Betting exchanges are great for tennis and football – but! Wimbledon has been and is gone and the football season is still five weeks away. Never fear, one of the longest running sporting feuds takes to the field today as England host Australia in the Ashes series – and if you want some top odds, the betting exchanges may again be the place to visit.

Online bookmakers in general have Australia favourites to win the first test with odds around or slightly below 2/1. England are not far away at odds just slightly longer than 2/1. In fact, a drawn first test is the favourite result at 7/5.

This is the first time an Ashes test is being played in Cardiff and the rumours have been rife as to the condition of the pitch – will it take spin or swing? It’s an important question with Australia’s biggest weakness being in the spin department. In fact their bowling does look a little fragile all around with the absence of Brett Lee.

England, on the other hand, are coming off a great home series against the West Indies and their bowlers are in form. It is surprising to see the Australians as favourites for this test.

This is where the betting exchanges come into play. On the exchanges you can get as much as 7/2 for either side, much better than the 2/1 on offer by traditional bookies. It is hard to find anyone offering better than 7/4 the draw – but that is better than the 7/5 on offer.

This is a hard one to predict. The first test is often a bit of an arm wrestle as each side tests the mettle of the other. I don’t think the draw is as certain as many think. If the pitch swings then wickets will tumble and the match will  probably be over in three or four days. If it takes a spin then both sides will struggle and a draw quite likely. Until they take to the field we won’t know. My prediction – England to upset the visitors and set the scene to reclaim the Ashes.

Betting exchanges have their place in the betting system but there are times when you need to be very wary of how you use them. Having said that, there are times when they can be your savior.

Let’s say you back a golfer to win a tournament – I will use Rory McIlroy as a good example. He was quoted at 16/1 prior to the BMW International currently underway. You may have decided you liked those odds and placed a tenner on him.

After day one you wouldn’t be so confident. He is seven shots off the lead and appears to be struggling. You have a choice. You can ride out the bet hoping he comes good, or you can decide it’s a dud bet and walk away.

There is a third option if you are a real gambler. You can visit one of the betting exchanges and see what price he is at and see if anyone wants to bet on him. He may have drifted to 30, 40 or even 50/1 depending on how realistic his chances are. You may also find someone willing to back him at that price. You take them on to cover your tenner and hope he does lose.

The real danger is if he wins. You will receive your bet back at 16/1 odds but you will be paying out at the 30,40 or 50/1 that you took. If he loses, you finish up square. It is hardly a fair exchange considering the risk, however, once you decide he has no chance of winning – and you’re realistic, chances are it would take a miracle for him to win. This means in the long run you will break even far more often than you lose.

All it does is cover your original bet so that, at the end of the day, you have lost nothing. It is not a way to make money – but then if you have decided the bet is lost anyway – at least you are not losing money.

This is just one example of using betting exchanges to your advantage. Just be sure to check out the risks first.

Men’s tennis has developed to a point where there is a huge gulf between the top three or four players and the rest of world. Finding value bets can be quite difficult particularly when you get Nadal or Federer starting a tournament in the red. Bet exchanges can often be your savior allowing you find much better odds by betting against a player rather than for.

Betting exchanges work on the principle that, rather than betting against a bookmaker, you are betting against another punter. The betting exchange simply as a broker for the transaction. How does this work for tennis? You may fancy Nadal to win a match but his odds are 1/5 to win. His rival may be 4/1 to win.

Taking those odds to a betting exchange, I think Nadal will lose so I will of course want to back his opponent. I like the price at 4/1 and offer to back him at that price. You have a choice – you can back Nadal at 1/5 or you can back him at 1/4 by accepting my bet. If Nadal loses, then either way you lose your money. If he wins, you make a 25% profit rather than the 20% profit by backing him to win.

That is the basic principle behind behind betting exchanges. Applying this to Wimbledon is no different to applying it to any sporting event. Roger Federer is currently favourite at 1/1. Andy Murray is second favourite at 4/1 with Rafael Nadal third pick at 5/1. You can back any one of these to win, or you can back them to lose – it’s your choice but often, when you do the maths, you will find that one offers better odds than the other.

