Regardless of your purpose for betting on football – to earn a living or entertainment – it should always be enjoyable. Once betting on sports is no longer enjoyable is the time you should hang it up, at least for a while. Even if it is enjoyable, don’t just throw your money away betting on sports. Don’t place a wager “just because”. Place a wager because you think you have an edge.

What do I mean by “heave an edge”?

An edge is any time you think the odds of winning are in your favor. A bet where you don’t have an edge is when you place a wager because you’re a fan of the team or because you enjoy the team’s colors. Sure, we’ve all been in an NCAA Tournament office pool that was won by some clueless woman in Accounting that picked teams based on her favorite colors. That might work in an NCAA Tournament pool but it doesn’t work when you’re trying to beat the sportsbook.

It’s okay to have some fun when gambling. That’s the whole point of it, or at least it should be. But there comes a point where if you’re just throwing money down on games for the heck of it, you’ll end up broke unless you are worth millions. Bet mostly on games you know more than the average person about.

What I mean by that is if you don’t have a great deal of knowledge about the teams involved and haven’t researched injuries, trends, weather conditions, etc., then maybe you shouldn’t place the bet. Sports betting is difficult. These sportsbooks are created to make money off the players. But that doesn’t mean you can’t beat them. You most certainly can.

I’m not trying to tell you what to do with your money. I’m not your Daddy. By all means, do as you please with your hard earned cash. I just want to make you aware of ways to make money betting on sports. Throwing money down on your favorite teams just for the heck of it isn’t going to make you money.

Know Your Skill Level

The mistake some people make is to think they are good at handicapping games – especially during a hot streak – but really aren’t. Know your skill level. Be honest with yourself. If you are just making random bets and winning, understand that you are just getting lucky and luck will turn around.

Football – NFL and College – is a highly profitable sport for talented sports bettors. Even though the sportsbooks make money each football season, there are thousands of people that clean house. Many people earn a living betting on football (and other sports). You can be one of those but you have to understand that only the skilled sports bettors win in the long run.

Don’t overestimate your skills. If you’re just on a hot streak, be honest with yourself and improve on your game before continuing to place random wagers. There is more to playing winning sports betting than you might think. Have some fun out there but bet SMART!