Ben Adams

Being gubbed will prevent you from profiting from a bookmaker’s offers and promotions and is unfortunately part and parcel of your&nbsp;<a href="https://outplayed.com/what-is-matched-betting">Matched Betting journey</a>.

The longer you can stay off the bookmaker’s gubbed list will help you prolong the amount of profit you'll&nbsp;<a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/how-much-can-you-make-from-matched-betting">make from Matched Betting</a>.

Whilst you can’t 100% prevent a gubbing, there are steps you can take to help you preserve your bookmaker account health.

In this article, you’ll find out the different reasons bookmakers might gub your account and how you can avoid being gubbed for as long as possible by following our top tips.

You’ll also learn how you can continue profiting from your gubbed accounts using a few different strategies.

In a nutshell, being gubbed, or a gubbing means that your account has been limited by a bookmaker and you will no longer be able to take advantage of the special offers or promotions available at that specific bookmaker.

You'll typically be notified by email from the bookmaker stating that you have been gubbed. Their email won't mention this term, but in amongst all of their jargon, the same message will be passed across.

Some bookmakers will go a step further and implement a stake restriction on your bets. This means they’ll limit your maximum bet size, sometimes this can be as small as a few pence per bet!

Bookmakers gub or restrict accounts for various reasons, this is mainly down to their need to manage risk and ensure they make a profit.

While we have no sympathy for them, being aware and understanding why bookmakers act as they do can help you take action to reduce the likelihood of being gubbed.

Let’s take a look at some common reasons why bookmakers might choose to gub your accounts:

Bookmakers will restrict or close your account if you place arbitrage (arb) bets. <a href="https://outplayed.com/what-is-arbing-or-arbitrage" title="">Arbitrage betting</a> involves taking advantage of price differences between the bookmaker and a betting exchange to guarantee a profit.

This means you should avoid placing any bets where the bookmaker's back odds are higher than the exchange lay odds. The exception to this rule is when the bookmaker's back odds are boosted as part of a&nbsp;<a href="https://outplayed.com/news/matched-betting/price-boosts-enhanced-odds-offers-what-they-are-and-why-you-should-be-doing-them">price boost</a>&nbsp;promotion.

You would only normally spot these arb bets if you are using Oddsmatching software and it’s safe to assume bookmakers will have their own software to detect customers who can spot these good value arb bets consistently.

Ultimately a bookmaker's aim is to make a profit, and if you consistently win over a long period of time due to placing good value bets, the bookmaker might limit your stake size as well as restrict you from access to promotions.

Bookmakers offer incentives in an attempt to entice you to place more bets with them. If you only focus on exploiting these bonuses and promotions when Matched Betting you may be at risk of the bookmaker restricting their account.

Bookmakers will claim they want their promotions to be used by genuine customers for recreational purposes, in other words; they want you to bet like a normal punter and lose money!

Unusual or irregular betting patterns may flag your account up for review. An example of this could be if you choose to bet on obscure football teams you’ve not heard of before in smaller foreign leagues just because they are a good odds match.

If bookmakers suspect you are using any sort of automated betting software or bots to place bets of value for you they’ll quickly restrict or even close your account.

If you try to log into your account from outside the UK bookmakers may restrict or close your account especially if the country you are in has different online gambling laws.

This would often be more of a security issue and you would likely be able to regain access to your account by contacting them but can be a lot of unnecessary hassle.

There have been reports that if you're making frequent and/or substantial withdrawals without any regular deposits you may be flagged for a potential gubbing.

This one is a bit of a strange one, but there may be times you are gubbed for no clear reason. This is very rare but there are a handful of bookies that on occasion have restricted accounts for no clear reason after just one bet!

Now you understand why a bookmaker might gub you, following these top tips will help you stay under the bookmaker’s gubbed radar as long as possible and keep your accounts healthy:

When you are using the Oddsmatching software, rather than making the smallest qualifying loss every time using, for example, a 98% to 99% rating match, try taking a lower match instead.

Yes, this does mean you’ll make slightly less profit overall from the offer, but this will only be a few pence less and if it means your account will last longer then it will be well worth it.

Always avoid any ratings of 100% or more on healthy accounts as these are the arb bets mentioned above that the bookies don’t like.

