Rinse the Bookies lay to Lose Guarantee
You should be looking to take advantage of every worthwhile way of making money from the bookies. Matched Betting is a tremendous way of using their offers wisely. Consistent, risk-free profits can be picked up easily month after month.
Yet, you might need some extra help at some point too. What if you are currently looking for new ways to win cash? Maybe you have heard of the lay to lose guarantee and you’re intrigued by it. Could this method help you to build up your balance?
You certainly shouldn’t let the lay to lose guarantee slip past you. It is a smart way of picking up some extra cash. It is worth seeing whether it is right for you just now.
It’s also know as the minimum bet guarantee. It is the same thing and in a minute we will see exactly how it works.
In the examples below I could have locked in a profit of £7 per race. If you can repeat that a few times a day with different bookmakers you’ll be rolling in it!
Let’s find out all the details.
What Is Lay to Lose?
To make money in the way, you need to fully understand what it is all about. So, what does the lay to lose guarantee actually involve?
You can win up to £500 on selected horse races. The Bookies guarantee they will lay the advertised price (even on stake limited and bonus banned accounts). Previously, some bookies had a minimum bet guarantee of £100. Now, you are more likely to see £500 being advertised.
The lay to lose guarantee is seen as making the betting market fairer. It has recently become popular in the UK betting scene. However, it has already been highly successful in countries such as Australia. While it’s new here, the early signs are that it is here to stay.
Punters love this guarantee. There are certainly some reasons for thinking that it is worth looking into. With a bit of luck it could be exactly what you need to up your matched betting game.
You should be aware that there are some common restrictions, though. It will usually only apply to the win part of a bet. Each way bets aren’t included. Neither are multiple bets part of this guarantee. Some bookies open this offer at 10am, while others do it at 11am.
Let’s start by looking at some of the big name bookies with a minimum bet guarantee in place.
Which Bookmakers Have the minimum bet guarantee?
Some of the UK’s biggest bookies now offer this deal. It will be interesting to see how many others do the same in the near future.
Betfair, Sky Bet, William Hill and Grosvenor Sports all give you this opportunity. They have all added this option over the last month or two.
It seems likely that other bookmakers will soon follow suit too. Now that some of the big-hitters have this guarantee, others will probably need to offer it. The success it has had so far means that no bookmaker will want to miss out.
It’s very similar across the different bookies. Yet, the terms and conditions do vary from one bookie to another. So, it is worth checking out the details closely with your chosen bookmaker.
Generally, the lay to lose guarantee goes live at 10am every day. In some cases it might be an hour later. It was originally introduced just for Class 1 & 2 races.
Do you have a gubbed account with one of the bookmakers listed above? If so then you should be interested in this sort of guarantee. We will see why this in the next point.
How to Make Money from It?
Ok, so it is clear that there are lay to lose guarantee deals around. How can you make money from them?
The fact is that this isn’t particularly difficult to do. However, you need to understand what to do. Just as importantly, you need to do it at the right time too.
How does the minimum bet guarantee work in real life then? Let’s go through an example. With 5 to 10 minutes left I have two screens side by side. One has the bookie’s site. The other one has betting exchange loaded for the race. I am ready to move quickly when it’s necessary.
The actual method of making money is pretty basic. It is simple arbitrage bets. All that you need to do is watch the exchange for odds close to the bookies. As soon as the lay odds drop below the bookmaker odds, you should move. Be ready and preloaded with the maximum bet allowed in the bet slip.
Lay to lose Example 1
Comparing the Sky Bet odds against the Smarkets lay odds, I spot Cracker Factory with Sky at 7.0 and 6.4 to lay with Smarkets. The lay odds where falling rapidly. I placed a £83 back bet with Sky.
I then submit an £83 lay bet with Smarkets (using the 0% commission deal) at odds 6.4.
Using the Matched Betting calculator I could have locked in an £7.78 equal profit across all runners. However I decided to underlay so if Cracker Factory won the race, I would make £49.80. If he didn’t win I would break even.
Unfortunately Cracker Factory didn’t win so I broke even.
Lay to lose Example 2
I moved on to the next race, the 13:15 Cheltenham.
Comparing the Sky Bet odds against the Smarkets lay odds, I saw Ibis Du Rheu at odds of 7.0 with Sky and 6.6 lay odds with Smarkets. I placed an £83 back bet with Sky on Ibis Du Rheu.
