How To Become a Professional Sports Gambler in the US in 2024

Making a living betting on sports may seem like the ideal profession for avid sports betting enthusiasts. However, if it was easy, many bookies would go out of business. In th𝔉is article, we will explor𓃲e the advantages of earning income as a professional gambler while also shedding light on the potential drawbacks.

Guide To Becoming a Professional Sports Bettor

♔ There are certain practices for becoming a professional sports bettor that are non-negotiable, three of which we consider to be the m𝔍ost important:

With these steps in mind, we recomm🐈end using the following sportsb🦩ooks to place your bets.

What Is Professional Sports Betting?

Steps To Being a Professional Gambler

While most people gamble for fun, being a pr🦩ofessional gambler involves thinking in terms of business. For one, once your gambling profits pass a certain threshold, this will need to be reported as part of your tax return to the IRS as “other income”.

As with any other form of business, there are risks, and a few profitable streaks are no assurance against the likelihood of dry spells. While some professional gamblers treat their pursuit as a f𒐪ull-time job, others balance it with day jobs – and balancing the two can bring a whole new set of stresses.

Professional betti🐟ng does have a reputation for providing a glamorous lifestyle, but the reality can be different. The rewards are not guaranteed, and there are steps to be taken to becoming a pro sports gambler. Let's take a look at the most important steps described below:

1. Lifestyle Decision

Embarking on a career in professional sports betting is a lifestyle decision. You are self-employed, and there is no regular paycheck at the end of the month.

Many years ago, a study in the UK revealed that only about 3% of sports bettors cജonsistently make money over a sustained period of time. Professional gambling is one of the hardest jobs in the world, so it takes a certain mentality to deal with that lack of a secure income. Going freelance is tough in any profession, but sports betting, in particular, has special demands.

You must be certain that the job is suited to your lifestyle, including living arrangements and whether y❀ou are also providing for a family. You can choose your hours but bear in mind that many sporting events take place at the weekend or in the evening. Anti-social hours are therefore part of the deal, and your lifestyle has to be compatible.

2. Total Commitment

In professional sports gambling, there has to be total commitment to the job and no compromising with the plan. Bookies do take winning bets, but you must take all the necessary ste꧂ps to earn yourܫ share of the payouts. You must also accept that luck can play a part.

You must be 100% committed to being one of the few gamblers that beat the bookie, and this takes dedication, discipline, and the mentality to stay calm after a losing run. There are many pitfalls and common errors, but you can control the level of comm🐽itment you put into the job. It’s no good taking up this profe🌳ssion with half measures.

3. Prepare for the Pitfalls

Gambling on sports is fickle, and there is no guarantee of a regular and consistent income. There will be spells when you seem untouchable and can’t do anything wrong. However, losing streaks are part of the job, and they can last for days. There will be many highs and lows, but if you can make money over a significant period of time but be aware of the pitfalls, professional sports betting could be right for you. You need the🍬 mental strength to deal with the good and bad runs in the right way.

4. Learn and Study

Learning how to be a professional gambler is a continuous process. Decisions must become instinctive, and that can be achieved by drilling ꦗdown on what you know. In effect, the aim is to beat the system 🃏and the bookies’ built-in profit margin. Learning strategies and systems are always evolving, and the best pro gamblers are ahead of the game.

However, a good pro bettor understands the technical elements of the different types of bets. There are singles, parlays, and system bets, so you must be aware of all the possibilitie𓆏s. There is specific terminology and Terms & Conditions that are part of the job. In effect, you must know your sport inside out, and that comes from the ongoing study of the nuances.

5. Ignore Emotions

An emotional sports bettor is probably not a successful one — you have to make hard business decisions based on commerciality and not emotion. It is a fine example of the head having to rule the heart. Every decision has to be made in line with a plan that is designed and modified t🍨o win the numbers game with a sportsbook.

Most sports bettors will probably have favorite teams. Fandom is about emotion, so it’s probably a good idea to avoid betting on games involving your teams. We also suggest taking a break from sports betting if you are feeling tired, stressed, and under the influence of some꧋thing else, as you need 100% concentration with no emotionܫs getting in the way.

6. Types of Betting

There are various forms 🧜of betting, and it's advisable to focu𓂃s on just one. Gaining experience in one area is not easy, so you should specialize in one of the following types of betting:

7. Choose Your Sport

A typical sportsbook allows you to bet on about 20 sports across pre-game, in-play, and futures markets. You can’t keep abreast of the form in so many sports, so you need to be selective.

Every US-facing sportsbook offers odds on the NFL, NHL, MLB, NBA, and college 𝔍leagues. Other popular betting sports include soccer and tennis, and there is a wide variety of games.

Some online sportsbo꧂oks have a dedicated horse racing lobby featuring thoroughbred racing. There are meetings from the US and overseas fixtures an𒁏d international horse races. Specialize in one area or type of race to maximize potential wins.

There is also a range of special bets and no🉐velty markets that can provide a niche. For example, you could focus on politics, TV & entertainment, and esports. One proviso is that boꦿokies may limit stakes and restrict you from betting in these areas if you win consistently.

