Posted by NoleCC

Let me preface this post with a disclaimer:

This is about me and what I do with ScalpEm.com. This is not a judgement of you, your website, your choices or whatever you like to do. I do take issue with sites that claim their info is for entertainment purposes only. Websites cannot control what a reader does with information they disperse, and it probably isn’t their responsiblity. But, own up to the fact that if you post a bunch of gambling info and odds, that those items will be used by readers, regardless of whether you call them entertainment or not. With that said, I also understand the value of some of the information used in determining odds is also interesting as a sports fan.

I’ve been asked about this topic by a few different people, so I thought I would make today’s pertinent topic about odds on our blogs, gambling advertising, etc. and why I do my best at ScalpEm.com to avoid those things. For me, it’s an easy decision. I watched too many friends sweat out a Saturday afternoon in college over one team not kicking a late field goal and not covering the point spread. I watched too many friends lose the enjoyment of a game, because they weren’t responsible about gambling. I also watched a couple of friends win some cash, which was the bright side of gambling for them. What amazed me was that many guys were just happy to break even at the end of a season, and even more so I was amazed that so many guys placed bets without much knowlege of how to bet.

The whole thing made me sick. Not about their choice to gamble, but about the lack of control so many of them felt once they were hardcore into betting each weekend. That’s not to say I haven’t participated, or won’t in the future. I’m not trying to take a moral high ground here and point at everyone else. I’m not telling anyone not to gamble. I can appreciate betting on a game or two, heading to the track occasionally or playing the lotto. It’s fun, it’s exciting, and occasionally you beat the house. So there’s the “victory” factor involved. It’s the original eBay. But I won’t provide information to help anyone either. There are plenty of other places for that. Many times I’m solicited by gambling companies for advertising space. Let me be frank, they offer a very nice sum for a site like ScalpEm.com, and it’s tempting to cave in to the almighty dollar. Although tempting, I continue my promise that you’ll never see advertising for gambling sites here.

In addition to that, I’m going to continue and improve upon another item. I won’t use the point spread when discussing football. I’ve argued over and over again that a football game is binary in result thanks to tie breakers. You either win or loss, which makes every game 50 /50. Yes, I know that some teams are stronger than others. Yes, I know that in reality many games are not 50 / 50, but there are a lot of ways to talk about teams, their strengths and weakness, and what might happen in a game without looking to a Vegas line that is created to even out bets so that the house doesn’t get screwed.