
If you’ve not tried arbitrage betting before, it’s an extremely popular type of betting strategy where you place bets on every possible outcome of a sporting event across different bookies. You can either find arbing betting opportunities yourself, which requires a lot of odds comparing, or you can check out OddsPlays.com and use arbitrage betting software instead, where arbitrage bets are automatically picked out for you.
?? Let’s imagine that Arsenal are facing Chelsea in the Premier League and these following odds are available for an hour: Arsenal to win (2.50, bet365), draw (3.80, bet365), and Chelsea to win (4.00, Paddy Power). If you were on a budget of £10 in total, you could stake roughly £4.38 on Arsenal, £2.89 on the draw and £2.73 on Chelsea, guaranteeing a profit of 92p–98p regardless of the result.
Now, of course, you could stake a bigger amount, such as £100, and get closer to £10 profit. It’s all about how much money you have available and are willing to stake to begin with. But this gives you a little insight into the reasonable guaranteed profit ranges you can take advantage of just by arbing.
Essentially, what you’re doing with any type of arbitrage bet is identifying differences in odds across bookmakers where small but guaranteed profits can be locked in before the odds change.
The main appeal of this is that there’s no risk involved and the profits are guaranteed, whereas with standard bets and accumulators there’s risk involved and absolutely no surefire profit at all.
Is Arbitrage Betting Still Worth It?
As we edge towards the start of the 2026/27 football season, where Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal will look to defend last season’s triumphant title win, it’s expected that more fans than ever will be betting (a staggering $593 billion alone was bet on this past summer’s 2026 World Cup).
Heading into the season, it’s safe to say that accumulators will remain the punter-favourite bet to place, as they have been for years now.
However, those looking to lock in small guaranteed profits shouldn’t be placing accas at all due to how high-risk they are and the fact that, even though it's lost some of its power, arbitrage betting remains a viable option.
There are several reasons why arbing isn’t quite as profitable as it was a decade ago, including:
¦ Odds change faster now, often in seconds
¦ Some bookmakers share data and actively try to stop arbing
¦ Odds margins are tighter
Despite all of this, though, bookmakers have been unable to find a way to completely prevent arbitrage betting, as it’s almost impossible for them to do without all collectively agreeing to share the same odds, which would actually harm the market for bookmakers.
Off the back of this, what we now have is a more self-aware betting market where arbing has lost some – but far from all – of its power.
Arbitrage Betting is 100% Legal
You’d perhaps think that exploiting bookmaker odds for profit would be illegal, but it isn’t. Arbing has always been legal and will likely remain that way, as it’s a natural opening that comes from hundreds of different bookmakers offering their own odds. You, the bettor, are simply taking advantage of this.
Authorities within the gambling industry, such as the United Kingdom Gambling Commission (UKGC) actually view it as a type of smart play. They’re more than happy for punters to keep doing what they’re doing, even if it is to the detriment of the sportsbooks. And because arbing has changed so much over the past half-decade to the point where it’s no longer as profitable as it once was, the bookmakers themselves seem content to let it slide. After all, they’re generating billions in revenue from accumulators and live betting, so a small percentage of punters doing arbing isn’t going to upset them that much.
What to Do Moving Forward
If your plan is to place plenty of bets during the upcoming football season, arbing should be part of the equation.
It doesn’t mean arbitrage betting should be the only thing you do, but even if it’s just as a side strategy, you can use it to pick up small profits here and there.
Doing this yourself will be too much hard work when it comes to the odds comparisons, though, so make sure you use arbitrage betting software like most of the ‘pro’ bettors do, as it will identify the arbitrage bets for you.
