You can argue convincingly that the production of a magazine about gambling is a heroic act bordering on the foolish - the lifespan of most betting publications generally being that of an asbestos mining mayfly (possibly with high cholesterol levels, living near an accident blackspot with an unstable partner who has access to firearms).
Let's not be under any illusions - launching a title on gambling is a gamble. While everyone in the game agrees that a betting monthly is A Good Thing most don't seem to be willing to buy it and the rest will grumble about what's not in it.
"the lifespan of most betting publications being that of an asbestos mining mayfly"
After all, betting is all about getting something for nothing, right? With websites like Punters' Paradise providing good solid theory and tools for free there's nothing to be gained by going out and purchasing hard copy info.
Well, that's half-true. Betting is about investment and we're not just talking money. You invest time, energy and application.
"It's one of those activities that just seems to have an infinite capacity for absorbing your time"
It's one of those activities that just seems to have an infinite capacity for absorbing your time. It doesn't matter what aspect of your game you're working on, by the time you've got it handled to your satisfaction it's time to work on another.
Dennis Publishing's Inside Edge is currently giving better coverage of those aspects than most. It manages to cater for the newbie, intermediate and occasionally expert gambler, dipping in and out of advanced topics while keeping an eye on the newbies and slow readers.
The beginners' guides offer an introduction to betting basics without dumbing down or sucking up. The algebra of Asian Handicap may be second nature to you, the seasoned punter, but it once looked as much gibberish as a match summary by Stuart Hall. We all started somewhere.
And yet we know that punters are vain, blind and utterly selfish. Though there's no denying we do have shared interests in sharing information and in holding bookmakers to account for their shameless goalpost shifting (the Edge's regular Watchdog column helps with this).
"Inside Edge aim to at least show you the principles of successful punting."
Nothing's going to turn you into a successful punter overnight but Inside Edge aim to at least show you the principles of successful punting. The well-written analysis from their regular tipsters gets the reader thinking in the right direction; interviews with full-timers and industry professionals offer further insights.
Of particular interest to Paradise devotees will be the academic material. A recent issue featured Leighton Vaughan Williams on the favourite long-shot bias and Mark Griffiths regularly lectures on the psychology of gambling, teaching you all you need to know about intermittent reinforcement and its role in making you a degenerate slot jockey.
"teaching you all you need to know about intermittent reinforcement and its role in making you a degenerate slot jockey"
They've also recently acquired pro gambler Ed Murray, (the excellent Dj Sunset from the Betfair forum) to hold down the Specials betting angle. Cocky so-and-so he may be but few can match him on reality TV markets where he takes a forensic approach to number-crunching and shows enlightened media-savvy when second guessing the producers.
It's hard to say whether the current growth of the gambling sector will drop-off or continue unabated. For now, though, Inside Edge shows that the print medium isn't dead quite yet when it comes to circulating the latest thinking in the gambling game.
BBC