If you spot one particular bookie with a much worse price than others, you could do a Mug Bet on it (a pointless Matched Bet that doesn't unlock an offer and incurs a small loss like a Qualifying Bet does).

This will hopefully mark you down as both a loyal and also a mug punter to that bookie.

Punters are always taking prices that you wouldn’t as a Matched Bettor, for example, Liverpool at 1.90 with a certain bookmaker when you can get 2.0 elsewhere. You can use a site such as&nbsp;<a href="https://www.oddschecker.com/">Oddschecker</a>&nbsp;to compare different bookmaker odds.

It’s probably not worth spending too much time and effort on mug bets as they’ll ultimately lose you a small amount of money and take up time that would be better spent completing profitable offers. Maybe consider placing the occasional one if you’re hitting a lot of offers at a particular bookie.

Bookies are increasingly offering in-play reload promotions. This is because they are often such poor value bets.

As a result of this, it might be a good idea to do not only a few in-play mug bets every now and again but also regular Matched Betting offers using in-play bets.

A good tip when placing in-play bets is to use half time in football where you’ll have 15 minutes to place your bets without the risk of the odds suddenly changing if a goal is scored.

An accumulator bet, or "acca", involves betting on multiple selections, 2 or more, at once in a single bet.

Similar to in-play bets, accumulators are very poor value bets that the bookies love to push. You can use acca bets to place some qualifying or free bets to help look more like a regular punter.

You can also use accumulator offers to lock in profits making them a great offer to use to take value and increase the amount of acca bets you place to keep the bookies happy.

When you place your bets try and avoid betting on the obscure events, aim for popular events like the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.premierleague.com/" target="_blank">Premier League</a>.

Normal punters are unlikely to be placing bets on the Peruvian u19 League so you should not bet on this either, even if there is a great odds match!

If you were to instead choose to bet on a popular football match such as Man United vs Liverpool, your betting activity would blend in with the thousands of other regular punters betting on the same game.

Don’t do every £25 promotion with a £25 bet or you’ll look like you are just hitting it for the bonus. If the offer is “up to £25” then you can do less. Even doing £20 with Matched Betting will leave you with a healthy profit and not look like you're just there for the bonus.

Similarly, you can consider placing a larger bet than required. So, for offers such as “bet £5 get a £5 free bet”, you could place a £10 or £20 qualifying bet instead.

This does mean you’ll not maximise your profit from the offer but by occasionally doing this you’ll help your account stay off the “bonus abuser” list for longer.

Whether you’re Matched Betting or mug betting try to keep your stakes a similar size. If you usually place bets around £10 - £30 and then suddenly start placing £100+ bets this could flag your account as unusual activity.

You can gradually increase your stakes over time if you want to place larger bets.

Try not to jump on every offer regardless of the sport. Build up a profile of betting on certain sports and do the offers on those. There are tons of football and horse racing offers so they are usually the best sports to bet on.

But if you see a great offer on say Basketball, then, by all means, do the offer but make sure you place some Basketball mug bets too around that time too.

Mug punters rarely just log in, place their bets and leave as is sometimes the case with us as Matched Bettors. Typical gamblers will peruse the site for a while and check different bets, other events and sections of the site such as the casino section.

Don't spend too much time navigating around but even clicking around on a few different sections may help your activity look more like that of a mug bettor.

More bets are placed by mug punters on their phones these days, than on any other device. Try to do this too if you can.

Bookies try to get you to download their apps so you are more likely to gamble more having your phone accessible at all times. You can either use their apps or log in on your phone's mobile browser.

Your account may be scrutinised if you are making regular withdrawals from the profits you’re accumulating from Matched Betting. So, if your bankroll allows, try to only withdraw when you need to.

Don't let this limit you too much though, if you need the money from one particular bookmaker to help complete other bookie offers then it will be put to much better use by continuing your Matched Betting progress.

Well, in all honesty, nothing really! This may sound like tough love but you do just need to take it on the chin and move on to the next opportunity at the next bookie.

The important thing is to not take it personally and not let it stop you from progressing on your Matched Betting journey. The good news is that there are so many bookmakers out there that it will not slow you down if you lose a few accounts.

