Best Matched Betting VPN

There are three main reasons you might be looking for a Matched Betting VPN:

1. You use a VPN for everything, enjoy the additional layer of security and want to continue using it for matched betting
2. You’re on holiday abroad and want to continue matched betting with the UK bookmakers you’ve already joined
3. You’ve decided to try multi-accounting AKA gnoming.

The benefits of using a VPN for matched betting

A Virtual Private Network (or “VPN”) in the context of matched betting is a way to pretend to be using a bookmaker’s website from a location other than where you actually are. Unless you fall under category 1 above, and are just super cautious, you’ll usually want to do this for one of two reasons:

• You’re temporarily abroad (we hope you’re enjoying the sun!) and you want to access UK bookmakers. The trouble with just jumping on the local pub’s free WiFi is that many bookmakers will block access to their sites from visitors outside of the UK. By using a VPN you can mask your location and make it seem to the bookmaker as if you’re accessing their site from the UK.
• You’ve decided to delve into the territory of multi-accounting/gnoming. This is when you go through all the bookies’ welcome offers again with a parent’s, child’s, friend’s or dog’s details. The trouble is that some bookmakers have terms and conditions that state their offers are only available once per household and/or IP address. If you access their site from the same location (in other words – from your home broadband connection) they might spot it and withhold free bets and/or your funds. A VPN can make it appear as if you’re accessing the site from a location other than your home. As far as the bookmaker is concerned you’ll have a different IP address (although read on as to why this doesn’t always work).

So, a VPN may be a sensible decision for you. And, in a lot of cases, it’ll work just fine. You’ll be able to login/signup to many different bookmakers. Carry on reading below to see some of the disadvantages or jump down to the bottom to find out which VPN we recommend for matched betting.

The disadvantages of using a VPN for matched betting

Some bookmakers explicitly state that VPNs are not allowed in their terms and conditions. If you win big you may be at risk of losing those winnings if you’re in breach of their T&Cs. If it’s a particularly large win the bookie is more likely to find any excuse it can not to pay out. You should use a VPN with caution, and be aware that bookmakers generally fall into one of these categories:

• The bookmaker doesn’t know and/or care that you’re using a VPN. Matched bet to your hearts content with an evil grin on your face.
• The bookmaker doesn’t allow VPNs and stops you at the time of signup – they suspect you’re using a VPN and won’t let you create an account.
• The bookmaker lets you signup with a VPN but has T&Cs prohibiting it. Later, they withhold winnings as you’ve breached their terms.

You might be asking, “How does a bookmaker know that I’m using a VPN?” and it would be a fair question. Generally speaking they’re able to make an educated guess. If you’re using a VPN you’re likely to be using what’s referred to as a “commercial” ip address. This is because the company who is providing your VPN is a commercial entity with a big ol’ bunch of computers. Most people betting would be doing so from their own home – in other words, a “residential” ip. So, a “commercial” ip can raise a red flag. What’s more, often VPNs don’t make an effort to hide the fact that they’re a VPN service. They’re primarily used to hide you, as an individual, rather than to mask the fact a VPN is being used. So, in short, using a VPN hides your own IP address but doesn’t necessarily hide the fact it’s a VPN.

Which matched betting services support VPNs?

We’ve been asked this question a few times and it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense! You’ll be using a VPN with the bookmaker so, whether you’re using Profit Accumulator, OddsMonkey or one of the other matched betting sites it doesn’t really make a difference. You might be more interested in which matched betting sites support multi-accounting which you can read about in our other post. If you don’t have the time and just want a quick answer, then you probably want to avoid sites like YesBets that have a built in profit tracker as they’ll get very confused if you start trying to track the profit across multiple accounts, bookmakers and exchanges.

So, should I use a matched betting VPN?

We think that there are better alternatives. Namely, we’d suggest tethering to a mobile phone. The IP you get assigned when you tether changes frequently and isn’t as easy to pinpoint as a landline IP address. But, if you have terrible 3G or 4G coverage at home a VPN can be a viable alternative as long as you use it with your eyes open. Matched betting aside, a VPN can be a useful tool to have for your day-to-day browsing. It can help protect your privacy online.

Which VPN should I use for matched betting?

Whilst there are many, many different VPN providers we’d recommend one of the following:

• Private Internet Access
• NordVPN
• ExpressVPN

We based this on the recommendations of TorrentFreak, who recently carried out an extensive review of VPN services.

Private Internet Access VPN for matched betting

Signing up to Private Internet Access (or “PIA”) is really straightforward and, at the time of writing, costs as little as £2.50/month. They’re a big and established service and so have loads of guides as to how to get started, including video tutorials for installing the VPN on Windows and Mac OSX.

NordVPN for matched betting

As with PIA, NordVPN is one of the big players in the VPN market. They’ve been going a long time and are very well rated. Their documentation is comprehensive but, thankfully, understandable. You can sign up to NordVPN with a free trial here.

ExpressVPN for matched betting

Last but not least – and pretty much as good as NordVPN and PIA, ExpressVPN is a viable alternative too. We’d generally recommend that you see which one is cheapest and go with that one. VPN providers often have an offer on and, as matched betting isn’t particularly intensive or demanding on a VPN, you can safely choose the one offering the best value for money.