Whether you are still to start your matched betting journey, or you have been enjoying this lucrative side hustle, you might have heard the phrase ‘being gubbed' and wonder what it means. In this post I am going to explain what being gubbed in matched betting means.
What is matched betting?
Matched betting is a way to make some serious guaranteed profit by utilising the free bet offers that bookmakers offer to both new and existing customers. It has turned into one of my favourite side hustles because it is a tax free way to make money.
You can do matched betting in one of two ways – you can complete all of the matched betting offers in a month or two to make £1,000 – £2,000, say for a holiday, Christmas or anything else you are saving for, or you could look to do matched betting long term. There is no right or wrong, but whatever you choose, matched betting can be really lucrative and it is a great side hustle to consider.
How much money I have made from matched betting?
Matched betting has been a great side hustle for me! By completing matched betting offers I've made a fair amount of money.
How Much Cash Have I Made?
You can see all my previous matched betting income below. Please note that from January 2017 I have been focusing on growing my business with a provable income, with a lot less time to dedicate to it:- Month 1 earnings – £1,430
- Month 2 earnings – £1,619
- Month 3 earnings (including a Q&A) – £849
- October 2015 earnings – £1,105 (Remember that month 3 also overlaps into October 2015 as I switched to reporting it per calendar month.)
- November 2015 earnings– £915
- December 2015 earnings – £1,347
- January 2016 earnings – £777
- February 2016 earnings – £393 (on holiday for 2 weeks)
- March 2016 earnings – £701.64
- April 2016 earnings – £622.36
- May 2016 earnings – £1,019.16
- June 2016 earnings – £447.18 (away for a week)
- July 2016 earnings – £689.52
- August 2016 earnings – £491.86
- September 2016 earnings – £279.29
- October 2016 earnings – £691.85
- November 2016 earnings – £773.74
- December 2016 – £0.00 (took a break)
- January 2017 – £473.43
- February 2017 – £514.97
- March 2017 – £214.12
- April 2017 – £394.76
- May 2017 – £481.25
- June 2017 – £249.68
- July 2017 – £158.73
- August 2017 – £301.58
- September 2017 – £427.61
- October 2017 – £203.83 (away for 2 weeks)
- November 2017 – £45.84 (away for most of the month)
- December 2017 – £187.24
- January 2018 – £349.54
- February 2018 – £223.39
- March 2018 – £493.01
- April 2018 – £189.31
- May 2018 – took a break
- June 2018 – took a break
- July 2018 – £139.32
- August 2018 – £301.65
- September 2018 – £121.94 (on holiday)
- October 2018 – £328.51
- November 2018 – £459.31
- December 2018 – £258.45
- January 2019 – £148.37
- February 2019 – £199.84
- March 2019 – £579.54
- April onwards – paused for a mortgage application
What is being gubbed in matched betting?
Being gubbed, or a gubbing, is when a bookmaker decides that they are no longer going to offer you free bets.
You are usually informed of this via email, although the email won't use the phrase ‘gubbed'.
Since matched betting relies on promotional offers and free bets from a bookmaker it means that you won't be able to use any free bets from this bookmaker.
It is important to note that being gubbed just means you don't get the promotional offers any more. As long as you haven't used an account fraudulently (such as creating a second account for yourself) then your balance is safe and you can still withdraw this.
Why do you get gubbed?
Getting gubbed it part and parcel of matched betting. I haven't spoken to a single person who has done matched betting who hasn't got gubbed.
Every bookmaker will have different reasons for gubbing you, but usually it is because you have only used the promotional offers/free bets. If you just want to do matched betting as a one off, perhaps to make £1,000 – £2,000 for a holiday then you don't need to worry about this because you only need to do the opening offers.
However if you want to do matched betting long term then you can look at placing ‘mug bets'.
Related:
- If matched betting is so good, why isn't everyone doing it?
- Can you do matched betting long term?
- 3 bank accounts for matched betting.
What is mug betting?
One way to keep your bookmaker accounts active is with mug betting.
These are bets on big sporting events where you still back and lay each bet, making a small qualifying loss. There is no free bet to make use of, however you look like a normal punter to the bookmaker – or a ‘mug'.
You can come up with the mug bet strategy that works for you – you might want to only focus on the bookmakers where you have ‘won' a lot of money from, or you might want to do one mug bet for every free bet you get. Whatever strategy you come up with, mug betting is a great way to prevent your accounts from being gubbed.
Can you get Ungubbed?
There are some bookmakers who will ungub you, however it isn't a case of going on live chat and asking.
You usually just have to wait, and there is no definitive time frame. You could try mug betting the account to prove to the bookmaker that you can make them some money.
In my experience I have found it best to just walk away from a gubbed account.
Can you still make money from matched betting after being gubbed?
This is the biggest question you might have – you want to know if there is still money to be made from matched betting if you have been gubbed.
The great news is that yes, there is!
There are tons of bookmakers and tons of offers, so losing a few accounts to being gubbed isn't a problem.
There are also ways to make money from matched betting without the free promotional offers/bets.
You might want to look at Betfair Trading instead.
Free Monthly Matched Betting Calendar
Download your free monthly matched betting calendar to keep up to date with all the high-profile sporting events happening in 2021/2022.
Around the time of these events reload offers will be more frequent so print off this calendar and keep it to hand to boost your matched betting profits.
Complete your name and email address below to get your free download.
Join my Matched Betting Facebook group
I am really excited to let you know that my matched betting Facebook group is open to new members again! This group has nearly 5,000 matched betting members who support each other.
It is somewhere to ask questions and even celebrate your matched betting success. We would love you to come and join in!
Click here to join the Facebook Group
I am now gubbed by more than 20 bookies and still make profit. I think a lot of people really overestimate the impact of gubbings. While I am gubbed with 20 bookies, I have like 60 accounts that are still working fine and that’s probably enough to last me for the rest of my life.
That’s great, and definitely shows there’s still money to be made!