Online Spread Betting

While fixed odds sports betting remains the most common type of bet seen in Britain, spread betting is on the rise. So what, exactly, is spread betting? Explained simply, instead of winning based on accurately calling the winner or loser of a match, one wins by accurately calling the final score (expected margin) of a match.

Spread betting really took off as a betting option after the 2006 World Cup games. It was helped in this by the rise of internet bet exchanges, as many traditional bookmakers only offered fixed odds betting. The online bookmakers and bet exchange sites have the technology and volumes to offer more variety in betting combinations, and spread betting just happens to be the most popular combination at the moment.

Now, before launching into a major financial investment with spread betting, a punter will want to have spread betting explained to them thoroughly. There are several common permutations, after all, and one doesn’t want to lose due to a misunderstanding.

For example, financial spread betting was quite recently trendy. Financial spread betting took the principle of spread betting wagering based on expected outcomes – and applied it to the stock exchange. For, say, £2 per point, a punter could wager on the expected close of the stock exchange at the end of a given period – a day, a week, whatever. Off by 10 points to the good? £20 to the punter. Off by 10 points to the bad? £20 to the bookie.

That’s right – a downside to index spread betting of any kind is that when a punter is wrong, they often end up paying the bookie by the same multiple as a winning payout. Just as a win can be a big win, a loss can be a major hardship. Therefore, it is important to understand the index spread betting rules BEFORE laying a wager to limit liability should the bet go wrong.

When betting sports spread programs, some sports naturally limit the swing. If a soccer match had 20 goals, that would be a massively outstanding (if not impossible) spread. American basketball, on the other hand, offers many more opportunities for a broad spread. Betting sports spread cards during the NBA playoffs matches could thus be quite a thrill . . . or require a second mortgage on the house.

Truly creative types can apply the principles of spread betting to any subject with an expected outcome that is variable, such as length of celebrity marriages. However, spread betting is most popular in sports. Thus, if one is looking for a way to continue to play a well-loved sport but bored with fixed odds offerings, spread betting can be a way to return the thrill to a sports investing hobby.
 
 

Betting Articles
Bookmaker Reviews
Bookmakers’ New Customer Offers
Sports Betting News
Online Betting
 
Betting explained