I submitted the £83 Smarkets lay bet at odds 6.6, however they matched my bet at odds of 6.4. They have a feature called best price execution. If they match you at better odds, it increases the stake. The liability stays the same. My lay stake was adjusted to £85.57. I placed £2.57 back bet to bring the total lay amount matched to £83.
The odds are the same as example 1. Using the Matched Betting calculator I could have locked in an £7.78 equal profit across all runners. However I decided to underlay so if Ibis Du Rheu won the race, I would make £49.80. If he didn’t win the race I would break even.
The good news is Ibis Du Rheu romped home and won!
£581 return – £83 stake = £498 profit.
£498 profit – £448.20 lay liability = £49.80 total profit.
Not too shabby placing bets with my stake limited Sky Bet account.
If you can lock in £7 per race with a different bookmakers a few times a day, you will be laughing all the way to the bank.
Is Underlay or Locking In a Profit the Best Strategy?
What is the best approach? Overall, it isn’t going to make a great deal of difference if you underlay or lock in. Both of these are great strategies for winning money.
But the most popular strategy is underlaying. That means you break even when the horse loses, but make a big profit when it wins. What do you feel most comfortable with?
If you want to make a profit on every race regardless of the winner, use the standard lay option.
If you don’t mind breaking even on a few races and then making a large profit on one race, you should underlay.
You might like to give both methods a try. This will allow you to see which is best for you. Personally I always underlay.
How to find Class 1 & 2 races
The bookies only do the minimum bet guarantee on class 1 & 2 races. They focus on the higher quality races. Here’s how to find them: –
Head over to the Racing Post. Click cards ==> today ==> look at the race titles. If it says class 1 or class 2, you can place bets to win up to £500 on those races.
How Do You Work Out the Back Stake to Place?
Calculating the correct back stake is another crucial factor. If you get this wrong then it is going to seriously affect your chance of a good profit. You are allowed to win up to £500 per race. Here is the formula to work out the maximum back stake.
500 / (Bookmaker odds – 1)
Example
You see a horse with odds 8.0 and want to work out the maximum stake you are allowed.
(8.0 – 1) = 7
500 / 7 = £71.42.
You are allowed to stake up to £71.42 on that horse.
When Is the Best Time to Look for Bets?
The odds on the exchange tend to move a lot in the build-up to a race. Around 10 minutes beforehand you might see the odds move significantly.
At this time, you can look to catch the bookies out. This can happen if they are slow in updating their odds. This is what makes this the best window of opportunity. In those few minutes, things can move quickly and you can use this to your benefit.
Can you also place your bets earlier in the day? It’s no good doing this earlier in the day. You won’t find the same possibilities for earning money. Sadly, this means that you can’t just fire off the bets in the morning and check the results later on in the day.
If you are going to use the lay to lose guarantee you need the time to make it work. You can’t afford to just put on a bet early and forget about it. This is a betting strategy in which the timing is vital. Put just a little bit of time and effort into it to get your rewards.
Do You Have Any Software That Finds the Bets?
Of course, normal matched betting is so much easier when you use the right software. This lets you find the right bets and works out the odds for you. It is this software that makes matched betting accessible for many people.
Can you use software on lay to lose guarantee deals too? Is there a tool that lets you do this smoothly and effortlessly? The answer is that you can use software to help you. Well, up to a point anyway.
You can use the matched betting software to find bets. These will be just the starting point, though. All you can do is find close odds matches in this way.
Is This Suitable for Newbies?
Should newcomers to matched betting look at the lay to lose guarantee? Or is it something that should only really be tackled by experts? With so many newcomers to matched betting, a lot of people are looking for ideas.
Having said that, this isn’t really suitable for newbies. It is an advanced matched betting strategy. You need to be completely comfortable with the concept of matched betting to make it work. If you are just getting started then you might find it all a bit confusing.
So, you need to be confident about your skills if you are going to do this. If you are new to matched betting then there are plenty of other ways to get started.
It is also most suitable for people with bigger banks. You don’t want to try this method if you start with a small bank.
Does It Work on Gubbed Accounts?
What if you have a gubbed account? Maybe a bookie has restricted your access because you have taken advantage of too many deals. Or have you been winning too much money for their liking?
This can make life extremely tricky for you when it comes to using matched betting tactics.
Well, the good news is that you can still use the lay to lose guarantee. This is because it works perfectly on gubbed accounts. The real beauty of this strategy is that you can still use it even if your account is restricted.
For instance, what if you have had your Sky Bet account shut down? In this case, you can ask them to reopen it so you can take advantage.
