The psychology of blame: Why most bettors never improve

By Serge Gorelikov | Published: May 5, 2026, 09:00

Many bettors behave like rejected teenagers after being turned down for a date. Instead of reflecting on what went wrong, they immediately devalue the source of rejection, thinking: "it’s her fault", "she’s not good enough" or "there’s something wrong with her". This defensive reaction feels comforting - it protects self-esteem. But in reality, it preserves weakness.

The logic is primitive, yet surprisingly common: if I consider myself good, then the world should respond accordingly. If it doesn’t, then the problem must be with the world, not me. In relationships, this shows up as blaming the other person. In betting, it becomes blaming the industry, the bookmakers, or "the system".

A person enters betting with illusions like "I’m smarter than the market", "I’ll find a loophole" or "there’s a secret formula". People don’t want to become better - they want results faster than they’ve earned. These are fundamentally different approaches. The first requires time, discipline, mistakes, and analysis. The second is about searching for shortcuts.

And so begins the endless chase after a "kite in the sky": systems, "guaranteed bets", fixed matches, insider tips, risk-free arbitrage schemes. This world always promises easy money. And there are always people willing to believe in it. After all, it is very convenient - there’s no need to grow, no need to acknowledge limitations.

However, time goes by. Months, sometimes years. Money is lost, confidence declines, and there are no results. This is where the turning point comes. A person faces a choice: admit they were on the wrong path, or protect their ego. Most choose the latter.

And then the familiar narrative appears: "you can’t make money from betting", "it’s all a scam", "bookmakers manipulate everything". This isn’t a conclusion based on analysis - it’s a psychological defence. An attempt to preserve internal consistency without destroying the image of oneself as "smart and capable".

The problem is that these people never even tried to win honestly. They didn’t build models, didn’t analyse long-term results, didn’t work with probabilities, didn’t study the market. They tried to outsmart the system - and when it didn’t work, they declared the system broken. This is a fundamental cognitive error. Any complex activity - whether betting, business, or relationships - requires two essential qualities.

1. Acceptance of your own limitations

You can be wrong. In fact, you will be wrong regularly. In betting, this is especially critical because even perfect decisions don’t guarantee short-term results. If a person cannot accept their own mistakes, they cannot adjust their behaviour. They will repeat the same actions while expecting different outcomes.

Strength is not about always being right. Strength is about quickly recognising when you’re wrong and changing course. This is painful for the ego, but necessary for growth.

2. Awareness of your current insufficiency

You’re not ready - and that’s normal. The problem begins when a person believes they are ready when they objectively are not. They want results now, without the required level of skill.

In betting, this shows up as a lack of long-term thinking, poor bankroll management, ignoring margins, and overestimating intuition. People bet by emotions, then wonder why the system doesn’t reward them.

But the system isn’t the issue. The betting market is an environment where discipline, analysis, and patience win. It’s not a place for quick victories. It’s a place for those willing to put in the work.

The problem is not betting. Not relationships. Not the world. The problem is the inability to look at yourself objectively. Self-reflection is the skill that determines everything. Without it, growth is impossible. A person becomes trapped in a loop:

mistake → justification → repeated mistake

With self-reflection, the loop changes:

mistake → analysis → adjustment → progress

There will be no consistent profit in betting if a person is not willing to acknowledge their weaknesses. There will be no healthy relationships if they always blame others. There will be no sense of control over life if responsibility is constantly externalised.

Reality is simple and harsh: the world owes you nothing. Not love, not money, not success. All of these are outcomes of meeting the demands of the environment. And the only way to move closer to those outcomes is to stop looking for someone to blame - and start working on yourself.

Serge Gorelikov is a professional bettor and a weekly contributor to MightyTips. For his latest betting tips and predictions, join our free Telegram channel.