Stat Bets is a new to market horse racing tipster service which is operated by one Phil Lewington. He claims that he is able to generate some very substantial profits betting on horse racing and other sports.
Introduction to Stat Bets
There aren’t really hard and fast rules when it comes to what catches my eye in the betting world. Some weeks it can be that one of the big names has put out something new. Other times, it can be something that is actually quite niche that is a little bit exciting. Then there are services which just makes massive claims. The kind of claims that frankly I couldn’t ignore if I wanted to. Like, say… A tipster who has topped 7 figures this year.
Now today’s subject, Stat Bets, is about so much more than just the money. You see, integral to anything is the tipster behind it, Phil Lewington. To say that his story is unique is a bit of an understatement really. In fact, if there is any truth to it, it is probably one of the most interesting tales a tipster has ever told about how they got into the game. That is, ignoring all of those ridiculous tall tales you see from questionable tipster services usually…
So, when you bring everything together, Stat Bets looks like a very good looking tipster service. There are some strong results, Phil Lewington is supposedly the real deal. What isn’t there to like here? Well, whilst I’ll admit that there are a lot of things that really make this look good, there are also a few little things that make me think maybe this isn’t all it claims to be.
What Does Stat Bets Offer?
Usually when it comes to a tipster service, there is a relatively simple breakdown of what exactly is on offer. In the case of Stat Bets though, there is just… so much more. Now whether or not you think that is a bad thing is ultimately going to be a very personal choice. But no matter where you land, it certainly makes for interesting reading.
What all of this ultimately means though is that it is difficult to look at Stat Bets solely as a tipster service. What is being marketed by Phil Lewington has more in common with what I might call a “complete betting solution”. Because that “so much more” is a somewhat integral part of the whole package.
And with all of that in mind, it is quite difficult to actually know what you are getting yourself into. Phil Lewington isn’t exactly helpful, although personally, I can’t help but feel that this may be for… Well, rather insidious reasons.
At the core of Stat Bets is of course the tipster element. This is what I believe most people will ultimately sign up for and it is definitely key to the marketing. Now, rather interestingly to me, this isn’t something that Phil Lewington actually likes to talk about. In actual fact, the only specifics mentioned are that you get “Weekly emails containing my very hottest picks – these picks are sure to flood your bank account with winnings!”.
That doesn’t exactly fill me up with hope that this is going to be particularly brilliant. From what I have seen of Stat Bets though, it seems like this is going to be a relatively near daily tipster service. And despite the talk of various sports, it actually seems like Phil Lewington is mostly focused on horse racing.
Honestly, there simply isn’t a lot of other information provided about the tipster service. And from everything that I’ve seen there doesn’t need to be particularly. Stat Bets seems to be a disappointingly simple and “middle of the road” service. There are no extremes in terms of the volume of bets, the odds that you can get on selections are pretty unexceptional, and the type of bets that you will be placing.
What is interesting about Stat Bets though are Phil Lewington’s claims of just how accurate his predictions are. We are very specifically told that he typically gets his predictions right 90% of the time. This suggests that a strike rate of 90% is attainable, which is a very bold claim. Especially because there isn’t really substantial evidence backing this up.
There is some proofing, however, this is hidden behind a paywall which of course makes it difficult to make an informed decision before you purchase Stat Bets. This doesn’t strike me as being entirely coincidental. And whilst I won’t claim to have looked in depth at this proofing, it would seem that roughly tallies with Phil Lewington’s claims. Which honestly, make me doubt the results somewhat.
Moving away from this, there are a number of additional elements to Stat Bets that really need to be considered as a part of that wider package that Phil Lewington is offering. The second selling point that he uses is “unlimited access to a member’s area”. This, he says, is where you can interact with other sports gamblers “as well as tap into high-quality handicapping resources”. This just seems to be nothing more than a forum really.
As well as this, we are told that you get “Unlimited access to expert statistical analysis of soccer (football), college and professional football, basketball, baseball, hockey, tennis and golf”. This appears to be where most of the sports elements of Stat Bets come from given the fact that the core tips seem to be based around horse racing.
And finally, there is a substantial amount of… Well, I suppose it is best described as betting advice. This is a compilation of information on how to approach betting seriously. Ranging from managing a betting bank, to managing your emotions, and even additional betting methods that you can employ yourself.
Honestly, the quality of all of this is a little bit mixed and in my opinion is rather lacking in quality. It seems more like Phil Lewington has included additional content which is a bit basic, just for the purposes of plumping Stat Bets up and seeming like you are getting much more for your money.
How Does Stat Bets Work?
When it comes to how Stat Bets works, it is honestly quite an interesting thing. I say this because we are told plenty, whilst also not really being told a whole lot. And at the centre of everything isn’t any real insight into a selection process. Instead… Well, I hope you’re ready to hear a lot about Phil Lewington.
Everything starts with his background which is as a “Biostatistician”, somebody who (according to Environmental Science) will “analyze data and statistics on living things collected during medical research studies to draw conclusions or make predications”. According to Phil Lewington, this allowed him to draw a salary of £120,000 per year and, apparently, also perfectly positioned him to move his expertise to betting.
And that is where Stat Bets enters the picture. Because we are effectively told that all of the analysis that is done is based off this knowledge of statistics. Which statistics? What approach is used? How are bets and selections identified over others? We simply aren’t told. Just asked to buy into the fact that because Phil Lewington has an understanding of one area of statistics, this translates to all areas. Something that doesn’t seem to be true.
