An Action Plan to Protect Yourself From Unscrupulous Sports Handicappers

Apr 25, 2017

sports handicappers, fraudulent sports handicappers, bad sports handicappers, unscrupulous sports handicappers

With sports betting at an all-time high in terms of popularity, an increasing number of bettors are turning to sports handicapping sites for advice.  Unfortunately, the sports handicapping industry is largely unregulated and rife with fraud and abuse.

While there are several legitimate and successful sports handicappers, the vast majority of sports pick websites are owned and operated by unethical and/or unqualified persons focused solely on getting your credit card number.

You know the drill.  Your phone rings with an obnoxious salesman on the other end offering you a 100,000 Dime Game of Year winner.  “You like money, right?  You want to win, right?  Well, it’s your lucky day as my boss has his one and only 100,000 Dime Game of Year going tonight!”

If you haven’t hung up by now, the salesman continues reading from his prepared script.  “How much money can you get down on tonight’s guaranteed winner?” There are a couple of problems with this all-too-common scenario.

First, how did this loudmouth get your phone number?  Sadly, it’s customary practice in the sports handicapping industry to buy and sell phone and email leads.  Your personal privacy means nothing to 95% of the so-called handicappers you see on the internet.

Second, there is no such thing as a guarantee in sports betting due to the inherent nature of variance.  Any claim to the contrary is simply false and conveniently ignores reality.  Finally, your personal bankroll is just that, personal.  Any attempt to procure the amount of money you wager is an unscrupulous attempt by the salesman to learn your financial status.

With fraud rampant in the handicapping industry, sports bettors should demand the following before retaining the services of a handicapper:

  • Transparency: The handicapper must properly maintain a fully transparent pick archive that publishes every selection within 30-45 minutes after each game starts.  Oskeim Sports has an industry-leading pick archive that provides consumers with daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual results.
  • Independent Verification: The handicapper should be independently documented and verified by a legitimate third-party monitoring service.  Oskeim Sports is independently documented by Handicapper’s Watchdog, The Sports Monitor of Oklahoma and, most recently, by SportsWatch.
  • Accountability: The handicapper should have multiple methods in which you can communicate with him/her.  At Oskeim Sports, we have an 800 number (888-631-6459) as well as an email address at which clients can contact our office.  We also recently implemented a Live Chat feature on our website.

In the coming weeks we will discuss additional steps you can take to protect yourself from salesmen (or sports handicappers) like the one described above. In the meantime, feel free to contact us at 888-631-6459 or drop us an email – we look forward to hearing from you!