The Smart Betting Club Podcast explore the world of profitable betting and what it takes to generate a long-term edge gambling. Join Smart Betting Club Editor, Pete Ling, as he interviews professional punters, expert tipsters and betting industry professionals on the topics that matter to smart bettors everywhere.
Subscribe and listen to the Smart Betting Club Podcast
You can download each episode and subscribe to the Smart Betting Club podcast via the following links:
Podcast Episodes
Episode 75: Dylan From Pinnacle Odds Dropper
POD is the feature review and focus of SBC’s latest magazine (Issue 143) and with a detailed analysis (and SBC member discount) now available, this podcast explores everything about Dylan’s operation and expertise.
‘Chasing steam’, ‘top down betting’, ‘market movers’ and ‘warm money’ – all of these terms broadly mean the same thing – following in smart money to make a profit.
With sharp bookmakers (like Pinnacle) focusing their resources on keeping their prices up to date and ‘soft bookmakers’ often lagging behind, services like POD help followers to make profit when the former cut prices and the latter are slow to follow them.
Automation drives this kind of service and provides ‘every day bettors’ with the opportunity to beat soft bookmakers with a steady stream of sharp information.
In this podcast, Dylan and I discuss the concept, the software he and his team have built to help execute it and much more besides. The tipping landscape is constantly changing and this type of service is relatively new – I learnt a lot listening to Dylan and I’m sure you will too!
Discover More:
We recently reviewed Pinnacle Odds Dropper in Issue 143 of the SBC Magazine, with detailed proofing and analysis of large data sets that come from real life users.
Dan Waugh, Harry Stewart-Moore and Chris Fawcett joined me to unpack all of the key points and to share thoughts on both what Andrew did and didn’t say and the ongoing work of the Gambling Commission.
Affordability Checks and where they stand currently, their impact on sports like horse racing, bookmaker behaviour and Andrew’s take on whether they can be trusted and their woeful reputation amongst those who bet. We also debated the growth of the black market and what it’s growth suggests about the regulation of the licensed market were all up for debate.
All these topics and more were evaluated with my panel of betting experts – each of whom know these subjects inside out and have considerable experience working within the betting industry.
For those of you wanting to know more about the current status of betting in the UK, whether it be a frustration about getting bets and being paid out if winning or even the proposed white paper’s impact on bookmakers, this is a podcast for you.
Episode 73: Interview With Andrew Rhodes, CEO Of The Gambling Commission
With so many important topics on the agenda from affordability checks to open banking through to bookmaker behaviour and the black market, there was lots to discuss.
Andrew sought to set out the Gambling Commission’s stance on each of these topics – many of which have been the focus of extensive criticism across the betting sector, including from us here at SBC.
All told it’s a fascinating chat and provides insight into his organisations approach to regulating the very challenging UK betting market in 2024.
Episode 72: Betting Clever with Pete and Josh – Issues Of The Day In The Gambling World
Next, we look at Oddschecker’s new ‘unlimited’ service and try to work out what’s going on at the UK’s leading odds comparison site. The introduction of a charge may also alter expectations on the detail expected when it comes to tipster records – we explain why.
Geoff Banks and a mysterious email take up the next portion of the show before we discuss Chasing Steamers and some very worrying reports around exchange balances disappearing from customers’ accounts.
To finish up, exchanges are on the agenda as we talk about BETDAQ, their offering and why it is worth shopping around, with some concerns about other operators’ practices raised on the back of a previous podcast.
We also managed to squeeze in a listener question as we thought that our response would be beneficial for everyone!
He also oversees his own Andy Holding Speed Figures website with colleagues Sam Turner and Andy Bate, which was the focal point of a recent in-depth SBC tipster review in February 2024 as we explored the service and tips on offer.
Using the data from his speed figures to highlight value bets for members of his service and via his Oddschecker column, Andy outlines how speed figures work, how he uses them and just why they are so useful to accurately pinpoint the relative strengths and weaknesses of a horse and when you should back it.
Alongside that, Andy also openly discusses his own betting, the issues facing the racing industry and most revealing of all – names the 4 major bookmakers that still use him as a ‘mark’ and allow him to get bets down with them. There are some names that might surprise you here!
We also get into his Oddschecker column, how he picks these bets and their performance, plus how he copes with the pressures of being a prominent tipster, especially during a bad run.
And for those of you listening to this ahead of the 2024 Cheltenham Festival, he picks out a trio of big value bets to follow and back.
Andy was a fascinating guest, full of insight on his specialist subject and with a long track record of beating the bookmaker.
Episode 70: Harry Stewart-Moore: Betting & The Law
I had a very special guest for Episode 70 in the form of lawyer, Harry Stewart-Moore, who is a partner at the law firm Gardner Leader, with a speciality in cases in the betting industry. Harry regularly acts for some of the leading names in the gambling world in both High Court proceedings and before various sports regulatory panels.
With a preference to represent those on the punting side of things including many professional bettors in the past, Harry explained the type of cases he takes on and some of the issues and grievances brought before him.
Many of them do focus on bookmaker behaviour alongside issues created by the industry and its regulator, the Gambling Commission, about whom he has very many concerns as to the way they operate.
We also expand on the black market, its growth and the legal challenges that creates as well as why frictionless affordability checks just wont work and the problems with many bookmakers terms and conditions.
Nothing was off the agenda in this wide-reaching chat and Harry was a fascinating guest, happy to share his thoughts and experiences on all things betting from a legal perspective.
In Episode 68, Josh and I were joined by Ronan McDonagh to talk about Matchbook’s rise.
Before chatting to Ronan, we discussed everything from our plans for 2024 social media tipsters & affiliates, new SBC services, golf betting, brokers and much more!
Episode 68: Golf Betting Club: Pre-Event & In-Play Edges!
In Episode 68, I welcomed back to the podcast, brothers Duncan and Neil Campbell to talk about their continued ability to make a profit from betting on golf.
Operating together as ‘Golf Betting Club’, they talk me through how they use their extensive experience, nous and ability to find profitable edges not just from pre-tournament bets but also crucially – in play betting.