You can also continue to profit from your accounts even after you’ve been gubbed!

There are several ways you can make money (and good money too!) from your gubbed.

Extra Place offers are a horse racing promotion on offer at most bookmakers. Most bookmakers will pay out on this promotion even if you’ve previously been gubbed.

Boylesports and Bet Victor are the only two sites that do not typically pay out extra places on gubbed accounts but some members have reported they are fine to use so is a case of placing a few small qualifying bets to test those two bookies.

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 a profit.

Experienced Matched Bettors are using the powerful Extra Place Master tool available with our&nbsp;<a href="https://outplayed.com/pro-upgrade">Outplayed Pro</a>&nbsp;membership to make an easy £500+ a month from these&nbsp;<a href="https://outplayed.com/news/horse-racing/matched-betting-extra-places-part-1-the-basics">Extra Place offers</a>.

You may have noticed that most bookmakers have a casino section on their website. In most cases, you’ll find you can still do casino promotions listed there even if you’ve been gubbed for sports offers.

You’ll also find that your casino accounts will last much longer than sports offers so are a great type of offer to learn to add another income stream to your Matched Betting profits.

All worthwhile casino offers are available with our Diamond membership, when you’re ready to move to these types of promotions be sure to take time to learn&nbsp;<a href="https://outplayed.com/news/matched-betting/matched-betting-casino-offers-explained-in-a-nutshell">how casino offers work</a>&nbsp;first.

Unfortunately being gubbed is part and parcel of the matched betting journey at some point along the way you will receive the dreaded gubbing email.

11 Top Tips To Avoid Being Gubbed

Paul Trevor

The Oscar Grind betting system is quite well-known in casino betting.&nbsp; Its design is aimed at even money bets such as <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/how-to-play-blackjack">blackjack</a> and <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/how-to-play-roulette">roulette</a>.&nbsp; That said, it’s also been known to be put into practice with <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/sports-betting-guide">sports betting</a>.

Known as a progressive betting system, the logic is to take advantage of winning streaks whilst keeping losses to a minimum when hitting a bad run.

So, which cunning gambler came up with the Oscar’s Grind system?

This isn’t entirely clear from the archives.&nbsp; The first person to publish the betting system was a gentleman by the name of Allan Wilson in 1965.

Wilson reported that the system was shown to him by a dice player in Las Vegas.&nbsp; He said the player had made profits from playing the system over several years.

We can only summarise that this dice player was somebody by the name of Oscar.&nbsp;

As we continue, we’ll explain how the Oscar’s Grind system works, the sequence involved and what to consider when using the betting system.

As mentioned, this is a progression betting system with similarities to other betting systems such as the <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/labouchere-betting-system">Labouchere</a>, <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/fibonacci-betting-system">Fibonacci</a> and <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/does-martingale-strategy-work">Martingale</a> betting strategies.

All of these betting systems follow some sort of betting sequence based on <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/unit-betting-system">unit betting</a> stakes.&nbsp;&nbsp;

There’s three important principles that govern the Oscar’s Grind betting system:

We know the algorithm can seem a little daunting but here it is anyway.&nbsp; Don’t panic, we’ll walk through how it works to clear the murky waters.

Before we go through some examples of the the Oscar’s Grind betting system, let’s just do a quick recap on the parameters of the system:

The Oscar’s Grind Betting System In Action

Okay, is that now clear as mud?&nbsp; Maybe it’s time to run through an example to see it in action.

Just to keep things as simple as possible, we’ll stick to a unit stake of £10 and the <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/how-to-read-betting-odds">odds of your bets</a> are evens:

So, from the above example, the sequence was adjusted on the last bet.&nbsp; The normal sequence would suggest we increase the unit stake by 1 unit to 4 units (£40).&nbsp; However, after the 9th bet, we were only £10 down.&nbsp; As our target profit is 1 unit, we reduced the stake to 2 units in order to hit our target if the bet wins.

At bet 10, the sequence stops and you start again.

Of course, this is just a middle of the road example and there will be occasions when you go on a lucky streak or a bad run.

Here’s an example of when things are going well and the sequence is much shorter:

You may have noticed that we didn’t increase our stake when we had a win.&nbsp; This is because an increase in the unit bet size could have resulted in having a balance over our target of one unit.

