A Guide to Tennis Arbitrage Betting

Quick answer: finding arbitrage opportunities is the most difficult aspect of arbitrage betting on tennis, but you should also take care to avoid attracting the attention of the bookies, and pay close attention to retirement rules. Outplayed’s tools and software can help to streamline a football arbitrage strategy.

Sports betting is hugely popular, both in the UK and around the world, with around 10% of the UK population engaging in online sports betting.

Data Insight

A survey by the Gambling Commission’s (September 2025 - January 2026) found that 8% of adults in Great Britain had bet in the past four weeks.

- Gambling Commission

Tennis is a perennially popular choice for bettors, but often volatile, so it isn’t surprising that people resort to all sorts of strategies to try to improve their betting success.

From courtsiding to match fixing to simply hurling abuse at players who fail to win, the tennis world sees frequent attempts to gain an edge over the bookies.

But it is in fact possible to lock in profits from tennis without having to bribe players to lose, and without getting on the wrong side of the law.

If you can place bets that cover two or more opposing outcomes on a match at sufficiently favourable odds, you can put yourself in a position where you make a profit no matter the outcome of that match.

Over time, these profits build, meaning that arbitrage betting can become a significant side hustle if you put enough time and energy into it.

In this article, we’ll explain how arbitrage betting works on tennis, how to find and place tennis arbitrage bets, and how to get the best possible profits out of your tennis arbitrage betting while minimising any risks.

Arbitrage Betting In A Nutshell

For now, we’ll just give you a quick rundown of how arbitrage betting works, but if you’d like to read a more detailed explanation, take a look at our full guide to arbitrage betting.

Arbitrage betting relies on finding favourable odds that cover opposing outcomes on a single match. By betting on all possible outcomes across a single market within an event, you can lock in a profit regardless of the result, so long as the odds are good enough.

The easiest way to do this is with a back bet at a bookmaker and a lay bet at a betting exchange, ensuring that your bets are directly opposed. If the back odds are higher than the lay odds, you stand to make a profit.

As an example, let’s imagine an arbitrage opportunity on the winner of the US Open. You find odds of 1.65 on Jannik Sinner with Bet365, while at Matchbook you find available lay odds of 1.6.

By using a Matched Betting or arbitrage calculator to work out your optimal stakes, you can lock in a profit of £3.12 on a £100 back bet (assuming you’re an Outplayed member and taking advantage of our 0% commission rate with Matchbook).

This is quite a small profit for the size of bet, of course, but because the risk of losing money is minimal (and should only occur if you make a mistake) this technique can be repeated over and over to build your profits in the long term.

What’s The Best Way To Arbitrage Bet On Tennis?

In theory, arbitrage betting on tennis betting is pretty straightforward, but the nature of both the sport and its most common markets mean that there are some important considerations to take into account.

The best arbitrage model for tennis betting

Generally speaking, it’s easiest in the UK to place a back bet with a bookmaker and a lay bet with a betting exchange, following the bookmaker-exchange model of arbitrage betting.

Data Insight

The Gambling Commission’s 2025 survey found that only 1% of adults had used a betting exchange in the previous four weeks. While exchanges represent only a small part of overall betting participation, their presence creates an additional source of prices that arbitrage bettors can compare with bookmaker odds.

- Gambling Commission

This has the benefit of ensuring that your bets are directly opposed (so only one can win, and one must win), as well as allowing for easy identification of arbitrage opportunities - if the back odds are higher than the lay odds, you know you stand to make a profit.

With tennis, however, it can be a bit more complicated. It’s not uncommon for a tennis player to retire from a match due to injury, and bookmakers don’t all handle this situation in the same way. Some will void a bet rather than settling it if your player wins by default, or will only settle if the game has progressed to a certain number of sets before one player retires.

We explain how this works in full in our guide to retirement rules, as well as confirming how specific bookies and exchanges treat matches that end in retirement. The main thing you need to ensure is that both (or all) of your bets are settled under the same terms if you’re betting on the winner of a match.

Because of the limited number of exchanges, it may therefore be easier to use the bookmaker-bookmaker model of arbitrage if betting on a match winner, where your bets are placed between two bookies rather than one bookie and one exchange. It might be trickier to locate a good arbing opportunity, though, and you’ll need to use a Dutching calculator rather than a Matched Betting calculator to work out your stakes.

The best markets for tennis arbitrage

A related question to the best model for arbing on tennis is that of markets. Because tennis retirement rules can make arbitrage bets on the winner of a match more complicated, you may find it easier to place bookmaker-exchange arbs on other markets, such as total sets, total aces etc (double checking that these markets aren’t also affected by retirement rules at the bookie in question).

You may also find that betting on more obscure markets gives you a better chance of locating arbitrage opportunities, as bookies are often slower to update the odds on their least popular markets.

