Sports trading involves using a betting exchange to buy and sell odds with the aim of generating a profit

How can I start trading?

You can begin trading by opening account with a betting exchange.

The most popular and well-known betting exchange is Betfair. However, Betdaq, Matchbook and Smarkets each have their own advantages and charge lower commission fees.

Check out: Top Betting Exchanges.

How do betting exchanges compare with bookmakers?

There are several advantages to using betting exchanges over traditional bookmakers, such as:

  • Consistently better odds
  • The ability to request prices, and to trade in and out of bets
  • Professionals are welcomes, meaning accounts aren’t limited. 
  • Software and tools are compatible, making scalability possible.

That said, there are some advantages to using bookmakers which I’ve listed in the article: Why Use Bookmakers?

What methods do pro traders use?

Sports trading requires practice, skill, patience, strategy, and technology. It’s not something you can become successful at over night.

Some of the methods experienced traders use are as follows:

If you’re starting out, I recommend reading the article: The Biggest Challenges For Betfair Traders.

What's the best trading software?

There are two types of software products you can use to improve your approach to trading on the betting exchanges: 

  • Tools: for a semi-automated approach, which essentially speeds up manual bet placement. I recommend Bet Trader.
  • Bots: for an automated approach, which executes strategies according to the parameters you set. I recommend BF Bot Manager.

The majority of trading tools and bots are designed especially for use on the Betfair exchange. However products are constantly being built/upgraded to incorporate other exchanges, such as Matchbook.

Betting Exchanges

#ad. 18+, begambleaware.org, T&Cs Apply
new customers only. Sign up and get 0% Commission on all sports for 90 days. Users must input Bonus Code ‘COMMFREE90’ during registration. Only available to users who deposit via credit or debit cards. Fair Usage Policy Applies. T&Cs apply. 18+. Be Gamble Aware.
#ad. 18+, begambleaware.org, T&Cs Apply
new customers only. Sign up and get 0% Commission on all sports for 90 days. Users must input Bonus Code ‘COMMFREE90’ during registration. Only available to users who deposit via credit or debit cards. Fair Usage Policy Applies. T&Cs apply. 18+. Be Gamble Aware.
#ad. 18+, begambleaware.org, T&Cs Apply
New account offer. Losses refunded up to the bonus amount. You must deposit £20+ (or currency equivalent) in a single amount with your first deposit. To withdraw rebated funds, you must bet at least the qualifying deposit on any combination of markets within the promotional period; otherwise rebated funds will be forfeited. Unused bonuses expire after three months of being credited to a user account. Full T&Cs apply.
#ad. 18+, begambleaware.org, T&Cs Apply
New account offer. Losses refunded up to the bonus amount. You must deposit £20+ (or currency equivalent) in a single amount with your first deposit. To withdraw rebated funds, you must bet at least the qualifying deposit on any combination of markets within the promotional period; otherwise rebated funds will be forfeited. Unused bonuses expire after three months of being credited to a user account. Full T&Cs apply.
#ad. 18+, begambleaware.org, T&Cs Apply
New 18+ Customers only. 0% commission on all exchange sports for 100 days. Promo code 0COMM100 must be entered during registration. Offer only available to users who deposit via debit card. Standard 2% commission rate applies on 101st day. Not available to API, RDT or trading software customers. T&Cs Apply.
#ad. 18+, begambleaware.org, T&Cs Apply
New 18+ Customers only. 0% commission on all exchange sports for 100 days. Promo code 0COMM100 must be entered during registration. Offer only available to users who deposit via debit card. Standard 2% commission rate applies on 101st day. Not available to API, RDT or trading software customers. T&Cs Apply.

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