With the NFL playoffs happening in the States, and European football leagues + Champions League in full swing many people bet money on their own team.

I’d like to present an alternative… a surefire way to balance emotional lows with financial highs, or vice versa. For important games, bet $10 against your own team. That’s right, AGAINST your own team.

Traitor Bet Scenario (bet $10 against your own team):

TEAM WINS:  You are so happy that the $10 you lost doesn’t really matter; it’s compensated by the emotional high from the victory.

TEAM LOSES: If your team was good, that means your emotional pain is higher (you’re not used to them losing) but also the odds were pretty high for them to lose, so you may have doubled or tripled your money. Buy yourself and your friends drinks and drown your sorrows.

Compare that win-win situation with:

Normal fan behaviour – betting $10 on your own team:

TEAM WINS: Ok, that’s pretty good, but compared to…

TEAM LOSES: Total emotional devastation compounded by financial loss.

Betting against your own team is a pretty tidy concept, but apparently it’s taboo in UK betting circles. In the industry it’s labelled the Traitor Bet, and maybe that name is part of the reason it’s never taken off. If I were a brand manager at William Hill or Betfair or Ladbrokes I would try to rename it the “Drown Your Sorrows On Us Bet” or  “Turn Your Tears into Beers” and start a fresh campaign.