The Best Betting Exchange Sites in the UK in September 2025

As such, it is an important factor to consider when choosing a betting exchange. Overall, the liquidity on betting exchanges can be a great way to maximize your winnings and manage your risk. By taking advantage of the liquidity available, you can find bets that offer good value and spread your bets across multiple events. This can help you maximize your winnings and manage your bankroll more effectively.

As stated previously, betting exchanges always take a cut of the winning bet. This can vary from 0%-5% or higher, depending on the betting exchange you choose. Of course, the lower the commission rates, the more of your winnings you will actually keep. Despite all the positive noises we’re making about the Ladbrokes exchange, there are a couple of reasons it ranks fifth compared to its partner, Betdaq, who we rank second. Firstly, although the two platforms are very similar, Betdaq provides a better all-round experience with a major difference the fact plug-in tools can be linked to improve market insight.

It’s like having a winning streak on every bet, no matter what happens. To achieve this, you need to play both sides of the field, backing and laying the same outcome at different odds. Instead of betting against the house, you’re betting against other punters. It’s like a marketplace where you can back an outcome (bet on it to happen) or lay it (bet against it). Matchbook sometimes runs 0% commission promotions on select markets, allowing you to bet without paying any commission fees. These promotions are usually offered on popular events like major football matches or horse races.

However, BETDAQ still features engaging game props like correct scores. They also provide a suite of API trading tools, including Bet Angel, Geeks Toy, Gruss Software, and BetBot Pro, which streamline the trading process and boost efficiency. Smarkets use their vast knowledge to great effect, offering customers unique wagering opportunities alongside tactical advantages. Another highlight is the great number of statistical details available across their betting markets. This doesn’t just apply to sports, but extends to the political sphere as well, with an exceptional coverage of political betting markets on elections around the world.

As a result, players can secure incredible odds compared to what traditional bookmakers offer. Betting exchanges are not a revolutionary idea, but they are different. For years, sports betting exchanges in the UK have been sidelined by the massive popularity of traditional online bookies.

In exchange betting terms, one person is backing the Chiefs (to win), and someone else is laying the Chiefs (not to win). Betting exchanges are platforms that offer peer-to-peer wagering where customers bet against one another and set their own odds. It was the first exchange to solve the problem of limited availability by leveraging US sweepstakes laws to offer its markets (nearly) nationwide.

The liquidity on betting exchanges can also help you maximize your winnings. When there is a lot of liquidity, it is easier to find bets that offer good value. This means that you can often find bets that have higher odds than those offered by traditional sportsbooks. This can lead to higher winnings, as you are more likely to win when the odds are in your favor.

To mention yet another operator, BetConnect are a rather new exchange platform, having been launched in 2018. They are accepting commission-free lay bets, making their platform a rather intriguing prospect. The risk element is always a factor when gambling, so you should weigh up all your options before finally placing your wager. Some bets on the exchange may require a minimum stake, which might sway your opinion about lodging your bet.

• This offer sits above Exchange competitors as a welcome offer, giving users more when they join Matchbook.
• This is a popular feature on betting exchanges, as the odds can change quickly depending on what is happening in the event.
• The site also comes with low trading fees, especially in comparison to rival exchanges such as Betfair, which can charge up to 5% for a winning trade.
• If you go and lay a long-odds bet in the exchange and the back bet comes in – you can lose some serious money as you will be paying out your stake times the odds of the market you lay against.
• Betting exchanges are online platforms where punters can bet against each other rather than against a bookmaker.

This means that for the same stake, you could win or lose more at Spreadex than at Betfair, where payouts are predetermined. For those who don’t mind a bit of extra risk for a shot at higher rewards, Spreadex is a better option. It rewards sharp predictions, making it an attractive choice for risk-takers.

Take nothing away from the high-tech platform offered by Smarkets, however. It operates just like the NASDAQ, but for trading outcomes of sporting events. While BETDAQ boasts an impressive suite of tools, Matchbook doesn’t lag behind with features. Their set of extras includes a dynamic tool for live betting, engaging betting podcasts, and the 0% commission betting exchange product, Matchbook Zero.

It’s a small detail but shows how much they think about their end-user, which is a rarity in this niche. Finally, you’ve got a slick engine behind the scenes that provides useful graphics and manages price fluctuations for you when placing bets in extremely fluid markets such as in-play events. The difference in the setup here is that a betting exchange then takes a very small percentage of each winning bet. Of course, the lower the commission, the more appealing a betting exchange actually is.

