It feels good to feel like you’re right, and, as all sports bettors know, that stroke of luck when you place a bet is often just as exciting as the returns. Investing, on the other hand, is the exact opposite: Perhaps with some trepidation, you make a decision, then live with uncertainty for years, knowing that any gains you make can be quickly repaid if the market turns. And no one can tell you whether you won or lost.
Also, if you choose to get into cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC)it often stirs emotions just to hold it in long enough to feel like you’ve taken it. So, is sports betting actually a better move than investing in crypto if you’re looking to maximize your hard-earned cash?
Will AI create the world’s first trillionaire? Our team recently released a report on one little-known company, called “Indispensable Monopoly” that provides essential technology needed by both Nvidia and Intel. Continue »
There is a lot of technical information about sports betting that many bettors simply don’t understand.
Sportsbooks set the prices so that even if the bettors split 50/50, the house keeps the “vig,” which is a built-in amount placed between the odds. According to Motley Fool research, football bettors have lost about 8% to 9% of their bets during recent football seasons. The average sports bettor loses 6% on each bet, or about $6 in losses for every $100 bet. Your loss becomes the growth of sports betting stocks, rather than the growth of your portfolio.
In addition, a 2024 UC San Diego study of a large data set of online gamblers reported that 96% of gamblers experienced financial losses over a multi-year study period. Of course, you can tell yourself that you will overcome those mistakes, if you really want to.
Now, let’s turn to exploring crypto investments, specifically Bitcoin.
Bitcoin doesn’t guarantee losses like sports betting does, but it tends to punish those who buy rashly at its peaks and sell during its troughs. The coin has had multiple drawdowns of over 50%, and its biggest drawdown is around 80%. It is very possible that you will lose a lot of your money by buying this coin, and the same goes for other cryptocurrencies.
But, for the record, even an 80% drop still leaves you with something in hand, unlike a losing sports bet, which leaves you with $0. As long as there is someone willing to buy Bitcoin, it cannot go to zero, even if it still falls by a large amount. Due to the difficulty of mining the coin, which increases every four years, even if it meets the same level of demand, its price can still increase over time.
Therefore, sports betting is a bigger gamble than buying crypto, especially well-established cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. Buying crypto still means taking a lot of risk, but at least you get control of the asset and the chance to keep its value, unlike betting you take at a sportsbook.
Before buying stock in Bitcoin, consider the following:
I The Motley Fool Stock Advisor a team of analysts has just identified what they believe to be 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Bitcoin was not one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce huge gains in the coming years.
Think about when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004… if you invested $1,000 during our recommendation, you will have $534,008!* Whenever Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005… if you invested $1,000 during our recommendation, you will have $1,090,073!*
Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s the average total return is 949% – outperformed the market by 190% for the S&P 500. Don’t miss the latest top 10 list, available via Stock Advisorand join an investment community built by individual investors for individual investors.
See 10 stocks »
*Stock Advisor returns from 9 March 2026.
Alex Carchidi has positions in Bitcoin. The Motley Fool has positions and recommends Bitcoin. The Motley Fool has a policy of disclosure.
Sports Betting or Crypto: Which is the Biggest Game for Your Hard Earned Money? was first published by The Motley Fool
