Bankroll management when betting on sports

Good bankroll management helps you gamble responsibly. It ensures that you bet within your means and do not risk money that you cannot afford to lose.

This alone makes bankroll management extremely important, as no one should gamble with the money they need to pay their bills or other living expenses. There are also other valuable benefits of effective bankroll management.

  • It ensures that we do not chase our losses when we have a losing streak.
  • It prevents us from getting carried away and betting too much in a winning streak.
  • It allows us to withstand multiple losses without getting into trouble at home.
  • It allows us to make better and more rational decisions.

Bankroll management in a losing streak

All sports bettors lose once in a while, even the most successful bettors in the world and of course those who bet for fun. There will be times when nothing goes as expected and you feel like you are losing one sports bet after another. Losing control and chasing your losses at this time becomes very tempting. People often resort to increasing their bets, hoping to win it all back when their luck finally turns. This can turn out very badly.

With good bankroll management, in which you have stipulated how much you are allowed to bet per sporting event, you are more likely to resist the temptation to chase losses if you have ended up in a losing streak. Of course, you still have to be disciplined enough to stick to those rules.

Here you can place sports bets

bet365

100% betting credit up to €100

BetCity

£20 Free Bet on your first deposit

bingoal png

Bingoal

100% bonus up to €250 + 100% Odds Boost

More about betting on sports:

Sports betting review
Sports betting
Betting on Football review
Bet on Football
Max Verstappen
Bet on Max Verstappen
Mobile sports betting
Betting on sports on your mobile

Bankroll management on a winning streak

A similar principle applies to a winning streak. These also happen to everyone. Even recreational bettors enjoy periods when they seem to be doing everything right and winning almost every bet they place. Winning series are something we all look forward to, but they do have their pitfalls.

It is not unusual for people to increase their bets significantly when they win. This may be due to a boost of self-confidence or greed. Either way, it’s just as much of a mistake as chasing losses. It can easily cause you to lose all previous winnings by the end of the series. Again, good bankroll management will prevent this.

We do want to point out that there is nothing wrong with incrementally increasing your stake as your bankroll grows. This is absolutely fine and good bankroll management will ensure that this is exactly what you do.

Bankroll management betting on sports
Bankroll management when betting on sports is super important

Bankroll management and being able to lead losses

The third benefit is actually similar to the first as it relates to dealing with losing streaks. Bankroll management does more than just prevent you from chasing your losses. With good management, the amount you bet is always somehow linked to the size of your gambling budget. If your bankroll starts to decrease due to bad luck (or because you made bad decisions), then the amount you bet will have to decrease as well. This will prevent you from losing too much money too quickly.

If you gamble with the aim of making a profit, then it is essential that you protect your bankroll in the above way. If you keep betting the same amount even though your bankroll is decreasing, then losing everything becomes a real possibility. By betting a certain percentage of your gambling budget, you can simply avoid going bankrupt. If your losing streak is the result of wrong choices, this is the time to learn and make adjustments to the strategies and decision making you use.

Lowering your stakes is also beneficial if betting on sports is just a form of entertainment for you. Your bankroll will last longer, effectively giving you more entertainment for the same amount of money.

Bankroll management cannot prevent you from losing your money. It can slow down the rate at which you lose, but if you lose almost every bet you place you will still end up losing your entire bankroll. This is not necessarily a problem if you gamble with money you can afford to lose and if you are not too worried about making a profit.

However, if your goal is to make money and you find that you are losing your entire gambling budget, take a step back and carefully consider your overall approach.

Bankroll management and rational decisions

Good bankroll management can make the financial aspect of betting less relevant, which helps in making rational decisions. This may seem illogical, but the fact is that you should not focus directly on how much money you might win or lose on a particular bet. Your focus should be entirely on trying to make good decisions. This is MUCH easier if you don’t worry about money.

Focusing too much on the money causes people to make their choices for the wrong reasons. It may be that they consistently make “safe” choices to reduce the risk of loss. Or they may consistently go for big odds and try to win big bucks. None of these approaches are wise and they are certainly not based on rational thinking.

We realize that this applies more to serious bettors than to recreational bettors, but even those who bet for fun should try to think rationally as they go through their decision-making process. It is almost guaranteed to lead to better results in the long run, which is obviously a good thing, regardless of one’s reasons for betting.

Final Words

If you can stick to good bankroll management then betting on sports will be a much more enjoyable experience. You will also increase your chances of making a profit in the long run. By betting only a percentage of your bankroll each time, you should be able to weather any long losing streaks. You also avoid reckless betting to chase losses and resist the temptation to increase the stakes when things are going well.

Simply put, good bankroll management is not just “important. It’s vital. Try to remember that at all times.