Silly Season

The silly season of the summer transfer window often brings out the worst in the media.

Hardly a week goes by when Spurs aren’t linked with a player that most proper fans realise there’s absolutely no chance of signing.

To be fair to the press, they’re always totally to blame. At this time of year, without any actual football to report on, they’re left feed on scraps and the press offices at bookmakers take full advantage.

Press releases will be sent out left right and centre reporting on the latest odds of Spurs signing so and so. And the media – lap it up.

It’s not just Tottenham, either, of course. Most of the top clubs with any serious spending capacity are thrown into the mix.

A quick look at SkyBet’s ‘transfer specials’ page, shows odds on Spurs for 32 players. You can bet on Andre Gray (28/1), Chris Smalling (16/1) and even Cristiano Ronaldo (40/1) to arrive before the transfer window closes.

The amount customers can stake on such markets is limited and, even small wagers cause the odds to shift as the bookies get scared someone knows something they don’t.

Arguably, what this really tells us is that the bookies don’t have a clue. Or, at least, they only know as much as what most people know – and that’s what they read in the media.

This means that most Spurs fans who follow club news closely enough can be one step ahead of the bookies and use their own knowledge to make some money.

Beating the bookies
As well as being better informed, another way to bash the bookies is with matched betting.

More than 20,000 members make money at Profit Accumulator by taking advantage of bonuses offered by bookies to new and existing customers.

Profit Accumulator is the UK’s leading matched betting service, helping subscribers use free bets and other bookmaker bonuses to earn tax-free cash from home, in their own time.

Matched betting is not gambling, so it doesn’t matter what the results are or what the outcome of the bet is – the profit is generated from the bookmaker bonuses.

Who can do matched betting
Pretty much anyone over the age of 18 can use matched betting – it involves bookmakers but it isn’t gambling.

A lot of people see it as a way of earning a bit of extra cash from home, for just a few hours each week.

A lot of footy fans do it but you don’t have to be into sports – or gambling at all. It’s popular with students and full-time parents, who see it as a way of topping up their income every month.

How to get started
Matched betting is not for everyone and it can be quite complicated at first, which is why most matched betting sites offer a free trial. Profit Accumulator, for instance, shows new users complete two bookmaker sign-up offers that can earn users up to £45.

The best bet (if you’ll pardon the pun) is to do a bit of research to try to get your head around how it works, watch the videos and, if you think it’s for you, give it a go.

So, whether it’s using your in-depth knowledge of Tottenham or systematically earning cash with matched betting, there is proof that the bookies don’t always win.