About SharpCheck
Football tipster research and ratings
SharpCheck helps you check a football tipster before paying for a service or following their bets. We look at published results, the odds followers could get, and reports from people who have used the service.
A profitable record is a starting point. You still need to know what it covers, how it was recorded and whether you could have placed the same bets.
What our research checks
Our tipster research profiles link to the records and reviews behind each assessment. They show when we checked the sources and which service and period the evidence covers. A tipster's personal betting history may differ from the selections sent to paying subscribers.
- Results: bet history, stakes, odds, profit, losses and gaps in the record.
- Verification: evidence that selections were published before the event, and whether changes can be traced.
- Following the bets: bookmaker access, price movements, timing and accepted stakes.
- Subscriber experience: dated feedback about a named service, with any commercial relationship disclosed where known.
A public spreadsheet makes a record inspectable. It does not, by itself, prove that every bet was recorded in advance or that the quoted odds were available. We label figures reported by a service separately from our own calculations and explain what remains unchecked.
How community ratings work
The community leaderboard is separate from our research. Users score five areas from 1 to 5:
- Price achievability
- Could followers get the quoted odds, and how long were those odds available?
- P/L transparency
- Can you inspect the profit-and-loss record, including losing bets, stakes and settlements?
- Market accessibility
- Which bookmakers offer the bets, and can followers use them from their country?
- Ease to follow
- Are the selections, stakes and deadlines clear? Is the volume manageable?
- Long-term edge
- How much evidence is there across different periods? Are results supported by a consistent record and comparisons with closing prices?
The public score starts with the average submitted rating for each area, then gives the five areas equal weight. The current system sets P/L transparency to 1 when a listing has no results link. That is a scoring rule, not a finding that the tipster has acted dishonestly.
Read the review count alongside the score. A high average from a handful of accounts is weak evidence. Signing in does not prove that someone subscribed to the service or placed its bets.
What the evidence cannot tell you
Ratings can be influenced by friends, rivals and a recent run of results. We cannot promise that a score is free from manipulation. Our research profiles carry no composite score or competitive ranking; readers can inspect the sources and the limits of each assessment.
External reviews are attributed to their source and period. A complaint is not a proven finding, and a positive review is not proof of a lasting betting edge. When we cannot establish something, we say so.
Recorded returns may exclude subscription fees and differ from a follower's returns. Past profit does not guarantee future results.
Who runs SharpCheck
SharpCheck is owned and maintained by Neil Macdonald, who also operates Sharp Side Soccer. That is a conflict of interest. Its profile carries a prominent ownership disclosure and should not be read as an independent review of the service.
The site is self-funded. SharpCheck does not earn affiliate commission from bookmakers or tipster services, and tipsters cannot pay for a listing, a feature or a higher ranking.
Read the research
Start with Mark O'Haire, Gaffa or Sharp Side Soccer. Each profile separates the results, the checks made and the questions still open.
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