You know how financial advisors help their clients make smart investments in exchange for a small fee? That’s essentially what sports betting “touts” do — or at least what they claim to do.
Check out this infographic to see how touts have evolved since emerging in the 1970’s, then continue reading below for more details about the transformation of touting over the years:
What Are Sports Betting Touts?
Also known as “public handicappers,” touts are popular figures within gambling communities who sell their “picks” for the day, week, etc. to sports bettors who are looking for an edge. Touts frequently make sensational, oftentimes unsubstantiated claims about their success rate and the odds of winning if you buy their picks. To be fair, some touts give their picks away for free, but only when used as content for media channels that they sell advertising space on.
How Have Sports Betting Touts Evolved?
Back in the ‘80s and ‘90s, touts could not easily reach their targets en masse like they do today, as the internet was still in the early stages of adoption. Instead, they used outrageous TV broadcasts and phone calls to facilitate the Touting Industry. But as the media landscape has shifted to digital, so have public handicappers, who now have access to the eyes and ears of millions and millions of social media users at their fingertips.
Stu “The Source” Feiner, one of the most recognized touts in sports betting history, made his name in the touting business with a widely-criticized TV show called “Sports Advisors” in 1989. Today, “The Source” works for Barstool Sports, a popular website among young people with various online media channels, and is part of a show called “Barstool Sports Advisors.” While Barstool Sports Advisors offers only free picks, Feiner still has his own website and individual touting operation, which he is able to promote with his boosted name-power. He’s got the same gig going, but with a bigger, younger audience.
The Problem With Public Handicappers
Whether you are from Atlantic City or Freehold, NJ, you can get help for a gambling problem. But your chances of finding help in the form of a public handicapper are slim-to-none. Touts are rarely held accountable for making misleading claims, let alone bad “picks” that cause their customers to lose more money on top of the fee they paid for the picks. If they were so good at predicting the outcome of sporting events, why wouldn’t they just keep their picks secret and make a living off of sports gambling? They hedge their bets by selling picks for profit. The following video further demonstrates why many touts are simply untrustworthy individuals:
Dial 800-GAMBLER today for help with a gambling problem near Marlboro Township, NJ, or anywhere else in the State of New Jersey. Support, treatment, and hope are just a phone call away.