If you want to get started with betting exchanges, you’ve come to the right place! We have listed all exchange betting sites for UK players on this page, along with our personal choices for the best betting exchange.
We’ll also cover quickly how a betting exchange works, along with of course how they compare to regular bookies.
At Bojoko we want to help you with your choice of betting exchanges, which is why below you can find small snippets of the top 3 exchange betting sites in our opinion.
If you want to bet in the most professional way possible, Smarkets is the best betting exchange out there currently. Smarkets has the highest odds of all UK betting sites at the moment and for all new customers they offer 0% commissions for the first 60 days.
Regular commissions are also just 2% which is lower than what most of the exchanges are taking. For the more professional and bigger players, Smarkets lowers the commissions to just 1% if you place over 1500 bets per month or exceed £1 million in wagers.
You can read more from our Smarkets betting review or join directly from below.
Enjoy 0% commissions at Smarkets here »
Spreadex is one of the most interesting betting exchange sites available to UK players since they offer it all. Traditional sports betting with fixed odds, spread betting (which works like a betting exchange), and financial spread betting as.
This makes them a completely unique choice as a bookmaker, and the site is available to enjoy through two different mobile apps. For exchange betting, SpreadEX offers markets for up to 20 different sports.
New players can look towards a real treat at SpreadEx since they will be treated to up to £40 in bonuses at the site. These will be rewarded as five free fixed odds bets in £5 increments after you’ve placed a qualifying bet of £25. You can join directly from below or read more from our SpreadEx betting review.
Get £40 in free bets at Spreadex here »
Our final choice into our top UK betting exchanges is Sporting Index, who have been encouraging spread bettors as a pioneer across four decades. The spread betting site has operated online since 2001.
The biggest strength of the site is of course their odds, which is the case at all betting exchanges since they are determined by the users. However, only a couple of bet exchanges can compare when it comes to the usability and betting options at the site.
For spread betting, there is a 50% cashback offer for all new players for the first 7 days. Check out our SportingIndex betting review or move on to SportingIndex from the button below.
Start spread betting at Sporting Index »
1. Find UK betting exchanges from our list
2. Choose the right bet exchange
3. Register at betting exchange sites
4. Start your online betting exchange journey
A betting exchange is a subclass of bookmakers, where you aren't playing against "the house" and their fixed odds, but instead, your betting battles take place against other punters.
The only thing the bet exchange is doing is facilitating this, which is why the odds at exchange betting sites can often be much more lucrative than at traditional bookmakers. The profit of the site comes from a tiny, 1-5% commission they get from all bets made.
The RTP (return to player percentage) can even go above and beyond 100% for all the choices for a single bet, depending of course on how the punters are betting. Everything is determined simply by the amount of back and lay betting going on. This means that:
If you’re a professional bettor, betting exchanges are absolutely crucial, since regular bookies sadly ban impressively winning players quite often. Luckily exchange betting sites simply do not care about your results, and just want you to bet as often as possible.
The differences between an exchange betting site and a regular online bookie are plentiful. At normal online bookmakers the only bet you make is towards something to happen, while at bet exchanges you can choose to either "back" or "lay" an outcome.
This means that the players themselves act as bookmakers, offering odds depending on the number of bets made. The more backers there are on an event, the shorter the odds become for that while the lay odds grow.
This brings with it much more volatility compared to fixed odds at traditional bookies, and one of the biggest values of betting exchanges is changing your bet if the odds offer you a guaranteed profit. This is called arbitrage betting.
This couldn’t be more simple, as you’re always either laying or backing a certain outcome to happen. This time you’re just betting against other people, and not the bookie who has calculated mathematical odds for the situation where they think you’ll lose a tiny amount of money.
➕ You will enjoy higher betting returns in general
➕ You are not at the mercy of regular odds calculators
➕ Excellent arbitrage opportunities often
➕ Betting exchanges don’t need you to lose to make a profit
➖ Betting markets will be available less frequently for less popular sports
➖ There are only a few betting exchanges to choose from
➖ The betting offers available don’t compare to regular bookmakers very well
Article by:
Joel Kelly