Bettors on everything from NBA games to NFL games to the UFC have surely come across a scam or two in their day, and sometimes they may not even know it. Here are a few pointers to help you distinguish between a handicapper looking to help their clients and the scamdicappers that are the scourge of the sports betting industry:
- Avoid accounts that purport to be all about a ‘baller lifestyle’ and the trappings of wealth like nice watches, bottle service, boats, etc. Good handicappers are humble, and they do tons of research, they’re not out partying on a yacht throwing 100s all over the place. More often than not, the riches you see on social media are far from authentic for the scammer running the account.
- People purporting to be handicappers that don’t provide prospective clients with their season or overall record in handicapping that sport or that event should also be looked upon with some suspicion. A lack of transparency usually means a lack of quality and credibility as well.
- Handicapping accounts that are all about sharing funny memes, inspirational quotes, and news will not be focused on finding the mismatches and advantages that real handicappers work so hard to uncover, so avoid these accounts as well
- Run for the hills if you see a handicapping account that’s offering differing levels of service at different price points. No reputable handicappers will give clients different picks based on their subscription price.
- The best sports bettors in the world regularly boast a success rate of just over 55%, so any handicapper going on about a 60% success rate is almost surely a scammer. Those that have ‘guaranteed wins’ are almost certainly scammers as well because there is no such thing as a guarantee in sports betting, unless you’ve enlisted the services of Hedake Smith.
- It’s easy to buy followers and likes on social media these days, but comments, not so much. Scammers buy likes and followers to increase the legitimacy of their account. If you see an account with tons of likes and followers but no comments, something fishy is definitely going on. If you’re surfing for a product on Amazon, you’ll rarely go for the one with no reviews, right?