Since sports betting became a legal and regulated industry in Nigeria, it has quickly become one of the most lucrative and popular pastimes in the country.
This is especially true of football betting, which is by far the most prevalent type of sports betting that Nigerians participate in.
If you want to get in on the action, but you aren’t sure where to start, you might be tempted to turn to some of the more popular football prediction tip websites in order to place your bets. While it is true that bet prediction websites are extremely popular, you should keep in mind that the best players do not rely on them when placing their wagers.
The Pitfalls of Football Prediction Tip Sites
Bet prediction websites can be a useful tool for your arsenal when you are first getting the hang of how sports betting works. It can be helpful to see how others decide on how to place their bets, and you can learn about different things to consider for your own wagers.
However, it is important for players to remember that there is an inherent bias to these tipster websites. Anyone can write about which bets they believe will be profitable, and they can even outline the reasoning behind their picks.
If a tipster makes a set of wrong predictions, he or she immediately loses credibility. Often, the people who get it wrong will stop posting tips under their name for a while. This leaves only the sites that generally have more profitable football predictions.
While this might sound good, it also creates a kind of bias that punters should be wary of. Nobody can be right every time, so even though it can be tempting to rely on bet prediction sites because of their “winning record,” it is still important to use your own judgment and analysis when you are looking through betting tips.
Why You Should Create Your Own Bet Predictions
The most profitable players are usually the ones that take the time to study and understand how the football betting process works. While the idea of studying might not sound like an enjoyable aspect of something that is supposed to be a fun hobby, the truth is that, once you have a good understanding of the basics, you will not have to spend a lot of time on the analysis side of things.
Using someone else’s model leaves you in the dark
When you rely on football prediction tips from other people, you typically do not get the opportunity to see their bet prediction models or take a look at the information they used to come to their conclusions.
This means that if the prediction is wrong, you have no way of knowing what should be done differently next time. It also means that even if the prediction was correct, you still don’t know why. This lack of information makes it difficult to consistently be a winning player.
One of the most valuable tools that a winning player has is information. Most bettors who are serious about making money with their football wagers keep detailed records about wins and losses so that they can incorporate this data into their betting strategies.
When you are relying on someone else’s betting model, it limits how much accurate information you can get, and this makes it much more difficult to improve.
Creating your own football predictions gives you control
Creating a custom bet prediction model can be as simple or complex as you want it to be. If you enjoy mathematics and analysis, this is a great opportunity for you to flex your skills by creating a detailed spreadsheet model for all of the bets you are interested in making.
If you just want to have fun and would prefer not to get bogged down by heavy amounts of number crunching, there are a number of free programs available that will help you get started with forming a basic yet effective bet prediction model.
In both cases, designing your own bet prediction models places control over your winnings squarely in your hands. Creating your own model means that you decide which data points you should include and how you should track the success of the program. It also lets you see exactly where your predictions need improving and where they are correct.
You will have the ability to constantly update and tweak your prediction strategies and then test them by placing wagers. This puzzle aspect is an enjoyable challenge for many bettors, and the ability to refine and adjust your betting model means that you are more likely to become a profitable player in the long run.
Bet Prediction is a Winning Strategy
No serious sports bettor places wagers without having solid bet predictions behind each one. Doing this would be like trying to take an exam without studying or building a piece of furniture without bothering to look at the diagram first.
Because football is by far the most popular sport in Nigeria, football prediction sites tailored to Nigerian interests are plentiful. This means that most players will probably have friends who place their bets exclusively based on the tips from one website or another because they have had luck with that particular site in the past.
This kind of biased playing is okay for casual sports bettors who just want to have a bit of fun wagering on a match when they are at the bar with friends. However, if you are hoping to make some real money with your football bets, this is not a strategy that you should go with.
Even if you do happen to make some money with a football prediction site, it is important to remember the information outlined above about why this is an unreliable method for placing bets.
Ultimately, the best way to become a profitable player is to rely on your own bet prediction models. You can take your cues from some of the popular football prediction sites, but collecting your own data is your best bet for winning.