On the other hand, staying under the radar is always important when arbitrage betting, and more popular markets are a better choice if you’re trying to blend in.

The best matches for tennis arbitrage

The same difficulty applies to matches as to markets: that the best arbitrage opportunities are likely to occur on obscure matches, but the best way to blend in is to focus your betting activity on the most popular matches and the biggest tournaments.

Ultimately, it all comes down to a balancing act, and establishing yourself as a tennis fan may allow you a little more wiggle room. If you’re a consistent bettor on tennis, it won’t look particularly out of place if you bet on lesser known tournaments, especially if you appear to be a fan of particular players.

Summary

Are There Any Tools That Can Help Me With Tennis Arbitrage Bets?

There are a few tools out there that can help to make your life easier as an arbitrage bettor.

Most basic are sites like Oddschecker, which compares odds from the most popular bookies and a handful of betting exchanges, to show you which are the most generous. It won’t track down arbitrage opportunities on your behalf, but it will give you an idea of where you might find them.

Below, you’ll see a screenshot of Oddschecker’s results for an upcoming WTA Tennis match, with the best available odds for each win market selection highlighted in green.

Even with Oddschecker, though, you’ll have to manually calculate your odds and stakes to work out if you’ve found a potential arbitrage opportunity.

Expert Insight

The biggest trap with tennis arbitrage software is assuming that similarly named markets are automatically equivalent. A total-games market, for example, can carry different settlement conditions around retirements or abandoned matches, so the market rules need checking alongside the price.

Outplayed’s Matched Betting and Dutching calculators, however, allow you to enter the odds and your intended stake to instantly calculate if your proposed bets hold potential profit, and what your optimal stakes ought to be if so.

Our Price Boost Tracker (available with a Diamond tier or higher membership), meanwhile, lets you know about any profitable price boosts available on tennis (and a range of other sports). Because bookies expect and intend to attract large numbers of bettors when they offer a price boost, an arb that results from a price boost can be less suspicious than a regular arbitrage bet - although you should still take care not to bet on nothing but price boosts.

All things considered, an Outplayed membership really is one of the best possible tools to have by your side when arbitrage betting.

What Are The Risks Of Arbitrage Betting On Tennis?

Arbitrage betting is in general a very low risk strategy, whether on tennis or any other sport, and when done correctly the likelihood of losing money is minimal.

However, there are still a few risks to bear in mind when arbitrage betting on tennis.

• Human error. This is the most significant cause of mishaps when arbitrage betting. Because arbitrage opportunities don’t tend to last all that long, bettors can end up rushing their decision-making and their betting, resulting in errors with markets or stakes.
  
  To reduce this risk, take advantage of tools like Outplayed’s Arbitrage Calculator and Dutching Calculator, to help you make certain you get your maths right before you place your bets.

• Palpable errors. Palpable errors (aka ‘palps’) refer to odds that are so obviously wrong that they’re clearly due to an error in the bookie’s algorithm. When this is the case, bookies’ terms and conditions generally allow them to cancel your bet, because the odds shouldn’t have been offered in the first place.
  
  To avoid falling foul of palps, assume that any ridiculously generous odds are probably too good to be true, and steer clear of betting on them. As a rough guide, we’d say that any arbitrage opportunity with a rating of 110% or more has a significant chance of being a palp, so is best avoided.

• Limited liquidity. If you’re using a betting exchange, always check how much available liquidity there is for your lay odds. If liquidity is low, you’ll be limited as to the amount you can stake with the bookmaker, and it’s also more likely that someone else will nab the favourable lay odds before you can finish placing your bets.
  
  To minimise the likelihood of running into problems caused by low liquidity, try to bet somewhat in advance of a tennis match, rather than in-play, when odds and liquidity will be changing all the time. We’d also recommend double checking that there’s enough liquidity immediately before placing your back bet, which will keep the chances of it disappearing while you’re mid-bet to a minimum.

• Retirement rules. As mentioned above, you need to be aware of the fact that retirement rules vary between bookies and betting exchanges, which could cause you difficulties if your two bets are between bookies or exchanges whose rules don’t match up.
  
  Double check the terms for both your bets, whether you’re using the bookmaker-exchange or bookmaker-bookmaker model of arbitrage, and check our retirement rules guide to see if the terms used by the betting site on each side of your bet correspond. Bookmaker-bookmaker arbing can make it easier to ensure you don’t run into trouble when betting on the winner of a tennis match.

• Bookmaker restrictions. In the longer term, bookie restrictions are likely to be the greatest threat to your arbitrage profits. Bookmakers do their best to detect arbitrage bettors - not surprising, as you’re making a profit for yourself rather than handing it over to the bookie.
  
  Try to blend in with other punters by betting on the most popular events, and placing a few ‘mug’ matched bets that don’t turn a profit, and you’ll give yourself the best chance of maintaining healthy accounts for as long as possible.