What Is The Oscar’s Grind Betting System Suited To?

The Oscar’s Grind betting system was most definitely created to be used in <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/ultimate-guide-to-casinos">casino games</a>. Over recent years, the <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/types-of-bets">types of bets</a> that can be placed now has meant that this betting system can also be used in <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/sports-betting-guide">sports betting</a>.

<a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/how-to-play-blackjack">Backjack</a> is very popular amongst gamblers and is an easy game to play.&nbsp; It’s also appealing because the casino <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/what-is-house-edge">house edge</a> is low and the <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/what-does-rtp-mean-in-gambling">Return to Player</a> (RTP) is very high.

Blackjack is suited to the Oscar’s Grind method because the odds are almost evens (50/50).

It doesn’t matter whether you’re victorious with a double down or a split hand, it counts as a winning bet and you carry on with the Oscar’s Grind betting sequence.

A little like Blackjack, <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/how-to-play-roulette">Roulette</a> is very much suited to even money bets and Roulette provides an almost perfect split of 50/50.&nbsp; We say almost because there is a zero on the wheel.&nbsp; Other than that, the wheel is split into 18 black numbers and 18 red numbers.

This means you can place bets such as red / black, 1-18 / 19/36 or odd / even.&nbsp; Please note, the Oscar’s Grind system is not suitable for placing bets on specific columns or numbers.

For example, place a 1 unit bet on Red and if it wins, you place a 2 unit bet on your next choice (unless you have already achieved your goal of 1 unit).

Alternatively, if your bet loses and the ball lands on Black or Green, you place another 1 unit bet on your next selection.&nbsp; This continues until you win a bet.

We did mention that the Oscar’s Grind betting system could be used in <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/sports-betting-guide">sports betting</a> and it can.&nbsp; However, to apply the principles of this betting system takes a lot more effort than casino games.

That’s because even odds on a team winning a football match don’t happen that often which can result in you struggling to get into an uninterrupted betting rhythm.&nbsp;&nbsp;

If you’re adamant you want to apply the Oscar’s Grind strategy to football, you might need to move from win only bets and consider other football betting markets.&nbsp; Thai can include <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/first-goalscorer-bets">first goal scorer</a>, <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/what-is-goal-line-betting">goal line betting</a> and <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/what-is-scorecast-betting">scorecast bets</a> amongst others.

Basically, scour through all of the football betting markets to try and find any betting markets that have even odds.&nbsp; It doesn’t matter if each bet is on different betting markets as long as it works in the Oscar’s Grind betting system.

It’s a similar story to football when it comes to applying the Oscar’s Grind system to horse racing.&nbsp; In fact, it’s probably a bit harder to find regular even money bets.&nbsp;

Whilst there are plenty of <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/types-of-horse-bets">types of horse racing bets</a> you can use, most of them are not suited to the Oscar’s Grind strategy.&nbsp; In reality, you’re only likely to find the odds you need on <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/what-is-a-single-bet">win only</a> bets and sometimes, <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/how-does-an-each-way-bet-work">each way</a> bets.

Advantages And Disadvantages Of The Oscar’s Grind Betting System

There’s no such thing as a guaranteed system when it comes to betting.&nbsp; Every type of bet and betting system has its merits and flaws.

Shall we look at what’s good and not so good when it comes to the Oscar’s Grind betting system:

Relatively Low Risk - As the unit stake stays the same when you lose, your bankroll shouldn’t deplete too quickly.&nbsp; It’s lower risk than the <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/does-martingale-strategy-work">Martingale</a> system where the bets double after a loss.

Disciplined Betting - Stops bettors from placing impulsive bets and encourages systematic betting that is structured.&nbsp; This should help with managing your bankroll.

Simplicity - Thankfully, the Oscar’s Grind system is quite a simple betting sequence so it’s not difficult to get the hang of.

Longer Betting Sessions - Because you only increase the stakes when you win, you can have more sustained sessions of betting than if you were using more aggressive betting systems.

Lower Variance - As the Oscar’s Grind betting system uses a moderate progression method, your bankroll fluctuations shouldn’t be too drastic.

