Deceptive and unscrupulous business practices are commonplace within the pick-selling industry, and the latest trend of offering “guaranteed” picks is yet another disingenuous attempt at misleading sports bettors. These handicapping services are giving the false impression that the sports bettor is buying guaranteed winners, yet there is nothing guaranteed with the pick being purchased. In fact, even if the sports handicapping service wins only 50% of its guaranteed picks (which is very common), the sports bettor is still paying the same amount of money for a losing (i.e. “guaranteed”) product!
Regrettably, these so-called handicapping sites survive on misleading marketing tactics, and they not only mislead the betting public but also charge twice the amount for a sports pick. Here is how the deceptive practice works:
1. Sports bettor arrives at handicapping site and gets excited to see that the company offers “guaranteed” picks;
2. Sports bettor decides to pay double the going rate for the guaranteed sports pick with the understanding that it must be better than everything else;
3. What the sports bettor does not realize is (a) the guaranteed sports pick is no better than everything else being offered by the handicapping service; (b) the handicapping service does not guarantee the outcome of the sports pick; (c) the handicapping service does not guarantee a profit before collecting money from the sports bettor; and (d) the handicapping service does not insure against losses sustained in the sports bettors’ sportsbook account after the so-called “guaranteed” sports pick loses.
In short, these unscrupulous pick-selling sites create a false sense of security by offering “guaranteed” selections. The appearance of less risk being promoted by these handicapping sites ultimately leads the sports bettor to wager more on the “guaranteed” games, thereby exposing their bankroll to nothing more than a coin flip.