Making A Million – Sports Betting Challenge

In April 2017 I started to record my monthly profit and loss from sports betting. The aim was (and still is) to make £1,000,000 in profit from the sports betting markets. Documenting the strategies, software and tipsters that I have used along the way to make these profits. Updating the challenge on a monthly basis on this site.

Making A Million – A Sports Betting And Trading Challenge

We are currently 101 months into this challenge with a total profit of £202,338 in profit being made. Whilst the target of £1,000,000 is still quite far away, a consistent profit from sports betting has been made year after year by using a few solid strategies. In this article I will go through the strategies that I have used to make these profits and highlight some of the software that has enabled me to keep winning.

If you prefer a breakdown of strategies and results in video form, below is my most recent update on the Making a Million Challenge.

Matched Betting

Alright let’s dive into the first strategy: matched betting. This is hands down the easiest and most beginner-friendly approach to sports betting. If you’re just starting out, I highly recommend using this method to build your initial bankroll. Matched betting leverages bookmaker offers and promotions to secure guaranteed profits, making it a smart and risk-free way to get started

Matched betting is a strategy that takes advantage of free bets and promotions offered by bookmakers. The process involves placing two bets: a ‘back’ bet and a ‘lay’ bet. The back bet is placed on a specific outcome (e.g., Team A to win) with the bookmaker, while the lay bet is placed against that same outcome (e.g., Team A not to win) on a betting exchange. By carefully calculating the stakes, you can cover all possible outcomes of the event, ensuring you don’t lose money. When you use a free bet or promotion for the back bet, the profit becomes guaranteed, regardless of the result. It’s a simple, risk-free way to turn bookmaker offers into real cash.

The great thing about matched betting is that there are numerous sign up to take advantage of and then recurring offers that allow you to keep making money from this strategy. When I first started the Making a Million Challenge this was the strategy I used to build my initial bankroll. The amount of money you can make from matched betting will vary based on the amount of offers and time spent doing it.

Estimated Profit From This Strategy: £1000 to £10,000

Recommended Matched Betting Software

Depending on your country of residence the amount of offers available to you will vary. The UK/Ireland is a great place to be for matched betting with Canada, Australia and the US also having excellent opportunities for this strategy.

For UK/Ireland based bettors I recommend Oddsmonkey, this is without a doubt the best matched betting service available.

Click Here For Your Free Trial (Oddmsonkey)

If you are based outside the UK we advise taking a look at OddsJam and taking up their free trial.

Click Here For Your Free Trial (OddsJam)

Arbitrage Betting

The second strategy we will look at is sports betting arbitrage, often called ‘arbing,’  it is a strategy that takes advantage of differing odds offered by bookmakers. By placing bets on all possible outcomes of a sporting event across multiple platforms, you can lock in a guaranteed profit regardless of the result. This method relies on spotting discrepancies in odds and acting quickly before they change, making it a low-risk but highly time-sensitive approach to sports betting.

Alongside matched betting this is a really easy way to lock in some regular profits with extremely low risk. Although not a strategy I use very often anymore it is ideal for beginners. Both Oddsmonkey and Oddsjam have software which will allow you to identify arbitrage bets.

Why use any other strategies?

If these strategies work so well you may be wondering why I use anything else. Unfortunately matched betting offers start to dry up and bookmakers limit your stakes when you use arbitrage betting. Which means in order to continue making a profit from sports betting I had to add other strategies.

Pre Match Trading

Betting exchanges allow you to back and lay (buy and sell) before the start of an event. This is one of my favourite ways to trade sports and it can enable you to lock in profits before the event even starts if you have the ability to read the market correctly. One of the great things about betting exchange is that they don’t limit you from winning, this means that any strategy that works on the betting exchanges has the benefit of longevity.

For example when a team unexpectedly leave out one of their key players from their starting eleven. Think Harry Kane for Bayern, Haaland for Man City, Salah for Liverpool. There will be big drifts in the odds of these teams if these players were left out. Which allow low risk profits to be made. Below is a video example from a few years ago going step by step how I traded a previous Champions League final.

Value Betting

Value betting is a strategy that focuses on identifying and betting on outcomes where the odds offered by a bookmaker are higher than the actual probability of the event occurring. In essence, you’re looking for bets where the bookmaker has underestimated the likelihood of an outcome. Over time, consistently placing value bets can lead to long-term profits, as you’re capitalizing on these mispriced odds.

The easiest way to do this is by using software which highlights slow moving bookmakers that are offering better odds then sharper bookmakers (bookmakers more efficient at pricing the correct odds). Whilst not every bet will win consistently backing these value bets allows you to make a long term profit. After I built my bankroll from matched betting this was the strategy that I focused on to continue profiting from the betting markets.

Recommended Value Betting Software

Conclusion

Throughout the years I have used other strategies and tried out various betting tipsters, however they have been hit and miss. The four strategies outlined in this article are really the core of the Making a Million from Sports Betting Challenge. They have stood the test of time and will continue to make money for those of us that choose to use them. If you want to stay up to date with this challenge and the strategies that I am using you can join the mailing list below and also read more in detail guides on each of the strategies used.

Latest Update

 August Update

Overall Profit Since The Challenge Began

+£202,338