Ben Adams

When it comes to <a href="https://outplayed.com/what-is-matched-betting">Matched Betting</a>, the tools you use can make all the difference.

Whether you're a beginner or an experienced bettor, using the right exchange can significantly increase your profits and reduce the time you spend placing bets. That’s exactly where <a href="https://www.betconnect.com/">BetConnect</a> comes in.

BetConnect isn’t just another betting exchange - it’s purpose-built to make Matched Betting smoother, faster, and more profitable.

With features designed to eliminate common frustrations, it’s one of the easiest ways to upgrade your setup and maximise returns from your existing strategy.

In this article, you'll see why BetConnect is worth using - and how it can instantly improve your Matched Betting experience.

BetConnect is a UK-regulated betting exchange that allows you to place lay bets - just like Betfair, Smarkets and Matchbook. But it works a little differently.

Instead of having to browse the exchange to find your own lay bets, BetConnect serves you the best available lay odds automatically, directly through your Matched Betting software and allows you to lock in lay odds ensuring the odds won't suddenly change.

This removes the hassle of hunting for liquidity or dealing with <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/what-are-unmatched-bets">unmatched or partially matched bets</a>.

BetConnect is especially strong for horse racing markets, which is where most Matched Bettors find value.

You can also use it for football and other sports, but its biggest strength is in racing - especially when combining it with tools like the <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/bog-catcher">BOG Catcher</a> or <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/extra-place-offers">Extra Place offers</a>.

There are plenty of betting exchanges out there - but BetConnect stands out for one simple reason: it’s built with Matched Bettors in mind.

From faster bet placement to unique features you won’t find elsewhere, BetConnect removes many of the common headaches that come with laying bets.

Here’s why BetConnect has become so popular for Matched Betting:

Earn Extra Cash with “You Lay, We Pay”

Amongst all the other following benefits of using BetConnect, the “<a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/betconnect-you-lay-we-pay-offer">You Lay, We Pay</a>” offer is a brilliant bonus that is worth doing anyway - especially if you're laying regularly.

Each calendar month, you’ll earn £5 in real cash for every £1,000 in lay stakes, up to £30 total.

All this bonus money is fully withdrawable without any&nbsp;wagering requirements so you're literally&nbsp;being paid for doing what you already do!

<a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/betconnect-integration-outplayed">BetConnect is directly built into Outplayed’s core tools</a>, including the Oddsmatching software and the BOG Catcher. That means:

One of BetConnect’s standout features is the 60-second odds lock.

When you click the lock button in the Outplayed calculator, your lay odds are fixed for one full minute.

This gives you time to place your back bet without worrying about the lay odds price moving.

This is a huge advantage during busy periods or when doing close matches. It reduces the risk of losing value or having to scramble to edit the calculator or find new odds.

Unlike traditional exchanges, BetConnect won’t partially match your lay bet. It either fully matches it or doesn’t place it at all.

This removes a common headache for matched bettors - having to deal with part-matched lays and uncertain liability.

With BetConnect, your position is always clear.

Smart Bet Sourcing (No Browsing Required)

Rather than giving you a full exchange interface, BetConnect only presents you with available and fully matchable lay bets through the Outplayed betting software.

This “curated” approach means you’re only shown bets that are ready to go. If a lay bet with BetConnect is available, it’ll be an option in the calculator. If it’s not, you don’t waste time looking.

Top Tip: Try Using BetConnect between 10am to 2pm

If you're targeting horse racing offers, the best time to find BetConnect lay bets is between 10am and 2pm.

This is when liquidity is strongest for races happening later in the day.

During this window, you'll see more BetConnect options appear in the Oddsmatching software and BOG Catcher, giving you more opportunities to place profitable bets with minimal and zero qualifying losses.

BetConnect Frequently Asked Questions – Everything You Need to Know

Boost Your Matched Betting Profits Instantly With BetConnect

Royal Ascot 2025 (Tuesday 17th June – Saturday 21st June) is one of the most prestigious and high-profile horse racing events in the UK. It’s also one of the best times of year to make serious profits from <a href="https://outplayed.com/what-is-matched-betting">Matched Betting</a>, regardless of your experience or bankroll.

