As we step into 2025, the Making a Million Challenge hits months 94 and 95. Overall profit at the start of the year stood at +£190,510, however in the last couple of years profits have steadily dropped off. Being a sports bettor in the UK is far from what is was in previous years but is there still money to be made?
Let’s dive into the results from the past two months to find out!
Value Betting Results Jan/Feb
As always, we’ll kick things off with value betting—undoubtedly the backbone of my long-term success. It’s a strategy that’s not just stood the test of time but has repeatedly proven its effectiveness year after year. Most of my value betting revolves around the exchanges, where I take full advantage of 0% commission deals. This alone improves margins and helps preserve profitability, especially in a market where squeezing out every bit of value is critical. Alongside this, I also dabble in shop betting and soft bookmaker accounts, although this makes up a smaller slice of the overall strategy.
I now record results from each individual bookmaker/exchange rather then each individual bet. This just saves me a lot of time. The year started off very well until I had a terrible weekend and lost around £1k, been steadily recovering from that since.
Stakes are set to win £100 – £150 adjusted for odds.
In total a profit of +£901 has been made from value betting
Click here for a list of free value betting software trials that I recommend
Horse Racing Betfair Strategy Results
Been using a strategy based on following odds movement. This strategy focuses on horses at odds of 6.0 or above and stakes half at the available odds and half at SP. Did a lot of testing for this strategy and currently staking £6 per selection.
A profit of +£93 has been made.
This strategy is pretty volatile, with previous swings reaching as high as 100 points. But for me, it’s worth staying the course. A key reason is that, in the same timeframe, I also back selections for Tilt The Odds, spending about an hour in the morning.
While profits over the past two months have been minimal, the long-term picture tells a different story. Since starting this strategy at a modest stake of £4, the results have shown a steady upward trajectory. (Results are tracked on a daily basis rather than individual bets)
Everything Else (Casino Offers, UFC and Tilt The Odds)
In future updates I will be adding Tilt The Odds selections to the value betting section as it is basically a value betting method. I have covered Tilt The Odds on this blog and on Youtube quite a few times however for those not aware it is a horse racing service that finds value with bookmakers.
In terms of Casino offers I have mainly been doing weekly offers from 32red. When it comes to UFC betting my volume is quite low with 2 or 3 bets made on each event.
Overall a profit of +£660 has been made from these strategies.
Total Made Jan/Feb 2025
Total = +£1654
Overall Profit Since The Challenge Began
+£192,164
Wrapping Up the Start of 2025
Kicking off the year with some profit is always a positive, even if I’m still waiting for that standout run of results to hit. In Feb I downloaded some API software and looked at pre race/ in-play horse racing trading. It’s impossible to ignore how some bettors are raking in consistent profits with this strategy. However, understanding the steep learning curve and the time it would take to hit their level is another matter. With the current direction of the betting industry, I can’t help but question whether the edge will last long enough to justify the commitment.
Thinking long-term, I see real value in broadening my horizons beyond betting—especially living in the UK, where the betting market is tightening. That said, my focus remains the three core strategies mentioned in this blog: Value Betting, Tilt The Odds, and Betfair Horse Racing Bets. All of them work long term and currently not spending much more then an hour a day getting bets down
How about you? How has your year started?
Drop a comment below—I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences!
Thanks for the insight
Tilt The Odds didnt work for me. Was in loss after 4 months doing lucky 15s only. Perhaps too much variance. Had better results with odds monkey each way lucky 15s (less variance).
How do you find value bets on the exchange & in shops?
My profits starting to dry up a bit, running out of bookies. Have dabbled a bit in betfair trading, had fingers burned a few times.
On the exchanges mainly looking at odds where there is a lot of lay money driving up the odds (Bet365 superboosts etc), in shops look at Betfred specials and bet early UFC odds.