Inside Edge: will give betting recommendations
Rogue trader Nick Leeson has been snapped up to join former Mirror City Slicker James Hipwell on the launch of gambling magazine Inside Edge.
The men’s monthly from Dennis Publishing was unveiled this week, featuring Leeson, the trader imprisoned for bringing down Barings Bank, among its regular contributors.
The 124-page glossy is targeted at serious gamblers who spend £200 or more a month on betting.
According to Dennis, £20m a day is bet online and there has been a dramatic increase in people playing poker over the net.
Inside Edge will have a 40-page sports betting section, featuring football, racing, golf, cricket, snooker and US sports. It will cover the many different forms of betting, including spread betting, and have a strong lifestyle element featuring motoring and fashion.
Hipwell, who is editing the title, said it was more about strategy than tipping. “There is a lot of strategy there. We are teaching people how to bet and how to improve their betting skills. If you like steam trains you’re well catered for with magazines, but if you like to have a bet, there is nothing quite like us out there. A magazine like Inside Edge should help people through the mine field,” he told Press Gazette.
“Rather like the Racing Post does for horse racing, we’ll produce a form guide and data and statistics for events written by experts. They will analyse the data and make betting recommendations.”
Leeson is expected to focus on the psychology of gambling. In his first column he challenges the Barings family to a game of poker to win their money back.
“He might have lost the £800m,” said Hipwell, “but he has just done a psychology degree and is going to combine his insight into psychology with his history as the world’s biggest gambler and hopefully come upon something quite interesting.”
Former Chelsea striker Tony Cascarino has been hired to write a football column and Ryder Cup winner Ronan Rafferty will write about golf.
The first issue of Inside Edge is due out on 11 March, timed to coincide with the Cheltenham Festival. It will have an initial print run of 55,000 and a cover price of £3.99.
By Ruth Addicott
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