Matched Betting In The News

David Bagshaw

11 Jul 2018

Updated: 19 Nov 2023

Matched betting is not a new concept. It’s been around since betting exchanges started in early 2001. However, due to its perceived complexity and ‘too good to be true’ results, it’s often been discarded by mainstream media because they think it’s a get rich quick scam (which it’s not!).

That’s not to say that matched betting hasn't been mentioned in the news. Actually, it’s been mentioned a few times. In this article we will explore some of the mentions that matched betting has received, and what the news outlets were saying about it.

Matched Betting In The News

The first-time matched betting was featured in an article by a major news publication was in 2010.

The Guardian featured two articles in June and July of that year. The first article highlighted that the World Cup, that was running at the time, meant an increase in the amount of free bets the bookmakers were promoting, and if there was a way to take advantage of these free bets (spoiler alert...yes there is).

"Free bets when you sign up online are the industry's primary method of attracting new customers. For major sporting events – such as the World Cup – these offers increase in generosity because regular folk, who rarely think about betting, fancy a punt. The bookies obviously want to haul in new punters. What this article will show you is how to beat the bookies and pocket the cash from the free bets."

The Guardian the dedicated another whole article to matched betting in July. In the Guardian article the journalist in question actually ended up earning £770 in his first month. Not a bad return.

"Could I really sit in front of my screen and make money from the bookies for nothing? The answer, to my surprise, was yes. Over the past month I have researched and used every decent online free bet introductory offer from a bookie. I've taken up 31 offers so far – and I've made in the region of £770. The money I have made has been absolutely risk free, it's not been about gambling but about playing the system – and it was inspired by Guardian Money. I don't even have to pay tax on my winnings."

Later on in 2010, The Telegraph posted a very similar type of article.

"The money is there, and could be a welcome boost to your Christmas spending, if you're willing to follow the instructions and put in the effort."

In this article, again the journalist talks through the process and tests it out himself. The results were again very encouraging. However, he incorrectly calls it a ‘short term opportunity only’, which of course ignores that fact that bookmakers not only give out signup offers but also reload offers (free bets designed to keep punters betting). As our members can attest, the reload offers can provide profit for a long time after the introductory signups are complete.

In March 2016, The Sun featured an article about one of our friends, Emma Drew.

Emma is a blogger who her own website outlining how she makes money online, and one of the main ways that she does this is through matched betting. Emma recommends her users to use Profit Accumulator to help with the matched betting process.

“It’s a guaranteed risk free way of turning a free offer into money. It’s a great way to really boost your income.”

Emma was also then featured in a Daily Mail online article about her money-making exploits. As mentioned, one of her main areas of opportunity is matched betting. Emma described her matched betting experience like this:

"During Cheltenham I made £550 in four days using special offers. Then there's the Grand National, the premier league - there are always offers."

The Daily Mail online also ran an article about another make money online blogger, Ruth. Her site goes into to detail about how she makes money from home, rather than from a ‘normal’ job. Matched betting is one of the ways that she does this. Ruth also recommends Profit Accumulator as the matched betting service that she uses.

"The one exception that I’ve found to the ‘too-good-to-be-true’ rule is matched betting. It’s a technique you can use to create guaranteed, risk-free profits from free bets from online bookies, and though it sounds a bit dodgy at first, it’s completely legitimate and can be extremely profitable. Your earnings from this are tax-free, which is a nice bonus."

If you did more convincing that matched betting is legit, you could always check out the Wikipedia entry. As far as I’m aware, Wikipedia wouldn't have a listing/explanation for something that was considered a scam (and not mention that fact).

What Is Matched Betting?

Matched betting is the process of taking advantage of the free-bet offers that bookmakers give out. It is considered to be the most effective way of making money online.

The basic premise is that you place a bet with a bookmaker, then another equal but opposite bet (the opposite outcome of the bet placed at the bookmaker - called a lay bet) at a betting exchange. Regardless of the outcome of the event, you will win one of those bets (but they cancel each other out, so you don't lose any money). Once you have placed this initial qualifying bet, and not lost any money in the process, you repeat the ‘matching’ process with the free bet. As you’re using the free bet amount at this stage, you will make a profit.

You can then repeat this process with all 60+ bookmakers in the UK, and the keep repeating it with the recurring offers the bookmakers will give out.

You might be thinking - why do bookmakers allow this to happen? The reality is, they can’t really do anything to stop it. It’s perfectly legal and well within their terms and conditions. Matched betting for them is simply an operational cost. They need to keep giving out free bet offers to attract and retain customers.

Why Use A Matched Betting Service?

It is perfectly possible to do matched betting without the use of a matched betting service, but it would take a lot more time and you without the step-by-step guides it would inevitable take a lot longer.

Using a service such as ourselves means you can do more offers more quickly, and make more profit. We find and test all the offers, write instructions, provide video guides and also software to help speed up the process. We also provide a forum, which is a great place to learn and also to ask questions. It can be a relatively complex process so having that community support is invaluable.

Why Use Profit Accumulator?

Profit Accumulator were not the first matched betting service, we were just the first to provide a fully integrated service to a mass market. We have had over 100,000 paying members since we started in 2014. That’s over 100,000 people that have trusted us to teach them how to do matched betting.

We’re the biggest, the best and the most trusted.

Click here to read interviews with our members.

Like what you hear? Click here to get involved. Sign up today and you can earn up to £45 from our free trial.

* Please note, the quotes above are taken directly from the articles themselves. Certain terms such as 'risk-free' and 'guaranteed' are the opinion of the author.