Return on investment (ROI) in sports betting measures your profit relative to the total amount wagered. It's the most useful metric for comparing your performance across different time periods, bet sizes, and sports.
How to Calculate Betting ROI
ROI = (Total Profit / Total Wagered) × 100
Example: You bet $110 per game on 200 games (-110 odds each). You win 108 and lose 92.
- Total wagered: 200 × $110 = $22,000
- Winnings on 108 wins: 108 × $100 = $10,800
- Loss on 92 losses: 92 × $110 = $10,120
- Net profit: $10,800 - $10,120 = $680
- ROI: $680 / $22,000 = 3.1%
What Counts as Good ROI
Professional level: 3-7% ROI sustained over 1,000+ bets. Extremely difficult and rare.
Strong recreational: 1-3% ROI over 500+ bets. Demonstrates systematic edge.
Break-even: 0% ROI. Not losing money at -110 odds requires a 52.4% win rate.
Average recreational bettor: -8% to -15% ROI. This is the norm — most bettors lose.
Why Sample Size Matters
ROI over a small sample is meaningless. 60% win rate over 20 bets could be pure luck. Over 500 bets, 60% becomes statistically significant evidence of edge.
Don't evaluate your betting performance based on any sample smaller than 200-300 bets in the same sport and bet type.
Tracking ROI Accurately
Many bettors unconsciously calculate ROI incorrectly — they forget to account for pushes, they confuse profit with units won, or they exclude their worst bets from the calculation. Automatic tracking removes these biases.
[Calculate your real ROI automatically with Oddible →]
