The Sure Bet
Well it looks like ProSportsBlog has a perfect record so far nailing the predictions on the Atlanta and Denver (whew that was close!) Thanksgiving games.
Now I dont want to tout my own horn for a number of reasons which are detailed below:
- Going 2-2 although nice is no big deal and easily achievable by people with absolutely no prior betting 먹튀검증 experience or for that matter knowledge of professional football;
- As we will all soon find out, my record although hopefully good, is going to be nowhere near perfect; and finally
- There is no such thing as a sure bet due to all the factors that affect a game's outcome such as weather, travel and the individual performance of all the players involved.
So therefore, this sports handicapping thing is just a hobby which we all use to tell our friends "I told you so" or "my team rocks" or "your team sucks" or .....well you get the point.
Its nothing more than a hobby because nobody can possibly win on every single bet right? I mean its possible to win on 50% or 60% of your wagers consistently but is this winning percentage enough to base an sustainable business plan or income on? Can people make a living betting on sports?
Believe it or not: Yes you can and many people do every day! When I found out about the simplicity of the Sure Win sports bet, I was amazed at how simple the concept was. It is based on a concept that is very common in financial markets and is implemented everyday by professional currency traders worldwide. It is the concept of Arbitrage.
According to Dictionary.com, Arbitrage is:
ar·bi·trage (ärb-träzh) n.
The purchase of securities on one market for immediate resale on another market in order to profit from a price discrepancy.
In other words, arbitrage is the opportunity to buy an asset at a low price then immediately sell it in a different market for a higher price. One good two markets, immediate profit, no risk.
Given the theory of perfect competiton as defined by our friends in Investopedia, in a perfect market structure all arbitrage opportunites will be adjusted to a point of non existence by their exploitation. In other words, as news of the opportunity spreads and people act upon it, it will disappear.
Keeping this in mind, these opportunites are present everyday but one must be patient and wait for the right opportunity. Once it has been identified, immediate action is necessary to capitalize on this market inefficiency.
So what exactly am I rambling about? Different odds for the same sporting event.
There are a variety of online sports books. Some are large publicly traded operations, others are equally good yet private entities run by companies, individuals and former professional sports bettors. All of them react to changes in the market at different speeds. Sportsbook A might specialize in NFL games and pay extremely close attention to team injury reports and other events that might turn the tables on the odds and on the spread. Sportsbook B might offer the same action but since it is a European company it will specialize in soccer betting. As a result, Sportsbook B is slower to react to the arbitrage creating event. This is when you capitalize and place bets on both Sportsbook A and Sportsbook B for the same event. You are guaranteed to profit with zero risk.
If you are like me you should be saying: "Yeah right! If it where that easy, why arent more people doing it". My answer to you is this:
- Not everybody places bets. They are risk averse and as such they avoid the stock market as well as casinos and professional sports betting (God bless them!).
- You do need capital to start. This is not a get rich quick scheme and very few people have the time or capital to make a professional living out of it. More importantly it requires time, effort patience and research. These are things people rarely like to invest in.
- Sportsbooks will typically limit your wagering amount per sporting event to minimize their risk per event. Since the return per abr averages between 2% and 5%, your upside potential is limited. People that are not risk averse and do like to bet typically are looking for huge upside and might not have the patience to implement an arbitrage system.