What Is Sharbing? Full Guide 2024

Sharbing, also known as shop arbitrage, is a betting strategy where you can profit from differences in odds between betting shops and online betting exchanges.

While similar to online arbitrage betting (also called "arbing"), sharbing is done exclusively in physical betting shops, which sometimes update their odds more slowly than online platforms. This delay in updating odds gives sharbers the opportunity to lock in a profit regardless of the bet outcome.

In this article, you’ll learn how sharbing works, how to do it successfully and cover key tips, strategies, and risks to be aware of.

What Is Sharbing?

Sharbing is the practice of finding suitable bets and placing them at a physical bookmaker shop (like Ladbrokes, William Hill, or Coral) and then laying off the same bet on a betting exchange such as Matchbook at lower odds to lock in a profit.

Here’s a quick example:

• Bookmaker odds: Liverpool to win is offered at 3.5 (back odds).

• Betting exchange lay odds: Liverpool to win is listed at 3.3 (lay odds).

By placing a back bet at the bookmaker and laying the same bet at the exchange, you’re able to lock in a profit regardless of the outcome.

The key to sharbing is finding profitable arbitrage opportunities before the bookmaker updates their odds. Physical betting shops tend to update their odds more slowly than online bookmakers, making them ideal targets for this strategy.

How Does Sharbing Work?

You can follow this 5-step process to place a shop arb:

1. Identify Betting Shops: To begin with you’ll need to locate nearby betting shops. Major high street chains like Ladbrokes, Coral, William Hill, and Betfred are the most popular options for sharbers. These shops tend to have slower odds updates compared to online platforms, making them prime targets​.

2. Track Odds: You’ll need to compare the odds offered in the shop with those available on betting exchanges. Many sharbers use odds comparison tools or manually check the odds on betting exchanges using their phone while in a betting shop​.

3. Place Your Back Bet: Once you've found a discrepancy where the bookmaker's odds are higher than the exchange's lay odds, you can place your back bet in the shop. Be sure to double-check the odds with the shop's betting slip before finalising your bet as there is a chance the bookmaker might have already cut the odds​.

4. Lay Your Bet on the Exchange: After placing your back bet, immediately lay the same selection on a betting exchange such as Matchbook. Use a Matched Betting calculator to determine the optimal stake for your lay bet, ensuring that you lock in a guaranteed profit regardless of the outcome​. If the lay odds have changed in the time since placing your back bet, you’ll need to adjust the calculator to work out your required new lay stake to either take a different profit amount or small loss if the lay odds are higher than the back odds you placed.

5. Collect Your Winnings: If your bet wins at the bookmaker, you collect your winnings there. If your lay bet wins on the exchange, the profit will already be in your betting exchange account online. Either way, you’ve guaranteed yourself a profit by covering all outcomes of the event.

How To Place A Bet In A Bookmaker Shop

If you haven’t done so before, placing a bet in a bookmaker shop can seem a bit intimidating, but it's actually pretty straightforward once you get the hang of it.

Once you've identified a bet you wish to place you can use a plain betting slip which is basically a blank piece of paper which you can write your bet on with the available odds and take to the counter where a member of staff will check for you then take the money for the bet to be placed.

Alternatively, you can use a betting shop coupon which has a list of bets with available odds which you can use to tick your selected bet and write your stake amount before taking to the counter to place your bet.

You’ll be given a receipt for your bet and it’s important to keep this safe as you’ll use this to claim your winnings if your bet wins. A good tip is to take a picture of your slip just in case you lost it.

If your bet wins, you can return to the cashier with your bet receipt. They’ll check this and you’ll be paid your winnings in cash. If you don't win, your betting slip becomes invalid so you can get rid of it.

If you’re ever in doubt then the shop staff can always help guide you as they are used to helping our people who are new to their betting shop.

A Betting Shop Bet Example:

Let’s say you want to bet on Manchester United to beat Liverpool in an upcoming match:

You find the match on a football betting coupon (Manchester United at 2/1 (3.0) to win) and want to place a £5 bet on this match.

You fill out a betting slip by writing: "Manchester United to win vs Liverpool - 2/1” and then write £5.

You hand the slip and £5 to the cashier, who’ll then give you a receipt.

If Manchester United win, you’ll return to the shop, hand in your receipt, and collect your returns of £15 (your £5 bet × 2/1 odds = £10 in profit, plus you get your original £5 stake back).

Why Does Sharbing Appeal To Bettors?

Sharbing appeals to people mainly due to the anonymity that comes with it which you don’t get with online betting.

Online betting involves sharing your personal details and can include KYC checks. This means when bookies detect you as a profitable bettor your account can easily be flagged or restricted, which means you won’t be able to continue taking profitable opportunities.

