New Study Reveals Which Sports Teams Made Bettors The Most Profit Last Season

Whether you’re sitting at home or in the midst of a stadium’s electric atmosphere, watching sports is a thrilling viewing experience. However, to add extra excitement, many fans now choose to place bets - sometimes on their favorite teams, and other times to give them an extra layer of involvement in games where they would otherwise be neutrals.

While many will choose to back the heavy hitters, are they the ones that truly make bettors the most profit?

Well, the following study reveals which NFL and NBA teams delivered the strongest returns for bettors last season, based on placing a hypothetical $100 wager on each team to win every game. The results offer insight into which teams would have generated the greatest overall profit

The Top 3 Teams by Profitability – NFL

Focusing on the NFL first, here are the top three football teams that offered the best ROI for bettors.

Top 10 NFL teams making bettors the most profit. | Sports Illustrated

Carolina Panthers

The Carolina Panthers sit first place in the NFL as the team which provided bettors with the most profit. With an ROI of 60.4%, the Panthers are positioned comfortably atop the NFL rankings and made a profit of $1,208.24 across the last regular season, winning eight times and losing nine.

Results such as their week nine shock 16-13 win over the Packers and beating the Rams 31-28 in week 13 easily shot them up the rankings.

Rookie wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan, who won the offensive rookie of the year award, and quarterback Bryce Young, who showed great development across the season, were integral to the Panthers’ success.

Head coach Dave Canales guided the team to the first NFC South division title since 2015 and led them to the playoffs in only his second season in charge, showing real promise since his appointment in 2024.

New England Patriots

Taking second place in the NFL rankings is the New England Patriots. The Patriots provided a profit of $797.22 and an ROI of 46.9% - just 13.5% behind the Panthers – achieving this after their 14 wins and three losses during the regular season.

After an impressive season overall, they certainly had some highlights and standout moments, including their week five 23-20 victory over the Buffalo Bills.

Quarterback Drake Maye helped to lead the Patriots to their 14 victories and became one of eight quarterbacks in NFL history to finish a season with a 70% pass completion, at least 4,000 passing yards, and at least 30 touchdown passes. Wide receiver Stefon Diggs was a major addition to the team, offering explosive playmaking qualities to the Patriots’ attacking areas.

Mike Vrabel, the head coach, was only hired at the beginning of the 2025 season but achieved ten more wins than the previous season – tied for the biggest improvement by a team with a new head coach in the league’s history.

Jacksonville Jaguars

The final podium place for the NFL is then completed by the Jacksonville Jaguars, who narrowly fall behind the Patriots with an ROI of just 3.84% less (43.06%). Across the regular season, they managed a record of 13 wins and four losses, earning a profit of $732.10 for bettors.

Throughout their campaign in 2025, the Jaguars managed to cause a huge upset against the Chiefs in week five, winning 31-28 – marking their first win against them since 2009!

Quarterback Trevor Lawrence had a season to remember as he managed to re-emerge as one of the NFL’s leading players. He produced a career-high and franchise-record of 38 touchdowns, being named a finalist for the Associated Press (AP) NFL MVP and the AP Comeback Player of the Year.

Head coach Liam Coen was employed in late January 2025 and achieved the most wins by an AFC South team since 2009. Coen also became the first rookie head coach in the NFL to win 13 or more games after inheriting a team that won four or fewer games in the previous season.

The Top 3 Teams by Profitability – NBA

Let’s have a look at the NBA and pick out the top three teams that made bettors the most money. Considering these teams play in an 82-game season, it provides the opportunity to make big profit off shock wins that level out over the course of the campaign.

Top 10 NBA teams making bettors the most profit. | Sports Illustrated

San Antonio Spurs

The San Antonio Spurs offered the best betting value across all NBA teams, with the highest ROI and profit over the course of the previous season. Their ROI stands at 28.69% and they have a profit of $2,352.84, achieving 62 wins and 20 losses.

