Smarkets betting exchange feedback wanted

**King_Suckerman** · 12-07-11, 05:06 PM

They are good so far.
Same odds as BetFair.
I have posted in the payouts threads before - they normally pat to my ewallet in minutes.
I'm on 1% commission but I think that runs out at the end of this month.
Website is occasionally flaky.

**offshoregenius77** · 12-07-11, 06:54 PM

Originally posted by SBR Lou

Anyone here with experiences playing at this shop?

It's a Malta-based betting exchange that runs marketing out of the UK. They apparently charge between 1-4% commission on net winnings. They claim to be a standalone company with a small CS staff that opened up February of last year.

They are OK... Decent liquidity for soccer, but if youre able to play in UK , they dont come close to Betfair or even Betdaq

**King_Suckerman** · 12-08-11, 02:55 PM

Originally posted by offshoregenius77

They are OK... Decent liquidity for soccer, but if youre able to play in UK , they dont come close to Betfair or even Betdaq

They do if you can get the 1% commission.

**FootieJohn** · 12-11-11, 08:51 PM

Originally posted by King_Suckerman

They do if you can get the 1% commission.

how do you get the 1% commission? The site certainly is prettier than Betdaq but at 4% a bit expensive.

**Pat McCrotch** · 12-11-11, 09:26 PM

When you place a bet on smarkets there software places it on betfair, they dont have liquidity they simply place bets on betfair for u but charge less , dunno how it works

they are ran by clever guys and i think they just got a 1 million uk pound invesment

**King_Suckerman** · 12-12-11, 04:45 AM

Not sure how I got it - it was a while ago. I think you can still get it through The Gamboling Times website.

**carltonbanks** · 12-12-11, 07:05 AM

i am not on 1% but still better deal than betfair. still waiting for them to get neteller

**DoctorGonzo** · 12-12-11, 07:21 AM

Originally posted by Pat McCrotch

When you place a bet on smarkets there software places it on betfair, they dont have liquidity they simply place bets on betfair for u but charge less , dunno how it works

Not true, the liquidity on smarkets is real and can be better than betfair on quiet markets.

**offshoregenius77** · 12-12-11, 06:51 PM

Originally posted by King_Suckerman

They do if you can get the 1% commission.

You must be playing some obscure sport Ive never heard of. Betfair crushes them on the major sports.

OG

**Pat McCrotch** · 12-13-11, 04:54 AM

Originally posted by DoctorGonzo

Not true, the liquidity on smarkets is real and can be better than betfair on quiet markets.

rubbish, watch when the prices change then and ull see

**King_Suckerman** · 12-13-11, 05:04 AM

Originally posted by offshoregenius77

You must be playing some obscure sport Ive never heard of. Betfair crushes them on the major sports. OG

?
Soccer mainly. They have same prices as betfair.

**SBR Lou** · 12-13-11, 09:31 AM

Originally posted by Pat McCrotch

When you place a bet on smarkets there software places it on betfair, they dont have liquidity they simply place bets on betfair for u but charge less , dunno how it works they are ran by clever guys and i think they just got a 1 million uk pound invesment

Pat,

Please don't say things as fact that are your opinion.

We spoke with a manager.

"With regards to the post on the forum, it's completely false, we have our own market makers and liquidity. We have no software that places anything on Betfair."

**exchangebettor20** · 12-13-11, 11:56 AM

I play at Betfair, Betdaq and Smarkets… Smarkets has meager volume. They may improve though.

**King_Suckerman** · 12-14-11, 07:39 AM

good to see SBR have now rated smarkets.

**Pat McCrotch** · 12-15-11, 08:04 AM

Originally posted by SBR Lou

Pat,

Please don't say things as fact that are your opinion.

We spoke with a manager.

"With regards to the post on the forum, it's completely false, we have our own market makers and liquidity. We have no software that places anything on Betfair."

ok lou, id like you to watch any market on smarkets , and you tell me the price doesnt change at exactly the same time, at the moment every smarket's soccer match has the same back/lay prices as betfair.

so if my statement is completely false then how come smarkets can offer better prices than betdaq or wbx exchanges?

id like you to answer this please?

how can an exchange that has been around for a few year offer the same prices as betfair?

take an example birmingham vs maribor,

birmingham are 1.51/1.52 back lay
draw is 4.5/4.6 back lay
maribor are 8.2/8.4

they are EXACTLY the same on betfair

yet different on betdaq

please dont say my statements are false, have you even checked this?

