Thursday 8 March 2012

Value For Money

Is anybody signed up to the ProGambler website (www.progambler.co.uk)? I am, just to keep my eye in with such things. You know how it is.

ProGambler is a site run by Greg Gordon, probably best known for running the tipping service Scottish Football Bets which I believe is going great guns this season. He was also, for a relatively short period of time, the editor of the Secret Betting Club's monthly review newsletters. I was, in a previous life, a member of Scottish Football Bets and always found Greg to be charming, hugely professional, hard working and obviously very diligent in his work.

Which is why I found the email that hit my inbox today, sent from the ProGambler site, a little surprising. The email provided a link to a review of a horse racing tipping service that ProGambler have been proofing for the past eleven months. The service under scrutiny is The Horse Betting Analyst (www.horsebettinganalyst.com). I have to say, there are a couple of things I take issue with...

Firstly is the length of time of the proofing. The use of "long term" in both the email and in the review to which a link is provided would, to my mind, need the period of proofing to exceed a mere eleven months. Perhaps that's just me.

My second issue is the admission that the service is not the cheapest (£950 for twelve months!), but that many "...would argue that in most walks of life you get what you pay for." I don't know if Greg meant this as a justification for the costly fees or not, but it does read as such, and I would argue that actually in the world of racing tipsters, you can indeed get around the 19% roi achieved by Horse Betting Analyst forking out considerably less for the privilege of subscribing. Just off the top of my head I can think of Northern Monkey (20%+ long term roi at c.£200/year), On The Nose (19% at £200/year), CD Systems Daily Bargain (c.19% at £205/year), The Sportsman Racing (c25%+ roi at £250/year with the sports tips too!), The Market Examiner (c.19% at c.£200/year), and so on. The thing to bear in mind here too, of course, is that these figures have been "proofed" for a lot longer than eleven months and have stood the test of time.

This last point is of particular significance too. Anyone who has previously subscribed to Horse Betting Index and Ultimate Tipster will be aware of what I am referring to.

Look, I have absolutely no reason to even begin to doubt the veracity of the Horse Betting Analyst results, nor their tipping ability (19% roi is rather good), nor their ability to be a tipping service that will stand the test of time. But at £950/year? In this market?

The ProGambler review essentially takes the form of a Question and Answer session with the service owner/administrator. An interview, if you like. There is one question that I would really like to have seen asked...What is the Unique Selling Point of the Horse Betting Analyst service that justifies such a relatively high cost of subscribing?

I would want to see a good answer to this question before parting with my hard earned.

One last point. This may be a personal thing, but I like the fact that I can communicate with my tipsters. I've swopped emails with most of those I follow and I'd like to think I've built up a bit of a relationship with Peter, Dean, Wayne, Scott, Graeme, Matt, et.al. 'The Analyst' wouldn't exactly encourage me to try and do the same here, I don't think, especially as 'The Analyst' was previously 'Mr. T' in former ventures. Perhaps that's my foible - I have a few - but still, give me the personal touch any day.


Today's Betting

What a nightmare for Northern Monkey today! A more heavily staked tip, an early 10/1 secured, backed into 11/2 at the off, everything's looking good. Until the stall gates opened...our beast turned it's nose up at the idea of actually running today and instead stood resolutely in the stalls, purveying it's competitor's disappearing backsides with what looked like complete disdain.

However, a small profit on the day was secured by a return to winning ways for The Sportsman Racing (Old Tricks - Wincanton - 10/11). Chasemaster's one each way selection finished third and returned stakes.

Northern Monkey: Staked 1.5pts, -1.5pts.
The Sportsman Racing: Staked 0.5pts, +0.454pts.
Chasemaster: Staked 0.25pts, N/A.


Month to Date

Racing
Northern Monkey: Staked 4.5pts, -4.05pts, roi -90%
4PA: Staked 2.5pts, -2.5pts, roi -100%
Chasemaster: Staked 1pt, -0.45pts, roi -45%
WRT: Staked 3.1pts, +1.393pts, roi 44.95%
The Sportsman Racing: Staked 2pts, -0.237pts, roi -11.89%
On The Nose:
The Market Examiner: Staked 9.5pts, -0.5pts, roi -5.26%

Sports
TFA 7/22: Staked 7pts, +4.71pts, roi 67.28%
Skeeve: Staked 21pts, -8.48pts, roi -40.38%
Football Elite: Staked 3pts, +1.707pts, roi 56.91%
The Sportsman: Staked 0.15pts, -0.15pts, roi -100%
On The Oche: Staked 1pt, -1pt, roi -100%
Strike Zone (h): Staked 5pts, -2.103pts, -42.06%

2 comments:

  1. Mr T might be in this for the long haul but his track record doesn't inspire confidence. No mention in the progambler article about a service which regularly stakes over 10 points per day advising only a 100 point bank and blowing the lot, and more, at one point last year. Also no mention of them claiming bog on most bets. Who can get 4 points e/w with Boyles or the like on an 8/1!

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  2. Yeah, that's a very good point, Roy. I hadn't even looked at the staking but if you're staking that many points in a day, you don't need to be a rocket scientist to work out you need a much bigger bank than 100 points!

    4pts ew with Boyles? Perhaps if it is 50p/point, and even then...

    Was a little surprised by the recommendation tbh. Perhaps with two years' proofing, but even then, there's just no need to be paying c.£1k pa in fees with so many other options out there at a fraction of the cost.

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