It’s the kind of dream shared by millions of newcomers and seasoned sports betting fans alike. That being, to take your sports betting activities to a genuinely professional level. And it’s not as if it’s the kind of thing that doesn’t happen for quite a lot of people on a global basis. Quite to the contrary – thousands of professional sports bettors all over the world have made a small fortune out of what most likely initially began as a hobby.
It really does seem like the kind of prospect that’s hard to resist. Rather than simply having the occasional ‘flutter’ and seeing what happens, you take things to a higher level and turn sports betting into your primary source of income. Not just tempting, but so tempting you find yourself wondering if it’s all a little too good to be true.
So what’s the truth about sports betting as a career? Is it the kind of thing that represents a plausible prospect for those willing to commit themselves? Or is it no more than a pipedream there just isn’t going to happen?
The truth is, a career in sports betting is far from the kind of fantastical and far-flung concept it may appear to be on the surface. But at the same time, it definitely isn’t right for everyone.
So in order to determine whether or not you personally are cut out for a career in sports betting, it’s important to first take into account the arguments both for and against the idea.
Yes – You Can and You Should
On the positive side of things, there’s technically nothing to stop most people taking their sports betting activities to the next level. That said, professional sports betting is an entirely different concept to the kind of gambling most casual gamblers enjoy from time to time.
The key difference being that the moment you go professional is the moment sports betting ceases to be a hobby. It becomes your career – your primary and most important specialism that demands your total time, effort and commitment. Ask yourself – can you genuinely say that you would be willing and able to invest 40+ hours per week as an absolute minimum in research and betting activities? Could you take things so seriously that the fun and enjoyment of the whole thing no longer takes precedence? Do you have the kind of self-discipline it takes to effectively train yourself right up to the position of professional pundits in whichever sport you intended to focus on?
If the answer to all of the above is yes, you’ve every chance of taking things to a professional level. For the most part, it’s simply a case of understanding and acknowledging the key differences between betting for fun and betting as a career.
No – You Could But You Probably Shouldn’t
On the downside, making a career of sports betting rarely tends to be as straightforward as expected. Even for those who are typically quite successful when it comes to a casual betting, there is such a huge gap between casual and career-level sports betting that almost always comes as something of a surprise. Once again, the fact that things have to be taken so seriously often takes the fun out of it all – what was once an enjoyable pastime becoming a difficult and intensive everyday job.
Plus, there’s also the fact that when you go pro with anything like sports betting, you do to a large extent leave yourself open to fate. One of the most important things to remember is that no matter how much research you do and effort you invest in your gambling activities, you can never 100% guarantee a positive outcome. Which means that at any time and for any reason whatsoever, you could find yourself facing heavy losses. Or even the kind of losing streak that puts your entire betting ‘business’ in jeopardy.
Which is precisely why it is typically only those who are already in comfortable financial situations that are advised to consider these kinds of options. While there’s nothing to say your foray into the world of professional gambling won’t pay off, there are also no guarantees whatsoever that it will.
The Financial Aspect
If all of the above makes perfect sense to you and you’re still determined to get up and running as a professional gambler, it’s important to first consider the financial aspect of things.
As far as the vast majority of professional sports bettors are concerned, you need to ensure that you have a relatively sizeable financial ‘safety net’ before getting started. The reason being that during the transition period in particular, it is almost inevitable that you will find yourself facing prolonged and potentially heavy losses as you learn the ropes. Which means that you need to not only ensure you have plenty of disposable cash set aside to cover your costs, but also your essential living and lifestyle costs at the same time.
What’s more, it’s also critically important to ensure that you never put yourself in a position where there is even the slightest chance of going completely bust. Which is precisely why many of the world’s most successful full-time gambling professionals didn’t necessarily dive straight into full-time gambling. Instead, they slowly but surely increased their time an investment in sports betting, only dedicating themselves to it comprehensively after making sufficient progress as to do so safely.
The last thing you want is to find yourself in a position where you’re dealing with a failed attempt to go pro, heavy losses to recoup and no source of income whatsoever.
Ask the Experts
If going pro is something you have a genuine and vested interest in, the best thing you can do to get started is to read up on the success stories of those who have made it happen. There are thousands of insightful and inspiring biographies on the market right now, which lay out from start to finish how some of the world’s most successful sports bettors went from outside amateur to fully-fledged expert. You may also want to consider being your own bookie and running everything with professional sportsbook software to reduce your downside risk and turn your dream of a sports betting career into a full-fledged business.