What is Dutching in Matched Betting?

Guarantee profits by backing multiple outcomes across different bookmakers, no Betfair or exchange required.

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By David · Last updated 8 March 2026

If you’ve been matched betting for a while, you’ve probably heard the term dutching thrown around. Maybe you’ve seen it mentioned in a Bonusbank tutorial or spotted it in a Discord channel and thought, “I should probably learn what that is.”

You’re in the right place. Dutching is one of the most powerful techniques in an Australian matched bettor’s toolkit, and it’s becoming more important than ever following Betfair’s commission increases in March 2025.

What is Dutching?

In traditional matched betting, you place a back bet at a bookmaker and a lay bet at Betfair Exchange to cover the opposite outcome. This locks in a profit or minimises your qualifying loss.

Dutching flips this model on its head.

Instead of using Betfair to lay off your risk, you’re using one bookmaker against another. If the combined odds across bookmakers are generous enough, you can back both sides and guarantee a profit no matter what happens.

It’s pure bookmaker vs bookmaker. No exchange required.

How is Dutching Different from Arbitrage?

You might be thinking, “This sounds a lot like arbitrage.” You’re not wrong. Dutching and arbitrage are closely related concepts. Both involve backing different outcomes across bookmakers to lock in profit.

The main difference is context. In matched betting circles, dutching typically refers to this strategy being used alongside promotional offers (like early payout or bonus bet offers) to either guarantee a qualifying profit or boost the expected value of a promotion. Pure arbitrage is simply exploiting odds differences for profit without any promotion involved.

In practice, the mechanics are identical. The distinction matters because dutching is often the smarter play. You’re combining guaranteed profit from odds differences with the additional upside from promotions.

Why Dutching Matters Now

Dutching has always been a useful technique, but recent changes have made it essential for serious Australian matched bettors.

Betfair Commission Increases (March 2025)

In March 2025, Betfair Australia increased their commission rates:

• Horse Racing: 7% → 8% (NSW/ACT remains at 10%)
• Sports: 5% → 6%

These might sound like small changes, but they have a compounding effect on your profits. Every qualifying bet you place through Betfair now costs you more, and every free bet returns slightly less.

Reducing Betfair Dependency

Even without the commission increases, relying entirely on a single exchange is risky. Betfair liquidity can be thin on smaller markets, and not every event you want to bet on will have a matching lay option available.

Dutching completely removes Betfair from the equation. If you want to reduce your reliance on a single exchange and open up more opportunities, dutching is your answer.

Dutching Example

Let’s walk through a real-world example to show exactly how dutching works.

AFL Head-to-Head: Collingwood vs Sydney

Imagine Collingwood are playing Sydney in the AFL. You check the head-to-head (draw no bet) odds across two bookmakers and spot a discrepancy:

Total outlay: $193.02

Now let’s look at the returns:

• Collingwood wins: $93.02 × 2.15 = $200.00 → profit of $6.98
• Sydney wins: $100.00 × 2.00 = $200.00 → profit of $6.98

No matter which team wins, you collect $200.00 on a $193.02 outlay. That’s a guaranteed $6.98 profit with zero risk.

This works because Sportsbet and Pointsbet disagree on who’s the favourite. When the combined implied probability of both odds adds up to less than 100%, there’s a guaranteed profit sitting there for anyone who spots it.

Dutching Software

Finding dutching opportunities manually would be incredibly time-consuming. You’d need to compare odds across dozens of bookmakers, calculate optimal stakes, and identify line gaps, all before the odds move.

This is where dedicated software becomes essential.

Bonusbank is the only Australian matched betting platform with dedicated dutching software. Their dutching tool automatically scans odds across all major Australian bookmakers, identifies profitable opportunities, and calculates your optimal stakes.

Top Service

Bonusbank is the only Australian matched betting service with dedicated dutching software. Their tools automatically find dutching opportunities across all major bookmakers, calculate optimal stakes, and help you profit without needing Betfair.

Features

• Dedicated dutching tool, exclusive to Bonusbank.
• Automatic opportunity detection with profit calculations.
• Powerful oddsmatcher, HorsePower, and 17 calculators.
• Active Discord community with dutching alerts.

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Getting Started with Dutching

If you’re new to matched betting, I’d recommend building a solid foundation first with our free 3-part matched betting guide. Dutching is most effective once you understand the basics of back bets, lay bets, and how promotions work.

Once you’re ready, here’s how to get started with dutching:

Who Should Use Dutching?

Dutching isn’t just for advanced bettors. Here’s who benefits most:

• Bettors who want less reliance on Betfair. Dutching completely removes the need for an exchange, giving you more flexibility and independence.
• Experienced matched bettors wanting to diversify their income streams and reduce reliance on a single platform.
• Anyone affected by Betfair’s commission increases. Dutching avoids exchange commissions entirely.
• Anyone betting on NSW/ACT racing where Betfair’s commission sits at 10%, making dutching especially valuable for those markets.

Common Dutching Questions

Do I need a lot of bookmaker accounts?

The more accounts you have, the more opportunities you’ll find. But you don’t need every Australian bookmaker from day one. Even 5-6 active accounts will give you regular dutching opportunities, especially if you’re using Bonusbank’s tools to find them.

Is dutching risk-free?

Pure dutching, where you guarantee a profit on every outcome, is completely risk-free. You’re covering all outcomes across different bookmakers, so there’s no scenario where you lose money.

Can I combine dutching with promotions?

Absolutely, and this is where dutching really shines. You can use dutching as your qualifying bet method for promotions like early payout offers, reducing or eliminating your qualifying loss while still getting the promotional upside.

Final Thoughts

Dutching is one of those techniques that can genuinely transform your matched betting profits. It removes your dependence on Betfair, opens up new markets and opportunities, and is becoming increasingly important as exchange commissions rise.

If you’re serious about maximising your matched betting earnings, dutching should be a core part of your strategy. With Bonusbank’s dedicated dutching tools, getting started has never been easier.

Whether you’re a complete beginner or an experienced bettor looking to level up, I’d encourage you to explore dutching as your next step. Your profits will thank you.