You often see individuals selling horse racing tips. These range from the one-man band to companies peddling their trade. In fact, some professional gamblers of old were paid £100,000 per year to give their tips. I’m not sure how successful these business were but they don’t run today. However, there are plenty of horse racing tipsters who sell their information from a few pound a month to perhaps £1000 per year. I imagine there are a few who sell at a much higher price. In fact, I know of a few gamblers who pay several thousand a year for info from given stables. Clearly, no one continues to pay that kind of money without making a return. This kind of service goes all the way to the likes of Tony Bloom’s Starlizard which is a subscription service linked to Asian handicap betting, predominantly, I imagine, on sports such as football. Starlizard has a reputation as being a money-making machine.
But here’s a question: Is the concept of horse racing tips outdated?
My quick answer is yes.
Have you looked at the way most horse racing tipster promote and sell their tips? The platform and format they use to detail their information. It really is such an old, outdated system that’s seen better days. In fact, I am pretty sure most tipping businesses are on a slippery slope to going out of business just because it’s the nature of the beast. Sure, you may make a few quid in the short term (if you are talented and successful) but long term they are selling themselves short.
I always remember my friend Eric Arnold, he sadly passed away in 2019, a truly lovely man, he used to say selling tips was a pointless exercise. I agree with every word. If you really knew something worth selling you’d keep it to yourself. The reason being that anyone who has a set pattern of working will give their secrets away. Give me 60 tips from your leading tipsters and I can understand their formula. The market adjusts to information because it needs to survive. It will chew up your information and spit it out as a worthless piece of scrap. You once had the golden touch but the value has been eroded and that elusive value has disappeared and the next good thing is trending.
The truth is unless you can protect your information you are dead in the water.
That’s why companies such as Starlizard are careful not to give away any information for others to glean. They understand that the only way they can hold onto that advantage is by saying: ‘You give me the money, I will bet for you, and if we make a profit I will give you your share.’
You think they will be giving out tips and information for you or anyone else to peruse?
Not in a million months of Sundays. The reason being they understand how market forces work. You can see the problems companies or tipsters have. You only have to see AT The Races tipster Hugh Taylor. He gives a tip and ten minutes later the horse is half the odds. Other companies found they have the same problems and end up detailing their tips minutes before the off to try and protect their members interests. Once a paid member has the tip there is no stopping them sharing, selling, or doing what they wants with it. Obviously, it is against the terms and conditions but whose going to take them to court? You don’t even know who it is. But in the process your business is slipping away and there is sod all you can do about it.
How can such a business work?
It’s an old, outdated format that works for no one.
Follow any horse racing tipster and you will see updates detailing changes to their service as they try to counteract impending doom. They simply cannot control the beast. They are on the road to nowhere with the Incredible Hulk at the wheel. His body zapped from Gamma rays. The betting slip in his hand faded and burnt at the edges.
The problems with all tipsters is that they need to have punters putting money into an account that is used to bet. This protects the information. This is next to impossible for your average Joe. Even if they could the liquidity for most racing in the UK is so limited that they are fighting over scraps. Unless you can tap into Asian markets there is little option than keeping the info for yourself.
For this reason I would question the integrity and profitability of most horse racing tipsters if not in the short term definitely in the long term.
It’s a business that needs a coming of age.