It is this unique and often overlooked in play angle – betting during the 4 days of a tournament (or 3 for Liv Golf) that sets them apart from many other golf punters and tipsters and they share plenty of insight into how exactly they use it to turn a profit.
We also get into the operation of their successful service, from tipping late into strong markets on a Wednesday, betting with exchanges and using and settling to fair odds and terms that everyone can obtain at scalable stakes.
Neil and Duncan also outline their take on the changes in the golf world at the moment following Jon Rahm’s move to Liv golf and why all this uncertainty can ultimately be a long-term positive from a betting perspective.
Episode 67: Golf Betting Special With Tom Brownlee, Rowan Day and Josh Polowyj
With a track record of success dating back several years – the Golf Tracker provides edges for those of you able to bet with bookmakers each way and as we explore for the first time in this podcast – also betting win only via the exchanges.
The logic being that it will appeal to all of you – whether able to bet unrestricted via soft bookmakers, where it has a ROI in excess of 30% OR if limited and closed down, you can try it out betting win only with the exchanges. The record to date for that is quite ridiculous at over 50% ROI since 2019.
As all 4 of us on this podcast bet extensively on golf, we also outline our own strategies, what we do, how we do it, when and where we bet and tips to maximise your edge.
Even if you don’t like the sport of golf, the reality is golf betting is where many top punters invest their time and this special hour long pod will help to explain how you can too.
Episode 66: Betting Interview with Chris Poole, Head Of Trading at Bet Victor
Rising up the ranks from betting shop cashier to his current role, he spoke candidly about the reality of trading in the modern betting world and dealing with issues like affordability checks and his dislike of concessions like Best Odds Guaranteed.
He also expanded on what happened with the Guaranteed Bet market that Bet Victor tried out a few years back, why it was introduced and the issues it attracted for Bet Victor, specifically with large scale betting syndicates who took advantage of it and ruined it for others. For those of you frustrated by account restrictions and closures, it provides rare insight from a bookmaking perspective on why such ventures can be a real struggle and why as yet, a Minimum Bet Guarantee has not been a workable concept.
As an experienced trader on horse racing, Chris discussed the role of inside information, including the very big coup 2 years ago, which nearly claimed a huge win at Bet Victor’s expense and saw him front and centre discussing it with the national media.
Chris is perhaps best known by many of you for his amusing Tweets, including his Trumpet Emoji calling out those who ‘Aftertime’ and put up winners after the event. He also was happy to talk about one quite famous ‘Aftertiming’ Twitter account he was involved in and which caused quite a stir a few years back.
Chris was a fantastic, talkative and insightful guest – happy to discuss frankly the reality of bookmaking in 2023 and its ups and downs. My thanks go to him for speaking so openly and frankly! Make sure you follow him on Twitter!
They also unpack the motivations and flaws from many popular free tipsters and betting experts such as Tony Calvin from Betfair, who has come in for criticism recently about his form, yet for them the issues with him and others of his ilk lie elsewhere.
With the launch of a new bookmaker in BetMGM recently, they also discuss just why they have opened in the UK, who’s behind it all and how to take advantage of some of the profit boosts they are offering to customers. They are ideal for bankroll growth for those of you looking to generate some easy wins.
They also tackle the crazy profit figures they have seen first-hand from a tipster purporting to have inside information. An ROI of 88% from 700 bets backs that up and despite both Pete and Josh being entirely cynical on this concept of such insider bets, they have had to put their hands up and say – there could be something here. Alongside that they also outline the more straightforward profits being made by service such as Chasing Steamers, Winner Odds and the free expert, HeadStart Racing.
The goal of this podcast is to help you with your betting and provide opinions, insight and expertise you might not get elsewhere.
Episode 64: Nick Goff: Football Betting for a Living
Now it’s really rare to get the kind of insight that Nick reveals in today’s pod as big football bettors and groups tend to be quite secretive in their nature – Think Tony Bloom’s Starlizard syndicate as just one example of this.
So what Nick shares is really insightful and a rare peek behind the curtain of what it’s like to be in the top echelon of football punting including the leagues and markets they target, when they bet, how often and just how they get on.
Nick also explains his own angle as regards Antepost betting and just how he maximises value and manages his bankroll throughout a football season to find very big edges to exploit.
As someone with a extensive history in the industry – Nick previously was the head of Football Trading at Coral, he also shares plenty on other topics of note from the current state of betting such as affordability checks, the Black market & the Minimum Bet Law concept.
I really enjoyed chatting with Nick and learning about his work at the sharp end of the betting world and I think you will too. My thanks to Nick for being so candid and for sharing his time with me.
In this episode, I had the pleasure of talking to Stephen Harris, a vastly experienced bettor and bookmaker with a speciality on both greyhounds and jumps racing.
Starting out life as a bookmaker at the age of 20 taking bets on dogs, Stephen walks me through his early years on track, through to his time working at Sporting Index with some of the sharpest minds going, before his current role providing content and tips for Betting Expert.
Along the way Stephen has learnt plenty on how the betting world works including who makes it pay and how, whether it be punting on course or online with both bookies and exchanges. Its through the latter where Stephen bets exclusively these days and he has plenty to share on how the betting markets now operate and the importance of adapting and evolving as a punter to survive.
He also has some strong thoughts on the current mess surrounding affordability, the motivations of those at the Gambling Commission, through to how easy it is these days to bet into the black market.
We also touch on his work at Betting Expert and his superb Free Value Angle column and its edge and educational approach.
Episode 62: Jason Trost, Smarkets & SBK CEO
Jason talks candidly throughout about his work first of all in setting up Smarkets, including taking on Betfair, the challenges of attracting customers and their goal to be different in terms of simplifying and improving the exchange experience.
He also explains their approach to commission rates and liquidity, including the setup and usage of their own trading arm to provide betting volume across the range of markets on Smarkets.
Not one to rest on his laurels, in 2019, Jason setup the bookmaker, SBK as a way of appealing to those who prefer a more traditional bookmaking setup, but with the advantage of better odds based on those available from the Smarkets exchange.