Place Your Bet

Most apps are designed to be user-friendly, with intuitive navigation and quick access to popular markets. Some even offer exclusive mobile promotions or features, so you might find even better value betting on your phone. BETDAQ’s commitment to horse racing also shows in how its commissions work, with discounted rates on racing bets. They also offer a “Best Odds Guaranteed” promotion on UK and Irish horse racing, making sure that you always get the best possible price. The best betting exchange sites are Smarkets, SpreadEx, and Sporting Index. Trustly is originally a Nordic service that has gained an increasingly strong position in the UK gambling market and on betting sites year after year.

These commission rates are high, especially compared to the competition who mainly charges a commission rate of 2%. As experienced traders who deal with trading every day, we will introduce you to the best exchanges sites like Betfair in the following article. Debit and Credit Cards are the most popular payment options, and are accepted by all the exchanges we have listed on this page. Like any online transactions, you just need to enter your card number and CVV. BETDAQ offers exclusive tools and features, such as Trading Tools and free betting tips and guides for beginners. As the odds price data is being updated by the second, these can fluctuate wildly with no notice.

The mechanics of placing a bet are no different than using a traditional online bookmaker. When there is not substantial number of players to match the number of bets offered, there is not enough pool of money to sustain the market. Then the market is less liquid and it becomes not popular, because finding matches for bets becomes more difficult for bettors. Therefore, the volume of a market is analogous to the amount of bettors, bets and money placed. Instead of betting against a bookmaker, users may wager against one another on a betting exchange, which offers higher odds and more customizable betting choices. An overview of the most often used exchanges has already been provided by us.

Liquidity is both the price available to ‘back’ or the amount of ‘back stakes’ available to 1xbet login lay at. For more information on how betting exchanges work, check out this betting exchange guide. Smarkets has always been rated highly by OLBG members, consistently matching the previously available Matchbook and BetDaq exchanges in our users’ eyes. In addition, the liquidity on betting exchanges can help you manage your risk. When there is a lot of liquidity, it is easier to spread your bets across multiple events. This means that you can reduce your risk by diversifying your bets, as you are less likely to lose all of your money on one event.

Is Smarkets Better than Betfair?

Make no mistake, in terms of both experience and generosity, Matchbook have few peers to contend with. The available liquidity on the lay odds (£304) comes from a group of back bettors, who want to place an opposite back bet at odds of 1.42 at the betting exchange. Betting exchanges are a special kind of betting website that enables random people to bet with each other – either back or lay bets. If you’ve placed your bookmaker back bet and find that the current lay odds have low liquidity you can check the market depth to see if there’s more money available at slightly higher odds.

In any case, SBK has roots in spread and exchange betting, and you can still place back and lay bets in one of the UK’s most user-friendly betting apps. One exciting way to bet is, for example, that you can directly see what other people have bet on and tipped, after which you can either bet for or against it. Like pretty much all online bookmakers, whether they’re traditional bookies or exchanges, Matchbook offer a sign up bonus and will allow you to deposit or withdraw through a plethora of methods. It’s worth noting their direct to bank withdrawals have a pretty hefty minimum at £500 but it doesn’t seem to bother their customers too much with a strong rating on trust pilot. At OLBG, our sports betting section is powered by a team of dedicated experts who bring years of industry experience and specialized knowledge. Their collective efforts ensure we provide you with top-notch, informative, and user-friendly content.

Smarkets

At Matchbook the back odds (in blue) of 1.41 have £3,857 of liquidity available, and the lay odds (in pink) of 1.42 have £304 of liquidity available. We have tools you can use to fix most bets and you can always ask if you’re unsure about anything using our support team. Exchange betting is legal nationwide, but the types of exchanges that are available in any given state vary based on local laws.

At any point, another back bettor might join the group and also say they want to bet at odds of 1.42, and that they want to bet £100. If this happened the liquidity available (or total staked by the entire back bettor group) would increase to £404. The entire group’s bet stakes combined add up to £304 – the total available liquidity of the lay odds.

Nowadays, SBK also has traditional fixed-odds betting-focused websites, and you can place bets traditionally through the app. Ideally, you want to sign up with a betting exchange that has a decent sign-up offer in store. As you can see from our recommended sites, many of them provide free bets as a welcome deal. The higher these bets are, or the higher the monetary incentive, the better.