Slow Profits - Because you’re only aiming for one unit of profit each cycle, it can be extremely slow to show any substantial gains.

Bookie House Edge - Whilst the system is designed for even money bets, the bookies still have a slight edge in most games.&nbsp; This means that over the longer term, losses are possible and in fact, inevitable.

Recovering Losses Can Take Time - If you suffer long losing streaks, your bankroll can take a hit and take quite some time to recover.

Bankroll Risk - As with any betting system, the Oscar’s Grind betting system isn’t infallible.&nbsp; This means a long bad streak could potentially wipe out your entire bankroll.

Oscar’s Grind Betting v Other Progression Betting Systems

There are other types of progression betting systems similar to the Oscar’s Grind betting system. They are usually one of two types of system:

Positive Progression System - Increase unit stakes when you win and reduce unit stakes when you lose.

Negative Progression System - Increase unit stakes when you lose and reduce unit stakes when you win.

Tips And Considerations Of Using The Oscar’s Grind Betting System

Use on bets with even odds: Oscar’s Grind is designed to be used on bets with a 50 / 50 probability such as black or red in a game of roulette.

Establish a Budget: Set a unit stake that’s affordable to your bankroll.&nbsp; It’s recommended that you use stakes of 1 to 2% of your bankroll.

Don’t Chase Losses: Once you’ve established your budget, make sure you stick to it.&nbsp; Never increase stakes to try and recover any losses.

Track Your Bets: Keep records of the bets you make and the outcomes.&nbsp; Thai will help you know your current bankroll and ensure you’re following the strategy correctly.&nbsp;

Utilise Free Simulators: Practice implementing the Oscar’s Grind betting system on free online games.&nbsp; This will allow you to learn how the system works before risking your own money.

Set Limits: Have a predetermined plan of how much you’re prepared to lose in one betting session.

Expect Losses: There can be times when losing streaks happen.&nbsp; It’s important that you understand the exposure you might face.

Patience Is Important: The Oscar’s Grind system is not designed for get rich quick punters. It’s intended for small wins and slow loss recovery.

Is the Oscar’s Grind Betting System legal?

Yes, it’s totally legal. The system doesn’t involve any underhand tactics such as card-counting that can impact the outcome.

Can I use the Oscar’s Grind Betting System on football?

The system can be used on football, yes.&nbsp; However, as we mentioned earlier, finding the right bets to use it on is harder with sports than it is casino. This is due to the requirement to find even money bets.

Does the Oscar’s Grind System Work?

Hmmmm, good question and the answer depends on who you ask. In theory it does work but we don’t consider it to be a particularly good strategy.

If you have a bad run, you can accumulate losses easily and struggle to win them back.

Oscar Grind Betting System: How Does It Work?

Stephanie Sorrell

It may come as a surprise to some Brits, but basketball is one of the biggest sports in the world.

While it can’t come close to football, which dominates globally, in 2023 a study found that 3 out of 4 people in the 18 countries studied professed an interest in basketball, with a projected 3.3 billion fans worldwide.

Furthermore, worldwide interest in basketball had increased by an incredible 33% in the four years from 2019 to 2023, which is a pretty strong indication that global basketball’s popularity is on the rise.

Source: <a href="https://about.fiba.basketball/en/news/popularity-of-basketball-soaring-globally-highlighted-by-increased-interest-in-the-fiba-world-cup">FIBA basketball consumer research study 2023</a>

Of course, as this study was commissioned by the International Basketball Federation, you could reasonably assume that the data might have been interpreted with a degree of optimism.

Even so, it seems clear that basketball isn’t a solely American preoccupation by any means, and the presence of basketball markets on British bookie websites reflects that.

If you’re a <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/sports-betting-guide">sports bettor</a>, or a matched bettor, you might well have thought about placing bets on basketball but refrained, perhaps feeling a little under informed about the sport.

If so, we’re here to help! We’ll take you through everything you need to know about the sport to place bets with confidence, whether you’re sports betting recreationally or making <a href="https://outplayed.com/what-is-matched-betting">profit through Matched Betting</a>. So let’s get started!

Basketball is a comparatively recent game when set aside sports like <a href="https://outplayed.com/football-betting-guide">football</a> or <a href="https://outplayed.com/tennis-betting-guide">tennis</a>, which have existed in some form for centuries.