The closing and restricting of punter’s accounts has been a big issue in recent years. This has caused a lot of bad feeling towards bookies. People can feel aggrieved if their accounts get blocked. Of course, if you profit from matched betting then you run the risk of being gubbed. The bookies try and sniff out people are making a lot of money from their offers.
The arrival of this guarantee has gone some way to making people happier in this respect. The chance for punters to use this minimum bet guarantee is a step in the right direction. If your account has been gubbed, this can feel like a fresh start for you.
Should I Do This on Accounts That Still Has Bonuses Privileges?
What if you haven’t been gubbed, though? Maybe you are still using your normal bookie bonuses. Should you still look to use the minimum bet guarantee like this? Maybe you are thinking about combining both approaches? Does that seem like a good idea?
The truth is that it doesn’t make so much sense in this situation. Why is this? It is simply because you can make more money from using the bonuses. These offers can be highly lucrative if you use them right. On the other hand, the lay to lose guarantee isn’t quite as profitable.
This guarantee is still a smart idea if your account is restricted, though. If your account isn’t bonus banned, this it isn’t the best use of your time. If you can still use bonus offers then do so. This guarantee is simply an ace up your sleeve that you can use if the time comes.
If your accounts don’t ever get restricted there is no need to use this method. You can just carry on winning as you have been doing so far.
Who Does It Suit?
No strategies suit everyone. We all have different factors to take into account. Do you like low risk betting or the chance to win big? Do you have a big starting bank?
How can you work out if the lay to lose guarantee is right for you?
We can narrow down exactly who this approach is suitable for. There are basically two factors that will show you whether this is something worth your time.
Firstly, you will be an advanced matched bettor rather than a beginner. You don’t want to use this technique for your first bets. There are much easier ways to get the ball rolling. If you are experienced then you can get going without any problems, though.
Secondly, your account will be bonus banned. As we just saw, this offer is available for gubbed accounts. In fact, it is the smartest way to make money when your accounts are gubbed.
If you meet these two conditions then it is a good choice. If not, then there are other ways of making money for you to look at. It is also worth remembering that a decent starting bank is also recommended.
Lay to Lose Guarantee: Conclusion
In summary, this is an advanced matched betting strategy that can be very useful. It isn’t right for everyone and every occasion. But it can be a smart move for a lot of matched bettors.
This is a great way to keep your profits ticking over. It works on the daily horse racing to give you regular profits.
Best of all, you can use gubbed accounts with the minimum bet guarantee. If you have been struggling to use bonus offers then this is a terrific solution.
The rules on the Betfair and BetVictor site state that those “arbing” – backing when exchange prices are lower – will be excluded from using Minimum Bet Guarantee. So won’t we simply be gubbed from this?
Hi Richard, I’ve only done it with Sky Bet & Betfair Sportsbook. I have no had any issues at all.
I’m not sure about Bet Victor, but I haven’t heard of any problems so far.
The Smarkets best price execution offer is better than you mention in my experience. If the odds reduce they increase the stake and reduce the liability so you still make the same (better) amount either way.
Hi Mike.
You state “this isn’t really suitable for newbies” what would you suggest for newbies then?
Hi Chris,
Newbies are better doing the bonus offers. You will make a lot more doing those and they don’t require much money.
If you are brand new to betting start here https://mikecruickshank.com/matched-betting-profit/
If you want to purchase a product that shows you step by step how to do it, look here https://mikecruickshank.com/profit-maximiser-review/
Great thanks Mike. I will give that a good read after I’m finished later.
Regards.
Chris.
Thanks for this detailed article Mike.
I have a healthy sky account, re your statements about account bonuses being worth more, I don’t see this being true in the case of skybet. They offer a £5 bet club and occasional £20 free bets. Surely this method could bring in far more earnings than that?! What do you make on average using this method per day/hour? Cheers 🙂
Hi Charlie,
Sky run some decent offers. They did £20 risk free every day of the Cheltenham Festival. They also do a weekly horse racing refund which is ok.
If you don’t care about those then get stuck in with lay to lose. There is no guarantee it will be around forever. Profits are going to vary depending on the user / amount of time spent.
