Best Sports Spread Betting Sites

Each sports spread betting site we review is internationally-regulated and licensed by well known and reputable jurisdictions ensuring that they are regularly tested for fairness, security and a high level of customer service. New Customer Offers, [geot country=”US”]21+[/geot][geot exclude_country=”US”]18+[/geot], T&C’s Apply to each of the offers below, click “Bet Now” for more information.

Sports Spread Betting Sites

The Internet has undoubtedly fostered a revolution in sports betting, shaking up the last Century’s traditional model of high-street and trackside bookmakers and giving punters exceptional choice in what, when and how they indulge their passion for a flutter. Whilst the principles of fixed odds betting with a bookmaker has translated very successfully online to satisfy many bettors’ needs, there has been some innovations in sports betting that have brought intriguing new ways to profit from your predictions. Sports spread betting is one such revolution, but what is it and why might it warrant your attention?

The principle of spread betting originated in the financial and currency markets but has been adapted with phenomenal success to the realm of sports betting. At the core of the idea is the ‘spread’ itself, a range within which the company laying the bet (i.e. the bookmaker) believes a points-based market will settle. This has a lower value (the ‘sell’ value) and an upper value (the ‘buy’ value). Bettors can thus take two positions – forecast that the result of the market (i.e. the result of the specified sporting event or events) will ultimately be higher than the buy value or lower than the sell value. By way of example, say the market is to predict the points a football team will accumulate in the course of a season. The offered spread from the bookmaker is 68 – 70.5. If you stake a £1 on the buy price and the team ends up on 74 points, you’ll make £3.50 (74-70.5=3.5 points times your stake).

The jeopardy is that they end the season on less than 70.5 points since you’re then liable to pay your stake times the number of points under the buy price they finish. Conversely, you might feel the offered spread is over-optimistic and choose to favour a ‘sell’ on this market. In this case, when the season ends, you’ll profit for every point under the example’s sell price of 68, but risk paying out for every point over 68 the team accumulated.

The appeal for many punters with spread betting as opposed to fixed odds betting is that you can make better use of your sporting knowledge. With fixed odds bets you face a simpler win or lose scheme in which you’ll know precisely what you’ll stand to gain or lose at the moment you back an offered bet. With spread betting your gain or loss is wholly dependent on how accurate your forecasting is. That creates a more volatile experience from the increased spread of possible outcomes from taking a position on an offered market, but with it potentially greater engagement for bettors that like to study form, flex their instinct and enjoy the dynamic of ‘playing the markets’.

Sports spread betting is not for everyone – its unpredictability and the greater potential exposure to loss with overly optimistic or pessimistic forecasts means it’s probably not well suited to the faint-hearted or more casual punter – but if you relish a more demanding challenge (with attendant potential for bigger rewards) from your wagering then it’s a fascinating option for your future flutters.

Spread betting carries a high level of risk to your capital and can result in losses larger than your initial stake/deposit. It may not be suitable for everyone so please ensure you fully understand the risks involved.