With daily fantasy leagues and online sports gambling on the rise, sports fans need a new source of information to accurately make decisions.
Founded in 2010, Prediction Machine gives fans quality quantitative data for daily matches, using the slogan: “We play the game 50,000 times before it’s actually played.”
Using statistics from each team, the team at Prediction Machine is able to create a model of the game’s outcome with its “Predictalator” model. It uses probability and statistics from each team; taking only eight seconds to run those 50,000 simulations and determine a percent likelihood of a certain outcome.
Prediction Machine also adjusts its numbers in real time, running those same 50,000 simulations after every play. For example in the 2015 Super Bowl, at 2nd and goal from the 1-yard-line and down four with under a minute to play, the Seattle Seahawks had more than an 80% chance to win before Malcolm Butler’s interception of Russell Wilson.
CEO and General Manager of Prediction Machine Paul Bessire called Butler’s interception, “The most significant game-changing play in Super Bowl history, ahead of ‘Wide Right’.”
“We didn’t get a single complaint about getting that game wrong. Everyone understood that that was an unexpected ending.”
Currently, Prediction Machine offers analysis on games from six different leagues; MLB, NBA, NHL, NFL, NCAA Football, and NCAA Basketball. Bessire also said that they are working on a predictive engine for European soccer and cricket matches in order to expand into a global market.
A graduate of the University of Cincinnati, Bessire has been doing sports simulations for over a decade. Despite the cold, analytical look he takes at professional athletics, he still has a love for sports.
“If we’re not running a prediction for a game, I always root for the underdog,” Bessire said.
Prediction Machine is a small operation with only a six-man staff, but have “a ton of experience” in the field of sports simulation with a “uniquely comprehensive simulation engine.”
Along with international sports, the website is looking to expand into more of a business to business role in the market, doing analysis for daily fantasy sports sites, teams, leagues, and networks.
“The greatest asset this company has is that we are incredibly passionate about this product,” Bessire said.