UK Betting Central has links to the best betting exchanges in the business. You can also catch up on all the latest tennis results & news along with all the latest offerings from online bookmakers betting on Wimbledon this year.

One of the hardest things that you’ll need to do when you get involved with football betting online is trying to guess which way the point spreads are going to move in any given match. This is a talent that takes a keen eye to say nothing of a great betting sense and of course one of the things that you can do to get all the right information is keep on top of all the UK Football News. Having the current news always helps you to be able to pick who will come out on top.

And of course there is no real way to predict the outcomes of matches, but there are several factors that you can look to for patterns that can help make a decision. First off you’ll want to look to see which of these games are televised since the teams that play in front of that bigger audience tend to do better. Take a look at the weather forecast as well. That has a way a affecting one or the other team and this can often reflect in the point spreads.

Still , one of the best ways to follow the point spreads and the trends in any given match is to get involved with a good online gambling site that specializes in football betting online. As well as a host of other great features, this is the place where you can stay current with the best in gambling news.

There are many different kinds of online casino gambling places to be found on the Internet. In fact there are so many for almost every game that you can think of, that it’s necessary to get it all sorted out so that you’re sure to pick the one that provides the best serivces.

And when it comes to getting the best in an all round variety in these top rated online gambling casino sites, there’s no other place that you need to look than right here . Here’s the place that has more categories than any other site of its kind on the web and the variety that’s here includes online poker, bingo and other games.

Remember that when you’re choosing the place where you’ll want to test your best gambling strategies there are places that attract your attention more than others and one of the first things that should catch your eye is the manner of software that the site employs.

It’s important to keep in mind that the software is really like the engine that drives any website and to that end , you’ll need to be sure that the one you’ve getting involved with is the best. Many of the experts here suggest that you look for the Viper name.

There are different considerations when you’re looking toward getting the best online casino gambling but you need to be aware that the specifications are different on the web so you need to look at the software as well.

Betting exchanges offer great options for betters who want to improve their chances of profitability. You can actually play the bookmaker at a good betting exchange. You come up with the odds and put up the money and you can bet it against as many people who are willing to take your odds. Either you win big, or you lose big. Many betters who play at betting exchanges have learned to work the odds in their favor by engaging in arbitrage.

A good betting exchange, however, is more than just a meet and greet for betters. It also offers sports bets, poker, and other forms of gambling. Options. That’s what gamblers want. Options and more options.

If you’re interested in making good money in betting and want to try your hand at betting exchanges then I suggest you check out recommended betting exchanges here.

If you think you are as good as a bookie, or at least smarter than the average punter, then perhaps taking on the other punters at BetFair might interest you. If it does, they are offering a £25 for new accounts that bet £25 in their first series of bets.

They have some nice bets on offer right now too. In the Olympic tennis, you can back either Federer or Blake to win, or to lose.

To win, Federer is 1.09, to lose, he is 1.10. When betting with BetFair, you are not betting against them, you are betting against another punter. You can change the odds up or down to suit yourself. However, if no one is willing to take you on your bet will remain unmatched.

The same tennis match, with BetFair you can back to win at 11.50 or back to lose at 12.00. If ypu back Federer to lose at 1.10, you will only lose around £1 fro every £10 bet. However, if you win, you will receive £1 for every £1 bet. For a £100 bet, your lose will be £10, your potential winnings, £100.

In a two horse race like this, it is a matter of comparing the odds. How much can you make backing Blake to win against Federer to lose. In the example of Federer and Blake, backing Federer to lose could pay a little extra in comparison to backing Blake to win.

UK Betting Central have all the links to the top bookies including BetFair.

Betting on exchanges can be dangerous at the best of times. You really do need to keep your wits about you and know everything that is happening around your potential bet. You can however make some good money if you are prepared to wait and be patient.

Exchanges can be great for making a nice profit by betting on long distance events. A good example would be betting on next seasons football champions. It is very early to be betting on the football but if you know a little about the game, have some knowledge about manager or player movements, you may see one of your popular teams at longish odds.

Let’s say you like Liverpool to win next years championship. Their odds may be 12/1 at present which you like the look of. Back them – say £50 to win – at 12/1 that would be a return of £650 – £600 profit plus the stake back.

