Understanding ROI in Sports Betting

ROI (Return on Investment) is the key metric for measuring betting success. It tells you how much profit you make per dollar wagered.

Calculating ROI

ROI = (Profit / Total Staked) × 100%

Example

Total wagered: $10,000
Total returned: $10,500
Profit: $500

ROI = ( $500 /$ 10,000) × 100% = 5%

Use our ROI Calculator for instant results.

What's a Good ROI?

ROI	Level	Reality
> 10%	Elite	Top 1% of bettors
5-10%	Excellent	Professional level
2-5%	Good	Sustainable profit
0-2%	Break-even	Covering costs
< 0%	Losing	Need to improve

Important: Even 3% ROI is excellent over thousands of bets.

Sample Size Matters

ROI is meaningless without enough bets:

Bets	Reliability
50	Very low (high variance)
100	Low
500	Moderate
1000+	High

Variance Example

With true 3% ROI and 100 bets:

5% chance of -10% result
5% chance of +16% result

At 1000 bets, range narrows significantly.

ROI vs Yield

Often used interchangeably, but technically:

ROI: Profit / Capital deployed
Yield: Profit / Total turnover (same formula)

In betting, they mean the same thing.

Tracking Your ROI

Use our Bet Tracker to record:

Every bet placed
Stakes and odds
Results
Running ROI

What to Track

Field	Why
Sport	Which sports are you best at?
Market	1X2 vs handicap vs totals
Odds range	High vs low odds performance
Bookmaker	Which offers best value?

ROI by Betting Type

Pre-match vs Live

Many bettors perform differently in live betting vs pre-match.

Singles vs Accumulators

Accumulators often have lower ROI due to compounded margin.

Favorites vs Underdogs

Public money on favorites can create value on underdogs.

Improving Your ROI

Specialize — Focus on leagues/sports you know best
Line shop — Compare odds across bookmakers
Track data — Identify your strengths and weaknesses
Cut losers — Stop betting on consistently unprofitable areas
Use tools — Margin calculator, EV calculator

Common Mistakes

Cherry-picking periods

"I was +20% last month" — but -5% over 6 months.

Ignoring variance

Short-term results are noise. Trust long-term data.

Not accounting for bonuses

Include bonus money in calculations for accurate ROI.

Conclusion

ROI is the ultimate measure of betting success. Track it religiously, wait for adequate sample size, and use the data to improve.

Target: 3-5% ROI over 500+ bets is excellent.

ROI in Betting: How to Measure Your Success