Sports trading is a relatively new phenomenon that has increased
in popularity in recent years thanks to the growth in the number of
people using betting exchanges instead of traditional
bookmakers.
Prior to the launch of the exchanges all sports betting was
transacted with on course and off course bookmakers which afforded
bookmakers with complete transparency about who their clients were
and how successful their clients were with their betting.
Since the launch of betting exchanges, Betfair and Betdaq, this
landscape has changed dramatically with many people who previously
would have considered sports betting to be a recreational interest,
becoming more aware of the possibilities of actually trading the
sports markets using a blend of bookmaker and betting exchange
accounts.
With the increase in interest in sports trading, a few
educational courses have appeared, as well as a number of books
written to assist new traders. Much of this teaching concentrates
on the arbitrage possibilities between fixed odds, binary and
spread betting providers and how best to trade to ensure a
guaranteed return. There are also books and courses for those who
wish to understand how odds are made on different events to help
develop a better understanding of what bets represent the best
value for the trader and how to spot pricing errors by the
bookmakers and betting exchanges.
The addition of 'in running' or 'in play' betting has further
added to the interest in sports trading with many traders now
identifying these relatively new markets as areas where a higher
level of returns can be achieved.
Whilst there are fewer educational providers in the sports
market than are available in the financial world, Trading.co.uk
remains committed to providing an educational service for this
growing area and so will be shortly announcing a new partner
who will provide insight into these very different, but potentially
profitable markets.