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Is sports betting, casino or poker the most profitable?

We compared the three most popular forms of gambling on a mathematical basis. Let’s see which form of gambling is the most rewarding.
author-picture Admin - 2024. March 04.

Sports Betting

It's hard to give a perfect market average, because the number of bookmakers is so different for every bookmaker, every sportsbook, every league, but if we say that the average margin in the sports betting industry is 6%, we probably won't miss the mark.This includes 3-5% for a Premier League, of course, but also 8-9% for an ITF tennis tournament, so it's really just an estimate.

In other words, it means that on a high average, the profit for the bookmakers is about 6 EUR  per 100 EUR bet. Of course, this could be polemicised, as there are completely different bookmakers operating in the markets, with different bonuses, margins and limits, so we have only looked at the industry standard in strictly numerical terms.

Poker

Poker is a slightly different industry from sports betting in that you don't play against the house, but against other players, and your money doesn't go to the bookie, who acts as a middleman in the process. The profit of poker rooms (apart from the fact that most rooms are both sportsbooks and casinos) comes from the so-called rake, which is determined as a percentage of the amount of money put into the hands.

There are, of course, many other factors to take into account here too, so we'll just give a broad outline, but there are opportunities for rakeback and other bonuses that can further increase the potential winnings for players.

Based on their estimates, the average margin (or more correctly, rake) in this industry is 4-5%, meaning that for every 100 EUR wagered, 95 EUR goes to the players and 5EUR goes to the room.

Casino

In the case of casinos, it is not uncommon to see margins of up to 1-2%, which are mainly present on slot machines. But there are also casino rooms with a margin of less than 1%, i.e. for every EUR 100 wagered, the room's profit is around EUR 0.5 in the long run. The reason for this is, in short, the maths that allows the room to win in the long run, not the player.

A very popular game is, for example, roulette, where you can distinguish between European and American roulette, depending on how many 0's there are on the table. European roulette with its single 0 has a margin of 2.7%, which means that whatever strategy you use (black only, even only, 1-18 only, single row only, single number only, etc.), in the long run, 100 EUR will return you 97.3 EUR on a mathematical basis. In American roulette it's 5.26%, so if you have to choose between the two, don't dither too much.

Conclusion

Casino gambling is perhaps the biggest exception to this list, as it can be described as a truly classic form of gambling, devoid of any knowledge or potential to increase the odds. In the other industries, you have more discretion, as odds change, cards can be discarded at any time.

This is why, in casino games, operators can afford to pay higher payouts, as the profits end up with them one way or another. Essentially, you can do whatever you want, whatever your tactics, you will never find a strategy on a Blackjack or roulette that will result in a guaranteed profit in the long run.

That said, casino gambling isn't always a bad choice either, as there are plenty of betting shops that like to steer their players in this direction, often offering huge deposit bonuses or free, risk-free spins. It's definitely a good idea to take advantage of these, as you can increase your chances of winning and also try out what it's like to have fun in an online casino.

It really is a universal truth that whatever you do, whatever you want to win at, the work you put in will pay off sooner or later, but it's a lifelong learning process in any industry.

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