Expert Insight

Account restrictions are rarely as simple as a bookmaker spotting one arbitrage bet and reacting immediately. Betting patterns are assessed over time, so a consistently profitable account can attract scrutiny even when individual bets look completely ordinary. That makes account longevity a consideration when planning an arbitrage strategy.

Are There Any Other Strategies You Can Use When Betting On Tennis To Maximise Your Profits?

Arbitrage betting is a fantastic technique, but the profits it generates per bet are quite small, and you do risk attracting the attention of bookies. Combining this technique with other smart betting strategies is the best way to make the best possible profits when betting on tennis while minimising your risk.

We’d also recommend betting on a range of sports, rather than just tennis, to get the best profits from any of these strategies.

Matched Betting

We strongly recommend combining arbitrage betting with Matched Betting as the best way to maximise your profits. Matched Betting produces higher profits per bet, generally speaking, especially in its early stages when bettors are completing lots of sign up offers, and can allow you to build your bankroll more quickly.

However, there are only so many offers available at any one time, and dedicated matched bettors could find themselves running out. Throwing a spot of arbitrage into the mix will help tide you over when there are fewer Matched Betting offers to complete (e.g. during the football off-season).

Between the two of them, it’s certainly possible to generate more profits more consistently than with either strategy alone.

You should be aware, though, that the same problem with retirement rules applies to Matched Betting as to arbitrage betting - so make sure you’re clear about exactly what retirement rules are being followed by the bookies/exchanges you use.

To find out more about how Matched Betting works and how you can get started, check out the Outplayed Beginner’s Guide.

Value Betting

Value Betting is a more advanced strategy than arbitrage betting or Matched Betting, so it’s best suited to experienced sports bettors or matched bettors, who have already built up a good bankroll. This is largely because Value Betting does involve risk; you aren’t locking in a profit with every bet.

Once you’ve gained a good amount of experience (and cash) through Matched Betting and arbitrage betting, though, Value Betting can provide a massive boost to your profits. It relies on a similar principle to arbitrage betting - that of locating favourable odds from bookies. Specifically, odds that are higher than the true probability of a win would imply.

Value bettors place their bets only on selections with disproportionately favourable odds, which are statistically likely to contribute to generate profits in the long term, even though you aren’t locking in a profit on any individual bet.

Because Value Betting doesn’t involve matching your bets, you don’t need to worry about retirement rules not lining up between bookies and exchanges, making this strategy rather easier when betting specifically on tennis.

To find out more about how Value Betting works and how you can get started, check out the dedicated Outplayed guide.

Summary

Arbitrage betting on tennis can be trickier than with some other sports, due to the different rules applied by bookies to player retirement. However, that shouldn’t put you off arbing on tennis altogether - you just need to make sure you check the terms of your bets, and choose your arbitrage model and betting market carefully.

By using tools like Outplayed’s calculators and Price Boost Tracker, you can maximise your profits while minimising any risk of mishaps.

But to really take your profits to the next level, your best bet is to combine arbitrage betting with Matched Betting or Value Betting. Whichever you choose, an Outplayed membership is the perfect companion, providing tools, guides and expert support to help you get the very most out of whatever strategy you choose.

To find out more, check out the Outplayed Beginner’s Guide to Matched Betting for all the information you need to get started.

Or if you’re ready to dive straight in, sign up for the Outplayed free trial to get immediate access to 40+ bookmaker sign up offers with the potential to make £800 or more in profits, completely free of charge.

FAQs

1. Can I make money by arbitrage betting on tennis?

You can indeed! Tennis is a hugely popular sport for betting, which means there are plentiful betting opportunities, especially for the biggest tournaments. It can be a bit trickier than other sports, due to retirement rules, but it’s definitely possible to make money arbing on tennis.

2. Do I have to sign up to a betting exchange to arb on tennis?

It’s not strictly essential, especially if you plan to use the bookmaker-bookmaker model of arbitrage to bet primarily on the winner of a certain match. But we’d still advise signing up to at least one betting exchange (ideally more) to widen your net as far as possible.

3. What are the best markets for arbitrage betting on tennis?

Match winner is the most popular market, but tennis’ retirement rules can cause some problems for arbitrage bettors. You may therefore choose to bet on the correct score, number of sets, number of games, or the outright winner of a tournament.

4. Will arbitrage betting on tennis get my account limited?

Arbitrage betting does carry a risk of provoking bookmakers to restrict your account, no matter what sport you bet on. It’s wise to make an effort to blend in with regular punters by placing the odd mug bet and betting on popular matches and markets where possible.

5. Is arbitrage betting on tennis legal?

Absolutely! Bookmakers aren’t keen on arbitrage bettors, but there’s nothing illegal about this strategy; all you’re doing is taking a bookie up on the odds they’re offering.