Profesionāls sporta likmju veicējs, kas pārvērta 700 000 ASV dolāru ieguldījumu 300 miljonos. Šis ir viens pavisam interesants stāsts.
Amerikānis Metjū Benhems, kurš 1989. gadā absolvēja Oksfordas Universitāti un ieguva izglītību fizikā, nostrādāja 12 gadus finanšu jomā un kļuva par Amerikas Bankas viceprezidentu. Tomēr 2001. gadā viņš nolēma pilnībā mainīt savu karjeru. Benhems sāka strādāt sporta likmju kompānijā Premier Bet, kur uzkrāja zināšanas, lai 2004. gadā atvērtu pats savu sporta likmju analītikas uzņēmumu Smartodds. Ideja šim uzņēmumam bija pavisam vienkārša - klienti iegādājās Smartodds analizētās likmes un iemācās veidus, kā kļūt par veiksmīgu spēlētāju.
2007. gadā finanšu grūtībās nonāca futbola klubs Brentford, kas bija Benhema mīļākais klubs jau no bērnu kājas. Līdz ar to amerikānis piešķīra komandai 700 000 dolāru aizņēmumu, kura neatdošanas gadījumā klubs pienācās viņam. 2012. gadā viņš kļuva par futbola kluba īpašnieku.
Benhems izvēlējās pavisam citādāku taktiku, kā citi konkurentu kluba īpašnieki. Viņš iegādājās mazāku klubu no Dānijas Midtylland, kur atļāvās eksperimentēt ar dažādām analītiskām hipotēzēm. Un viņa taktikas strādāja - kamēr citi klubi atmeta nederīgus futbolistus, viņš tos paņēma savā paspārnē un deva iespēju, kas vairākos gadījumos atmaksājās ar desmitiem miljonu lielu peļņu.
Pāgājušajā nedēļā Brentford iekļuva Anglijas Premjerlīgā, kas nozīmē, ka klubs šobrīd ir vērts vairāk nekā 300 miljonus dolāru, taču, ja komanda spēcīgākajā līgā noturēsies arī uz nākamo sezonu, vienība saņems vairāk nekā 400 miljonus.
A professional sports gambler used analytics to turn a $700,000 loan into more than $300 million.
— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) June 3, 2021
This is the wild story 👇👇👇
2) After leaving Bank of America in 2001, Matthew Benham joined sports gambling company Premier Bet.
— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) June 3, 2021
His job was to help develop predictive gambling models based on analytics.
The best part?
Benham learned under one of the most successful gamblers in the world — Tony Bloom.
4) Matthew Benham went on to win millions of dollars gambling on sports, but in 2004, he set up his own betting syndicate — Smartodds.
— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) June 3, 2021
The idea was simple:
Benham consulted clients using the same algorithms, statistics & data research that made him a successful sports gambler.
6) Attending his first game at 11 years old, Matthew Benham has been a lifelong fan of Brentford FC.
— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) June 3, 2021
So when the club faced financial trouble in 2007, Benham stepped up.
He provided a $700,000 loan so that Brentford supporters could purchase the team.
But there was a catch…
8) Matthew Benham spent almost $10 million on a smaller club in Denmark — FC Midtjylland — to test his analytical concepts.
— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) June 3, 2021
The ideas that worked, he used at Brentford FC.
The ideas that didn't, he threw in the trash.
10) For example, Brentford FC started to look more closely at “expected goals” rather than how many goals a player actually scored.
— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) June 3, 2021
Their theory?
In a low-scoring sport that is skewed by randomness & luck, the quality & quantity of chances created during a match mattered more.
12) Why?
— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) June 3, 2021
Because Brentford believed you had to give a young player at least 35 games before determining his value.
But the richest clubs in the world didn’t have the time, patience, or appropriate infrastructure to do that.
As a small club willing to experiment, Brentford did.
14) The results weren’t immediate, but now a decade later, they have paid off.
— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) June 3, 2021
After winning the Championship Play-Off Final last weekend, Brentford FC has completed its ascent from the fourth tier of English football to the Premier League.
The best part?
It's worth $300M+. pic.twitter.com/YeFta21duc
16) In a sport that has historically refused the analytical revolution, Matthew Benham decided to shake things up.
— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) June 3, 2021
He saved his childhood team from bankruptcy, used his experience in analytics to create a competitive advantage & turned a $700k loan into $300M+.
That's amazing. pic.twitter.com/X3vsjFkxIe
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