He explains the challenges of this including advertising restrictions and their quest to replicate many of the more exotic bets that many regular punters look for such as multiples, yankees & lucky 15s.
Jason also tackles the thorny topic of affordability limits and the various checks and balances forced upon all operators at the moment to comply with current rules. He has some strong opinions on why gambling is being singled out when other ‘sin industries’ are not and why banks should be more involved when it comes to these checks. He also rails against the double standards that has seen some bookmakers benefit from operating in offshore jurisdictions where betting is not legal and the unfair financial advantage that gives them elsewhere, including in regulated markets such as the UK.
I really enjoyed my chat with Jason as someone happy to speak openly and honestly about not only running both an exchange and a sportsbook, but also the various challenges facing the betting industry as a whole.
And for those of you on the fence, we do recommend checking out both Smarkets as a Betfair alternative and also SBK for the often best-value odds you can find in several markets.
Episode 61: The Five Stages of Profitable Betting: Your Questions Answered!
Dozens of you got in touch and after replying to some more specific questions directly, we settled down to answer everything else that came in.
In this podcast, Rowan, Josh and I answer questions relating to:
- Our past year of punting – highs, lows and what is working best
- How to start out following tipsters or using +EV strategies
- Bet Brokers – logistics, limits, recommendations and accessibility in different jurisdictions
- Bankroll management at different stages of the betting journey
- Tracking bets in a varied portfolio
- How to get the best of the wide range of non-Oddschecker bookmakers
As you will gather from this chat, we all got something positive from it by discussing angles and resources that haven’t come up in our conversations before – we hope that you find it just as useful!
The previous podcast which I referenced at the start is Episode #59; that is available to listen to in all podcast libraries and we would advise starting there if you haven’t heard it yet.
Many of the resources that we discuss are available on our website at www.smartbettingclub.com, with extra detail and various other benefits offered to our members.
Discover More:
- Explore our new 5 Stages of Profitable Betting resource here: https://smartbettingclub.com/5-stages-of-profitable-betting/
- We now have a specific resource for Exchange & Sharp Bookmaker services; that is available here: https://smartbettingclub.com/betting-exchange-sharp-bookmakers-tipsters/
- To sign up for a SBC Membership and access Part 2, click here: https://smartbettingclub.com/subscribe/
- Podcast feedback – contact SBC on twitter @sbcinfo
Episode 60: Jon Roberts: Football Betting & Trading Expert
Jon explains to me his methodology and strategies for both football betting and trading, the leagues and markets he bets in alongside how he gets on via Bet Brokers and Exchanges.
One of his angles is to bet odds-on and often heavily so, an approach many punters shy away from, but one that Jon has found to be lucrative and which comes with many additional benefits.
His love of football betting also shines through via his development of the Predictology football data and betting system website, which has grown to be a very popular resource and for good reason.
Jon also explains how he utilises AI and machine learning when it comes to his football betting and his usage of automation and bots to get lots more bets down than he can do practically.
It’s a great chat for anyone interested in the world of football betting and looking to learn from someone at the sharp end of making it pay for several years.
Discover More:
- Learn more on the Smart Betting Club and how we help winning bettors at https://smartbettingclub.com/
- Predictology: www.Predictology.co
- Predictology Twitter @PredictologyBet
- AI Football: https://smartbettingclub.com/ai-football-tips/
- Podcast feedback – contact SBC on twitter @sbcinfo
Episode 59: The Five Stages of Profitable Betting
In this week’s podcast, instead of interviewing a ‘traditional’ guest, I had the pleasure of being joined by my two of my colleagues at The SBC, Rowan and Josh.
All three of us bet extensively and with the launch of our new 5 Stages of Betting resource, we thought that discussing our own betting journeys (and what we have learnt along the way) would be helpful for our listeners.
Different starting points, varying schedules to work around and risk appetite are all factors to consider and we discuss the realities of what any bettor has to think about when choosing a sport to bet on or a tipster to follow.
We talk about the ‘dos and don’ts’ for betting beginners, how to adapt as bookmaker account restrictions bite and why diversifying is so essential.
Later in the pod, we provide content for more advanced bettors, why they will most likely need different services and how they can continue to make money from their betting, despite not having the luxury of ‘soft’ bookmaker accounts.
It was great to have a chat with both Rowan and Josh as we (hopefully!) provided practical advice for all bettors and learning from each other is central to becoming successful.
For ‘Part 2’, where we discuss the stages in more detail and link them to specific services, you will need a Smart Betting Club membership – a link for that is available below!
To sign up for a SBC Membership, click here: https://smartbettingclub.com/subscribe/
Johnny Dineen is one half of the popular ‘Upping The Ante’ show from the Racing Post.
Originally a bookmaker by trade and one with quite the reputation for doing things differently, Johnny is now a professional punter and he talks with me about what the reality of that is like, both in terms of getting on and how the work/life balance suits him.
Johnny also speaks candidly about his time bookmaking, the highs and lows, why it appealed to him and ultimately why the growth of Betfair (alongside the recession in Ireland) saw him shift to being a professional punter.
He also has plenty to say on other topics that many bettors will nod in agreement about, from affordability limits to the black market and the terrible way bookies treat many of their customers these days.
We round things off with a chat about his media work, including his very popular stint on Upping The Ante – which won Silver in the Best Betting Podcast category in the 2023 SBC Awards. Johnny also won Silver in the Best Betting Expert category too – just being pipped by his Racing Post, stablemate, Steve Palmer.
All told its a fascinating chat with a man working at the heart of betting and bookmaking for many years and someone always willing to do things differently.
Episode 56: Stanley from Tour-Tips.com
Stanley is the man behind the golf stats, data and betting advice website tour-tips.com
Betting on golf is a very popular market for many a smart punter and Stanley’s website provides an exceptional amount of data and information to inform and educate shrewd bettors.
In our chat he outlines the variety of data on offer, those of most importance when it comes to finding value golf bets prior to the event and the growth of golf stats and data over the years.