In this guide, we’ll show you exactly what to expect and how to make the most out of Royal Ascot.

Why Is Royal Ascot So Valuable For Matched Betting?

Royal Ascot is not only one of the pinnacle events in British horse racing but also one of the busiest betting weeks of the year.

With millions of pounds wagered across the festival’s five days, bookmakers are in full battle mode to attract punters, which in turn creates a wealth of opportunities for Matched Bettors. Here's why:

Millions of pounds are staked each day, leading to fierce competition among bookmakers. They want to capture a slice of the extra attention so try to attract you with a flood of promotions and offers.

Bookmakers pull out all the stops to grab your attention by rolling out a variety of reload offers. Expect to see lots of&nbsp;Extra Place offers, money-back&nbsp;specials, refund offers and price boosts.

Unlike four-day events like Cheltenham, Royal Ascot spans five days. This extra day brings more races, more offers, and ultimately, more opportunities to maximise your Matched Betting profits.

You can pre-plan your Matched Betting day during Royal Ascot by knowing the daily race schedules.

(Subject to change - times and race names/sponsors may differ)

14:30 - Queen Anne Stakes (Group 1) (Class 1)

15:05 - Coventry Stakes (Group 2) (Class 1)

15:40 - King Charles III Stakes (Group 1) (Class 1)

16:20 - St James's Palace Stakes (Group 1) (Class 1)

17:00 - Ascot Stakes (Heritage Handicap) (Class 2)

17:35 - Wolferton Stakes (Listed Race) (Class 1)

18:10 - Copper Horse Stakes (Handicap) (Class 2)

14:30 - Queen Mary Stakes (Group 2) (Class 1)

15:05 - Queen's Vase (Group 2) (Class 1)

15:40 - Duke Of Cambridge Stakes (Group 2) (Class 1)

16:20 - Prince Of Wales's Stakes (Group 1) (Class 1)

17:00 - Royal Hunt Cup (Heritage Handicap) (Class 2)

17:35 - Kensington Palace Stakes (Fillies' Handicap) (Class 2)

18:10 - Windsor Castle Stakes (Listed Race) (Class 1)

14:30 - Norfolk Stakes (Group 2) (Class 1) (2YO only) 5f

215:05 - King George V Stakes (Heritage Handicap) (Class 2)

315:40 - Ribblesdale Stakes (Fillies' Group 2) (Class 1)

416:20 - Gold Cup (Group 1) (Class 1)

517:00 - Britannia Stakes (Heritage Handicap) (Class 2)

617:35 - Hampton Court Stakes (Group 3) (Class 1)

718:10 - Buckingham Palace Stakes (Handicap) (Class 2)

114:30 - Albany Stakes (Group 3) (Class 1)

215:05 - Commonwealth Cup (Group 1) (Class 1)

315:40 - Duke Of Edinburgh Stakes (Handicap) (Class 2)

416:20 - Coronation Stakes (Group 1) (Class 1)

517:00 - Sandringham Stakes (Handicap) (Class 2)

617:35 - King Edward Vii Stakes (Group 2) (Class 1)

718:10 - Palace Of Holyroodhouse Stakes (Handicap) (Class 2)

14:30 - Chesham Stakes (Listed Race) (Class 1)

215:05 - Hardwicke Stakes (Group 2) (Class 1)

315:40 - Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes (Group 1) (Class 1)

416:20 - Jersey Stakes (Group 3) (Class 1)

517:00 - Wokingham Stakes (Heritage Handicap) (Class 2)

617:35 - Golden Gates Stakes (Handicap) (Class 2)

718:10 - Queen Alexandra Stakes Conditions Race) (Class 2)

How To Make the Most Out Of Royal Ascot 2025

If you want to take full advantage of the Royal Ascot festival, here are four key types of offers to look out for as a Matched Bettor.

<a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/horse-racing-refunds">Horse racing refunds</a> are offers where you get your stake back - either as cash or a free bet - if a certain outcome happens.

