Oddsmaker in sports betting
What It Is and Why It Matters for Winning at Sports Betting
In the world of sports betting, the oddsmaker plays a crucial role in setting the odds for events. However, even the best oddsmakers—no matter how skilled—make mistakes, especially when setting live odds during a match or event. These errors may last just a few milliseconds, but if you know how to take advantage of them, you could significantly boost your profits.
In this article, you’ll learn:
- What an oddsmaker is.
- How oddsmakers set odds and why they make mistakes.
- The impact of these mistakes on sports betting.
- Strategies to exploit these mistakes, and how AI can help you get the most out of them.
What Is an Oddsmaker?
Behind every odd you see at a sportsbook, there’s a professional—or sometimes an entire team—meticulously calculating each number: the oddsmaker. Also known as the “odds creator,” this is the person responsible for estimating the probability of a sporting event outcome… and turning that probability into odds that are attractive to the public but profitable for the bookmaker.
But it’s not just about math. The oddsmaker’s job is a mix of statistics, psychology, and deep sports knowledge. Their goal? Set odds accurate enough to balance the book’s risk… and make sure you don’t win too much. But even the best oddsmakers make mistakes—and that’s where you can find a real edge.
How Are Odds Set in Sports Betting? The Oddsmaker’s Work
Oddsmakers don’t guess. They use predictive models and massive databases to create an opening line. Among the factors they consider:
- Recent performance of both teams
- Key injuries or absences
- Head-to-head history
- Weather conditions and impact
- Motivation (e.g. are they playing for the title or already eliminated?)
With all of this, they set an odd that reflects the probability… but also includes a profit margin. This margin ensures that, over the long term, the bookmaker always wins against amateur bettors (who are the vast majority).
The Real Battle for Oddsmakers: Live Odds
The real challenge for oddsmakers isn’t just calculating odds before the match… it’s keeping them balanced while everything is happening on the field. Everything can change in seconds: a goal, an injury, a red card, or even a shift in pace.
Bookmakers use automatic systems to adjust odds in real time, but these systems aren’t always perfect. Nor are they synchronized across different bookies. And that’s where you can find brief windows of opportunity: for a few seconds, an odd might be mispriced… and a savvy bettor can use that to generate real profit.
📌 Here are two key strategies every smart bettor should know:
- Value Bets A value bet occurs when an odd is overestimated—meaning it offers more profit than it should based on actual probability. This happens when the bookmaker underestimates the likelihood of an outcome, and you (with help from an AI tool) spot it before they adjust.
Example: An odd of 2.50 implies a 40% probability, but your data says the team has a 50% chance to win. That gap creates a value bet: if you keep placing this kind of bet over time, you don’t need to win most of them to profit.
🔁 Value bets don’t guarantee a win every time, but they do guarantee long-term profit—winning just one-fourth of them can yield strong returns, since overestimated odds pay generously on every win.
- Surebets (Arbitrage Bets) A surebet is when discrepancies between bookmakers are so big that you can bet on all possible outcomes and still make a profit no matter what.
Example: One bookie offers 2.10 for Team A to win, and another offers 2.10 for Team B to win. If you stake the right amount on both, you walk away with a guaranteed profit.
These opportunities are rare and last milliseconds, but when executed properly, they’re 100% risk-free. That’s why they’re so highly sought after by professional bettors.
Taking Advantage of Oddsmaker Errors: How to Do It and Win Long-Term
Why Are They So Hard to Exploit? Because they last milliseconds. Literally. And that’s no exaggeration.
Bookmakers use algorithms that correct these mistakes almost instantly—sometimes even before you finish clicking. Betting manually on a mispriced odd is like trying to catch lightning with a net:
⏱️ La velocidad lo es todo.
⏱️ Speed is everything. When an odd is mispriced, every second counts. In that single second:
Someone else might have placed the bet before you
The bookie might have already corrected the error
The system might limit or block you
Or the bet might just be unavailable anymore
Also, bookies are constantly adjusting margins and odds to reduce risk, making these errors rare and highly competitive.
But beware! There’s a different approach more and more bettors are using today to win.
🧠 This is where artificial intelligence makes the difference.
Finding Oddsmaker Mistakes: Manually vs With AI
Imagine this:
You’re watching the game, spot an interesting odd, analyze it, click to bet… and it’s too late. The error is already fixed. At this pace, trying to exploit errors manually is nearly impossible. By the time you identify the opportunity, check if it’s profitable, log in, and confirm your bet… it’s gone.
💻 Meanwhile, artificial intelligence doesn’t hesitate. Tools like BetOven not only analyze thousands of odds simultaneously across multiple bookmakers but also place the bets automatically the exact moment they detect an error.
✅ A goal just happened and the odd is still unadjusted?
BetOven is already in.
✅ A bookmaker hasn’t updated the line after a red card?
BetOven has detected it and placed the bet before you even open the app.
Advantages of using BetOven to exploit oddsmaker mistakes:
🚀 Lightning-fast reaction time: operates in milliseconds, without human error
🌐 Real-time analysis: compares odds across dozens of bookmakers instantly
🧮 Automatic detection of value bets and surebets
🛠️ Automatic execution: no manual action needed
⏰ Works 24/7 – even while you sleep
With BetOven, you don’t need to be faster than other bettors. You just need to let AI be faster for you. And that’s where the real edge lies.
BetOven is the number 1 automated sports arbitrage software, specifically designed to automate the betting process while ensuring the maximization of our profits, both in surebets and valuebets. It is such a powerful tool that it can detect errors made by bookmakers in real-time when setting their odds, and automatically place bets on these errors.
In the following video, you can see how BetOven’s AI works and how you can try it for free to maximize your profits in sports betting:
The Best Free Training
If you would also like to learn more about the world of sports arbitrage to maximise your winnings? You will have access to the best Artificial Intelligence Sports Betting Course!
In this training, you’ll learn how to perform automated sports betting trading with the support of the innovative artificial intelligence software BetOven, a tool designed to simplify and optimize your strategy, allowing you to delegate the complex work while maximizing your results.
✔️ 100% Results-Oriented: Designed to help you maximize your profits from day one.
✔️ 100 Free: Learn at no cost and access premium-quality content.
✔️ For All Levels: From beginners to experts, our content adapts to your needs.
