Pregame Cries Foul Ahead of March Madness Over Covers.com Sports Capper Exclusivity Demands
Two of the most powerful and respected sports handicapping websites are embarking on a bitter feud, Gambling911.com has learned exclusively.
Covers.com has reportedly ordered its sports handicappers to sign exclusivity deals preventing them from working at rival Pregame.com.
A representative from Pregame.com tells Gambling911: “Covers went to the cappers who sell on both Pregame and Covers and told them by the weekend they have to leave Pregame. Of the four guys, two are staying with us. Kinda shady with March Madness starting next week they are pulling a portion of a cappers income like this.”
Gambling911.com can reveal that both Stephen Nover and Scott Spreitzer opted to stay with Pregame.com while Marc Lawrence and Ben Burns will be offering their plays only to Covers.com.
“They have pretty draconian rules over there and it really hurts the industry,” remarked the Pregame.com rep.
The exclusivity demand came just days before Selection Sunday and the weeks long College Basketball tournaments that are among the most lucrative for sports handicappers.
The sports handicapping business overall has been jarred over the past year due to diminished competition and more stringent deposit verification requirements from payment processors operating offshore.
- Chris Costigan, Gambling911.com Publisher