For example, a bookmaker might refund your bet if your horse finishes second or third instead of winning. These offers are low risk and can lead to a nice profit over the week.

<a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/extra-place-offers">Extra place offers</a> are where bookmakers pay out on more finishing positions than normal in each-way markets.

So instead of just paying out on the top 3, they might offer payouts on the top 4, 5, or even more.

If you can back and lay a horse each-way and it finishes in an extra place position, it creates a long term profitable betting opportunity.

<a href="https://outplayed.com/price-boosts">Price boosts</a> (or enhanced odds) are one of the simplest types of reload offers.

Bookmakers increase the odds on a specific horse for a limited time, and if the lay odds remain lower on the exchange, it creates an instant profit.

These are quick and easy wins, perfect for beginners or those short on time.

The easiest way to boost profits during Royal Ascot is by taking advantage of <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/betconnect-you-lay-we-pay-offer">BetConnect’s ‘You Lay, We Pay’ offer</a>.

You can earn £5 cash for every £1,000 in lay stakes you place through the <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/betconnect-integration-outplayed">BetConnect integration</a> on Outplayed - up to £30 total.

BetConnect specialise horse racing so are perfect for big festivals like Royal Ascot.

There are no wagering requirements, and the cash is fully withdrawable.

If you’re already placing lay bets, this is an easy way to get rewarded for what you’re doing anyway.

For more experienced bettors, Royal Ascot also presents a golden opportunity for <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/what-is-value-betting">value betting</a>.

The odds during the festival are extremely competitive, and bookmakers are more generous with extra places and boosts - meaning even more value to take advantage of.

If you're using <a href="https://outplayed.com/pro">Outplayed Pro</a>, tools like the <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/extra-place-master">Extra Place Master</a> and <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/lucky-finder">Lucky Finder</a> can help you pinpoint the best opportunities across the five days.

These tools are designed to find consistently profitable bets and you just need to place them and move to the next.

Royal Ascot is one of the most exciting and profitable horse racing events of year for Matched Betting.

With five full days of racing, tons of offers, and huge betting volumes, it’s the perfect chance to build your <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/matched-betting-bankroll">bankroll</a> - no matter your level of experience.

Stay organised, take advantage of the offers, and enjoy making consistent profits while everyone else is just hoping for a winner.

Matched Bettors Guide To Royal Ascot

At Outplayed you can choose from 3 membership levels - Platinum, Diamond and Pro.

We also have an exclusive Pro Plus membership which is only available at certain times.

Here, you’ll find out the difference between the memberships and learn exactly what’s included in each level so you know which is the right one for you to help you make the most out of&nbsp;<a href="https://outplayed.com/what-is-matched-betting">Matched Betting</a>.

What Is The Difference Between Platinum, Diamond, Pro and Pro Plus?

Our Platinum Membership is focused solely on teaching and helping you make profits through Matched Betting sport related offers and promotions from the bookies.

Our Diamond Membership takes this to a whole new level - and the profits you can make - by teaching and helping you how to take advantage of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.outplayed.com/news/make-money/matched-betting-casino-offers-explained-in-a-nutshell/">casino offers</a>&nbsp;as well as all the benefits included in the Platinum membership.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://outplayed.com/pro-upgrade">Pro Membership</a>&nbsp;is suitable for experienced, serious Matched Bettors who want to unlock an additional £1000+ a month in potential profit using our advanced tools that enable you to take huge amounts of value. All the benefits from Platinum and Diamond memberships are included.

The Pro Plus Membership is our most advanced membership and is suitable for experienced <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/what-is-value-betting">value&nbsp;bettors</a> with a large bankroll looking to maximise their betting profits.&nbsp;Access is limited, and this membership is only open at select times throughout the year.

Perfect for you if: you’re just getting started with Matched Betting.

Outplayed Platinum membership has everything you need to be very successful and highly profitable Matched Betting sports offers:

Perfect for you if: you’ve completed a variety of sports offers and are ready to make more money using casino offers alongside sports offers.