We also talk about the different tours, the pros and cons of each from a betting perspective, including how his site’s stats and tips can help guide as to value away from the main competitions.
For those of you wanting access to just quality golf tips, Stanley also outlines how they work, why he only tips into liquid markets and the excellent record of performance over the years, including the 35% ROI made on the PGA Tour. The Smart Betting Club reviewed their performance a few years ago and many members of our service have been following them in profitably for sometime now.
As someone who’s day job involves work helping out on the bookmaking side, he is very well placed to advise, guide and also tip on golf so sit back and listen to my chat with Stanley on Tour-Tips.com.
Andrew Mount is a man very familiar to those in racing betting circles thanks to his popular Trend Horses series of books and his years as a tipster and columnist for the likes of GG.co.uk and the Racing Post.
Andrew has experienced it all when it comes to betting, including working for both online and on-course bookmakers, extensive work as a broadcaster and author alongside several years making a living from punting alone. This includes some really big wins betting on the Tote Scoop 6, so it is little wonder he is now an ambassador for the Tote and in our chat, he explains just why it might appeal to modern day bettors.
Andrew also explains more on his process in terms of finding winners, his usage of systems and software such as ProForm and how that helps especially given his high volume approach to racing betting these days. He also shares his take on the industry at present, getting bets on with bookmakers and everything else in between.
Episode 54: James from Tennis Pilot
James is one half of the team behind the very interesting Tennis Pilot tipping service.
The focal point of a recent SBC Tipster review, I was keen to find out more on how James and his business partner, Nicholas work and the edge that they have been able to develop betting on Tennis.
Having made a profit for over 7 years and nearly 7000 bets at around 17% ROI, James talked me through all aspects of his edge and how he finds value.
Having a deep understanding of Tennis and many of the players and their relative strengths and weaknesses, James and Nicholas have been able to identify vulnerabilities in how bookmakers price up certain markets and have taken full advantage.
We also talk about their background at Oxford university, the development of a Tennis AI program they also use to find value, plus of course how bookmakers approach tennis and those who bet on it.
All told, its a fascinating exploration of how this duo have manifested a very strong edge for several years in the tennis betting markets. There is also a 25% discount available on all Tennis Pilot subscriptions for members of the Smart Betting Club.
In this special episode, I was joined by friend of the show, Anthony Kaminskas (AK) to talk about his new online bookmaking website – akbets.bet and his shift from being a high staking, winning punter to that of bookie.
AKbets was launched in early March 2023 and has attracted a lot of interest from punters due to AK’s desire to do things differently to the large ‘corporate’ bookmakers and to offer better, more personal customer service and to accept bets they might otherwise refuse.
In this chat we explore all aspects of how AK deals with smart punters, with some specific examples of when and where he is happy to lay bets, especially when the information is useful to him and the market is liquid enough to take it on.
We also discuss his disdain for ‘arbers’ and why he can’t and won’t accommodate people who are in his words ‘taking the mick’ and why he does his best to engage and explain his decisions on what he will and wont take to customers. That in itself is a mightily refreshing take on bookmaking and he speaks with honesty and transparency about not only this, but his business, why he decided to be a bookie, including the decisions he made on skins, licenses, technology and more.
Starting out as a licensed bookmaker, especially online is a intense, costly business but if anyone can, AK can and my thanks go to him for being so open and honest about the reality of betting and bookmaking. If you are interested in learning about bookmaking and more on whether you should open an account with him, this podcast will tell you all you need to know.
Episode 52: David Lovell of DragonBet
David Lovell is one of the brothers behind the Welsh based bookmaker, DragonBet and in this episode he talks about the reality of running both an online and on course bookmaking operation.
With a long established on course bookmaking presence as begun by their father, John Lovell, David and his brother James recently launched their own website – DragonBet to take bets online.
Dragonbet is one of a growing number of smaller, independent firms branching out into online offerings and David talks frankly about all aspects of this, from using a white label solution, to the intense work involved to maintain it all and how its an all encompassing job.
We also get into how they approach sharp money and laying bets from smart punters and their desire to be an approachable firm that does things differently, both online and on course.
With a strong presence in Wales and the promise of top of the market odds on Welsh sport, they are also hoping to appeal to punters both based in Wales and with an interest in betting on teams and events based in the country.
All told, its a fascinating insight into the reality of running a bookmakers and the challenges it poses operators in 2023. My thanks go to both David and James Lovell for sharing their story in this podcast episode.
Ryan Bruno, who is also known as the ‘Smart Sports Trader’ is someone who has made a 6 figure profit betting and trading over the past 5 years.
Starting out with matched betting, bonuses and arbing, he evolved his betting into using tipsters and more recently onto the betting exchanges as he lost his final ‘soft’ bookmaker account in 2022.
His is a story of dedication, patience and the nous to build up a bankroll and develop what he bets on and how he bets based on the challenges faced as he built up profit.
Combining his betting with a full-time job, he was able to make almost £40,000 from his punting in 2022 alone and with a renewed focus on pre match and value trading, is gunning for more of the same via the exchanges in 2023.
Ryan is a source of inspiration for those of you looking for an example of how to make money betting in today’s restrictions-heavy climate.
So sit back and enjoy my interview with Ryan Bruno.
Craig Edwards is a former professional snooker player turned winning punter and someone with a very clear edge over the bookmaker.
Growing up playing in snooker halls where betting was never far from discussion, Craig developed a keen interest in punting and was able to carve out a good profit for himself betting after he retired from professional sport.
With a unique understanding of some of the psychological challenges of elite sport, plus the right approach and attitude to seeking out betting value, Craig has been the scourge of many a bookmaker, especially on his 2 chosen sports – snooker and golf.
This was proven when employees from one major bookmaking firm joined his tipster service, in order to get priority access and to slash their own odds on the tips he put forward and takes himself.
That is just one story Craig shares in today’s episode, alongside more on his edge in the betting markets, why he often works backwards in order to find value and the huge amount of research he puts in.
