What is sports arbitrage?
Sports arbitrage (most people just say arbing) is when you place bets on every possible outcome of an event at odds that guarantee profit no matter what happens. You are not picking a winner. You are catching a pricing mistake between bookmakers.
Every bookmaker sets their own odds. When SportyBet, BetPawa and Bet9ja disagree enough on the same fixture, you can cover every result and still come out ahead.
If the combined implied probability of all outcomes is less than 100%, an arbitrage opportunity exists. The gap is your margin.
Implied probability
Decimal odds convert to implied probability: 1 ÷ odds × 100. Add every outcome. Under 100% means arb.
On Mandurah Magic (W) vs Joondalup Wolves (W): Away at 6.50 on Nairabet is 15.4%, Home at 1.23 on BetKing is 81.3%. Combined 96.6%, so 3.43% profit. The calculator screenshot shows the stake split on ₦100,000.
Surebets, value bets and middles
- Surebets cover every outcome. See our surebet guide.
- Value bets are single sided +EV plays. See our value bet guide.
- Middles pay when the score lands between two total lines.
