Nearly fifty years ago Monday Night Football burst upon the American sports scene and almost immediately became an overnight sensation. Not only did the emergence of this phenomenon extend the television viewing weekend of the average fan, but it also provided handicappers with a prime time betting option. Gone were the days of having no way to get even after a tough Sunday. The extended weekend changed the gambling landscape forever and entrenched Monday night football picks as the bettors most important plays of the week.

Regardless of the participants, this game is routinely the heaviest wagered contest of the weekend. It provides an opportunity for bettors to double-up their winnings or get back to even. Unfortunately, losses can double as well thereby upping the stakes and stressing the importance of picking winners consistently.

Nothing fuels the gambler’s fire like a major wager that will make or break the entire weekend. One could argue further that if winners could be selected regularly on Monday night, the sins of Sunday losers might be all but forgotten. It’s not how the week starts, but rather how it ends that defines the handicapper’s success.

The quality of a handicappers prime time wager often distinguishes the professional handicapper from the average weekend bettor. Only by consistently hitting this game can one hope to truly prosper and profit from one weekend to the next over the course of an entire season. One can argue that no matter your weekend tally, as long as one picks the winning side on Monday Night a profitable week can be achieved.

Because gambling on football generates billions of dollars in revenues, services were created to prey on gamblers desperation. While many of these tout services are completely legitimate and have documented records of success, others are simply boiler room operations. Choose a tout service in the same way one might pick a stock broker. Leave your money in the hands of reputable professionals and be wary of scams.

Desperate after an especially rough weekend it is easy for a bettor to lose confidence and seek a lifeline making them easy prey for illegitimate services. As in any business, one should research their sources of information to make sure that they are dealing with an established and reputable tout service or one risks throwing good money after bad.

The importance of Monday night football picks most assuredly will continue to be of paramount importance for as long as football and gambling exist. And even in the tumultuous, unpredictable economy which currently exists nothing will squelch the insatiable gambling appetite of the betting public.