Best Betting Exchange Sports Betting Sites
Exchange betting sites can be found in abundance on our pages. When assessing them, players must ensure an extensive range of sports markets across all sports, competitions, and regions. Moreover, the top pages in this betting area, like Betfair Exchange, will offer thousands of events to choose from, amazing customer support and a great user experience.
Before you decide who to join (if not both), you need to consider what makes the above the best choices for those who enjoy exchange betting. Most players will choose them for the increased liquidity, the competitive base commission, the access to odds from different platforms and beyond everything, the super-easy, user-friendly interface.
Several companies have since tried to copy the successful business model of the two leading players that we mentioned in our text. But that has yet to prove very easy. Running a business of this sort requires numerous resources and, most importantly, a comprehensive platform that can accommodate the needs of casual and professional punters—something that has proved tricky for most aspiring competitors.
Compare Betting Exchange and Traditional Bookmakers
When comparing the two main methods of modern betting, one needs to drill into the details of each before determining what suits him best. Exchange betting sites offer fewer events (in most cases, at least) since there needs to be a demand in order to get a supply of odds. However, they feature better odds, prioritize quality and higher values over quantity, and rely more on the product and less on marketing and player offers.
Exchange betting involves players betting against each other—in its primary mode, at least. Specific sites will also offer fixed odds functionality for those seeking action on events without counter-betting from other players.
For us, the greatest advantage of exchange betting is the lack of trading (at least for the most part) and the punishment of winners. There is no problem if you win, regardless of the amount you win. The house will only keep a share of the stake (its commission) and won’t try to limit your next efforts to make a winning bet. This is why exchanges are so popular among high rollers, arbitrage professional punters, and professional players.
Terminology
If you are new to this type of online gaming, then you must know some basic terms. You will eventually encounter that while browsing or trying to place a bet.
- The Starting Price is the odds you get when a market opens. It is defined exclusively by backers and layers, and unlike the odds at a traditional bookmaker, there is no margin here. In plain words, the starting price will represent the actual probabilities of each outcome.
- Back Bet and Lay Bet. If you place a traditional bet (bet on the winner of an outcome), you place a back bet. If you choose to bet on an event that won’t happen, then you place a Lay Bet. This is one of the main reasons why players love exchange betting sites. There is a whole theory behind Lay Betting, which is fascinating for casual and professional players.
- In-Play Betting. Like fixed-odd betting, exchange betting allows you to place bets after an event has started. However, due to the nature of exchange sites, there might be fewer options compared to traditional bookmakers’ in-play betting platforms.
- Trading on the betting exchange. Trading is not used only in the stock market. It is also popular on betting exchange sites. Experienced players apply strategies that will allow them to make profits or hedge potential losses. It is common for traditional bookmakers to use exchange sites to hedge their exposure.
- Liquidity. It’s one of the most important aspects of this type of sports betting. Unlike traditional bookies, exchange pages will allow you to see the total amounts of bets placed, matched and unmatched on a certain market. Players can then decide if they want to bet the amount that can be matched or even more than that. When exchange betting was founded, players needed time to get used to this new “technique”. However, 20+ years later, a new school of betting has been created based on the liquidity of a market.
- Drifting and Steaming. Terms to describe longer or shorter odds, respectively.
- Back-to-lay is one of the most common betting strategies, followed by experienced players but not only. It involves backing and laying on different prices to guarantee a profit, regardless of the event’s outcome. There are tons of resources online that explain how to apply this strategy effectively.
Live Betting Exchange
For those currently aged 40+, you might remember that the betting exchange sites didn’t offer live betting during the first years after their launch. However, this is now an integral part of their offering. There are fewer markets than on a traditional bookmaker; however, just like with the pre-game odds, betting exchanges will allow you to trade your bets better. You can back and lay while watching the game on the website. Since most exchange pages feature live streaming of various sports events.
Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Better odds than those of traditional bookmakers
- The exchange won’t try to limit your stakes or punish you for winning.
- Live streaming is available on popular sports events globally.
- Lay betting available
- In-play betting with cash-out options
Cons:
- Fewer markets
- More challenging to learn at the beginning.