8. Accept Luck Can Play a Part

You can have all the best strategies and study the key statistics; however, you have to accept that luck can play a part. A horse may not have any luck in running, and there can be freakish pl﷽ay in sports. Things are not always logical, so you must accept the vagaries of fate as in any other job. Nevertheless, you need the discipline and bankroll to ride out a storm, as nobody can predict the future.

Useful Resources for Professional Betting

Betting professionally as a pro can be a lonely job. There are no colleagues to consult about an idea. Self-motivation is important, as there is no line manager for direction a𒁏nd support. Therefore, it is important to investigate resources for professional sports betting.

The following options can help you become a more su♎ccessful pro gambler:

Online Guides

There are many online guides to ♛becoming a professional sports 🔥bettor, some of which are free of charge whereas others require a subscription. They can be useful in describing the steps to beginning work in pro gambling. Online guides also provide tips and document the pros and cons of betting on sports for a living. Worked examples are a good element of online resources.

Training Courses

Professional sports betting training courses can be found online, or you can attend a course in person. The instructions are often well-organized and present a logical progression from embarking on the work to achieving financial goals. Courses will provide practical examples and tests that do not inv🔯olve risking any money.

Specialist Software

There are a number of specialist software providers which focus on one area of sports betting. For example, you can buy software that highlights the matched betting opportunities and provides detailed instructions to take advantage of free bets. Some software will 🦂also highlight the existing arbs, but they soon close.

Blogs and Forums

Professional sports betting is usually an individual pursuit — typically in an office at home, which can be isolating. Blogꦰs and fo꧙rums offer a platform for the exchange of ideas and strategies, serving as a valuable sounding board when you are considering a system. However, they are not tipping services but can confirm — or not confirm — gambling thought processes.

Mainstream Media

The mainstream media can prꩵovide a good source of information. You can watch game previews and keep up to date with injuries and suspensions. Preview shows will often highlight key statistical trends, but again, taking tips from this resource should be avoided. However🥃, you can glean information to help with your betting decisions.

Observe Winning Pro Gamblers

There are high❀ly successful professional sports bettors and others who make a modest living. Try to research the attributes of winning sports bettors as best you can; while they may not reveal their secrets, you can observe how they go about their business. Conversely, identify the traits that come with an unsuccessful pro gambler career and adopt this approach as part of your learning process.

Tips To Becoming a Professional Bettor

We now present some important pro gambler tips that you c꧑an adopt into your sport��s betting:

Good Bankroll Management

Managing your betting bank is paramount. This involves a staking strategy that maximizes the earnings from good runꦛs and minimizes the losses from poor runs.

You should🐬 set a budget and have a definite plan for staking in line with your current performance. You can adopt a fixed stake strategy or compounding stakes that involve risking a fixed percentage of your bank.

Look to the Future

You may not see a betting opportunity in a game, but you can gather inform𝓰ation about future bets.

For example, in a ho💜🐓rse race, a horse may have no luck in running and not achieve a place the form justifies. You can take note and consider backing the horse at the right odds in the future.

In oth꧋er sports, take note🃏 of the draft and measure improvements in team rosters.

Specialize

ꦫ There is a vast amount of online betting opportunities across sports, leagues, and games. It is impossible to 🧜keep up to date with games and team news, so you should specialize.

Your chosen niche area could be graded thoroughbred horse races or games in the NFL or col♛lege football. You could also focus on one type of bet, such as moneyline, s♚preads, or totals.

Bet Within Your Means

It is vital to keep🅷 emotions in chec💛k by betting within your means. Don’t gamble with money that you should use to pay bills.

It’s a good idea to use a𒊎 separate bank account for your betting transactions. However, you should set loss limits and never deviate from the plan — it can be too stressful and damaging to gamble with money you cannot afford to lose.

Don’t Expect Overnight Success

Profitable sports bett🧜ing is difficult. The house edge is a huge obstacle, so yo🐈u must work to small margins.

Success will not be immediate. You must practice and can paper trade your systems and record the success. However, keep in mind that the learning process takes several months and that this is a long-term business decision that will not bring overnigh♐t success.

Pros & Cons Of Professional Sports Betting

♔ We now present the upsides and downsides to being a pro sports gambler in brief:

Conclusions on How To Become a Professional Sports Bettor

There is no room for shortcuts when it comes to betting for a living. You will need to take time to study the field and ensure that ea🌃ch bet you make is as well-informed as possible; and even then, you can expect to earn a modest salary at best (any multi-millionaire professional gamblers you may ha🌱ve heard about are very much outliers). Money-management must also be taken seriously.

The good news is that there is a host of information and helpful services out there, including in-depth guides, as well as sof🌳tware and online communities of professional gamblers. In this article we have given you a thorough set of pointers to help you get started on your pro-betting journey, but the next step is up to you.

Professional sports bettors are on a journey that begins with gambling for fun and recreation. Semi-pros 🔯rea𒈔lize they can profit from sports betting if they are selective and disciplined. However, they generally have another source of income with a paid job. The final step is making a commitment to betting on sports as a full-time profession.