What is Spread Betting

Sports spread betting with Sporting Index offers you a thrilling experience which keeps you involved right up to the last seconds of any sporting event. The in-play service which spread betting offers you is unrivalled. You'll find nearly double the number of spread bets available on a live football match than you would fixed odds bets.

With spread betting you can bet on a person, team or a horse to perform well or badly, so if you think you know your sport, you can really make your knowledge pay.

Unlike fixed odds betting, once you've placed a spread bet, you have the option to stop the bet when you want. So if your bet's going well and you're in for a decent profit, why not take the money and run?

Spread betting also has some of the most diverse markets available. You can bet on how many corners will be taken in a football match, how many runs the opening batsmen will put on or even how many lengths one horse will beat another by regardless of where they finish in a race.

So how does it work?

Predictions are made on a number of events across a range of sports, including football, cricket, racing, golf and rugby. You, the punter, decide whether to bet higher or lower according to how accurate you think the prediction is.

The predictions are presented in the form of two separate prices. This range is known as the 'spread' and you bet low (sell) at the first named price and if you wish to bet high (buy) you would so at the second price.

Think of it as if you were guessing a person's age. You might guess 'somewhere between 25 and 28 years old'. This is exactly the same as a spread betting firm, they allow a range. So if you were betting on this prediction you would bet low at 25 or bet high at 28.

What the punter wins, or loses, really depends on the size of the stake chosen and how right or wrong they are.

Sporting Index may predict that the first goal in a game between Manchester United and Liverpool will be scored in the 41st minute, and consequently a spread of 40-42 minutes would be set. If someone believes an early goal will be scored they'd bet low at 40mins, whilst someone who thinks it'll be a tighter affair would bet high at 42mins.

If a goal is scored in the 30th minute, the person who bet low wins 10 times his stake (40mins take away 30mins = 10) while the client who bet high at 42mins loses 12 times his stake.

With cricket, spread betting really comes into its own. Amongst other events, you can bet on the total number of runs scored not just by a team but by individual batsman too.

For example if England were facing Australia in a test match and there was a prediction of England making 350-365 runs in their first innings, a client can bet low at 350 or high at 365 runs. As the match progresses this price will be constantly updated in-play, ball-by-ball according on what is happening.

So if England were to lose a few wickets in the morning session, the prediction for their total runs would move down. However, if they were 150 without loss then the prediction would move up.

Opening an Account with Sporting Index

When opening a spread betting account with Sporting Index you can choose to bet on a credit or deposit basis. With a deposit account you'll need to deposit funds to cover your bets but with a credit account you van start betting straight away.

You can also choose a 'stop win/loss' account. This offers you all the thrills of an ordinary spread bet but with added security. Every bet placed is subject to a maximum loss and win. This means you know the most you can win or lose every time you place a bet. By not taking the option of a stop win/loss your wins (and potential losses) have less limits - more experienced spread bettors tend take this option.

For your piece of mind Sporting Index is authorised and regulated by the FSA.