Once the season starts, Liverpool are playing well and their odds start to come down. They may come down to say 8/1. At present you are happy but there is always that niggling doubt, what if they don’t win – i have lost my £50?

This is where the lay factor may come in through a betting exchange. You can offer £50 at 8/1 by acting as the bookie yourself. A punter likes those odds and takes the 8/1 for £50. Your bets now are:

£50 at 12/1 win
£50 at 1/8 lose

If Liverpool win, you win £600 less £400 for a net profit of £200
If Liverpool lose, you win £50 less the £50 lost on the win bet

You are all square. Of course you may decide that profit is your motive and double the lay bet. In that situation, you would make a profit of £150 for a win and a profit of £50 if they lose.

That is what I call a guaranteed win win situation. Interested in betting exchanges? Drop into UK Betting Central for all the latest on betting exchanges.

It seems that companies go from one controversy to another never quite learning how to handle the issues that arise. Perhaps I should turn this into a reputation management post! Betfair certainly seems to fail on that score.

There have been several articles written about Betfair in recent months, generally in a negative light. Matt from Punt.com in his article, “Can we still trust Betfair?” seems to feel that trust has gone by the wayside. In a fairly lengthy post he likened to Betfair to the stock exchange and the rules they have to follow.

It is a fair enough comparison too considering the amount of money that goes through their doors (or is should that be portals) each and every day. To quote from Matt:

….whether the recent actions of Betfair (the leading betting exchange) have caused us to lose trust in them. Do we believe they have our best interests at heart, further to this, should we?

There are many obvious responses to this and Matt’s article addresses some of them. However in a nutshell I see the following as controlling issues on trust:

• Trust is earned through good business outcomes. The more you trade with an organisation, the more you come to understand how they operate. When they change some of the rules (particularly behind closed doors), issues of trust are raised.
• Whether or not we trade with a betting exchange, the stock exchange, or the corner store, if they fail on an issue of trust (amongst other issues such as service) we vote with our feet.
• Any business is there to create a profit for its owners. Our society not only accepts this but expects it. The issue is whether or not the profit is gained fairly.

Matt’s article has pointed out the loss of trust. Businesses like Betfair need to be transparent in how they obtain their income and the percentages used. Regulators need to be able to inspect transactions to determine fairness and other issues.

Can Betfair still be a fair bet? Being the largest and most reliable betting exchange, I believe they can. The nature of the business relies on you the punter determining what is a fair bet. If you are not happy with the return-v-risk then you leave your hands in your pockets.

Transparency policies need to be put in place as trust will always be an issue. However the end result is whether or not your money is safe – the value of the return is your decision. If any organisation wants to take say, 50% of the return as a commission, you just need to factor that into your bets.

As with any transaction, let the buyer beware – in this case the gambler. The real lesson is not so much trust as transparency – without transparency you cannot determine risk.

UK Betting Central has links to Betfair and other sportsbooks or betting exchanges.

In the past, before we had bookies, two or more people would come together and, almost by accident, make a bet with each other. It still continues today, even with children. You will often hear one child say ‘I bet …….’ – these days the other child is just as likely to say ‘your on’.

It is probably one way that children learn to assess risk. As we grow older we continue the habit, often betting against workmates for certain outcomes – the stakes just seem to get a little bigger.

With the advent of bookmakers and the formalising of the gambling industry, the bookie became the ‘your on’ part of the equation. You can often go to a bookie and ask ‘I bet …….’ and the bookie will assess the risk and either say ‘your on’ or perhaps come back with a different set of odds.

With betting exchanges, we come the full circle. You can get on line and announce to the world “I bet……” and someone somewhere will come back with a ‘your on’ response. The betting exchange acts as the middleman taking the money from both players and paying out to the winner.

Because you are calling the bet, you can bet on a win or loss outcome, it is up to you. Of course, you could just sit back and watch everyone else calling the bets and jumping in with your own ‘your on’ when you see something you like.

BetFair pionered the concept and are now the biggest betting exchange online. You can log in and start playing very quickly. Be warned, betting exchanges are not for the faint hearted. You need to know a value bet when you see one and to stay clear of bets that represent little value.

Betting exchanges – you become the bookie – check UK Betting Central for more information on betting exchanges.