The Spurs have had an extremely strong season, making it all the way to the NBA Finals vs the New York Knicks and being a dominant force within the league. They managed to create big upsets like beating the defending champions, Oklahoma City Thunder, in the NBA Cup knockout stage, ending their 16-game winning streak. They also beat the Thunder again across seven games in the Western Conference Finals to reach the NBA Finals for the first time since 2014.

Undoubtedly, Victor Wembanyama was Spurs’ best player, averaging 25 points, 11.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 3.1 blocks per game, and was named the NBA Defensive Player of the Year – the youngest to ever win it and the first to win it unanimously.

Mitch Johnson, Spurs’ head coach, succeeded Gregg Popovich in 2025 after Popovich’s 29-season tenure ended. Despite it being his first full season as an NBA head coach, the 2025/26 season saw Johnson guide the team to the playoffs for the first time in seven years, and one of the best records (62 wins and 20 losses) in recent history.

Denver Nuggets

The Denver Nuggets then take up second-place in the rankings for the NBA. After their season, they achieved 54 wins and 28 losses, profiting $1,477.84 and achieving an ROI of 18.02% - 10.67% behind the Spurs.

After a good season, the Nuggets came away with some special moments, including a remarkable March comeback against the San Antonio Spurs. The game saw them win after being 20 points down, with a second win over the Spurs in game 82, extending their winning streak to 12.

It comes as no surprise that Nikola Jokic was the best player on the team, with his performance on Christmas Day illustrating his elite abilities perfectly. He became the first player to record 55 points, 15 rebounds, and 15 assists in a single game – occurring in an overtime win against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Michael Malone, who had been in charge since 2014/15, was dismissed in 2025, with David Adelman taking over the role as head coach. Adelman was forced into using 28 different starting lineups due to various injuries throughout the team, yet they still saw relative success after reaching the playoffs.

Detroit Pistons

Completing the NBA’s top three teams for making bettors money last season is the Detroit Pistons. Their season saw them rack up 60 wins and 22 losses, with a profit of $1,273.05 and an ROI of 15.53%.

Despite often being favorites when heading into matches, the Pistons’ win on the road against the Minnesota Timberwolves in March underlined what an impressive season they managed to put together.

Cade Cunningham was the driving force behind the Pistons finishing as the number one seed in the Eastern Conference. Cunningham’s shining moment came in November in a win over the Washington Wizards. The game saw him manage 46 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists along with five steals and two blocks, helping the team to a 137-135 overtime victory.

In only his second season in charge, J.B. Bickerstaff took Detroit to their first 60-win season since the 2005/06 season. Impressively, this was a turnaround from having 68 losses only two seasons prior, helping him to earn the 2026 NBA Coach of the Year award.

Are the most profitable teams always the favorites?

Looking at the bigger picture, we can clearly see that the teams featuring in our rankings aren’t always the best or at the top of the pyramid.

Take, for example, the Carolina Panthers, the top team in our ranking, ending the regular season with a record of 8-9. While in the NBA, the San Antonio Spurs only had 34 wins the season prior, leaving them as an undervalued bet heading into the campaign.

So, the qualities of an underdog are undeniably a large factor in making these teams lucrative for bettors. With bookmakers basing odds on expectation, when a team outperforms them, the returns can begin to mount up quickly.

Methodology

For this campaign, we identify which sports teams would have made bettors the most money if they backed said team to win every single one of their regular season games throughout a campaign.

By analyzing betting data, we highlight which teams have generated the most profit when backed to win throughout the NFL’s and NBA’s respective regular seasons.

Using a $100 flat bet model on every team win across the season, we’ll calculate total returns and produce a clear ranking of the most profitable teams to bet on.

By analyzing betting data, we highlight which teams have generated the most profit when backed to win throughout the NFL’s and NBA’s respective regular seasons.
Using a $100 flat bet model on every team win across the season, we’ll calculate total returns and produce a clear ranking of the most profitable teams to bet on.

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