How betting apps get you to bet more

Your team's game is about to start. Your phone buzzes with an offer from a betting app. One tap and you're in.

A betting app is a bookie in your pocket. It's open 24 hours a day, with a new market every few minutes. Every part of it has been designed and tested to get you betting more often, on more things, for more money.

So what does each feature actually cost you?

Every price has a cut built in

Turn a bookmaker's prices into chances, add them up, and you get more than 100%. The extra bit is the bookie's margin. It means that, on average, every bet loses.

On a normal head-to-head market the margin is a few percent. On exotic markets it can be a lot more. See each bookmaker's typical margin.

Multis multiply the margin

A multi rolls several bets into one. The prices get multiplied together, so the possible payout looks huge. But the bookie's cut gets multiplied too. A five-leg multi carries several times the margin of a single bet.

That's why multis get pushed so hard. They're some of the most profitable bets a bookie takes, and same-game multis even more so. See how the margin grows with each leg.

Bonus bets and other "free" stuff

"Bet $50 and get a $50 bonus bet if you lose." Sounds like insurance, doesn't it?

But a bonus bet usually only pays out your winnings, not the bonus stake itself. There are often rules about what you can use it on, too. The bigger catch is that it keeps you betting. A refund paid as a bonus bet brings you straight back to place another one.

Odds boosts and money-back deals work the same way. They're advertising, and the bookies expect to earn that money back many times over.

Cash out

Cash out lets you settle a bet early, for less than it would pay if it won. It feels like being in control. Grabbing part of the payout can even feel like a win when you've lost money overall.

The cash-out price is set in the bookie's favour too. Use it a lot and it costs you more over time.

Always on, always in your pocket

Notifications pull you back with offers and reminders, often right before a game you care about.

Live betting means you can bet on the next point, the next goal or the next over. One match turns into dozens of bets.

Topping up takes seconds. Australian betting services haven't been allowed to take credit cards since June 2024, but debit cards and instant bank transfers still make it easy to keep going.

Then there are the ads during the sport. They make betting feel like part of being a fan. They show you the winners, and never the losses.

Knowing your sport isn't an edge

If you know a lot about a sport, it feels like you should be able to beat the bookies. But the prices already take in everything the market knows, and the margin comes off every bet whether you're right or wrong.

Our data shows how closely the bookies' favourites match what really happens. It's very hard to beat the market week after week, and almost impossible once the margin's taken out. See how often favourites really win.

Taking back control

Set a deposit limit in each app. Every licensed Australian bookmaker has to offer one. Better still, turn off the notifications, or delete the apps altogether.

Your bank can help too. Lots of Australian banks let you block gambling payments right in their app.

If you want a proper break, sign up to BetStop. It's the free national register, and it blocks you from every licensed betting app and website for 3 months or more.

And if you've caught yourself betting more to win back what you've lost, have a read of why chasing your losses costs you more.