Beware of Sports Betting Services

by Kris Lazaro

"To buy, or not to buy," that is the question most players must ponder when they consider buying a pick or season package from a sports systems service, otherwise known as touts. In this growing age of online sports betting, the popularity of sports systems services has also sky-rocketed. But, as this article will show, these 'handicappers' may not seem what they advertise.

There are certain 'handicappers' in the industry who are affectionately known as scamdicappers. These people do not do any handicapping of any sort and merely play the odds. These scam artists get a hold of a phone list of sports bettors and makes gratuitous "free picks". Unbeknownst to the people on the list is the fact that these frauds call half the list and tells them that side A will definitely cover the spread, and calls the other half with the information that side B is the undeniable fool-proof side to bet on. Obviously, one side will win, and from these 'lucky' callers, new customers are born.

On the other side, there are viable handicappers in the sports systems service industry. Yet, I do not recommend them. Most of these handicappers charge in exorbitant amounts of money for their picks and season packages, and unless you are planning to bet 100's of dollars a game for the entire season, these get pretty expensive really quickly. A reason why I do not recommend them lies in the whole fact of the industry. Though it is true that these handicappers offer their clients statistical and mathematical (and sometimes situational) factors, we are in the hobby of taking 'risks'. Games of the Year, Month, Week are mere ads and promotions to sell more picks. Although they are more statistically more favorable to win, picking a side is still a risk. Another thing to note is the fee you must pay; you must win enough to cover not only your bet but also the money you paid to get that pick.

On a side note, be wary of handicappers who come out with massive plays during the post-season of any sports and on the weekends. They intentionally put "Games of the ____" to attract business. I personally know of someone who used to sell picks for a living, and he told me that his picks sold at an alarming rate when he upgraded them to "Games of the ____" status as compared to just regular picks.

On a personal note, I was totally burned during this past NFL post-season with a paid handicapper. I had built up a good bankroll during the college bowl season (doing my own research) and thought it would be a good idea to continue my hot streak with a 'veteran' handicapper. To my dismay, I had lost 2/3 of winnings during this past NFL playoffs, due to a handicapper I refuse to name. Take it from me-never trust anyone but yourself in placing bets.

One last thing to consider when buying picks: win or lose, you pay them to get their picks; so in the end, who really wins???

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