How Much Money Do I Need To Start My Own Sportsbook?

Gambling911.com answers your frequently asked questions when it comes to the explosive bookmaking business.  Today's Q&A revolves around MONEY.

How Much Money Will I Need If I Want To Start My Own Sportsbook?

Utilizing a Pay Per Head software platform, most industry experts agree you will need in the neighborhood of $10,000 in reserve for a relatively small operation of up to 10 players.  One never knows when there will be times you'll run into a particular rough patch where the public is on a winning streak.

These funds should be separated from general operations such as the weekly PPH fees.  At RealBookies this amounts to $7 per active player per week.

Do Bookies Make a Lot of Money?

Yes.  On January 21, 2022, Gambling911.com's home page was littered with headlines related to the amount of money taken in by in-state run sports betting operations.  Michigan's sports gambling handle was a jaw dropping $3.5 billion in 2021.  Okay, so you're probably not going to make anything remotely near that amount of money, but this simply demonstrates the potential.

What Are The Expenses of Running a Sportsbook?

If you have 10 active players you are looking at costs of around $280 per month.  All the typical overhead associated with a bookmaker's business such as the call center, employees, oddsmaking, reporting and server hosting as well as Web development is part of your Pay Per Head package.  In other words there are no additional costs involved. 

Gambling911.com recommends spending some money on marketing and you may wish to employ an assistant.

- Aaron Goldstein, Gambling911.com