I think that picking the right sport bets is definitely an acquired and self trained skill, but still highly risky. Like some people can make money out of the stock market just by getting a feel for it, it's possible to make money (usually in combination with taking up the right kind of promotions) on a fairly large scale. Like horse racing for example, lots of bookmakers will bump up the odds on short term offers like paying 6 places instead of 3 on a 14 horse race. That leaves a lot of profitability if you spread out bets across the first 6-8 horses, because the race would have to go very badly wrong for you to fail on that sort of payout. There are all sorts of similar grinding opportunities.
Indeed, someone can get profit and be successful in their specific choice of betting with the help of their skills and innate intuition in them. And yes, it's still risky and someone who want to engage in such should still be careful and wary. Otherwise, he might end up losing instead of profiting.
When it comes to betting in sports, someone must have the skills and knowledge to look at the bigger picture and not only on what's in front of them. A lot of successful sports bettor think beyond the box and has acquired enough information to make their bets be in favor of what they are expecting to turn into. However, this must still be done in moderation because excessive and irresponsible sports betting could also lead to addiction.