Craig’s tipster service was also the focus of a recent detailed SBC review, which we also discuss in this interview, alongside the discounts available for SBC members, where up to 20% can be saved on the cost of a subscription to his service.
Simon is someone steeped in betting having worked in the ring for several on-course bookmakers for several years and now perhaps most famous for his interviews with some of the biggest movers and shakers in the betting world.
We explore his vast experience working on course and the buzz this used to generate for both bookmakers and punters alike with the need for quick thinking, excellent maths skills and a very thick skin.
Simon also discusses how bookmaking has changed these days and the challenges on course layers face, yet also why punters might wish to consider venturing back to the racecourse to get their bets on and some of the up-and-coming firms trying out new approaches.
He also shares his thoughts on the Betting People series of interviews and some of the guests he has had on, how it all began, the guest he most regrets not having on and the plans to develop it further in the future.
As well as being someone with a wealth of experience in the betting world, Simon is also one of the nicest guys you would ever hope to meet and so it was an absolute pleasure to spend time talking to him for this episode.
Episode 47: Declan Meagher
Declan combines his own punting on the Betfair exchange, which derives the majority of his income alongside running his Learn Bet Win racing service, which continues to put up some excellent numbers. The focus of a recent in-depth SBC review, its made a 16.9% ROI to fair bookmaker odds over the course of more than 5000 bets since it began in 2014.
We talk about all aspects of his success in finding regular winners both for himself on Betfair and his customers with bookmakers and the challenges this brings. Including how he uses sophisticated modelling and sectional timing to aid racing analysis and find value bets plus the practicalities of getting bets down, staking strategies, responsible tipping practices & working efficiently
Declan is one of the best racing judges and tipsters out there and it was an absolute pleasure to chat to him and learn more about what makes him so successful.
Episode 46: VPN’s, VPS’s, Virtual Machines & More With Neel Shah (Part 2)
This episode is the second of our 2 part series exploring concerns about the data that bookmakers collect on those of us who bet with them and what you need to know about this as a smart punter. Once again I am joined by experienced punter and betting expert, Neel Shah to discuss some of the options available to you as a smart punter including a look at Virtual Private Networks and Servers (also known as VPN’s and VPS’s) as well as Virtual Machines, Proxifiers and other tools and techniques to consider to protect your information and help you get on.
We also look at how useful mobile phones can be when betting, especially to help ‘hide in plain sight’ as a winning bettor plus the software that allows you to run your phone screen on your laptop for ease of use. With trust in big bookmakers running at an all time low and an increase in complaints about accounts closures, delayed withdrawals and just general awful customer service, the more you know about how they operate and how in turn to get your bets on and get paid, the better for you if a smart punter.
Episode 45: Bookmaker Profiling & Data Collection With Neel Shah (Part 1)
The first of a two-part series that focuses on how bookmakers collect data and profile customers, where I am joined by expert bettor, Neel Shah. With stories of withheld winnings, altered odds, intrusive personal checks, closed accounts and voided ante post bets all being reported by punters in the last few weeks alone, it is fair to say that trust and goodwill towards bookmakers is at an all time low. In this episode we explore Neel’s research into the extensive information that bookmakers collect as soon as you visit their website, how bookmakers track your credit history, social media accounts and provide suggestions on the banking, deposit and withdrawal options with less ‘friction’
Episode 44: Matt Bisogno
Matt Bisogno is the founder of the geegeez.co.uk website, racehorse syndicate owner and ex head of the punter-focused Horseracing Bettors Forum. Matt has a wealth of experience when it comes to knowing what bettors want and need when it comes to the sport of horse racing and he talks about the development and growth in popularity of geegeez.co.uk and the insight it offers those looking for advanced tools to help find winners. I also take this opportunity to get Matt’s take on the horse racing world and why it lags behind when it comes to things like deeper data analysis, something encapsulated by the industries inability to push the concept of sectional timing forward and help it appeal to a new audience.Further frustration comes in the form of how the industry treats racing bettors and Matt outlines his understanding of how the land lies as per topics like betting restrictions and just why bookmakers struggle in the current ‘concessions’ climate to lay bets.As someone who understands the arguments on both sides of the betting coin, he is in a unique position to share insight on this based on his time as chair of the Horseracing Bettors Forum.
Episode 43: Paul Krishnamurty
Betting analyst Paul Krishnamurty to talk about his expertise in the field he is best known for – betting on politics. With a steady stream of betting markets especially in the UK with its constant changes of leader and of course the never ending drama of the US political scene, there has never been a better time or opportunity to learn more about political betting. Armed with a degree in politics and a journalism background, Paul first began betting on politics in the early 2000s’ and knows what it takes to make a profit from it. Paul was good enough to share insight into his own political betting strategy and approach with some tips and guidance on what to look for and some of the pitfalls to avoid. We also talk about the importance of reading and understanding the polls, how the political betting markets react to developments and news plus his approach to spreading around risk by placing bets in lesser-known markets.
Episode 42: Rob Pizzola
I was joined by professional bettor, Rob Pizzola to discuss all things relating to his experience betting in the fast developing North American gambling market. Rob began life like many losing money betting on sports until he began developing his own advanced models, which over time developed a keen following given his clear edge over the market. These days Rob juggles his own profitable betting portfolio with regular work as a betting analyst, whilst he is also the co-founder and co-owner of two betting websites – Betstamp and The Hammer. We talk about the reality of betting in the North American market including the challenges of dealing with both offshore and onshore firms, both pre and post the legalisation of betting in states like Ontario, Canada where Rob lives. Just like in the European betting space, there are developing issues as regards effective regulation and the behaviour of bookmakers towards their customers. Rob also shares his experience of the US Tipster (Handicapper) market, the number of scams that proliferate within them and why he has setup the odds comparison, line shopping website Betstamp to enable people to get better value and track the performance of handicappers.