**SBR Lou** · 12-15-11, 01:40 PM

Pat,

What I asked was not to say things as fact that are your opinion. Taking a few examples of an identical price on a certain market at a certain time doesn't show anything. What I'm saying is that we spoke with a high-level manager that categorically denied what was alleged in your post.

**FourLengthsClear** · 12-15-11, 03:07 PM

Originally posted by Pat McCrotch

ok lou, id like you to watch any market on smarkets , and you tell me the price doesnt change at exactly the same time, at the moment every smarket's soccer match has the same back/lay prices as betfair.

so if my statement is completely false then how come smarkets can offer better prices than betdaq or wbx exchanges?

id like you to answer this please?

how can an exchange that has been around for a few year offer the same prices as betfair?

take an example birmingham vs maribor,

birmingham are 1.51/1.52 back lay
draw is 4.5/4.6 back lay
maribor are 8.2/8.4

they are EXACTLY the same on betfair

yet different on betdaq

please dont say my statements are false, have you even checked this?

It is entirely possible that a trader (or traders) have systems that place offers into both exchanges simultaneously.

I used to do the same thing with Matchbook and Betfair.

**offshoregenius77** · 12-16-11, 09:43 AM

Originally posted by Pat McCrotch

ok lou, id like you to watch any market on smarkets , and you tell me the price doesnt change at exactly the same time, at the moment every smarket's soccer match has the same back/lay prices as betfair.

so if my statement is completely false then how come smarkets can offer better prices than betdaq or wbx exchanges?

id like you to answer this please?

how can an exchange that has been around for a few year offer the same prices as betfair?

take an example birmingham vs maribor,

birmingham are 1.51/1.52 back lay
draw is 4.5/4.6 back lay
maribor are 8.2/8.4

they are EXACTLY the same on betfair

yet different on betdaq

please dont say my statements are false, have you even checked this?

The man makes a point worth looking into......

**tommygun** · 12-16-11, 11:21 AM

betdaq is a joke with their liquidity, no point betting there unless ur small time

**Pat McCrotch** · 12-17-11, 10:14 AM

im not slating smarkets, i like it

just saying that no other betting site on earth has EXACTLY the same prices as betfair except smarkets.

this is why so many shit books get an A rating here as sbr must believe anything the owners tell them.

**prop** · 12-17-11, 10:55 AM

I don't think they have an A rating and I don't think Lou himself is disputing your claim, only asking not to state things as fact that might not be true (the part about the reason for the lines being the same that they were placing bets for their users via Betfair). fwiw I just watched and it is blatantly obvious that you are correct about the lines being the EXACT same. I don't have enough interest to confirm that is true on 100% of markets but I was watching in-play where I could be certain markets would move. I matched them up and watched six cases of simultaneous moves and couldn't spot a difference between the two. The only thing I noticed was smarkets taking the trading down a couple times while Betfair still had it live. I compared 15 additional markets to see if the prices were the same and they were. (someone spending a lot longer than me could potentially find differences.)

It very much could be the case that this is a small exchange with only a few market makers that are simply mirroring Betfair's odds 100% of the time. The differences (which I didn't find in the 15 minutes I spent on this) would be casual player driven. So really most likely either a) smakerts is extremely small with at least one major market maker simply mirroring Betfair's prices via automation 100% of the time or b) the site is a Betfair skin. A seems much more likely - the idea they don't have many clients and a group of volume traders are simply scraping and auto mirroring Betfairs line. If can show me they have a significant number of clients, and I spent a lot longer looking at it without differences then I'd side with your possibility or that they were a skin much easier. For now I'll just assume small exchange with someone using it to mirror Betfair odds via automation (or a slight chance, but as to why would be odds but could be a reason, they are skin). If someone could spot a few unique prices somewhere A is even more so most likely the case.

**arichmond64** · 12-17-11, 12:41 PM

I have 2% on here, which is why I use it. Its not so great, and of course if you could get 2% on betfair, you wouldn't think twice about using smarkets.

Search engine is terrible on it.

**potless** · 12-17-11, 07:05 PM

A - is the correct answer. One main market maker (altho rumours of another?) operating on zero comms tracking bf (well most of the time unless the flakey smarkets software lets them down

).
No real customers as such - just arbers and assorted other moneysaving types on the other side of the MM.
Comms change in the new year will make the offering less attractive.
Viable once start up cash has been burned - who knows but at least they are regulated in Malta so no doubt any deposits will be safe

Originally posted by prop

I don't think they have an A rating and I don't think Lou himself is disputing your claim, only asking not to state things as fact that might not be true (the part about the reason for the lines being the same that they were placing bets for their users via Betfair). fwiw I just watched and it is blatantly obvious that you are correct about the lines being the EXACT same. I don't have enough interest to confirm that is true on 100% of markets but I was watching in-play where I could be certain markets would move. I matched them up and watched six cases of simultaneous moves and couldn't spot a difference between the two. The only thing I noticed was smarkets taking the trading down a couple times while Betfair still had it live. I compared 15 additional markets to see if the prices were the same and they were. (someone spending a lot longer than me could potentially find differences.)

