Meet Robert Criscola, Our Betting Analyst
Robert Criscola
Betting Analyst
10+ Years ExperienceRobert M. Criscola’s road to becoming a Covers publishing editor began with an internship at Metro New York, which eventually turned into a freelance job at MetroBet covering many sports from a wagering angle, including horse racing. He continued to focus on “The Sport of Kings” by writing for shapperdacapper.com, danonymousracing.com, and informer.fanxt.com before joining the team at the TwinSpires Edge in 2019 as a regular contributor and weekend editor. “Crisco” began writing game previews for Covers in 2022 and joined the editing team in 2023.
His best advice for sports bettors? Bet with your head, not over it.
What makes Robert M. Criscola an expert?
Robert M. Criscola’s road to becoming a Covers publishing editor began with an internship at Metro New York, which eventually turned into a freelance job at MetroBet covering many sports from a wagering angle, including horse racing. He continued to focus on “The Sport of Kings” by writing for shapperdacapper.com, danonymousracing.com, and informer.fanxt.com before joining the team at the TwinSpires Edge in 2019 as a regular contributor and weekend editor. “Crisco” began writing game previews for Covers in 2022 and joined the editing team in 2023.
His best advice for sports bettors? Bet with your head, not over it.
Experience
Covers.com
- Publishing Editor
- January 2023 - Present
- Road to the Breeders' Cup Picks & Best Bets for June 28: Fleur de Lis Stakes + Stephen Foster Stakes
- Publication
- Padres vs Diamondbacks Prediction, Picks & Odds for Today’s MLB Game
- Publication
- Belmont Stakes Picks: Best Trifecta, Superfecta, Exacta Bets for 2025
- Publication
Horse Racing Nation
- Freelance Contributor
- May 2022 - February 2025
Churchill Downs Incorporated
- Writer, Editor, and Social Media Manager
- April 2019 - April 2022
Education
Robert attended St. Francis College, earning his degree in Communications Arts in 2015.
St. Francis College
- Bachelor of Arts (Communications Arts)
10+ years in sports betting
Robert has been a relied-upon voice in the industry for a decade.
Passion for writing
Robert has cultivated his love of writing since taking his first newswriting course in college.
Diverse knowledge
Robert has covered the four major North American sports plus horse racing and more.
How does Robert stay up to date?
Equibase.com
Equibase is an indispensable tool for horseplayers looking for entries, odds, results, and much more.
Fangraphs.com
Fangraphs enables baseball bettors to go beyond the box scores for all kinds of advanced MLB statistics.
Covers MLB Picks
Our Covers MLB Picks page contains all our best bets on a given game day. From moneyline wagers to spread picks to player props, our experts have you covered.
Q&A with Robert
Where does your love of sports come from?
My father has always been a passionate sports fan, rooting for the Mets, Jets, and Rangers, as well as any horses he happened to have a few bucks on at any given Saturday.
What do you look for in a sportsbook?
Competitive odds and great promotions. I love to snap up boosts on straight-up bets and know I'm getting bang for my buck on my best bet of the day.
What’s your best advice for sports bettors?
Bet with your head, not over it. Bankroll management is Priority No. 1 at all times.
There's no better place to get started when considering what bets you want to get down than Covers’ Scores & Matchup pages. It's a great jumping-off point that includes links to things like injury reports to starting pitching probables.
Robert’s memories
🚀 Big wins
I didn’t make a ton of money on it, but I bet Cleveland at -1.5 runs against Colorado on June 1, 2014, and the game was tied 4-4 with the Tribe batting in the bottom of the ninth. With a runner on and the slap-hitting Michael Bourn at the dish, I was worried that Cleveland would win by just one run. Instead, Bourn hit only his second home run of the season off Adam Ottavino, Cleveland won by two runs, and I cashed!
😭 Bad beat?
I bet the Tampa Bay Lightning to win the Stanley Cup at +1200 before the NHL playoffs began in 2015, and things looked good when they jumped out to a 2-1 lead in the Stanley Cup Final over the Chicago Blackhawks. But the Bolts’ offense soon evaporated, as they scored just two goals in the final three games en route to a 4-2 series loss.
Robert's areas of expertise
Robert is always shopping around for the best betting value to be found and brings unbridled passion to his analysis.
Landing value
Robert knows how to line shop with the best of them, scouring dozens of markets across multiple sportsbooks to deliver the best bang for your betting buck.
Experience & passion
Robert has been a sports fan for most of his life and brings over a decade of experience in sports betting to the table. He loves to share his passion for sports betting with Covers users.
Robert has also been featured in:
- Bloodhorse
- Lopez Lets El Kabeir Be 'The Boss'
- Magazine
Robert's Articles
It's not just Robert doing the research
Eric Rosales
Betting Analyst
Eric has been involved in sports media in many different capacities since graduating from journalism school in 1999, back when getting your own column in a newspaper was still considered a thing. He doubled down and graduated from broadcast journalism school five years later, which led to a move to Toronto and a career with The Sports Network (TSN). From behind-the-scenes production work, he moved into the digital realm, where he had his own hoops column (At the Buzzer), while regularly live streaming and chatting with fans during broadcasts as the character known as LeBlog James. He was also a key contributor to TSN and CTVs Olympic programming during the 2012 London Games. Eric eventually found his way into the sports betting field in 2016 and has been a mainstay ever since. He was tagged on Twitter as a Top 10 NBA sharp during the 2021 season and has been interviewed about basketball and his handicapping process on shows from Vancouver to India. Eric is now a jack-of-all-sports at Covers, where his predictions span the alphabet soup: NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, F1, WNBA, Euro, and Copa. When making picks, he focuses on finding value first and foremost, and ensuring readers have all the information they need to make an informed choice.
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Jon Metler
Betting Analyst
Having played, coached, and officiated basketball, Jon naturally turned his focus to the NBA when he entered the sports betting world. With over 15 years of experience, he specializes in spreads, moneylines, and player propsalways chasing value through sharp market analysis. A firm believer in analytics, Jon trusts the numbers to guide his bets. He monitors NBA betting markets 365 days a year and uses 10+ sportsbooks to find the best prices. If there are NBA games on, Jons up early, caffeinated, and already placing his favorite bets.
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Kyle LaRusic
Betting Analyst
Kyle LaRusic joined Covers in 2020 with a Holland College diploma in Journalism and a Mount Saint Vincent Degree in Public Relations. Stints at Amherst News and the Cape Breton Post helped sharpen his skills in a newsroom setting, while working for MSVU and Dalhousies athletic departments landed Kyle in his comfort zone. Kyle has been an avid bettor for over five years, starting with just one Sports Interaction account before discovering both the beauty and importance of price shopping. bet365 and Pinnacle are his go to books, but accounts at 10+ sportsbooks give him an array of options. Rusty will bet on anything under the sun as long as theres value and good reasoning behind it, but NHL and NFL are his two favorite leagues to watch and wager on especially with friends. Kyles biggest tip for any bettor is simple: gamble responsibly. Only bet what youre willing to lose and make sure to install a proper bankroll method to keep track of your ROI. If youre still dwelling on the amount you lost the next day, its time to decrease your spending.
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