Sports Betting - Spread Betting Indexes
What Is Spread Betting?
The idea of spread betting can look a little daunting to the uninitiated gambler but this fear is unfounded. Spread Betting is actually rather simple once you get the idea and if you have ever seen Bruce Forsythe's "Play Your Cards Right" game show, you've already got the idea without even realising it...
In traditional sports betting you are given a fixed odds price which is the bookies calculation of how likely that particular outcome is to land in your favour. A horse valued at 2-1 earns you twice your stake money when it wins. You make the prediction and take their odds.
In spread betting, the idea is different. The spread betting company itself makes a prediction about an event and it is up to you to decide if they are right or wrong. If you think they're right in their prediction, you don't bet at all. As Brucie would say: "you get nothing for a pair"... {{not in this game!}}. If however, you think they are wrong then you can bet on whether their prediction is too high or too low.
To give an example:
Say, the spread betting company decides England will score 3 tries in their next rugby union match against South Africa. If you agree with this, you don't bet. If you think there will be more tries scored you buy above the spread for every try above 3. If you think less tries will be scored, you sell below the spread for every try under 3.
The amount you win or lose depends on your stake amount multiplied by how right or wrong you were in your prediction.
If England score 6 tries and you have decided to buy above the spread with a £10 stake, then you win:
(final result - their guess) x (your stake)
= 6 - 3 x 10 = £30
If they only score 1 try, you lose:
(their guess - final result) x (your stake)
= 3 - 1 x 10 = £20
Gambling with Spread Betting is a little different from normal gambling as you can lose more than your initial stake. Your 'stake' is not the amount you might stand to lose, but the increments you are willing to risk losing in. By the same means, when you win with Spread Betting, you can often win bigger than with traditional betting.
Recommended Spread Betting Sites
Sporting Index
- The best spread betting company, SportingIndex.com are market leaders in online Sports Spread Betting. New users get a free bet on the sporting event of their choice.
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