Thanks Mike, this could work for me, being a pensioner I can not afford a big loss. Not been on Mastermind for a while. I used to enjoy doing football accumulators until bookies cut down on stakes
Hi Mike, I’ve seen on Sky on a class 2 race yesterday, I think it was called back to lose. The odds for all the horses were about 1.02-1.4. Is this the same thing you have explained above? Thanks
Jesus, look how many races per day Betfair are doing https://promos.betfair.com/promotion?promoCode=MBGRACINGIREUK
Gonna give this a crack today
sounds good tell me more
Hi Mike
Can you tell me the exact term Sky bet use for this promotion,as I contacted customer services and they said they didn’t know anything
About this bet,whether they were fobbing me off I don’t know?,but I did
Managed to get reinstated with Betvictor which is good.
Hi Gary,
I’ve linked to the different bookies terms at the top of the article. Here is the link for Sky Bet https://support.skybet.com/s/article/Horse-Racing-Guaranteed-Lay-To-Lose
Hi Mike, do you have software that can find potential bets for these races or do you need to find it all manually?
In your opinion is this good to do long term, or is it something that the bookies will block you for winning too much?
I used to do some arbing, and was doing well, until i had my stakes limited, which killed it for me.
Many thanks for your help. 🙂
Hi Wayne,
You can use Matched Betting software or do it yourself. Both ways work well, it just depends on your preference.
Yes, this one of the best strategies to use with your gubbed bookmaker accounts. You won’t get blocked for winning too much.
Hi Mike, many thanks for replying. What software is good for this in your opinion?
Ive done arbing before and matched betting, so i know how that works with the odds and stuff. I just need to fully know how to do this.
With ‘standard’ arbing you back at the bookie and lay at the exchange, how exactly does this differ? Im trying to get my head around if you are laying at the bookie to lose, are you then doing the ‘backing to win’ on the exchange?
Many thanks for answering and helping, kind regards Wayne. 🙂
This is exactly the same. However the major difference is you will won’t get banned for doing it. You can also do this on gubbed accounts.
With normal arbs, you are going to get banned after a few bets.
This is the best software https://mikecruickshank.com/matched-betting-software-review/
Thanks Mike, will deffo look more into this. I used to use your each way sniper, and that was good, until i got limited/banned.
Hopefully this is something i can do long term, and make a few quid consistently!.
Many thanks for your help, kind regards Wayne. 🙂
So why is it called “Lay to lose guarantee”? That is confusing at best as bookies don’t do laying.
When you place a back bet with the bookmaker, they are the layer. They will take a liability of up to £500 on the selected races.
restricted on sky still on these races is there a way round this ? I thought it worked on gubbed?
Are you looking at class 1 & 2 races Daniel? If so you should have no issues placing the bets.
Hi Mike. Regarding Betfair they specifically quote “Examples of betting behaviour which indicates that a customer may be arbing includes (i) customers consistently or systematically placing qualifying bets when the price is greater than the corresponding back price on the same selection on the Betfair Exchange at the point of bet placement”.
Does this mean they could refuse to pay out? And if they did surely it has a very short shelf life?
Hi David, they can’t refuse to payout if they suspect you are arbing.
There’s people on the Profit Maximiser forum who have been doing this daily since it started and are cleaning up.
Has betfair gubbed you yet Mike? The terms state not for arbers. Get a warning email and then your gone if you carry on. Happened to me.
Isn’t this exactly the same as a back to lay strategy? The only difference is that you are hoping to spot the ‘arb’ before putting any money in the market. Typically which races/horses should you be watching? If 5here are 15 horses in the race the odds will be moving for all of them. Do you concentrate on the top half? After all you have to have time to work out your stakes before 5he odds move again.
hi mike , does this offer still work for old gubbed acts which was using skrill as main deposits, thanks
Hi Ken, Hills and Sky Bet both don’t accept Skrill deposits any more. But yes, the offers will work with gubbed accounts.
Hi is BOG still available for theses bets?
Hi Jeremy, You won’t get bog with these bets. If you are using the lay to lose guarantee, you will have had promotions removed from your account.
I tried this method Saturday just gone with Betfair sports, I’m pretty quick off the mark with getting arb bets on when the odds are jumping around but I found Betfair updated theirs so quickly it was impossible to get any except one at 2.88/2.82, this was one race out of about 20 that I tried so time vs reward didn’t seem too make it worth it? Not sure when this article was written and if the bookies have updated their software recently but it does seem pretty difficult to catch arbs
I also found on a couple of Occasions I would place the bet in betfair sports when an arb occurred, it would say 3.0 in the betslip as I placed the bet and then when I checked my open bets it had actually placed at 2.8 with no warning of the price change before allowing me to confirm it! Very frustrating as this cost me to match the bet off as the lay odds did not drop that far