Betting Exchanges. Now You Can Beat The Bookmaker. Posted By : Kevin Phillips

Betting Exchanges

Betting exchanges are a an attractive new phenomenon in betting markets which has turned the conventional bookmaking and gambling industry on its head. Betting exchanges are gaining credence and influence all the time and with each month that passes apparently another country legalises the complete, and it would seem that it is only a matter of time before the large exchanges are totally legalised and recognized worldwide.

Another great facet of a betting exchange is that if you don’t like a price you can post a price of your own on the and then see if anyone one else is prepared to ‘match’ you and thereby take your bet on. Put very simply, betting exchanges are a secure place where members of the betting public can exchange bets with each other incognito, at odds that they state themselves. It seems that as betting exchanges are the way of the future, many businesses have jumped on the band-wagon and have started new betting exchanges.

The Odds

Odds offered by betting exchanges on average are about twenty percent higher than those offered by traditional bookies. When you compare odds at betting exchanges to odds at bookmakers, you should take the commission into account as you don’t pay commission at the bookmakers. There will still be occasions when a traditional bookmaker will offer more desirable odds than those that are offered on the exchanges. The odds you tender obviously need to be sensible in order to be matched, but if you are not content with the current price being requested by other punters you can simply leave an ‘order’ in the exchange at your odds and hope that somebody eventually accepts your offer. The beauty of using exchanges is there is no bookmaker, which means there is no edge built into the prices, which often results in significantly better value prices. Pro-gamblers work on thin margins, there are some that enjoy higher margins but they are the few, generally speaking most professionals work to small margins and so a 20% boost in odds despite the commission which can be as high as 5% is a substantial boon.

Betfair – No.1 Player

Betfair is the foremost player in the betting exchange market, with an estimated +85% market share by value. Betfair’s exchange boasts a high degree of liquidity, across a wide variety of sports betting markets, alongside a professional customer service operation and a fully integrated phone and internet betting facility. Unlike an established bookie, Betfair has no vested interest in the outcome of an event and therefore their interests are 100% in line with those who govern sport.

In-running (betting while a sport is being played) is one of the features that really makes betting exchanges like Betfair come alive. The phenomenal success enjoyed by Betfair and others in the last eighteen months is testament to the appeal of the product to the betting population.

Sports Betting

Sports betting is concerned with predicting sports results, while using the result of a particular sporting event to make a wager. Horse racing and soccer are the largest volume markets but rugby, cricket and other popular sports also contribute a significant amount as well. As sports bettors become more informed gamblers, an increasing number of players will move to the betting exchanges. For sports betting there are over 50 different sports on the exchanges covering events from many different countries.

Trading On The Betting Exchanges

Trading is like any other profession, it takes time to study and there are problems to overcome. And as financial exchanges have proven to be competent mechanisms for trading shares, options, and other kinds of securities, so have the betting exchanges proven successful in the world of online betting. The numbers of people betting from home utilising the talents of the internet, continues to grow at breakneck pace and one of the biggest areas of growth in the UK is online trading, both in sports and other markets. Exchanges are particularly good for dealing with in-running events, where using trading techniques similar to those used in financial trading, or by spread bettors, you can lock in a guaranteed profit before the end of an event.