The biggest problem with this that I have is that you don’t even have a way of trying to understand what to expect in the future. Stat Bets is riddled with inconsistencies and the proofing seems somewhat questionable.
But even more problematic is the fact you can only see this after you have paid. I am sure there is some vague counterargument about the money back guarantee, but this is another point that frankly, irks me (and I will talk about in detail shortly).
What is the Initial Investment?
Phil Lewington somehow claims that the actual value of Stat Bets is an annual cost of £250. However, at the time of writing this (and I suspect forever), the cost is generously lowered to £28.99. There is also VAT to pay on top of this. What is interesting to note here is that there is nothing either on the sales material, or on the payment page that says that this access is limited.
What is rather interesting about this is that Phil Lewington says that you have a month to try Stat Bets out, and if you don’t like it, then you can get a refund. Which is fair enough. Except, on his own website, he actually makes reference to a 60 day money back guarantee. The same 60 day money back guarantee that Clickbank actually have in place for this product.
That is really a highly questionable differential, and it is particularly interesting to me that this isn’t something that is addressed. But I will be talking about this is in a little more detail soon.
What is the Rate of Return?
At the start of this, I was talking about how Phil Lewington claims to have made a 7 figure income through betting. And that is the number that Stat Bets is being sold off the back of. More specifically, we are told that this number is actually “more than 10 times what [Phil Lewington’s] salary would have been”, and that it has been made over 3 years.
These numbers allow us to ascertain that the claim here is that there has been at least £1.2 million made over 3 years, or £400,000 per year. As a minimum. Now, that is a huge amount of money, and playing Devil’s Advocate, one could argue that 400 points at £1,000 per point is… Feasible. Ish.
However, when you look at Phil Lewington’s evidence showing just how much money he has won, those are all to £10 or £20 stakes. Keep in mind that these are the same bets reflect his “most recent efforts”. Which means all of a sudden, that £400,000 per year would mean some 20,000 points of profit. And even that is using the larger stakes. Realistically, it could range from that to 40,000 points of profit.
What is interesting and contrarian as well as all of that, is the disparity in the results Phil Lewington claims to have achieved with Stat Bets and those of the testimonials. For example, Derek Hostetter says that he made £5,000 on the very fits bet he placed. Michelle Starr says she made £2,500 on a soccer match and £4,000 on a basketball game.
These numbers don’t add up either really and are a very long way from the few hundred quid we are shown being made over multiple bets. None of this adds up and frankly, it does more to harm Stat Bets than it does back up the claims made.
Conclusion for Stat Bets
It’s very easy looking at Stat Bets to see what the appeal here is. Phil Lewington has done a fine job of setting up a world. Quite how that ties into the real world is quite a different state of affairs. Because there are a lot of differences between the claims that are made and what actually seems to be the case.
Now I want to start with something that to me, quite apparently, highlights the kind of discrepancies that are concerning. Now I know this is an esoteric fact to start with, but I want to discuss Phil Lewington’s claimed starting salary as a Biostatistician. He talks about making £120,000, but a quick search shows that the actual figure that somebody in a senior role might make is around £60,000.
So where does this number come from? My best guess would be that Phil Lewington wanted a number that could be made into that 7 figure headliner. Which is something that definitely brings people in. However, that number doesn’t seem to have any grounding either, which is… interesting.
Now I know I’ve just talked about this, but I want to return to the disparity of the results. Whilst I cannot definitively say that this has been an oversight on behalf of a marketer, it is difficult not to see it in this light. In no small part, this is because I have seen exactly this kind of mistake made by questionable tipsters before now.
And sticking with that idea of oversight and disparity, let’s turn to the money back guarantee. Because to me, this is where things become really questionable. Let’s be honest here, there are only really two reasons why somebody gets the terms and conditions of their refund wrong. Either it’s a genuine mistake or it’s not. But when they stand to profit from it, it is difficult not to ask the question of whether or not it really is a mistake.
How many people might sign up for Stat Bets and decide it isn’t for them once a month has elapsed, only to reach the conclusion (based on Phil Lewington’s information I would hasten to add) that they are no longer entitled to a refund? Now I know, to look at Clickbank because I’ve been doing this for so long. But how many people wouldn’t know that?
All of that is pretty serious to me and I think ultimately it paints a picture of the intent of Stat Bets. I don’t believe that there is really anything of substance here, and to pay £29 for it is just a bit much. Because ultimately, it just doesn’t seem to be very good.
It is certainly a long way from the claimed strike rate of 90%, and the making a 7 figure income, and the sports cars and mansions that Phil Lewington shows. In actual fact, when you look at all of the evidence that is provided here, it just seems questionable.
When you factor all of this in, it just doesn’t really bode well. Perhaps one course say that Stat Bets is cheap. That you might (although I believe the chances are actually pretty slim) get something out f the additional material for that money, but that doesn’t mean that I’d recommend it.
The fact of the matter is this. As impressive as Phil Lewington makes himself and Stat Bets seem, he doesn’t really provide much in the way of tangible evidence backing the claims up. A lot of the service is fraught with holes in information and contradiction. And as such, whether I had a 30 day money back guarantee, or a 60 day one, I just wouldn’t be spending my money on this.
