Expert Opinion: How the Insights and Ideas of Professional Handicappers Shape the Industry
by Written in partnership with Rachel Ryan
Since the 2018 Supreme Court decision that brought the conclusion to legalize sports gambling to the state level, sports wagering has flourished in the United States. The American Gaming Association reported that, between 2018 and 2022, Americans bet more than $125 billion on sports, generating over $1.3 billion in local and state taxes.
Globally, the phenomenon is even bigger. “Thanks to the upsurge in smartphone use, sports wagering is now easily accessible and extremely widespread,” says Phillip Milan. “The global sports wagering market accounted for in the year 2022 was $83.65 billion.”
Phillip Milan is a sports handicapper who runs Vegas Kings, a sports information service that provides predictions about the outcomes of sporting events. With more than ten years of experience in sports wagering, his insights enable him to take some uncertainty from what essentially is a gamble.
“Sports wagering has the potential of being unpredictable, so we take into consideration all facets of each game we wager on,” says Phillip Milan. “We look at statistics, news updates, probabilities, line movements, taking advantage of weak lines, the quality and rationality of the bets, risk management, advanced metrics, and more to safeguard against unpredictability.”
The role of a professional handicapper — a sports expert interested in wagering — would then be to parse all that information and form tips that would be helpful to their clients when placing bets. While no one can guarantee 100% accuracy, some handicappers can get consistently good results with their predictions.
What handicappers can do at 100% capacity is – be transparent. Because there’s no such thing as having complete insight and knowing exact outcomes, handicappers will come across losses and they’ll have losing streaks. Being open and honest about them is as essential as using them to learn something new. It’s also a great potential differentiator.
“What sets me apart from others in the sports wagering market is the way I attack the game selection process,” says the head of Vegas Kings. “With my experience, my knack for consistency and being 100% transparent with the public are also reasons that set me apart.”
In the end, what professional handicappers do is provide a service to a market that’s fast-paced, packed, and has plenty of potential to make or break people’s lives. Educating people about the good and the bad of sports wagering, and especially knowing when to stop doing it, is a crucial role professional handicappers can play if they choose to.
“The achievement I’m proud of is the clientele I’ve amassed over the years,” says Phillip Milan. “Helping others win in sports wagering and educating people on how handicapping truly works is fulfilling.”