Monthly rolling contract - £49.99/month

Annual rolling contract - £450.00/year (£37.50/month)

Outplayed Diamond membership includes everything available with our Platinum Membership level PLUS all of the following:

Perfect for you if: you’re an experienced Matched Bettor, you’ve built up a large bankroll and want to unlock an additional £1000+ a month in potential profit.

Monthly rolling contract - £150.00/month

Annual rolling contract - £995.00/year (£82.92/month)

<a href="https://outplayed.com/pro-upgrade">Outplayed Pro</a>&nbsp;membership includes everything available with our Platinum and Diamond Membership levels&nbsp;PLUS all of the following:

Perfect for you if: you’re an experienced value bettor and have built up a significant bankroll and want to unlock maximum potential profits with access to our powerful Golf Master and&nbsp;<a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/profit-using-outplayed-steam-chaser-tool">Steam Chaser</a>&nbsp;tools.

Annual rolling contract - £1499/year&nbsp;(£124.92/month)

Outplayed Pro Plus membership includes everything available with our Platinum, Diamond and Pro levels PLUS access to the Golf Master and Steam Chaser.

The Golf Master and Steam Chaser tools are extremely powerful, which is why we limit access to them as we need to keep them exclusive, so the Pro Plus membership is&nbsp;only available for purchase for limited time periods.

Here's why you’ll love the Golf Master:

Here's why you'll love the Steam Chaser:

All our membership levels are exceptional value - and to be perfectly honest the profits you can make from the signup offers alone on each plan can more than cover the costs for an entire year - even if you choose to pay monthly!

If you’re brand new to Matched Betting it’s best to start with Platinum and focus on working through the 40+ signup offers where you can expect to make over £850.

Thereafter you can make £300 - £1000+ a month from reload offers for existing customers.

Once you’ve grown your bankroll and have got the hang of Matched Betting on sports and are making some super easy profits, you can then upgrade to Diamond or Pro when you’re ready. 

You can upgrade to Diamond or Pro anytime.

Still Not Sure Which Membership To Choose?

As an Outplayed member, you have access to experienced Matched Betting experts who are available to answer your questions and help you through your journey.

Our&nbsp;<a href="https://outplayed.com/news/matched-betting/how-to-get-matched-betting-support">support</a>&nbsp;team is open and ready to help you choose the right membership that suits you.

We’re open 7 days a week. You can use email, live chat, Facebook, or the forum so please <a href="https://outplayed.com/contact" target="_blank" title="">get in touch</a>&nbsp;and we can discuss the best membership for you.

Outplayed Membership Levels - Explained

Expected value (also known as EV) is the average outcome of a bet or event after factoring all possible outcomes and their probabilities.

Expected value essentially tells you whether a bet or other investment is a good and profitable decision. It is often used in both the gambling industry and in finance to help determine if an investment or bet is worthwhile by assessing potential risks and returns.

It might sound complicated at first, but you can use expected value to help you&nbsp;<a href="https://outplayed.com/what-is-matched-betting">profit from Matched Betting</a> to ensure you make the right decision for each bet you place.

In this article, you’ll learn why we use expected value in betting, how to easily find positive expected <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/what-is-value-betting">value bets</a> and discover the best strategies that can help you make huge profits this year.

In betting, the expected value (EV) is a measure of the potential value or profit that a bet can make over the long run, taking into account both the probability of winning the bet and the potential payout.

Put simply - it helps you know if a particular bet is worth it or not.

This doesn’t mean every good value bet will win and likewise, it doesn’t mean that every poor value bet will lose.

Profitable sports bettors know and understand this - A positive expected value (+EV) bet means that you would expect to make money on the bet in the long term. While a negative expected value bet (-EV) means you would expect to lose money in the long term.

Expected value is how bookmakers and <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/ultimate-guide-to-casinos">casinos</a> make money - the majority of bets they offer are -EV to punters meaning the bookies and casinos are taking the opposite +EV bets.

They don't mind if they lose in the short term because they know with mathematical certainty that they’ll profit in the long run by taking a large number of +EV bets.

