It goes without saying that the pick selling industry, both past and present, often deserves its less than stellar reputation.
I’m proud of Pregame.com’s history of demanding a higher standard than what’s acceptable elsewhere. It’s not always easy – and is often a balancing act between what makes business sense and the ideal.
I’m excited to announce the newest standard required of our Pros . . .
Pregame.com will require every Pregame Pro to publicly provide:
a) Their legal name
b) A signed declaration detailing any past legal troubles (requiring the listing of any felony convictions and/or any misdemeanor convictions which in any way involves financial deception or business impropriety)
This new standard has been in the works for quite a while – and as you can guess, there was some resistance from some Pros. There is comfort in anonymity, and in many ways screen names are valid on the Internet.
But, when Pregame designates a handicapper as a Pro, it is at some level an endorsement – and though the selection process can never be perfect, we want as much information as possible for both Pregame and eventually the customer to make decisions. Having the legal name (aiding whatever research you’d personally like to do) and knowing the pertinent legal history of a Pro are two additional pieces of information to help you decide which Pros are worth following.
This requirement will also increase confidence that Pregame is not taking part in the common industry practice of having one handicapper (or office writer) sell picks under multiple screen names.
This is an extremely positive step. And you have my personal pledge that my effort to improve Pregame.com’s transparency and customer focus will continue. It’s inevitable that some Pros will not be comfortable with the demands that such an ambitious approach will require. As always, I will try my best to accommodate their concerns, but nothing will stand in the way of Pregame’s continued improvement.
In the next few weeks, all Pros will be adding their legal names and their signed declaration to their bios. Note that this program will not result in any need for screen name changes – rather the info will be there for anyone who would like to reference it.
Lastly, I want to say once again that this journey would not be possible without the community. Each and every contributor helps make Pregame.com what it is.