What is a Betting Exchange and How Do They Work?

How does this work on a betting exchange? There are a number of ways a bet can be matched on an exchange. But firstly, let's look at a typical betting exchange market interface. Above we can see the Win-Draw-Win odds for an upcoming Premier League match between Tottenham and Chelsea. So what exactly are we looking at here? A betting exchange, like Betfair, is a marketplace for you to bet on the outcome of events. You can back an outcome, such as your team winning, also known as a ‘buy’. Or, if you think something won’t win, you can place a lay bet, essentially, betting on that outcome not happening. Betting exchanges take revenue by charging a commission on winning bets. Mar 23, 2016 Simply put, betting exchanges are sportsbetting sites that offer sports bettors an opportunity to bet against their peers. Also known as lay betting, betting exchanges generally work by allowing punters to sell odds to fellow punters rather than the traditional odds offered by bookmakers where punters back a bet.

There is often some confusion with people new to betting - and matched betting in particular - around what the difference is between a regular bookmaker, such as TAB, Sportbet or Bet365, and a betting exchange, such as Betfair.

How Does Exchange Betting Work In Poker

Key differences

While on the surface a betting exchange offers the same betting opportunities as a bookmaker, there are a few key differences.

Firstly, exchanges make money in a different way than bookmakers. Bookmakers allow customers to place a bet on any outcome of an event, then they lay the bet themselves offering up their own money in the event the customer’s bet wins. Betting exchanges, however, don’t lay any bets themselves but instead rely on other customers to both back and lay the bets against each other. Betting exchanges charge a small commission fee on every bet placed to make their money. This fee is simply a percentage of estimated winnings.

Secondly, betting exchanges aren’t as flexible when it comes to accumulators. The customer can’t determine the outcomes contained in the accumulators themselves. They also tend to restrict the odds, so that in the event of a big win, there will be less money being made.

Lastly, betting exchanges often have better odds compared to bookmakers. That’s because their market is a free market and their odds are controlled by the punters, whereas bookmaker’s set their own odds. This allows customers to find better value and is a big reason why betting exchanges are so popular

Betfair

Betfair is the biggest exchange in the world and was founded at the turn of the millennium. They launched in Australia in 2006.

How Does Exchange Betting Work In Betting

Betfair was founded in 2000 by Andrew Black and Edward Wray. It was the first betting exchange to float on the London Stock Exchange, up until its merger with Paddy Power in 2016. Since its launch, it has become the largest betting company in the UK and the largest betting exchange in the world, with over 4 million customers and 1,800 employees. Betfair are our recommended exchange due to their stability, ease of use, wide range of markets and impressive volume.

List Of Betting Exchanges

That should clear it up…

How Does Exchange Betting Workers

In conclusion, betting exchanges are very similar to traditional bookmakers. But their key differences are a big benefit to matched bettors in particular and they play in a pivotal role in profiting with matched betting.