Advantage Players: Exploiting Closing Lines, Not Luck
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Resources & Recommendations
Videos & Documentaries
- The Godfather - Mentioned for the Hyman Roth line "the business we've chosen," which is a nod to the dirty nature of the gambling business.
Tools & Software
- DraftKings - A sports betting app mentioned as a way to place bets in various states.
- FanDuel - A sports betting app, similar to DraftKings, for placing bets.
- Novig - A sweepstakes site where one can gamble.
- BetOnline - An offshore book mentioned as a potential option for betting.
- Bovada - An offshore book mentioned as a potential option for betting, and where Thomas first started betting.
- Kalshi - A prediction market where people can gamble, including using funds from a Robinhood account.
- SpotOdds - A company that offers odds screens showing lines for various games across different books.
- Unabated - A company that offers odds screens for sports betting.
- Don Best - A historical go-to for odds screens, used by Thomas when he started.
- PayPal - A payment service that many professional bettors, including Thomas, have been banned from.
- GeoComply - A service that collects geolocation and Wi-Fi login data, used by regulators to link betting accounts.
Organizations & Institutions
- American Gaming Association (AGA) - The lobbying arm of the casino industry, mentioned for its "Have a Game Plan" responsible gaming campaign.
- Colorado Gaming - The state regulator that investigated and took action against Thomas's betting activities.
- US Integrity - A third-party watchdog organization founded in 2018 to partner with regulators and sportsbooks to identify integrity issues like fraud and money laundering in sports markets.
Websites & Online Resources
- haveagameplan.org - The website for the American Gaming Association's responsible gaming campaign, which features casino and sportsbook logos, a map of legal sports betting states, and explanations of betting concepts.
- Gambling Twitter - A community where Thomas discovered discussions about CLV (Closing Line Value) and efficient market hypothesis.
- Robinhood - A brokerage app, mentioned as a platform from which users can fund Kalshi accounts.
- Pinnacle - A sportsbook Thomas mentions as a place where one might try their luck with new betting knowledge.
Other Resources
- Closing Line Value (CLV) - A concept in sports betting that Thomas researched, which refers to the value of a bet compared to the closing line of the market.
- Efficient Market Hypothesis - A financial theory that Thomas researched, related to the basic fundamentals of gambling markets.
- Wire Act - A federal law that was allegedly violated by Thomas, though attorneys advised it pertains to bookies, not bettors.
- Proxy Betting - An alleged violation of Colorado statutes that attorneys clarified pertained to bookies, not bettors.