No one can ever guarantee winning in gambling so one should always bet according to one's ability. Don't bet on greed or high amount with guarantee of any result. If it is lost, there will be a big loss. As happened in op's story. I have also lost bets at small odds a few times. So gambling should always be done with small amounts and should be used as fun so that losses do not cause major losses. So I mostly bet on sports because it is highly predictable
Betting on soccer or any other sport is always the same. There is always the possibility of losing. Like you, I have also experienced a slight loss in my time and learned my lesson. For this reason, I started to do risk management well. Yes, betting is a job of skill and experience, but it should not be forgotten that this is also a labor-intensive job. You analyze the matches, you even look at which players are injured and which ones are playing. Sometimes you even look at the weather, which way the wind is blowing. I have even taken bets thinking about these things. But now I play for pleasure and I don't play seriously as often as I used to. This shows that my losses are not so much.
One thing that gamblers need to know. Losing a bet, is something that is certain. however, to minimize losses requires expertise, insight, and analysis. the rest, let luck decide.
So in essence, there is no guarantee of a definite win in every gambling session that we will play or bet on. be it casino games, or betting on sports betting. well, everyone has different ability limits, it also depends on how capable you are, no matter how big or small the bet is. most importantly, someone is ready with the risk. even so, it would be nice if gambling functioned more as a means of fun entertainment. plus, with money we can afford to lose. that way, someone won't have big problems when the stakes don't match expectations.
After all, in this thread the essence of what the OP is conveying is the message. it's just that, we tend to be more interested in the discussion about the gambler who lost by risking $1.4 million, but if we dig deeper, the important point is the message that the OP is conveying.