A Serious Debate about Tipsters

I'll kick off, then.

Imagine you were a long-term successful punter/trader/whatever with a proven track record in generating profit from betting.

A friend asks if he can give you money to "invest" on his behalf, on the basis that he can trust you to do a as good as job as you can, albeit with no guarantee of success and on the understanding that he may lose all his money.

Is your friend taking a liberty?  Is he not asking you to give away part of your own profit?  For if you could invest his money then why not simply invest more of your own? And if the market opportunities are limited, by investing his money you may be losing your own opportunities.

On the other hand, if the liquidity of the market can support more, why is the successful punter not willing to up stakes?  Can he honestly proceed on the basis that he doesn’t want to risk his own money but is willing to risk his friend’s?

On that basis, I cannot understand why any long-term successful punter would want to give away part of his own profits.

Perhaps they prefer to have a regular income from subscribers, rather than face the ups and downs of gambling.

maybe they have had enough of trying to get on with their bets and also like to take cash for their cold hard info..

i'm a successful business man selling carpets and wallpaper, if anyone wanted to pay me for advice and it didnt effect my own business or the pros out weighed the cons id take your money.

Perhaps they prefer to have a regular income from subscribers, rather than face the ups and downs of gambling.

I'm sure that's why the tipsters do it.  Why risk your own money when you can risk other people's money.

But why tipsters do it is not the question.  Rather it is: is it justifiable.

its justifiable in the same way almost all businesses are.. supply and demand. ppl want it they will buy it and the tipsters flourish, if they dont they will either get cheaper or die

Builders conning out of life savings is also a business with a good supply of customers.  It doesn't mean its justifiable.

Is trading justifiable?

It's the same thing, isn't it?

Of course it is.

Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former.

Albert Einstein

trading is the same as selling tips?

nope it isnt

It's not the same, but the doubt over justification is surely the same?

You risk your money based on the information supplied by someone else, and they take a cut.

Maybe it comes down to personalities?

I don't think I could ever be a 2nd hand car salesman.  I'd constantly be saying: "I know the asking price for this car is £2500, but it has a dodgy engine and the tyres are going.  I personally wouldn't pay more than £1000 for it".

Are tipsters just 2nd hand car salesmen?

There are some very good car sales people about.  Is a better analogy the Equitable Life salesman selling pensions and saying we provide better returns because we don't pay commission?  Or your broker calling you and telling you that Enron are a buy at $9 because it is rumoured that they are about to be taken over (1 week before the price hit zero)?