How To Calculate Expected Value In Betting

When Matched Betting you’ll never need to calculate the expected value yourself as this is all done for you with <a href="https://outplayed.com/user/register#1">Outplayed</a>.

However, it’s helpful to see where the value comes from.

To calculate the expected value, you multiply each possible outcome of an event by its probability of occurring, then add up all those results. This will give you the average outcome you can expect if you were to repeat the event many times.

Let's say you're playing a game where a fair coin is tossed and if it lands on heads, you win £10 and if it lands on tails you lose £5.

There’s an even chance of winning and losing - you have a 50% chance of it landing on heads and winning and a 50% chance of landing on tails and losing.

You can calculate the expected value of this game by doing the following:

EV = (0.5 x £10) + (0.5 x -£5) = £5 - £2.50 = £2.50

The EV for this game is £2.50. As this is a positive number, you have a +EV opportunity.

This doesn’t mean you’d win £2.50 every time you played in the short term but if you played this game an infinite amount of times you would expect to make an average of £2.50 each time you play it.

Variance reflects the random nature of a game in short bursts and is an important factor when considering expected value.

Let's consider flipping a coin - If we flip a coin once, we have no idea if the result will be heads or tails and if we flip it 10 times in a row, we might guess that around 5 would be heads and 5 would be tails - but the reality is we might get heads 6 or 7 times out of the 10. We wouldn't find that particularly surprising. And if we did it again we might get tails more often than heads. This is called variance.

But if we flip the coin 1000 times in a row, we would likely get heads around 50% of the time, give or take. This means that variance becomes less of a factor the more flips you complete, and the Return to player (RTP) becomes the thing that matters.

Return to player (RTP) is the percentage of wagered money that a game is expected to pay back to you over time.

How Is Expected Value Used For Matched Betting?

Expected value is important in Matched Betting as it allows you to identify profitable opportunities. By calculating the estimated value you’ll know which bets and offers are going to make you money and are worth doing and which ones to avoid.

You’ll not be able to lock in a profit like with the sportsbook signup offers but as you can see from the example above, it’s in your interest to take +EV opportunities to profit over the long run.

Rather than a steady, continuous profit over time, your profit over time graph for expected value offers will be similar to the casino offers strategy by only doing +EV bets and offers.

Positive expected value Matched Betting opportunities come in a variety of offers ranging from low risk to high risk and you can choose which you focus on depending on your experience and the size of your Matched Betting bankroll.

Take this low-risk daily offer from The Pools for example. By placing £25 worth of bets on virtual sports (these are simulated events) you’ll get a free bet to use.

You cannot lay off virtual sports bets so your initial £25 is at risk but you can break the £25 into smaller stakes to reduce the variance of the offer.

By knowing the return to player (RTP) of the virtual sports games, we can work out the expected value of this offer and in this case, it’s £1.95.

So by doing this offer in the long run, you can expect to make around £1.95 each time. There are tons of +EV offers available and committing to a large number of them whilst managing your bankroll will yield amazing results.

Check out these two Matched Bettor’s results, the blue line represents the total amount of EV taken vs the red line shows the actual amount of profit made:

The easiest way to find expected value bets is to use a Matched Betting service such as <a href="https://outplayed.com/user/register#1">Outplayed</a>.

You can find profitable value bets throughout the Outplayed site such as the reload offers section - here you’ll be presented with all the best +EV offers available each day without having to check terms and calculate the expected value of each offer yourself - you just open the guide and follow the step by step instructions.

To boost your profits to the next level you can also quickly and easily find expected value bets using more advanced tools available with <a href="https://outplayed.com/pro">Outplayed Pro</a> which allows you to take a huge amount of value each day.

These advanced tools use special algorithms to identify which bets have a positive expected value leaving you to simply place the bets and bank the value.

What Are The Best Expected Value Offers And Betting Strategies?

There are a range of different offers and strategies to extract expected value from bets. Ideally, you’ll include a range of these strategies to ensure you’re taking maximum value but you can start by using lower-risk strategies first until your bankroll and experience has grown.