Betting shops, on the other hand, don’t store your betting history. This makes it easier to keep under the radar​ for longer.

You’ll also typically be able to use bigger betting stakes as, in general, betting shops are more willing to accept larger stakes compared to online accounts, especially if you blend in as a regular recreational punter that typically places bets in store. This means you can potentially make more money per bet than you could online​ when it comes to arbitrage betting.

The Risks And Challenges Of Sharbing

While sharbing can be profitable, it’s not without its risks and does take practice to master. Here are some of the key challenges you’ll need to be aware of:

1. Odds Changing

One of the most frustrating parts of sharbing is when you’ve taken time to identify a good arbitrage opportunity, but by the time you get to the shop counter, you're told the odds have been cut meaning the arbitrage opportunity no longer exists. If this happens, you’ll need to refuse the bet and walk away until you find another suitable bet.

2. Travel Costs and Time

Sharbing is admittedly a lot more inconvenient than online arbing or betting. It requires much more effort to physically go to betting stores and visit multiple shops. This can be time-consuming and eats into your profits if you’re spending money on travel or spending too much time commuting between shops​. You’ll need to factor in these costs when calculating your profits. Individual circumstances will vary too - if you live in the centre of a city with lots of different bookies, then sharbing will be much more valuable to you compared to someone who lives in a more rural area and miles away from a betting shop.

3. Getting Banned

Although it’s less common than with online betting, betting shops can still ban you if they suspect you of sharbing. If you're banned from one shop, they may communicate this with other nearby shops which can limit your options​.

4. Staff Awareness

Some betting shop staff may become suspicious if you consistently place large bets on obscure markets so it’s important to blend in with other punters and avoid drawing attention to your betting habits​. You could try mixing it up with some regular mug bets or accumulator bets.

Sharbing Tips

Despite the challenges, sharbing can be a profitable strategy for you and there are a few key tips you can follow to maximise your profits while minimising the risks explained above:

1. Use Cash And Avoid Loyalty Cards

One of the biggest advantages of sharbing as discussed earlier is the anonymity that betting shops provide. Always place your bets using cash to avoid leaving a paper trail. Also, avoid using loyalty cards unless they’re required for a specific promotion​ as these cards require your personal details to set up, which allows your betting activity to be tracked, making it easier for shops to flag you as a sharber.

2. Start Small And Build Up

Betting large amounts right away is a surefire way to raise suspicion among betting shop staff. Start with small bets of under £100 to begin with and gradually increase your stakes as you become more comfortable with the process. In addition to this, avoid using strange bet amounts like £47.53, as that can make it seem as if you’re dutching and will make you stand out. Stick to rounded stake amounts like £25, £50, £75 etc.

3. Vary Your Betting Shops

Try to avoid visiting the same shop day after day. If possible, rotate between multiple shops to avoid raising suspicion to the staff​. It's also a good idea to vary the time of day you visit, as this can help make your betting patterns less predictable.

4. Check Odds Beforehand

To avoid wasting time travelling between shops, use an odds comparison tool to check odds before you head to the next bookie. This ensures that the arbitrage opportunity exists before you invest the time and effort to get to the shop. Some bookies might have different shop prices to their online price so you'll need to check that too.

5. Don’t Lay Until You’ve Placed Your Bet

Always make sure that your back bet has been successfully placed at the bookmaker before laying it off on the exchange. This ensures that the odds haven’t changed at the shop which can help you avoid a potential loss. When at the counter you may also find out you’re only allowed a limited stake on the bet so laying beforehand can lead to unnecessary losses if you need to trade out.

6. Be Friendly

Be as friendly, polite, and confident as possible. Sometimes bookmaker staff are required to get authorisation from a manager for certain bets; if it’s at their discretion and they know you as a friendly and polite customer, they’re more likely to help you get your bets on faster, meaning much less inconvenience.

How Much Can You Make From Sharbing?

The profitability of sharbing depends hugely on how many shops you can visit, your bankroll, how quickly you can spot arbitrage opportunities and how much you’re willing to stake.

Estimating an exact figure is difficult but experienced sharbers report making hundreds of pounds per month, especially when they’re able to use larger stakes when betting on high-profile events like horse races or major football matches.

With that said, sharbing requires patience and attention to detail. You won’t be locking in big profits every time, but the small, consistent profits will add up over time.

Summary

Sharbing remains a profitable betting strategy in 2024, especially if you’re willing to put in the time, effort and patience to visit multiple betting shops when you spot arbitrage opportunities.

While it’s more labour intensive than online arbing, the anonymity and reduced risk of account restrictions make it an attractive option for many punters who live near multiple betting shops.

By following the tips and strategies we’ve discussed in this article, you can increase your chances of success and keep sharbing for the long term.