The Shadow Behind the Sports Media Curtain: Better Collective’s Betting Empire and the Boiler Room Blueprint

Introduction: A Digital Sports Media Group?

Better Collective, headquartered in Copenhagen, presents itself as a sleek, data-driven digital sports media empire. Their websites—Action Network, VegasInsider, Pickswise, Playmaker HQ, and more—attract millions of monthly visitors seeking betting insight, odds comparison, or expert picks. The company markets itself as a transparent bridge between sportsbooks and bettors—offering educational content, tools, and affiliate links in exchange for commissions.

But beneath the press releases and clean UX hides something more aggressive. Critics argue that Better Collective’s entire model hinges on weaponizing “trustworthy media” to push inexperienced bettors toward financially destructive decisions—mirroring the boiler room penny-stock operations made infamous by Jordan Belfort in the 1990s.

Boiler Room 2.0: How the Picks Are Sold

In a traditional boiler room, fast-talking brokers used phones and hype to push worthless stocks on gullible investors, raking in commissions as their clients hemorrhaged cash. Today, Better Collective doesn’t need phones. It uses content, authority, and brand partnerships to do the same thing—but with sportsbooks instead of stocks.

Here’s the playbook:

• Acquire or build high-traffic betting media sites.

• Flood them with SEO-optimized content on odds, “expert picks,” and betting tools.

• Monetize by funneling readers to sportsbooks via affiliate links.

• Earn commissions—either through CPA (cost-per-acquisition) or revenue share on bettor losses.

If a user signs up for a sportsbook and loses consistently (as most do), Better Collective keeps getting paid. It’s a model that thrives not when the bettor wins—but when they lose, frequently and impulsively.

The Acquisition Machine: Building the Funnel

Since 2021, Better Collective has spent hundreds of millions acquiring well-known betting content brands in the U.S. and beyond:

• Action Network ($240M): Poses as a stats-driven platform, but pushes aggressive sportsbook integration and QuickSlip betting features.

• Playmaker Capital (~$188M): Adds lifestyle and viral betting content targeting younger audiences.

• Canada Sports Betting (~€21M): Gives access to a national gambling market.

• VegasInsider, Pickswise, Rotogrinders: Sites historically known for “pick selling” now wrapped in the sheen of legitimacy.

The result? A sprawling content empire that can push betting decisions across a massive swath of the global betting audience—all monetized by the losses of the very users they claim to help.

From Journalism to Commission: The Corrupted Editorial Model

Better Collective brands don’t hide their sportsbook affiliations—but they rarely lead with that information. To a casual reader, the average article on Action Network or VegasInsider appears journalistic or analytical.

But every piece of content—every prop bet preview, parlay “how-to,” or odds breakdown—is subtly engineered to encourage a sportsbook signup and a wager. Think:

• “Expert Pick: Bet the Giants -3.5”

• “Top 3 Super Bowl Bets You Can Make Now”

• “How to Maximize NFL Player Props with This Promo”

Every one of those links drives revenue back to the company if the bettor signs up and loses. The house always wins, and so does the affiliate—because they’re on the same side.

This isn’t journalism. It’s performance marketing in a lab coat.

Touting in a Suit: The Modern Snake Oil Salesman

What makes this model so slippery is its plausible deniability. Better Collective isn’t charging users for picks like a traditional tout scam. They simply “inform” bettors through editorialized picks, and let the affiliate revenue roll in.

But let’s be honest: in function, it’s no different than the boiler rooms that made Belfort rich.

• Unsuspecting audience? ✅

• Promises of easy wins or insider edge? ✅

• Commission from downstream financial losses? ✅

• Aggressive expansion into less-regulated markets? ✅

The only difference is tone. Instead of yelling down the phone line, today’s tout wears a hoodie and runs a podcast. Instead of pushing pink-sheet stocks, they’re pushing +1200 parlays and same-game props with 14% vig.

Regulatory Grey Zones and the Ethics Problem

In most countries, there’s little regulation around affiliate transparency or bettor protections when it comes to media-driven referrals. That means Better Collective can operate in the wide-open spaces between journalism, marketing, and financial exploitation.

They’ve even partnered with legacy institutions like The New York Post and Boston.com to expand reach—offering sports coverage that blurs the line between editorial content and betting promotion.

The incentive is clear: drive volume. Doesn’t matter if the user is 18 or 80, disciplined or degenerate, profitable or bleeding cash. If you click, bet, and lose—they win.

Conclusion: The “Media Group” with a Boiler Room Heart

Better Collective may call itself a “sports media” company, but the underlying mechanics mirror everything we know about boiler room operations:

• Mass distribution of "expert advice"

• Financial motivation for pushing risk

• Dependence on customer losses

• An ever-widening funnel of amateurs to exploit

The only thing that's changed is the delivery. Jordan Belfort used phones and penny stocks. Better Collective uses WordPress and parlays.

One used cold calls. The other uses content (and cold calls).

But both sell the same lie: that you can beat the system, when in fact, you are the system.