A money savvy saver from Sheffield shares her matched betting secrets with Vogo.co.uk.

Emma says to always be responsible when betting.

During University Emma took up the process of matched betting to build up her savings and managed to earn £400 within 3 months.

“I’ve always been cautious with my money and tried to save and earn more whenever possible.

Growing up I saw my parents barely getting by with their finances, and falling into debt following some bad financial advice from the bank.

Watching my parents trying to provide for me and my brother while living from pay cheque to pay cheque is what made me so money-conscious.”

While Emma was at university, she juggled several jobs, stuck to a strict budgets and looked for extra ways to increase her income in order to ensure that here finances were healthier.

“In my final year of university, I had less time to pick up extra shifts at work and I worried about how I would keep my savings looking healthy.

I looked into various ways to earn some extra money from home and stumbled upon matched betting on a student forum.

• At first, the idea of being able to earn completely tax-free money from the comfort of my own home sounded too good to be true.
• After reading about a fellow student who had used matched betting to raise £800 towards a holiday to Australia, I felt motivated to learn more and give it a go.”

Emma tells us she decided to take the plunge and dip her toes into the world of matched betting.

“I did a lot of research before placing my first bet as I had never visited a bookmaker (or made a bet) before, so it wasn’t something that I was particularly comfortable with initially. But I managed to pick it up quickly and start earning a substantial amount of money almost instantly.“

• Matched betting involves profiting from the free bets and incentives that bookmakers offer to entice you to use their gambling services.
• It’s a completely legal, effective and risk-free way of making money (if done properly).
• The process  involves covering all possible outcomes of the sporting event you’re betting on.
• By doing so the final result becomes irrelevant.

To start your matched betting hustle, you will need to use mathematical equations to match a lay bet with a back bet, cancelling out any risk of losing money and profiting from your free bet (or similar incentive) in the process.

You can do the matched betting maths yourself, but it can get complicated and it would be easy to make mistakes.

Emma tells us:

“When I first started matched betting at university, I used an odds calculator to ensure that I didn’t make any mistakes and to maximise my profits!

I also kept a spreadsheet of exactly all the bets I made with which bookmaker, when they were due to be settled, and how much profit I should make from each bookmaker for my own records.

There are various websites dedicated to talking you through the process and explaining how it all works. If you’re nervous about the maths side of it you should use an odds calculator.

I would recommend keeping a record of all your bookmaker logins and bets as it can be easy to lose track of where you are.

Recording your profit is also a great way to keep motivated and see exactly how much extra income you’ve made from your hustle!

With a few hours of effort a week, I managed to earn £400 within the space of 3 months.”

Finding smart ways to save money and earn a little bit extra on the side with matched betting allowed Emma to keep her student finances in check.

“I'm pretty much debt-free and I’m moving into my own home this month, all thanks to the extra money I’ve been able to earn through being savvy with my finances.”

Thanks for the interview Emma!

Please begambleaware and responsible with matched betting. 18+

What are free bets?

Free bets are used by UK bookmakers to entice potential new customers.

Its the process of the bookmaker giving something back to you to reward you for signing up and depositing with them.

They've been around for years, and they are good for a variety of reasons.

If you like to place a punt every weekend on the football then a free bet can go along way, or even if you prefer to bet once a year on the Grand National, a free bet can be useful as you don't have to dip into your own pocket to pick up some cash.

You can use them to boost your bank balance through matched betting, or simply by picking up a matched deposit and using your qualifying free bets to place a bet.

Of course all this comes with discipline.

You should only bet what you can afford and of course the golden rule of betting is that it it a pastime only – do not bet to make long term profits – and of course do not chase your losses.

Free bets are incentives that bookmakers give to new customers as a reward for signing up to the bookmaker. At the moment Bet365 do not offer free bets but use bet credits instead.

• Bet Credits or free bets are incentives brands use for you to sign up.
• Make sure you read the full terms and conditions for each brand.
• Most are not withdrawable, free bets are not cash.
• You must be 18+ to join any bookmaker. Begambleware.org & always gamble responsibly.