This tweet will no doubt ruffle a few feathers but it needs to be said. The bar to being an ‘expert’ in the betting/gambling industry is so ridiculously low it is untrue. A good starting point with all these things is to look at the dictionary definition of ‘expert’. A person with a high level of knowledge or skill relating to a particular subject or activity.’ ‘An expert, more generally, is a person with extensive knowledge or ability based on research, experience, or occupation and in a particular area of study.’ What we see is people called betting/gambling experts left right and centre.
It was highlighted again recently on the Bettheprocess podcast, when the special guest was Jason McIntrye. He is the face of sports betting on Fox Sports in America. He is perceived to be an expert in the field. Fox describe him as a gambling analyst. People watching the show will think of him as an expert in his field. Just listen to what he says. It is so insulting to those who have spent so many years grafting away in this industry. I think where the industry really struggles, is to differentiate between sporting knowledge expertise and betting expertise. Unfortunately, they are just banded all together and it is assumed that if one can do one, then they must be able to do the other.
Let’s take a look at someone like Ruby Walsh. He was a brilliant jockey. Are there many more people qualified to judge a horse ride, explain what happened and why? Absolutely not. No one would argue that he was a prominent expert in that field. However, the problem comes when he is then asked what horses he likes in a particular race. What’s value? He is treated by the media companies as if he is a betting expert and people will follow his information, as if he was an expert. Is he a betting expert? Absolutely not.
Let’s take Matt Chapman. He can be a polarising figure at times but I think he would qualify as an expert in terms of tv broadcasting. He has spent countless years and put in huge amounts of time and effort to try and perfect his craft. Learn the nuances of it. Is he a betting expert? Err no. Will he give information to the unsuspecting public pretending to have some level of expert knowledge in the game of betting. Absolutely. I don’t blame people if they are offered money to do this sort of stuff. Why wouldn’t they take it?
We will see it in the coming weeks with the World Cup. People with good football knowledge being put up as betting experts despite never having come close to being a winning punter on football. They will talk with such confidence and conviction. Argh.
It just shows what incredibly low barriers to entry there are to be an ‘expert’ in the betting industry. Literally anyone can be deemed to be an ‘expert’. I have no idea what the qualifications to be an ‘expert’ in this field would look like. Maybe a lifetime winner at betting would be a good starting point. Tough to prove obviously but it would eliminate 99% of the current ‘experts’.
Is it really too much to expect a betting expert to be a winning punter? To understand all aspects that go into that? I guess it doesn’t make great TV when they cut away and ask the experts what bets they selected if they have to preface it with ‘he has never had a winning year at betting but we feel he is the perfect person to give you betting advice’. ‘He couldn’t tip shit out of a bucket’. He has had £10 on this horse, took a terrible price and that was only because the sponsors gave him some free bets’. All that is happening is that the punter is being short changed as usual. Feels like a never ending saga in this industry.
That’s not to say someone cant be an expert who hasn’t shown a long term profit. They may specialise and be an expert in a different area within the sector. They will have put the requisite time and effort in though to know the business intimately. Few and far between though. Let me give a quick example. I can think of someone who has been in the industry 20+yrs. Knows it inside out. Has bet plenty himself. Is he a winning punter? I have no idea. Would he be an expert about the industry? Yes. Should he be giving tips if not a winning punter? No imo.
Can I imagine any other industry would be so brazen with what amounts to financial advice from people not even remotely qualified to give it? Maybe the financial markets with regard to cryptocurrencies. It is literally full of scammers and wide boys.
How has it become the ‘norm’ that standards and expectations are so low? Partly because the loudest voices in the industry and those who have most at stake are incredibly happy with the current ‘status quo’. It suits them to treat punters like mushrooms. As the saying goes, ‘Keep them in the dark. Leave them uninformed. Feed them nothing but shit’. Welcome to the life of a punter in 2022.
ProPunting 