Episode 41: Luke Paton
Professional punter Luke Paton talks about his 10 years gambling for a living and his popular series of betting tweets. Luke walks me through his time first of all working at Betfair for 8 years before his jump to a life of pro punting, and how what he bets upon has evolved to his current approach of using the golf in-play markets. With online and shop bets unable to provide the liquidity he needs at his large stakes, Luke now bets heavily in-play on golf, especially towards the end of each tournament where his expertise and experience allows him to cash in. We also talk about his series of insightful tweets on betting which have caught the imagination of many and his take on the current mess within the betting industry and what he would do to improve it.
Episode 40: Exploring Tipsters & Choosing The Right Ones To Follow
SBC’s Rowan Day and Pete Ling explore the world of tipsters and using them to make a profit from your betting – something they both do themselves day-in, day-out. With the release of the 2 latest SBC Tipster Profit Reports into Horse Racing and Sports Betting, its an opportune time to talk about our work exploring tipsters, how we find those we recommend and a few example tipsters to boot. We talk about things like the importance of Return on Capital instead of Return on Investment and why we black mark tipsters that quote unrealistic or unsustainable prices that can kill your betting accounts.We also chat about the popular golf tipster, Ben Coley and the need to not go overboard on recent form and why so many people are lured in with unrealistic expectations and how bookmakers take advantage of that.
Episode 39: Daryl Carter
Daryl Carter is a tipster with a growing reputation thanks to his daily tipping columns as published by gg.co.uk and Betfair which feature his racing analysis and best value bets. In this interview, Daryl talks about his approach to finding value, the serious amount of work he puts into his analysis and his passion for betting and helping others through his work. We also get into his long-term tipping record, how he bets himself and the stakes he uses, plus his own struggles getting on and his thoughts on the increasing issue of bookmaker restrictions. Daryl also touches on his concerns for the sport of racing and where it might be heading as it deals with prize money issues, fixture overloads and affordability checks.
Episode 38: Lee Gray from Star Sports
Lee Gray, the head of fraud and compliance at Star Sports joins me for an open and frank discussion on the reality of modern day bookmaking from a layers perspective. Lee explains in detail the challenges faced by modern day bookmakers as they tackle things like affordability checks, responsible gambling requirements and prevention of fraud and money laundering. Its a really insightful look at what happens behind the scenes and the standards that Star Sports set, yet also helps outline the challenges of implementing some of the proposed new rules – such as affordability checks and the single customer view concept.
Episode 37: Richard Hayler of IBAS
An interview with Richard Hayler, the Managing Director of the betting dispute organisation, IBAS, to answer questions on his service and the current setup of the industry to adequately tackle the growing number of bookmaker complaints. If you are one of the many punters with issues as regards bookmaker behaviour and IBAS’s role handling disputes, you won’t want to miss this episode!
Episode 36: Trey Mullinax 10Bet Saga
In todays special podcast episode I was joined by my partner-in-crime Tom Brownlee to unpack all of the gory details about what took place last week regarding the bookmaker 10bet and the bets they laid on the golfer Trey Mullinax. Having tried to move the goalposts on this bet after it won, our campaign forced them to revert back to their original 175/1 pricing just 2 days later and we explore all aspects of the market and what exactly took place. This issue is about more than just one bet and one bookmaking firm as it also speaks to the failure of regulation of the industry and the need for a stronger, more resourced ombudsman of some kind. It raises questions for the likes of the Gambling Commission, IBAS, The BGC and even Oddschecker. All told its a very deep dive into the issues in the industry at present – all of which were brought to the fore once again by how 10bet handled the bets they took on Trey Mullinax.
Episode 35: Mark Holder
A feature long interview with professional race bettor, Mark Holder, who has been betting for a living for the past 30 years and has seen it all and bought the t-shirt when it comes to making it pay! Mark explains how he has adapted and evolved his betting over the years to continually eke out a living as a punter and just how he does this now with bookmakers and exchanges. We also get onto the mathematics that prove ‘inside information’ is a red herring these days and his frustration that so much about what is published in the betting world is not correct.
Episode 34: Jesse May
I was joined by the head of strategy at Matchbook – Jesse May, to talk about the reality of operating a betting exchange in todays market. We explored all the key topics from liquidity, commission rates, compliance & affordability checks plus find out what really happened when Matchbook had their license suspended in 2020. Outside of Matchbook, Jesse also shares stories based on his 30 years working in betting including his time as a poker player and commentator on Late Night Poker!
Episode 33: Rowan Day’s 2022 Tipster Results Update
In this special episode I was joined by experienced bettor, Rowan Day to discuss the results from his tipster portfolio as achieved over the past 12 months. Once again it was another successful year with a strong profit achieved and Rowan outlines some of the best performing tipster services, who they are and why and how he follows them in.
Episode 32: Paul Chandler-Burns
An interview with betting professional, Paul Chandler-Burns on his many years working in the betting industry and his profitable angle following the Racing Post’s Tom Segal and his Pricewise tipping column. A fascinating insight into a lifetime operating in the betting world, the importance of evolving what you bet on as the industry changes and profitable angles to take advantage of these days.
Episode 31: Richard Hutchinson
An in-depth discussion with expert racing tipster, Richard Hutchinson on his approach to finding big priced winners via his service – Hanbury Racing. Richard’s tipping service began in 2020, after he won £188,000 after being victorious in the Tote Ten To Follow competition – giving him the platform to start a new life finding winners for a living.
Episode 29: Andrew Woodman
A chat with Andrew Woodman, a senior parliamentary assistant working in Westminster and somebody acutely involved in the ongoing discussions around the forthcoming gambling law changes in the UK.
Episode 28: Bookmaker Complaints
A special podcast exploring the increase in complaints as regards bookmaker behaviour – specifically surrounding the number of account suspensions, withdrawal delays and outright refusals to pay out customer balances that are now taking place.
Episode 27: Neil Channing – UK Gambling Review Special
A feature length interview with Professional Punter Neil Channing discussing the ongoing gambling review taking place in the UK and the very grave concerns he and many others have on some of the proposed new laws being mooted, including that of affordability checks and the Single Customer View concept.
Episode 26: Special Update On 2 New Horse Racing & Golf Betting Reports
An update from Smart Betting Club Editor, Peter on the publication of two very special reports on horse racing and golf that can make a huge difference to your betting.
