Meet Rohit Ponnaiya, Our Betting Analyst
Rohit Ponnaiya
Betting Analyst
7+ Years ExperienceWith a background playing soccer, rugby, and boxing, combined with a journalism degree, it's little surprise that Rohit gravitated towards the world of sports betting. He specializes in betting on UFC and college basketball, two sports where the eyeball test can tell you a lot more about matchups than analytics. Rohit has years of experience handicapping NFL and NBA games as well as niche betting markets such as politics. He's also the resident CFL expert and formerly hosted "The Chez and Ro Show" with former CFL star Davis Sanchez.
What makes Rohit an expert?
Rohit always had an avid interest in sports, both as a rabid fan and as an aspiring pro athlete who didn't make it past the university level. That interest reached a whole new level in 2018 when he joined Covers. After a few years of betting sports and learning under some of the sharpest cappers around, Rohit developed into a betting analyst. His research, analytical mind, and his background competing in various sports give him the insight to filter out the crucial handicapping information from the chatter.
Experience
Covers.com
- Betting Analyst
- April 2019 - Present
- SDSU vs UConn National Championship Picks and Predictions: Huskies Capture Title
- Publication
- Ponnaiya on his favorite March Madness bets
- TSN 1050 Toronto
- UFC 278 Usman vs Edwards Picks and Predictions: Usman on Upset Alert
- Publication
Education
Rohit attended King's University where he graduated with a double major in History and Journalism. Following that he went to NSCC where he graduated with an advanced diploma in public relations.
Nova Scotia Community College
- Advanced Diploma (Public Relations)
University of King's College
- Bachelor or Arts (Double major in Journalism and History)
7+ years in sports betting
Rohit has been an avid sports bettor since 2018.
Diverse experience
Rohit has handicapped multiple markets from the more popular sports like the NFL and NBA to smaller markets like the CFL and MMA. He has also covered niche markets such as political odds.
Cross media content
Rohit has been featured on podcasts, radio shows, and streaming television broadcasts including TSN and VSIN.
Passion for writing
With a background as a journalist, Rohit is a prolific writer that believes in creating informative betting pieces that are backed by strong analysis and research.
How does Rohit stay up to date?
Rohit stays up to date and does his handicapping research at several websites which provide comprehensive stat databases and analytics.
KenPom
One of the top websites for college basketball analytics. Ken Pomeroy has been a leading expert for decades and he uses complex formulas to calculate adjusted efficiency, tempo, and home-court advantage, key components to NCAA betting and the variance between teams and conferences. Oddsmakers use KenPom as a reference point which makes it a must-have for bettors.
Pro Football Focus
A fantastic resource for NFL and college football analysis, especially when looking to evaluate players, head-to-head matchups and areas of strength for teams. A growing database for CFL analytics also provides betting insight for football in the Great White North.
UFC Stats
A comprehensive database which has statistical breakdowns of every fight in UFC history. Including stats for strikes, takedowns, submissions, knockdowns, control time, and scorecards, broken down for every round. Easy to sort by fighter and event.
Covers MLB prop projections
Betting on baseball can be overwhelming with all the games and betting angles, but our MLB prop projections sift through all the player props and bring you the best numbers on the board. The fact that those projections are based on THE BAT X analytics, which does a great job adjusting to underlying hitting metrics, makes it even better.
Q&A with Rohit
How long have you been passionate about sports?
I've been passionate about sports for as long as a I remember. From waking up early in the morning to watch TSN Sports Desk before school to reading biographies about Bo Jackson and Jim Thorpe for book reports. Competing in sports such as soccer, basketball, football, rugby, and boxing while growing up only fueled that drive.
What sport do you have the most success betting on?
I’ve had my runs and slumps in just about every sport, but my evaluation of NFL underdogs is always strong, and I love attacking the WNBA odds early in the season.
What do you look for in a sportsbook?
The most important thing I look for is ease of deposit and withdrawal, as well as reliable customer service. Beyond that having a wide variety of prop markets and reasonable vig is crucial.
What’s your best advice for sports bettors?
Bankroll management is key, never bet what you can't afford to lose and track all your wins/losses. Also maximize those few betting opportunities where books misprice a line — which happens more than you might think in niche sports such as MMA and CFL.
The weather pages at Covers provide some of the best handicapping edges for football and baseball. Constantly updated with wind direction and rain/snow forecasts, they'll help you get ahead of the line movement and look like Nostradamus when betting totals.
Rohit's areas of expertise
Rohit specializes in a variety of sports but he specializes in UFC and college basketball betting while also covering political odds.
UFC betting
With a background in combat sports and an extensive knowledge of MMA history and fighters, Rohit is able to cut through cliche narratives and find betting angles that win money.
NFL and CFL betting
Rohit specializes in NFL betting, especially when it comes to spread and player prop markets. He also has years of experience handicapping the CFL, where he's consistently able to get excellent closing line value.
NBA and NCAA betting
Rohit comprehensively breaks down matchups with injury news and trends to bring you the insights you need to beat the books in the NBA and college basketball odds.
Rohit's memories
🧠 Biggest Win
Placed a bet on Brady Oliveira to win the CFL Most Outstanding Player Award at +4,000 with a month left in the 2024 regular season. He was the odds-on favorite two weeks later and ended up winning the award in a close vote over Bo Levi Mitchell (who I had a +10,000 ticket on).
😭 Worst Beat
March Madness 2019. I was on the Carsen Edwards bandwagon and took Purdue at +4.5 versus Virginia. The Cavaliers forced overtime with a last-second shot in regulation. Purdue led in overtime until the final 30 seconds, then proceeded to lose... by five points.
Rohit has also been featured in:
- New York Post | nypost.com
- Benzinga | benzinga.com
- Los Angeles Times | latimes.com
Rohit's Articles
It's not just Rohit 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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