Since BetFair popularized betting exchanges, many other exchanges have arrived on the scene seeking to share in BetFair’s success. Further, since BetFair has attracted the participation of many professional punters – including traditional bookmakers – the competition for back bets has become intense. This has convinced many lay bettors to move on to other exchanges where the competition for favorable odds is less intense. Today there are a number of betting exchanges available, but when choosing a betting exchange there are many factors one should take into account.
The key to a successful betting exchange, and the individual’s success on an exchange, is the amount of “action,” or the number of participants. All exchanges work on the basis of matching a lay bettor (one “laying” a bet that a team will lose) with back bettor (one “backing” a team to win); therefore, the more participants in an exchange, the more likely one is to have his bet matched. If there is no matching bet, there is no bet. Despite the fact that there are now hundreds of betting exchanges available, in order to be successful the punter has to operate in an exchange with a lot of “action” or many participants. A bit of research – looking for both the number of participants and the amount of liquidity – online should help reveal the “action” level of any particular exchange.
