Arbitrage Betting

DarkHorse Odds Introduction

DarkHorse Odds is a matched betting website. We provide all the betting calculators and tools you need to convert promotions that sportsbooks offer into a mathematically guaranteed profit. Arbitrage betting is one of the matched betting categories we support. Our sports betting arbitrage calculator will find the most profitable arbitrage opportunities available and tell you exactly how much to bet.

What is Arbitrage Betting?

Arbitrage is simultaneously buying and selling something in two different markets at two different prices to guarantee a profit. This most often happens with financial markets, but it also applies to sports betting. Sports betting arbitrage occurs when two different sportsbooks have a significant discrepancy in the odds of an event. You can guarantee a profit if the difference in odds between two sportsbooks is large enough.

A simple example is if the DraftKings has the home team to win at +105 and FanDuel has the away team to win at +105 (If needed, check out our How To Read Sportsbook Odds guide). By placing a $100 bet with DraftKings on the home team and a $100 bet with FanDuel on the away team, you can guarantee a profit of $5. If you bet $1,000 on both sides, you profit $50 no matter who wins.

A Warning About Arbitrage Sports Betting

Arbitrage in sports betting only occurs if one or both sportsbooks have odds significantly different from the market average. Therefore, when you place those bets, you are an outlier and are likely getting better odds at that time than when the event starts. This is known as beating the closing line or having a positive closing line value. Sportsbooks do not like bettors that consistently beat the closing line. In the long run, bettors that beat the closing line regularly tend to be profitable. Sportsbooks will take action to prevent this and can impose limits. Learn more in our Don't Get Limited and Avoid Small Markets guides, but know that getting limited is the worst thing that can happen to you as a matched bettor. Arbitrage opportunities normally only last a few minutes and are hard to find without an arbitrage betting finder. Due to this, when you partake in sports arbitrage betting, you are likely setting off several red flags to sportsbooks:

• You bet on the exact line that was "wrong" in the few-minute window it was wrong.
• Chances are it was an alternate line/player prop, which are much smaller markets.
• Chances are you beat the closing line value. This means you got better odds than the final odds before the game started.

How To Profit From Sports Betting Arbitrage

Profiting from arbitrage betting is as simple as placing two opposing bets. There are no promotions involved, nor do you need to apply anything special to your bet slip. You will want to use an arbitrage sports betting calculator to find bets and know how much to bet. Using an arbitrage calculator designed for sports betting will ensure you bet the right amount on both sides so that your profit is the same no matter who wins. The screenshots below show an example of arbitrage in sports betting between DraftKings and Betly.

The bets above result in over a $38 profit no matter who wins the game.

How Much Can I Make From Sports Betting Arbitrage?

Many sports arbitrage betting opportunities are in the 1-2% range, meaning your profit will be 1-2% of your total bet amount. For example, if you bet a total of $1,000 between the two bets, you will profit $10-$20. There are 2 limiting factors to how much you can profit from arbitrage.

1. The maximum bet amount for each specific bet
2. Most arbitrage opportunities are on alt lines and player props, so you may want to avoid them to avoid limits

Using The DarkHorse Odds Sports Betting Arbitrage Calculator

DarkHorse Odds has an Arbitrage Bet Finder designed to find the best arbitrage bets available. We comb through millions of possible combinations daily so that you can profit from them.

Use The Arbitrage Betting Finder

Select the Arbitrage finder.

In all of our guides, we filter to “Main Lines Only” as a way to avoid limits. Limits will greatly reduce your long-term earnings potential. Learn the best practices on avoiding sportsbook limits in our Don't Get Limited guide. You can apply this by selecting Filters -> Main Lines Only. This is not required but highly recommended. Arbitrage happens most often on player props and alternate lines. Consistently betting on arbitrage opportunities on these markets may lead to limits.

This sets Market Type to Money Line, Spread, and Total. It also sets Market Segment to Full Game+ and Full Game.

Select Your Arbitrage Betting Opportunity

After entering the bet amount, you will be presented with a table of all available arbitrage opportunities. You can then select the matched bet that best fits your needs. The example below shows a $48 profit by hedging a $1,000 bet.

Place Your Arbitrage Bets

After selecting the bet you want, viewing the bet slip provides all the details to hedge properly and ensure maximum profit. In this example on DraftKings, you would place a $1,000 Primary Bet on the LA Angels money line at -115. Then, place a Hedge Bet on Betly of $831 on the St. Louis Cardinals money line at +125. Either way, you will profit $38.

Sports Betting Arbitrage Outcome Explanation

Clicking the information icon above displays further details explaining exactly how you profit $38 no matter the event's outcome.