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This is the time of year where sports bettors that either have signed up on-line for something sportsbook or handicapping related, or have called a 900# tout service in past years, are getting annuals and rotation schedules in the mail claiming the top sports services in the country are the ones included in this years annual. I say buyer beware, and I know a little something about the marketplace after being a legitimate and full time, well known handicapper for 15 years. It amazes me how bold the claims are in these rags every I get one. The boys from Boston, SCORE, come to mind as a big violator of the truth, as this sports service has been around awhile and claim to have the inside on every big game, and claim to have been in contact with coaches of college and pro teams and advised them on who to play and why, and the coaches listen. I have some swamp ground in Arizona I would like to sell you too! While they have a big name, they are not documented anywhere, never have been, never will be for a good reason.

Another rag of a rotation schedule claims that Blazer Sports ran by Gordon Michaels is the best service in the USA, followed closely by 9 others, 8 of which I have never heard of. This also has the top 3 sportsbooks offshore rated, no doubt with huge affiliate and advertising agreements with the publisher. By the way, the publisher ranking the sports services is Blazer Sports and was exposed on TV 12 years ago with the Sports Betting Guide, and since has toned it down to a rotation schedule mass mailing with the same basic content.

Lets talk about the rules, that common sense should tell you. Many think if it is written, it is true. So many times the hype and sales hooks in these ads are such a stretch, my 11 year old son could tell me they are a scam. Any sports service that has different levels of clubs is a total joke. You have 3 levels of late phone services, all of which are nothing more than a BAIT AND SWITCH scam. Meaning to get any money out of a new comer to the fold of clients is the goal, these silver tongued devils that you either call, or call you, want to get anything moneywise they can out of a potential victim. You can get the regular service for the season at $700, the executive club at $1500 a season and the president round table for $2500 up front (these are scenario examples). Well, once you lose your rear end in the lowest level club, you call to complain or they call you and offer to upgrade you for more money, and since most recreational gamblers are desperate to win and make up for losses, they buy the sales pitch that the other level of service that is like 80% ATS (which you know is not true but you want to belive it), and give these guys more money like they are stupid, and thus the process of chasing your tail and and following good money after bad continues.

Unless you know a sports service is legit, avoid 900#'s if possible. If it is a well known firm, so be it, but other than that, 900#'s are nothing more than a long distance caller ID scam. In today's technical world, they can get the caller ID to show them the person calling, their number, and their address. These are used for their boiler rooms for prospect leads, and salespeople call you and hound you for money with the greatest inside information game of all time. Once again there are legit 900#'s, but beware of the individual and services you have never heard of, even though the pitch for the winning lock of the year sounds almost too good to be true, use common sense.

Let me ask you a question. If you receive a rotation schedule in the mail this week, and it goes through October, and yet when you get to the 2nd week in Octobers schedule, and Joe Blow Sports is advertising his Game of the Year or Lock of the Decade that particular weekend, does that not raise a red flag? How in the world does anyone know what the hell they are doing the second week of October in July when these are published? They do not, and you should not buy into it. This is an example of effective marketing and misleading a suspect public, that at the end of the day gives legitimate handicappers like myself a bad reputation, as being guilty by association comes into play.

The Bottom line is simple, proven names, legitimate big named websites, documented services that provide content, sites and services that offer legitimate business practices, and a company that can process credit cards over the phone are your best bet. If you have a merchant vendor agreement with major credit cards "in house", you no doubt have a good credit history and not much in terms of chargebacks, which means you are selling and charging what you say you are, with happy customers not complaining to credit card companies. In 12 years with a merchant vendor agreement, I have had 2 cahrgebacks out of hundreds of clients, that speaks volumes for any sports service.

While I have not ever claimed to be the all saints savior and only shining example of honesty in a marketplace of unethical competitors, I can look myself in the mirror and have a clean slate everyday by telling it like it is, win. lose or draw. I also affiliate myself with the type of people and websites that use integrity as their watchword. I suggest to all to use common sense, manage your expectations, and choose sports services wisely, because the temptation of effective marketing that is not "fact" based has a very strong appeal to the masses, and that is what these guys are counting on.

Tony George is President of Midwest Sports Consultants in Lincoln Nebraska, in business since 1992, and is a national radio show personality, with 35 Top 10 handicapping awards in all sports documented since 1996, and winner of the 2003 ultimate handicapping challenge in the NFL. Tony's plays and content can be seen daily on the Pro Cappers Network.

About the Author

Tony George is a documented member of the Professional Handicappers League. Read all of his articles at www.procappers.com/Tony_George.htm