Writer switches from jokes to bets
Pro sports handicapper thinks
U.S. policy on gambling is really funny
By JESSICA HOPP
Staff Writer
The NASHVILLE TENNESSEAN
Sunday, December 10, 2006
READYVILLE —
Sports handicapper J.R. Miller used to make his living
writing comedy.
He said that in
sports gambling, the joke is on the U.S. government.
"We need to look at
it from a logical perspective," said Miller, who operates professionalgambler.com out of his home near Murfreesboro.
"Hundreds of
millions of dollars are going out of our country to overseas
bookmakers. The money we are losing in taxes on those
gambling dollars just on the Internet, it's a terrible
waste. And many of our senators treat us like fools or
children by trying to not allow grown people to gamble."
Miller, who
established his site in 1997, is one of many seeking a piece
of the nation's multibillion-dollar sports-gambling action.
He makes a living helping others try to beat the system.
Although there are
no specific statistics on the number of sports handicappers,
an Internet search turns up a slew of sites run by people
who consider themselves professionals. By all accounts,
however, it's tough to stay in business.
"Frankly, I don't
know many who do it successfully," said Kelso Sturgeon, a
25-year handicapping professional. "The chances for survival
are between zero and none."
Betting expresses freedom
Miller's hook? His
passion extends beyond the act of gambling. To him it is
about the freedom to choose.
He wrote
The
Social Impact of Gambling, an article on his site in
which he concedes that gambling can become addictive, just
like many other things, but argues it shouldn't be illegal.
Miller got into
gambling in the 1970s while writing for the TV comedy Hee-Haw.
The work had its slow periods, so Miller and his brother,
R.J., looked for ways to pass the time. They started with
blackjack.
"My brother had
already moved to Vegas, and together we learned how to play
blackjack and beat the system."
He said it's very
hard to beat casinos — roulette, craps and slot machines are
all set up to favor the house — but sports gambling is
different.
"In roulette your
odds are always the same. But with you and me deciding
whether the Indianapolis Colts are going to win by six
points or seven points, all of a sudden it's not written in
stone."
As for beating the
system, Miller said a lot of it is common sense, like not
allowing a hot streak to cloud your judgment.
He has published
several books, including How Professional Gamblers Beat
the Pro-Football Point Spread. His online service offers
analysis and picks of NBA, NFL, NHL and MLB games.
Miller does not
offer tips on college games — although he said college lines
are softer and easier to beat — because he feels college
sports is a "terrible mess," rife with corruption and
subject to point shaving.
Miller said he's
doing just fine with the pros anyway. He has about 200
customers.
"It's the best way
to make a living I can possibly think of," he said.
"I am so
happy I am waiting for the other shoe to fall."
Copyright, The NASHVILLE TENNESSEAN
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