How to Pass a Sports Betting Challenge: A Step-by-Step Plan

Passing a funded sports betting challenge is less about finding the perfect pick and more about running a simple, repeatable process for 30 days. This guide lays out that process step by step, using BetFunder's rules as the example.

Step 1: Know the exact numbers before you start

Write down the four numbers that decide your challenge before you place a single pick:

• Profit target: 20% on a 1-Phase challenge, 15% then 10% on a 2-Phase, and 10% per phase on a 3-Phase.
• Maximum overall loss: 15% on a 1-Phase, 20% on 2-Phase and 3-Phase challenges.
• Daily loss limit: 10% of the account.
• Time limit: 30 days per phase.

On a $10,000 1-Phase account, that means you need $2,000 of profit before you lose $1,500 overall or $1,000 in a single day. Seeing it in dollars makes the challenge concrete. The full details are on our Rules & FAQ page.

Step 2: Pick a unit size and never change it mid-challenge

Your unit is the standard stake you place on a normal pick. Around 1% of the starting balance is a sensible default. On $10,000 that is $100.

At 1% units, it would take 15 net losing units to hit a 15% overall loss. That gives you room to survive an ordinary cold streak. At 3% units, five bad picks put you a third of the way to failing. Our guide to calculating unit size covers this in more depth.

Step 3: Set a personal daily stop well inside the rule

The 10% daily loss limit is the line that ends your challenge. Your own stop should be much tighter, typically 3% to 4%. When you hit it, you stop for the day, with no exceptions and no "one more pick to get it back".

Step 4: Plan your pace

Divide the target by the days you expect to bet. A 20% target over 20 active days is 1% a day on average. Some days you will be up 3%, others down 2%. The point of a pace is to stop you panicking in week three and forcing picks.

If you fall behind, the right response is patience, not bigger stakes. Running out of time costs you the fee. Breaching a loss limit costs you the fee and all your progress.

Step 5: Bet only your best markets

List the two or three sports or bet types where your tracked record is strongest. Those are your markets for the challenge. A challenge is not the time to experiment with a league you rarely follow.

Step 6: Track every pick

Log the date, market, odds, stake and result of every pick. It takes seconds and gives you an honest view of where your edge is. See our guide to tracking your bets.

Step 7: Review weekly, not after every loss

Once a week, look at your record: profit, number of picks, average odds and how close you came to your daily stop. Adjust your plan only at these reviews, never in the heat of a losing day.

Step 8: Keep the same process once funded

Passing is the start, not the finish. Funded accounts have rules too, and the bettors who earn regular payouts are the ones who keep the exact same unit, daily stop and markets that got them through the challenge.

Quick checklist

• I know my target, overall loss, daily loss and deadline in dollars.
• My unit is about 1% of the account.
• My personal daily stop is 3% to 4%.
• I have a daily pace and will not force picks to catch up.
• I am betting only my strongest markets.
• I log every pick.

Ready to start? Compare formats and sizes on our Challenges page, or read the most common mistakes first.

BetFunder challenges use simulated capital and are available only to people who meet our eligibility requirements. Only spend what you can afford on a challenge fee. If betting stops being fun, visit our Responsible Gambling page.