The horse racing report hones in the excellent service that has made a 10.84% ROI over nearly 20,000 unique bets from the past 17 months. Although profitable with bookmakers, it also has a profitable edge at both Betfair SP and when betting into the live exchange market.
For those of you who prefer golf betting, Pete also outlines the detail within the major 2022 Golf Betting Report also recently published at the start of the year.
Episode 25: Golf Betting Club
An interview with brothers Duncan and Neil Campbell – 2 professional golf punters on their 20 years experience betting profitably on the sport and their Golf Betting Club tipster service.
We discussed their long-term approach to finding value on the sport – primarily through the use of detailed player profiling and identifying golfers to back at big odds when the time is right.
Episode 24: Lee Keys
A chance to chat with professional horse racing punter Lee Keys on the reality of make a living betting on the sport for the past 25 years. Lee spoke honestly about the challenges facing punters like him given the proposed introduction of the ‘Single Customer View’ policy and why bookmakers cant be trusted to properly tackle the issues in the industry currently such as affordability limits.
He also revealed why he bets offshore with ‘whatsapp bookies’ as a solution to get his bets on – something he fears more and more punters will be driven to if the industry doesn’t change.
Episode 23: Andrew Lowrie
An interview with long running racing tipster, Andrew Lowrie of the Optimum Racing service. Andrew has been working in the betting and tipping world since 1999 and we discuss the secrets behind his longevity and how he has build and maintained an edge betting on horse racing.
He explains his usage of sectional timing, his specialism on chase races and the time and effort that goes into his selective betting approach. All told its a fascinating walk through Andrew’s 2 decades at the sharp end of punting for profit on racing and the tipster service he runs.
Episode 22: Aidan
An interview with professional bettor and tipster Aidan on his process on finding winners and value in the tennis betting markets. Inspired by a dissertation paper he wrote on the efficiency of tennis betting, Aidan has carved out a living betting on the sport for several years and his very profitable tennis tipster service has recently been the focus of a detailed SBC review.
Aidan discussed with me his incisive approach to finding value and the subtle factors and characteristics that make up his pricing model. We also explore the mindset required to make tennis betting and tipping a success and how he copes with the pressures of what he does for a living.
We also delve into the operation of his tipster service, his 11% ROI edge taking on prices available at Pinnacle Sports and the recent SBC review of what he offers.
Betting Clever Episode 3
Pete, Rowan and Alex Lyons discuss all of the latest developments in the tipster world, including the latest Tipster Profit Report and the performance of their own betting portfolios in this 3rd instalment of the Betting Clever series.
In part 1, Rowan and Pete explore the latest Tipster Profit Report, some of the long-running Hall of Fame services within it and the profits they are making, plus we also unpack the issues at times with tipster affiliate programs and how to avoid being caught out by them.
Alex then joins Pete for Part 2 and we discuss how he has made £17,000 since the start of 2021 with his own tipster portfolio, which is filled with SBC recommended services. He discusses the tipsters he follows, the best performing amongst them and some hard decisions he had to make recently on profitable services that he just wasn’t able to follow as he wished.
Episode 21: Miguel Figueres
An interview with Spanish bettor, Miguel Figueres on his usage of Artificial Intelligence Algorithms to win money betting on Tennis. With over 5 million Euros won by the customers of his Tennis Tipster service since 2016, we discuss all aspects of it, how it all works and just who it is suitable for.
As a successful bettor, Miguel has been impacted by bookmaker account restrictions and he also outlines his own legal battles with several bookmakers, including Bet365 where he is challenging the clauses they rely upon to limit accounts . Miguel and others have been engaged in an ongoing legal battle against these bookmakers since 2019 in Spain and he shares his experience on this process, what has taken place to date and his hopes for the future.
This is a must listen podcast for anyone interested in smart betting – especially if account restrictions have impacted you.
Betting Clever Episode 2
Features special guest and professional bettor Tom Brownlee, who is the owner and founder of the advantage play site Bookie Bashing and is one of the sharpest minds in the professional betting space.
In this episode, SBC Editor, Pete gets the chance to quiz Tom about some really interesting topics including how he bets on football, the Bookie Bashing football coupon strategy that involves betting in bookmaker shops and withdrawal strategies!
Episode 20: Wayne from Northern Monkey Punter
An interview with Wayne from the very successful Northern Monkey Punter racing tipster service on the secrets behind his betting success over several years. Wayne walked me through his approach to profits through advising a mixture of singles and multiple bets on horse racing and the winning record he has built up since 2010.
We also explore the work involved in bet selection, from watching videos to form study and just how he juggles running the service with a full time job.
Also on the agenda, we discuss his work as a racing journalist, how that has helped inform his betting and his insight into the challenges facing racing with topics such as restrictions and affordability checks.
Betting Clever Episode 1
The first in our new ‘Betting Clever’ series, which will be discussing topics of interest from a winning bettor perspective with a variety of informed guests. In this episode, SBC Editor, Pete is joined by fellow winning bettor and blogger, Rowan Day where they discuss everything from bookmaker fund security to affordability limits, withdrawals from bookmakers and the issues they cause as well as some of the recent football tipsters reviewed at SBC.
Episode 19: Anthony Kaminskas
An interview with with professional bettor, Anthony Kaminskas on the reality of betting for a living and the challenges and rewards it can bring. Anthony outlines his journey from the head of greyhound trading at Paddy Power through to becoming a pro punter and just why he made the jump to betting full time. He reveals plenty on how he gets his bets on and where, both online and in bookmaker shops and his usage of a wide ranging network across several countries for this purpose.
Episode 18: Matt from PGA Profit
An interview with with expert golf bettor and tipster, Matt from the PGA Profit service. Matt outlines his approach to golf betting and the algorithm he has built, which form the basis of the bets he takes each week, firstly on the PGA Tour but more recently the European Tour as well. We discuss the edges he finds betting on golf and some of the variables that feed into his algorithm, including his ability to regularly find overlooked value bets and maiden tour winners simply by digging a little deeper.