It very much could be the case that this is a small exchange with only a few market makers that are simply mirroring Betfair's odds 100% of the time. The differences (which I didn't find in the 15 minutes I spent on this) would be casual player driven. So really most likely either a) smakerts is extremely small with at least one major market maker simply mirroring Betfair's prices via automation 100% of the time or b) the site is a Betfair skin. A seems much more likely - the idea they don't have many clients and a group of volume traders are simply scraping and auto mirroring Betfairs line. If can show me they have a significant number of clients, and I spent a lot longer looking at it without differences then I'd side with your possibility or that they were a skin much easier. For now I'll just assume small exchange with someone using it to mirror Betfair odds via automation (or a slight chance, but as to why would be odds but could be a reason, they are skin). If someone could spot a few unique prices somewhere A is even more so most likely the case.

**King_Suckerman** · 12-18-11, 01:36 PM

Originally posted by arichmond64

I have 2% on here, which is why I use it. Its not so great, and of course if you could get 2% on betfair, you wouldn't think twice about using smarkets. Search engine is terrible on it.

Search engine has improved a lot - but still not great.

**King_Suckerman** · 12-20-11, 03:31 PM

Received an email today. They have agreed on 2% commission for all bettors from 1 January. Those on 1% get it extended until end of Januray.

**Hareeba!** · 12-20-11, 03:59 PM

Originally posted by King_Suckerman

Received an email today. They have agreed on 2% commission for all bettors from 1 January. Those on 1% get it extended until end of Januray.

Is that on wins only or on both wins and losing stakes?

**rodneytrotter** · 12-21-11, 05:26 AM

Commission is charged only on the net winnings in each market.

**Champi** · 12-21-11, 12:31 PM

Originally posted by King_Suckerman

Received an email today. They have agreed on 2% commission for all bettors from 1 January. Those on 1% get it extended until end of Januray.

Same to me.Its great news!
I dont have problems for now -they are still small but with very big chances and i give them credit!

**King_Suckerman** · 12-21-11, 01:36 PM

Originally posted by rodneytrotter

Commission is charged only on the net winnings in each market.

Thanks for answering for me. Net winnings it is.

**Teddy_KGB** · 12-22-11, 05:48 AM

How can I know that it is a reliable site and not an another bestake.com scam? (I missed it fortunatly) I see the amounts on the Tottenham - Chelsea match... i can't imagine who would deposit 10K-20K or more to here. Why don't they show the amount of the matched bets? How much is the liquidity during in-play? Are there any API softwares yet?

**DoctorGonzo** · 12-22-11, 07:03 AM

There's a new version of their API which is still in beta, details here: https://smarkets.com/api

**FootieJohn** · 12-29-11, 08:00 AM

Originally posted by King_Suckerman

Not sure how I got it - it was a while ago. I think you can still get it through The Gamboling Times website.

Thanks. It looks like you have to be a paying member of that forum to get the 1% and it's only for a few months; not really worth it for me. I read that they are switching to 2% for everyone soon so I'll give it a try then.

**carltonbanks** · 01-04-12, 12:34 PM

experiences with smarkets anyone lately? they are going to put all users on 2 percent. wish the liquidity was there but for me it is better to go to a flat rate of 2 percent instead of dealing with nonsense from betfair. the horse racing over christmas was another example of why i hope the smaller companies can do well so i choose to support. for football its good.

**Gallin** · 01-10-12, 01:35 AM

Originally posted by Pat McCrotch

ok lou, id like you to watch any market on smarkets , and you tell me the price doesnt change at exactly the same time, at the moment every smarket's soccer match has the same back/lay prices as betfair.

so if my statement is completely false then how come smarkets can offer better prices than betdaq or wbx exchanges?

id like you to answer this please?

how can an exchange that has been around for a few year offer the same prices as betfair?

take an example birmingham vs maribor,

birmingham are 1.51/1.52 back lay
draw is 4.5/4.6 back lay
maribor are 8.2/8.4

they are EXACTLY the same on betfair

yet different on betdaq

please dont say my statements are false, have you even checked this?

Betfair is down for maintenance, and zero liquidity at smarkets atm. Must be a coincidence