Journey into the perverse world of tipsters

In all likelihood, if you are a frequent user of Instagram lately, you have come across promoted videos in which some people (pseudo-weather influencers) perform undignified actions to attract attention. Throwing your clothes into a swimming pool, screaming at the top of your lungs at the camera, and so on; Once they’ve achieved thirty seconds of fame, here’s where they all recite the same script: “Do you want to win too? Join my Telegram profile!“. We’re talking about tipstersa (unfortunately) rapidly growing reality.

The state always wins… and so do the tipsters!

The practice is always the same: sponsored video showing bets of a few euros with significant winnings and inviting you to enter the Telegram channel, where these bets are offered to users who do not know what is behind them. We spent a few weeks talking to Luca, a tipster who has a lot of followers on Instagram and told us he was anonymous what lies behind this phenomenon. If you take a quick look at social media, you’ll see that the numbers are really impressive: a market driven by profiles springing up like mushrooms, a succession of returns (high, for tipsters) and the demand (very high, partly). the user).

But exactly What is a “tipster” and how do they make money? This is a figure halfway between a forecaster and an influencerand who took advantage of the explosion of online sports betting to create a new “profession.”

Of course, bookmakers are leaders in this process and have begun to offer the possibility of cooperation with their agencies. There are then two paths that can be taken, as Luca tells us: the CPA affiliation (the classic “bring a friend” formula) and the “Revenue Share” membership. These are two clearly different types, particularly in terms of revenue: the first ensures tipsters a small percentage based on people who sign up to the various betting sites (via a link) and then make a deposit; The second allows you to collect a percentage of your own moves instead networkformed by the sum of all bettors “hit” by the same previous method.

Even if there doesn’t seem to be a significant difference at first glance, the reality is quite different: Revenue Share allows tipsters to continue earning even after the first registration. For life until the bookmaker closes its doors. In fact, as Luca explained to us, with the CPA method the forecaster’s main goal is to reach and onboard new users every month – users who have never interacted before – with the Revenue Share method this is the only goal play as much as possible. And possibly try to lose.

He explains it to us using a simple example: the more “the user network” loses. (those who registered using a tipster’s personal code) the higher the profit.

To earn moneyAs a matter of fact, The net membership at the end of the month must be negative. This type of cooperation between tipster and bookmaker is preferred by those who “recommend” betting slips with small amounts to their followers: in fact, no one will be upset about losing a 3 euro bet, but try to imagine, for example, how much names) , which has tens of thousands of members in its Telegram group when all its users play and lose €3 per week.

In addition, through Revenue Share, Luca always explains to us, after registering on the site, the bettor contributes to making money for those who have provided him with “the link”, even without playing the bets he recommends . You always remain part of the “circle” and every game you lose contributes to your monthly net.

Lose to win

This type of affiliation is essentially betting shops They pay tipsters based on losses monthly of your network. The mechanisms and percentages vary from site to site, but in short: if 100 people sign up to Betting Office A via our link and follow our bets at the end of the month, they will have lost a total of 100 euros each, we will have a loss in our network of ten thousand euros. Money that represents a profit for the bookmakers and is shared with the tipsters at a pre-contracted percentage, which can vary between 30, 40 and 50%..

But who would ever follow a losing bettor to make money without the knowledge of those following him? That was the first question we asked Luca. And to answer our question: This is where they come into play Sponsorships.

In fact, one of the most common strategies to “capture” users is to promote videos in which they appear Vouchers worth a few euros, but with a particularly high payout: very effective technique that can attract a fairly large user base. This explains the reason for all the sponsored videos circulating on social media in which characters with rather questionable ethics and rather annoying manners do everything to get our attention and then show us a “sensational” competition.

That the world of betting is devious is certainly nothing new: there are too many – and very sad indeed – stories of people who are broke because of their gambling addiction and fall into an addiction comparable to that of drugs. And yet the Internet was a silent genocide, where money no longer even seems like money and betting has become compulsive, posthuman and lonely. Available 24 hours a day. But if we can count on the efforts of anti-gambling communities to combat gambling itself, it is truly unacceptable that there are people who are able to profit from the losses of others.

ANDd It is all the more unacceptable that these are the same “predictors”, i.e. those that are supposed to “help” users to win, to be able to earn at a loss of those who play.

At this point the question arises: Is it normal that this is all kept secret? If all the most famous tipsters suddenly revealed their earnings, how many would continue to follow them? Would the many people who put their money on their betting slips every weekend continue to gamble knowing that they would make money by losing? A question that I hope many people will ask themselves from today onwards.