Episode 17: Running A Tipster Portfolio
An in-depth discussion with semi professional bettor, Rowan Day on his tipster portfolio and the annual report he recently published on the performance of the tipsters he followed between January 2020 and April 2021.
Rowan has been writing about tipsters and the profits he has made for several years via SBC’s free to read Bet Diary and in this discussion with SBC Editor, Pete Ling, Rowan outlines why he runs a tipster portfolio and the services within it. Following the release of his Profit Report on his performance over the last 16 months, the duo also explore the exact results made not just as a whole but broken down by sport and individual service.
Episode 16: Skeeve
An interview with the non league football expert, Skeeve on his 15 years betting profitably in the 5th tier of English Football – the National League. We explore how became such an expert on this niche league, despite being based in Croatia and the huge amount of time he spends each week examining each team and game that takes place in order to hunt down value.
Episode 15: Steve Lewis Hamilton
An interview with the veteran professional bettor and tipster, Steve Lewis Hamilton on his many years experience of what it takes to turn a profit punting. Steve talks about his early days betting on course and his journey to becoming a full time bettor, through to the challenges of punting in the modern day era, his usage of Betfair and his fears for the future given bookmaker behavior.
Episode 14: SBC Golf With Rowan Day
A special podcast dedicated to the launch of SBC Golf and tackling the 3 profitable tipsters within this that both SBC Editor, Peter Ling and Writer, Rowan Day have been following successfully for some time. We both share our own personal betting experiences in getting our bets on, the pros and cons of betting on golf including dealing with variance and the profits made to date.
Episode 13: Mark O’Haire
An chat with football expert, Mark O’Haire of We Love Betting who was the winner of the Gold Award for best free tipster in the 2021 SBC Awards. We we explore the betting markets he targets including ‘bookings bets’, the underlying process behind how he finds value and why he gives his advice out for free. We also discuss the appeal of his We Love Betting site and his other award victories – including that of Best Betting Writer and his contributions on both Betfair and Matchbook.
Episode 12: Andrew The Value Bettor
An interview with Andrew, AKA The Value Bettor – one of the most respected and successful horse racing bettors and tipsters on just how he makes a profit on the sport. We discussed his approach to finding value, why he specialises on National Hunt racing and his advice for punters looking to bet on racing especially on Betfair
Episode 11: Ciaran Meagher
An interview with the golf bettor and tipster Ciaran Meagher to discuss his approach to betting on the sport and his process behind finding value selections each week. We explore his love of secondary golf markets such as Top 20 or Top Nationality markets, plus bookmakers approach to golf. If you are a golf bettor or even if just intrigued why so many punters are now turning to the sport, its a must-listen!
Episode 10: Paul Chandler-Burns & Tom Brownlee
A special horse racing episode featuring interviews with 2 professional punters, Paul Chandler-Burns and Tom Brownlee on their unique winning strategies on the sport.
In Part 1, Paul outlines his superb strategy based on the Racing Post Pricewise tipster, Tom Segal, which helps filter his selections and bet in a smoother, more targeted fashion for steadier profits.
In Part 2, Tom shares the details on his fantastic racing tracker tool and how when used in conjunction with a Lucky 15 strategy it has been making substantial profits across several bookmakers.
Episode 9: Brian Chappell
An interview with Brian Chappell from Justice For Punters where we discuss the new gambling consultations underway in the UK and their potential impact on UK based bettors moving forward. We explore whether staking and affordability limits will be introduced as part of a solution to tackling those with a gambling disorder and why the UK bookmaking industry is in such a mess due to its structure of restricting winners and encouraging losers.
Episode 8: Liam ‘The Poacher’
My discussion with Liam ‘The Poacher’ – a bookmaking industry veteran turned professional football bettor with a distinct edge in specialist leagues and competitions across Europe. Exploring the process behind how he finds value on Betfair, we also touch on his tipster work as ‘The Poacher’, why he advised his tips for free for 2 years and how you can follow him in for 2021 and beyond.
Episode 7: Alex Vella
An interview with Alex Vella from the Trademate Sports platform to understand more on the edge it gives punters looking to make a profit from their betting with both soft and sharp bookmakers. We also discuss what often separates winners from losers when betting, the good and bad of the bookmaking world and the concept behind closing line value and why this matters.
Episode 6: Matthew Walton
An informative discussion with Matthew Walton, a long-time operator in the betting world on his work connecting betting syndicates to punters across a variety of different sports. We discussed all aspects of how he recruits experts willing to share advice and the profits he is helping make across racing, football and golf markets plus the pros and cons of betting into each.
Episode 5: Nigel Seeley
An interview with the vastly experienced bettor, tipster and former odds compiler, Nigel Seeley from the Premier Sports Plays service. We discuss Nigel’s extensive background in the betting world, his work as an odds compiler and how that has helped shape the bets he places today
Episode 4: Afonso Vieira
A detailed chat with the CEO of Betmarkets, Afonso Viera, on his new betting investment platform connecting customers with professional tipsters. Framed as the eToro for sports betting, Betmarkets is a web platform that allows you to invest in sports betting through the automatic replication of expert tipsters recommendations.
Episode 3: Steve Jones
An interview with expert horse racing bettor and tipster, Steve Jones, who has been turning a profit for more than 2 decades in the industry.
Exploring all aspects of his experience beating the bookmaker, including how to price up a horse race and his operation of the very successful CD Systems tipping service.
Episode 2: Greg Gordon
An interview with the football scout, Greg Gordon, who has carved out a fine career both betting and tipping on football for well over a decade. We explore his unique approach to football betting, how his work as a scout helps inform what he bets on and hear some of his stories involving famous football names such as Sir Alex Ferguson, Jim Leighton & Archie Knox.
Episode 1: Tom Brownlee
Tom from the recently reviewed Bookie Bashing service talks to Pete Ling in the very first Smart Betting Club podcast. Topics of discussion include Tom’s background in betting, how and why he bets in bookmaker shops, coupons, his golf tracker and a lot more besides.
