Jeff Whitelaw, a professional gambler set to be inducted into the sports gambling hall of fame, has given advice to bettors to go against the public.
Whitelaw commented, “Whenever I would write tickets on the same team over and over and over, they would always seem to lose,”
“Then when I became a bettor, I noticed I was always betting against the public. Still, to this day, the public typically bets favorites and (the) over and I’m more of an underdog and under bettor.”
Over a 35-year career, Whitelaw has turned a profit in 34 of the past 35 years, specializing in futures and proposition bets in sports betting. In addition to recommending going against public sentiment, he also advocates for not chasing losses and maintaining discipline when gambling.
Use good money management
He said, “Use good money management and bet one unit or two units or three units, whatever your unit is, and always do some due diligence. Don’t just blindly bet a game because it’s on TV.”
Whitelaw also admitted that it is more difficult for gamblers today in the age of social media and instant information than in the past. He commented, “It was way easier in the 90s and early 2000s because when you would get information on something, you might not even hear about it for a day,
“Now that you have (the social media platform X) and various things, it’s a matter of seconds or a minute. You have to do things instantaneously. The days of getting information before anybody else have gone by the wayside.”
While the days of getting information ahead of anybody else may be gone, it is also easier to put bets on quickly. Mobile betting apps have made getting a bet on much easier than in the 1990s when gamblers had to go to Vegas casinos to bet in person.
Whitelaw gambles with honesty
One incident demonstrates his point. Whitelaw had acquired information that Michael Jordan was going to miss a game for the Chicago Bulls. He entered Caesars Palace sportsbook and saw Chicago was still a sizable favorite, but rather than immediately capitalize on the favorable odds, he informed then Caesars sportsbook vice president Vinny Magliulo of the news.
Magliulo responded by offering Whitelaw the chance to take advantage of the information anyway.
“I said, ‘OK Jeff, well I appreciate you telling me, go ahead and make a play.’ He looked at me and said, ‘Are you going to change the number?’ And I said, ‘Not until after you make a play,’” Magliulo said. “The reason I did that is he knew it before me and he could’ve bet it multiple times and took full advantage and he didn’t do it.
“It was classy of him to give me the information, and the old school in me, the way I grew up, is to give him the opportunity for a limit play. The fact that he gave me that information and that I could make an adjustment after his bet was going to save me a hell of a lot more money in the long run. From that point on, we became close friends.”
Whitelaw commented on the incident, “The irony is back then his courtesy bet was more than most of the books take today. He gave me $5,000 on it.” And the wager won.
For more tips on betting strategy, see our expert guide.
Adam is an experienced writer with years of experience in the gambling industry. He has worked as a content writer and editor for five years on sites such as Oddschecker, CoinTelegraph and Gambling Industry News, bringing excellent knowledge of the world of sports betting and online gambling. Adam focuses on emerging stories in the ever changing landscape of betting in the US. Read the latest on prediction markets, changing legislation, and sweepstakes.