Unlike many other sports, basketball’s invention can be traced to a specific person, place and time. In 1891, a Canadian physical education instructor by the name of James Naismith invented basketball in Springfield, Massachusetts.

He had been tasked with inventing a brand new game by his boss at the YMCA International Training School, with the following parameters: it should be an indoor game, to allow athletes to stay in shape over the frigid New England winters, and ‘fair for all players and not too rough’.

Basketball was the result, and its popularity was instant. Just two years later, the game had become so popular that the YMCA started promoting it internationally, and in 1904, only 13 years after its invention, it was a demonstration sport at the Olympics in Missouri.

There were, however, some fairly significant differences between the game when it was first conceived and the sport we know today.

Originally, peach baskets were used, which had a closed bottom - meaning the ball had to be manually retrieved each time a goal was scored. It wasn’t until 1906 that modern baskets, with open nets and a backboard, were introduced.

Basketball spread internationally quite organically, helped along by the US army during WWI, but its progress was considerably assisted by the formation of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA, which stands for Fédération Internationale de Basketball Amateur) in 1932, which helped to ensure the sport’s inclusion in the Olympic games of 1936 in Berlin.

In America, the NBA (National Basketball Association) was formed in 1949, and is now firmly established as the most significant professional basketball league in the world.

Although we think of basketball as an American sport, in truth it has been an international sport for the vast majority of its history.

However, the NBA is still the biggest and most profitable basketball league in the world, and consequently most bookies will focus almost exclusively on American basketball in the markets they offer.

The National Basketball Association is made up of 30 teams - 29 of them American and one Canadian, meaning that it is technically ‘international’, despite its name.

The league is divided into eastern and western ‘conferences’ made up of fifteen teams each, and each conference consists of three regional divisions made up of five teams apiece.

During the season, which begins in October, each team will play a total of 82 games (41 home, 41 away). A team will play the other members of its division four times, other teams from its conference three or four times, and all the teams in the other conference twice each.

In April, the NBA playoffs begin, with the top eight teams in each conference competing for the league championship title - the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy. Each team plays an opponent in a best of seven series, with the first team to win four games advancing to the next round.

The final playoff is known as the NBA Finals, and is held in June (occasionally beginning in late May). The winner receives the trophy, and the league also awards the Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award to the best player of the series.

Another major event on the basketball calendar is the All-Stars Game. This takes place in February (during a pause in the regular season), and fans vote for the best players in the league.

The one-off game showcases 24 of the league’s star players, captained by the players who achieved the highest number of votes from each conference.

To keep the game competitive, teams play for a charity of their choice, and there are also a number of other novelty contests (e.g. the Slam Dunk contest, which calls for players to dunk the ball in the most entertaining way).

Most of us understand the absolute basics of basketball well enough - players compete to score by throwing the ball through the baskets at each end of the court, and aren’t allowed to run with the ball - but if you’re not a basketball fan, the complexities of the rules may be a bit baffling.

We won’t go into the finer points of the game, but we’ll do a quick summary of the most significant rules so that you never feel completely at sea when talking about basketball.

There are three ways to score points in basketball:

Basketball is considered something of a niche market for sports betting in the UK, despite its popularity worldwide.

The majority of bookies will offer it, and most will have a reasonable range of markets available, but it’s certainly not going to be their main focus.

You will see basketball promotions fairly frequently, as bookies are often quite keen to encourage their customers to expand their betting activity to less popular sports.

It can therefore be useful for matched bettors to be comfortable betting on basketball if they want to be able to take full advantage of the offers available to them.

We’ll take a look at some of the most common markets available for an upcoming game between the Toronto Raptors and the Boston Celtics.

It’s worth touching on the concept of ‘spreads’ in basketball, because it’s something that confuses a lot of British bettors.

In American sports, betting on ‘the spread’ means making a handicap bet - they’re exactly the same thing.

Some British bookies list spread markets for basketball (and other American sports), as we can see with William Hill below:

But many choose to refer to them as handicap markets, as we’ve seen earlier in this article, to remain consistent with other sports. This also avoids anyone mixing basketball spread markets up with the <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/what-is-spread-betting">British concept of spread betting</a>, which is something else entirely.