A great way to begin taking advantage of expected value is to use low-risk casino offers - these can be casino signup offers or reload offers listed on Outplayed available with the <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/our-membership-levels-explained">Diamond membership</a>.

Unlike with Matched Betting sports offers, you’ll not be laying off bets when doing casino offers. You can’t lay off a spin on a slot machine. There is no ”casino betting exchange” when doing casino offers.

The key foundation of the casino offers strategy is that you’ll only ever do offers that have a positive expected value.

You don’t need to worry about finding these offers or how to do them as each +EV casino offer listed has been checked and tested and comes with full instructions on how to complete them.

As you build your experience and bankroll you’ll be able to move to medium and higher-risk casino offers to take even more EV.

Extra Place offers are a popular horse racing offer available at many bookmakers.

An “Extra Place” is when the bookmaker says they’ll add one (or more) additional places to their standard place classification on a particular race.

So, for example, they may offer to “pay 4 places on a race” instead of the standard 3 places. The 4th position in this instance is then the “Extra Place”.

You can place a matched bet so if your horse finishes in that 4th position in a race (the “extra place”) – you make money – and usually pretty good money too!

Experienced Matched Bettors are using the powerful Extra Place Master tool available with our <a href="https://outplayed.com/pro">Outplayed Pro</a> membership to make an easy £500+ a month from these Extra Place offers.

The beauty of this strategy is that you can use a method which suits your tolerance to risk. You can choose a lower-risk method of laying your bets to take a small qualifying loss and make a profit if your horse finishes in the extra place position.

Alternatively, you can use a higher-risk method with higher long-term returns using the no lay method to simply place back bets on +EV horse bets to profit in the long run.

The no lay method is very high risk so only suitable if you’re experienced and have a large bankroll that can take the swings in profit.

2up Early Payout offers are a football promotion where a bookmaker offers to pay your bet out as a winner (in cash) if your team leads by 2 goals at any point in the match (unless a different payout trigger is stated).

Using Matched Betting can mean huge potential profits if your team leads by 2 goals but then fails to win the match. The key is finding the right expected value bets that are profitable long term and our revolutionary 2up Master software makes finding these <a href="https://outplayed.com/news/football/want-more-profits-from-matched-betting-2ups-are-key">2up early payout</a> opportunities a breeze.

The 2up Master available with <a href="https://outplayed.com/pro-upgrade">Outplayed Pro</a> uses an algorithm that factors in thousands of data points including scoreline data, momentum effects, home/away advantages and more. This means you’ll know which bets have a positive expected value (EV) and are worth doing and which ones aren’t.

The number one strategy in terms of taking the most EV is the <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/lucky-finder">Lucky Finder</a> strategy. This strategy involves placing accumulator-style bets called lucky 15 bets to compound value which results in the overall expected value being much higher.

In addition to unlocking a ton of value, placing these value bets can also help you <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/top-tips-to-avoid-being-gubbed">avoid being gubbed</a> by looking more like a regular punter. You’ll also be able to use your gubbed and restricted accounts to place these bets meaning you can take value from bookmaker accounts you thought were no use.

The <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/lucky-finder">Lucky Finder</a> - available with <a href="https://outplayed.com/pro-upgrade">Outplayed Pro</a> - accurately finds profitable lucky 15 bets for you in an instant and you don’t need to do any calculations yourself, you simply choose a bookmaker and the software will show you four selections to add to your bet slip and place your Lucky 15 bet to take the stated expected value.

You can then repeat the process using the same or other bookmakers to place multiple bets throughout each day to take a crazy amount of EV.

You’ll now see how important expected value is when making any financial decision and how you can apply that to your betting to ensure you profit over the long run.

The great news is that you can use offers to lock in profits to accompany your value betting to help smooth your variance and boost <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/how-much-can-you-make-from-matched-betting">how much you can make from Matched Betting</a>.

What Is Expected Value?

When the final whistle blows on the football season, it’s easy to assume <a href="https://outplayed.com/what-is-matched-betting">Matched Betting</a> slows down too.

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