Sports betting can add an enhanced level of fun to watching sports. As every true fan knows, anything can happen in sports! The best strategy is to play for fun. If you win, consider it a bonus.

Set your budget

Three spend levels low, medium, and high are shown using dollar signs signifying a player’s budget. The middle option is checked off.

The first step before risking any money gambling is to establish your budget. Plan how much you’re going to spend for any given week or month, and call it quits if you hit it. Never chase losses or try to win back what you’ve lost by going deeper into your pocket. You’re likely to lose even more.

It’s a good idea to know the rules of the sport on which you are betting. Even more important, however, is to know the rules for playing OLG sports betting games. If you play PROLINE, you’ll be bound by the rules of this product, also known as the Game Conditions.

Historical game and player statistics provide you with data on each team, to see how they’ve performed in the past. This way, you can get relevant information to help make your selections. While stats can provide helpful guidance, they can’t help you predict an outcome with certainty.

Is my team due for a win?

A football player is shown with two silhouettes with question marks on each side, signifying that there is no certain way to predict a winner in sports.

Just like lottery or casino games, there are no certain ways to predict a win in sports. A team on a losing streak is never “due” for a win and there’s no way to tell if or when they might win again. Since anything can happen, it’s important to focus on playing for fun and accept that sometimes you may lose. When that happens, don’t chase your losses. Trying to win back lost money is a sure way to go over your budget.

Should I bet on the underdog?

While it may be tempting to always bet against the favourite to increase your potential winnings, there’s no guarantee an underdog will come out on top.

Upsets may be difficult to predict. You can take your best guess based on your team and game knowledge. After that, it’s up to the players.

Should I bet on a winning streak?

Three trophies are shown in succession, followed by a question mark representing the uncertainty of winning streaks.

Winning streaks are a series of back-to-back wins that could end at any time. A team on a winning streak might lose the next game. In the end, know that anything can happen, and no bet is guaranteed to win.

If I bet more, will I win more?

In theory, if you bet more you could win more but you also stand to lose more. Plus, over time, you’re likely to lose more often than you win.

The best strategy is to never bet more than you can afford, and to never chase your losses.

Set a personal win limit

Three trophies are shown with varying levels of payouts. Underneath each trophy is a checkbox with the middle win limit selected.

It’s no fun to be up and then lose it all. Avoid it by deciding on a win limit—the point at which you plan to stop making bets, even if you’re up.

Betting on sports can be a lot of fun; and when you place your bet, that should be the goal instead of expecting to turn a profit. Any player can win at any time, but over time you’re more likely to lose than win. That’s why it’s important to set a budget and stick to it.

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PROLINE.ca and the PROLINE App let you build bets for PROLINE in-store betting. They are different from PROLINE+, OLG’s online sports offering.