NFL Betting Bankroll Management
| Updated: November 10, 2025
This is the most important part of our guide to NFL betting. You cannot overlook it, and this applies not only to NFL betting fans but to gamblers of all kinds. If you are a beginner, this is the first thing you must read about and learn. We will cover everything you need to know about bankroll management and will help you determine what your bankroll should be and how it relates to the size of your bets.
Bankroll management simply means knowing how to use your funds wisely. If you neither know nor try to understand it, you will suffer significant losses and will be considered a reckless player. Some people can afford to lose obscene amounts of money, but this article is for those who cannot. This is for those who are trying to be successful NFL bettors.
Best Rated Bookmakers for United States-
Claim
$1000
Match Bonus9.718+ New customers only. 100% match bonus up to $1000. Min deposit $50. 10x rollover requirement. Promocode: MYB100 -
Claim
$250
Match Bonus9.4Join Bovada, make your first deposit and instantly receive a 50% Sports Welcome Bonus up to $250. -
Claim
$500
Match Bonus9.3Get a 100% Bonus, up to $500, to wager in the Xbet Sportsbook when you sign up and fund your new account with minimum of $45. Be sure to use promocode XB100 to claim this offer on your first deposit. 7x rollover requirement prior withdrawal. -
Claim
$200
Match Bonus9.2The bonus and the deposit need to be rolled over 4x at min. odds of -200 (1.5) before a payout is possible Max. $200 of every bet count towards the rollover. -
Claim
$150
Match Bonus9.1Get a 150% Bonus, up to $150, to wager in the BetUSR Sportsbook. Deposit minimum $100 and wager at least $500 within 30 days of registerening your account and you will automatically qualify for $150 CASH BONUS with just 1x wagering requirement.
Why You Need Bankroll Management
Naturally, if you are in a tight spot financially, that speaks for itself. But what about everyone else? Should they ignore this? No. This is crucial to every single punter’s success. Regardless of how wealthy you are, you need to figure out exactly how much you can afford to lose and how much you are willing to lose. This might sound dire to some, but it is the truth when it comes to gambling. You have to account for the worst-case scenario to be a successful gambler of any sort.
If you always assume you will win, you will never feel the real danger you are exposing your money to. Gambling is not a business, and victory or loss is never certain. However, it is much more likely for you to have a session with no wins than one with no losses. Therefore, that is the scenario we must consider in this equation.
The equation here consists of a few constants and some variables: your bankroll, the size of a single bet, your goal, and probability. You can control all but one, and yet that one is the most important. This makes it crucial for you to master the rest. You need to set your bankroll, your betting limits, and your goal.
Your bankroll’s size will vary depending on your overall budget and financial stability. It can also depend on how much you enjoy betting. This does not mean that you can risk all of your money because you are into NFL betting. Instead, it means that if you do not enjoy sports betting that much, you can set up a smaller bankroll. There must always be limits, regardless of how avid a fan you are.
How to Set Up Limits
This goes without saying, but you need to exercise serious self-control to get anywhere near being a successful punter. If you struggle with this, you should seriously reconsider continuing with NFL betting or any form of gambling. Exercise absolute caution when it comes to controlling your gambling.
Establishing Your Bankroll
The way to set up a bankroll is simple: imagine losing the money you plan to use for betting. If that loss would seriously affect your life, you need to choose a smaller bankroll. Keep reducing the amount until the loss would have no serious consequences. Naturally, you should also keep in mind that by using money for NFL betting, you are investing in a potentially big profit, so make sure you find that golden middle.
Once you have found that golden middle, you must do everything in your power to stick to it. This is no easy task, and NFL betting is certainly challenging as well. To succeed, you need to exercise self-control and know how to bet with precision. If you have had trouble with money management in the past, address those issues before you even think about betting on the NFL.
Bet Size
Of course, profits depend on your bets, both their type and their size. The size of a single bet should not exceed 5% of your bankroll unless you are an absolute high-roller with a very stable financial situation. Otherwise, a bet of about 1-3% of your total bankroll is appropriate. You may find this too restrictive, but the more you progress and win, the larger your bankroll will become, and the larger your single bets will be. It is quite simple, really: all you need is patience.
If patience is not one of your virtues, though, online sportsbooks offer plenty of solutions that can help. We will go over them in a bit, but if you are betting in a brick-and-mortar betting shop, you will need to learn to be patient and stay in control. It is much harder to ignore the masses of fans excitedly placing bet after bet, but you must learn to do so.
Setting Your Goals
Now comes the hardest part: being realistic about the profit you could make. Many people think that one good betting session is the only thing standing between them and a huge payout. This is not true unless you are also betting obscene amounts of money.
Set your goals based on the size of your bets and your bankroll. You cannot place $5 bets and expect a profit of $10,000. Nor can you start betting with a bankroll of $100 and expect such payouts.
Many people will say that winning is really just down to luck, and that may be true, but luck does not care how badly you want to win. Probability and the right odds are the only things that can actually help you become a long-term winner. Base your expectations on them.
Helpful Solutions
It can be difficult to stick to these limits, but there are ways to make it easier. First, it is best to keep your betting funds in a separate bank account from your other funds. You can do this easily online. Simply pick an e-wallet, register, and deposit your funds there. This separation helps you maintain a better grip on your financial situation. If you can see your entire account balance while you are in the middle of an NFL betting session, you might be tempted to bet over your limits.
Sportsbooks can help with this as well. At most sportsbooks you can set your own limits, including the size of your bets. Doing so is called an account reset. It involves nothing more than a few clicks and can be done at any time. The changes take effect immediately, but you will need to repeat the process after a set period of time. The length of this period is entirely up to you.
After some time has passed and you feel like a more experienced bettor with enough profit to increase your bankroll, you should do so. At that point, reset your account again and change the limits. Once again, the process is easy. The only hard part is sticking to your new bet limit. Many players feel that when they are winning they should bet larger amounts, but unless you have made substantial profits, you should not do this.
Potential Risks to Your Bankroll
As we already said, it is hard not to go all in when you are enjoying great wins. The same is true during losing streaks. Whenever players experience a losing session, they usually want to recoup their losses immediately. This would mean exceeding their bankroll and betting limits. As you can guess, that is a horrible idea. You have no better chance of winning after you have lost. There is never a guarantee that you will win.
Given that we are on the topic of sports betting, we must also mention that many bettors who are passionate about the sport tend to drink during games. This is not to say that every fan does this, but it is common. If you are one such fan, you should place your bets before you begin drinking alcohol. Betting while drunk will most likely lead to serious losses. After all, your judgment is clouded and your ego is boosted. This combination often leads to large bets on events with terrible odds.
If you find yourself incapable of following these guidelines, you should consider whether sports betting is good for you. It might be having only a negative effect on your life. If that is the case, contact one of the many organizations that help people with problem gambling.
Conclusion
Please make sure you are capable of managing your funds before you even consider sports betting. If you cannot keep your cool and bet wisely, there is no point in doing it. This type of betting will only lead to losses and could bankrupt you in the long run. To make NFL betting a profitable pastime, you need to make small, smart bets that result in more wins than losses. Over time, this approach will allow you to make a profit.