So long as you remember that handicap and spread markets are the same thing when it comes to basketball, you won’t go far wrong!

For most people keen to start betting on basketball, their biggest question will be how to stand the best chance of making a profit.

As with any kind of sports betting, there’s always a risk involved, and you should be very wary of diving in without putting proper thought into the matter. Emotional or uninformed betting is an excellent way to lose money rapidly.

Always do your research before you bet on any sport. You can’t rely on bookie odds to tell you how likely an outcome actually is - <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/how-are-betting-odds-determined">their odds are determined by profit</a> almost as much as by a team’s chances.

Performing your own independent research gives you a better chance of identifying a team’s real chances of winning - and also allows you to assess for yourself the value of the odds you’re seeing.

Consider team/player statistics and past performance. If you can identify a clear pattern of a particular player being crucial to a team’s success, it may be profitable to place a bet on that player to score a certain number of points and for their team to win.

This gets you better odds than a simple moneyline bet on the team in question, without much increasing your risk.

Handicap betting is popular with bettors in many sports, and can be useful when betting on a favourite in particular. If you’re confident a team is likely to win by a significant margin, betting on a handicap allows you access to far better odds than a simple moneyline bet.

If you bet outright on a future market - for example, on a particular team to win the NBA Finals - you may also get an opportunity to <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/what-is-hedge-betting">hedge your bet</a>, depending on how the season goes.

If you’ve placed a bet on an underdog early on, and they do unexpectedly well, you could end up in a position to bet on their opponents and guarantee yourself a profit - or at least significantly reduce your potential loss.

<a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/what-is-value-betting">Value betting</a>, meanwhile, can offer you excellent opportunities to make a profit if you’re able to track down high value bets. One way of doing this is through <a href="https://outplayed.com/products/steam-chaser">Outplayed’s Steam Chaser</a> tool, which locates over-valued bets, giving you the opportunity to capitalise on those high odds to make huge profits.

Whatever your strategy, you should always be careful with your betting. Never stake more than you can afford to lose, and if you feel yourself falling prey to unhealthy gambling habits, stop immediately and seek help.

An alternative to traditional sports betting strategies - which are rarely as reliable as you’d like - is <a href="https://outplayed.com/what-is-matched-betting">Matched Betting</a>, which guarantees you a profit so long as you do it right.

Matched Betting is the strategy of betting both for and against the same outcome. So for example, you might bet that the Boston Celtics win their upcoming game, and also that they don’t win.

You make your profit by combining this technique with the many promotions bookies offer to lure new customers. For example, you might see an offer where you have to place a £10 bet (known as a <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/qualifying-bet-guide">qualifying bet</a>) to receive a £10 free bet.

If you match both bets, you can roughly break even on the first bet, and then use your free bet to make a profit. Between sign up offers and reload offers, <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/how-much-can-you-make-from-matched-betting">you can make £300 - £1000+ a month</a>. A few people even make a living this way!

As basketball is a more niche sport in the UK, you don’t tend to see as many promotions as with other sports. However, bookies will also run promotions specifically designed to get punters betting on less popular sports, so if you’re comfortable Matched Betting on basketball, these can be a great way to profit.

As the NBA grows in popularity worldwide, it’s logical to expect that betting on it will do the same, even in the UK, where we’re generally far more interested in football and horse racing.

NBA Betting Guide For 2025

Simon Thatcher

Betting is big business, and bookmakers are keen to keep the money rolling in. To do this, they need to attract customers to their websites and betting shops and keep them coming back for more.&nbsp;

One of the ways to achieve this is to run offers that hand out free bets or other bonuses, usually after placing a <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/qualifying-bet-guide">qualifying bet</a> or completing wagering on casino games.&nbsp;

Some of these offers will be specific to certain events or one-off offers, but plenty of bookmakers run weekly bet clubs.&nbsp;

There’s a great article about how betting sites make money <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/how-betting-sites-make-money">here</a>. To find out all about how bet clubs work and how you can make consistent profits from them through <a href="https://outplayed.com/what-is-matched-betting">Matched Betting</a>, read on.&nbsp;

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