‘How much money do I need to start matched betting’ – this is one of the most common questions we get. The answer is that you need as much money as you’re comfortable with. But if you’re asking us what we recommend, then check out our calculations below.
Your Matched Betting profits will grow steadily over time, meaning that even if you start with a tiny sum, you are going to be able to earn over €1000 in one month’s time (or even sooner!).
We say ‘earn’ because Matched Betting has nothing to do with gambling. Instead, this method focuses on maths. To understand the basic principles of Matched Betting, we strongly advise you to watch this 5-minute video.
If you already know what this method is and how it works, you probably understand that you will have to make some small investments to start your Matched Betting adventure.
For starters, you will need a little bit of money to invest in the following:
- An oddsmatcher / calculator setup (many free options)
- The Bonus Bookmaker
- The Cover Bookmaker (Brokerage)
The good news is that the total amount of money you will have to take out of your own pocket is not very big. Especially not compared to the amount you can earn through Matched Betting.
Do You Need Paid Matched Betting Software?
No — matched betting itself can be done with free tools (an oddsmatcher and a calculator). See the ultimate guide to matched betting.
A good starting path is to clear an easy Bet365 welcome offer first. Once you’ve cleared that bonus, use the profit to clear welcome offers at more bookmakers.
Trademate Sports is a separate, paid value betting product you can move onto after matched betting has grown your bankroll — it is not matched betting software.
How Much Money You Need to Deposit into the Bonus Bookmaker?
If you don’t want to invest too much money in Matched Betting, you can start with the Bonus Bookmakers whose bonuses aren’t very big. But our recommendation is to go for the biggest bonuses first, as bookmakers are always changing their offers. So take a big welcome bonus when you can!
The Minimum Amount Needed for the Bonus Bookmaker
Let’s say you start with the Bet365 bonus — it’s a common first offer and usually straightforward to turn over with an oddsmatcher and calculator.
You will need to make a deposit to qualify for the bonus, but you don’t have to go for the maximum amount. The least amount you can deposit to get their bonus is €5.
The Recommended Amount for the Bonus Bookmaker
Our advice, however, is to always max out the welcome bonus, because one, you don’t get a second chance to take the bonus and two, it’s guaranteed profit, so why not make it as big as possible!
The Bet365 bonus currently stands at a €100 matched deposit, so for starting off your matched betting journey, we recommend allocating €100 to the bonus bookie.
How Much Money You Need for Cover Bets?
If you’re not familiar with the term ‘Cover Bookmaker’, check out the video below.
Once again, the answer to this question is, it depends. It depends on whether you’re going to use a brokerage or a betting exchange to make Cover Bets.
The Minimum Amount Needed for the Cover Bookmaker
If you’ve only deposited the minimum amount of €5 into your Bet365 account, then to be safe, you only need to deposit somewhere in the range of €5-€10 for your cover bookie. But because that sounds a little ridiculous, here is what we recommend.
The Recommended Amount for the Cover Bookmaker
For your cover bookmaker, we recommend signing up to a brokerage like Sportmarket or BetInAsia. The minimum deposit for SportMarket is €250, so that would be the recommended investment for your cover bookmaker.
It might seem a little steep in price, but if your goal is to complete more bonuses after the Bet365 one, then we actually recommended depositing more.
How much money do I need for Matched Betting after completing the Bet365 bonus?
After clearing your Bet365 bonus, our recommendation is to use the money you’ve earned to clear more bookmaker welcome offers (and exchanges where useful). An oddsmatcher and calculator are enough — no paid matched-betting software required.
Then you need to find some new bonuses! Bookmakers change their bonus deals all the time, so stay informed via a matched betting community (country-specific offer lists) and the ultimate guide to matched betting.
Another question you might have is, now that I have turned over my Bet365 bonus, should I just withdraw my winnings from my Bet365 account? The answer is actually no! Read this article to find out why.
To conclude, when you put everything on paper, you will see that you can start your Matched Betting with even less than €50. But for the reasons above we don’t recommend this!
To get started we recommend around €350-worth of investment, which includes your first deposit into your Bet365 and Sportmarket account.