Best Sport Spread Betting Sites in 2024

Sport spread betting is an exciting way to bet on different sports and is one of the most popular types of betting in recent years in the UK. This guide covered everything you need to know about sport spread betting such as exactly how does spread betting work, how to place a spread bet, the best sport spread betting sites, and the advantages and disadvantages of this betting method.

What Is Spread Betting in Sport?

At its core, spread betting is a general term to describe any type of betting where it is all about the accuracy of the wager, rather than a clear-cut win or lose outcome. This is exactly the reason why spread betting was incredibly popular in the UK in 2023 as many punters are interested in putting their sporting knowledge to the test and see exactly how good they can get their predictions.

Whether you are completely new to sport spread betting, or have some experience of spread betting, this guide will certainly add to your knowledge and leave you with top tips should you want to use this method of betting for your future wagers.

Spread Betting Sports Explained in Further Detail

Let’s dive a little deeper into what spread betting actually is. A point spread refers to a specific range of outcomes possible for a particular market that is set by a bookmaker. To place a bet, a punter will need to decide whether the outcome will either be above or below this range by ‘buying’ or ‘selling’ the spread.

The purpose of betting spread for bookmakers is to create more of an active market, especially if there is a large difference in strength of the teams. As an example, if Manchester City played against Newcastle United, there will be a huge bias towards the stronger team of Manchester City winning the match. Backing a team to win here would of course skew heavily in favour of the favourites, meaning very few punters would find it worthwhile to back the underdogs.

Spread betting changes the market in a more exciting way. If punters were now asked ‘will the favourites win by more than the point spread’, or for the underdog losing more or less than the point spread, then this now creates a more level betting market for punters on either side of the wager.

When finding a sports spreads bet online, it will consist of two numbers. The ‘Buy’ price is for when you think the result will be above the top end of the specified range whereas the ‘Sell’ price is for when you think the result will be below the bottom this range.

An interesting point about spread betting is that the closer your prediction is to the actual outcome, the higher the payout will be from the bookie. As an example, if you placed a fixed odd bet backing more than 3 goals in a football match and it is successful, you will get your appropriate payout based on your stake and the odds at the time of placing the bet. However, this price would stay the same whether it was four, five, six, or more goals scored. With spread betting, every goal over the ‘Buy’ price would mean you get an even larger payout. We see this as an absolute win!

What Is the Difference Between Spread Betting and Fixed Odds Betting?

Fixed Odds betting is a very common type of betting as it offers only two scenarios of ‘win or lose’ and is easy to do. Simply put, if a punter places a successful fixed odds bet, they will win whatever odds were given at the time corresponding to their stake. If the bet wasn’t successful, the punter only loses their original stake. In other terms, the payout and loss of a bet is fixed in relation to stake. Many punters enjoy fixed odds for the security of knowing exactly how much they stand to win or lose. However, this option can at times be poor value if a bookie has set low odds.

Spread betting, on the other hand, doesn’t have a fixed payout or loss. This is instead determined by how accurate a prediction is. Therefore, the more correct you are, the greater the payout. However, the more wrong your prediction is, the more you can lose. It’s very important to note that it is possible to lose more than your original stake.

The next section takes a look into how sport betting works for different sports as well as highlighting the difference between fixed odds betting.

How Does Spread Betting Work for Sports?

In this section we look at different sports where it’s possible to spread bet, some of the most popular markets available, and also some examples to help you understand. We begin with the nation’s favourite sport to spectate, play, and bet on. Check out these top EPL betting sites as well as further information about the English Premier League.

For football, the market of Total Goals is potentially the most common regarding spread betting. This market simply allows a punter to predict how many goals will be scored within a match. As an example, if a bookmaker thinks there will be 2.6 goals in the game, the spread will start at 2.5 for the ‘Sell’ price and 2.7 for the ‘Buy’ price. If you think there will be less than 2.5 goals, you would ‘Sell’ whereas if you think there would be more than 2.7, you would ‘Buy’.

Other popular football spread betting UK markets include:

• Total Goals Minutes
• Shirt numbers of the goalscorers
• Number of bookings
• Number of corners
• Handicap

For cricket, a common market for sports spread betting UK is to predict how many runs will be scored by a team. For horseracing, predicting how many lengths will there be between the first and second place finisher is popular. For rugby, many punters enjoy predicting how many points a team will win by. All of these are great examples of where you can combine your sports knowledge and sport betting, hopefully to your advantage!

Examples of Sport Spread Betting Odds

In this spread betting example, we will use the market of total number of corners in a football match. Let’s say Liverpool are playing Arsenal and there is a spread index of 6 -8. The lower number is the sell price and the higher number is the buy price.

If you think there will be less than six corners you can ‘Sell 6’ or if you think there will be more than eight corners, you can ‘Buy 8’. It’s not possible to bet on anything inside the spread.

The formula (Settled Price - Buy Price) x Stake or (Sell Price - Settled Price) x Stake can help you to determine what your potential payout or losses could be. Here are three spread betting examples.

10 match corners with a £10 stake:

• If you bought at 8 you would have won. (10 - 8) x £10 = + £20
• If you sold at 6 you would have lost. (6 - 10) x £10 = - £40

5 match corners with a £10 stake:

• If you bought at 8 you would have lost. (5 - 8) x £10 = - £30
• If you sold at 6 you would have won. (6 - 5) x £10 = + £10

7 match corners with a £10 stake:

• if the result is between the spread index, buying and selling would both lose.
• If you bought at 8 you would have lost. (7 - 8) x £10 = -£10
• If you sold at 6 you would have lost. (6 - 7) x £10 = - £10

Sport Spread Betting Sites 2024 To Watch Out For

Currently there are only two websites where sport spread betting is possible. We will share with you some of the features available at each site and how they compare to each other.

Spreadex

This platform has over two decades of experience within the industry under their belt. They are a leading site for both sports and financial spread betting, as well as sports fixed odds betting. Spreadex also offer an online casino platform for any punters that enjoy playing. Additionally, you also have the freedom to bet on the go with their app designed for both iOS and Android.

Spreadex is currently the only site to offer both sports spread betting and sports fixed odds from the same account. This means you can switch both types of betting incredibly easily. They also specialise in in-play betting, meaning they offer a huge array of markets in this area. For spread betting football alone, punters can find over 200 pre-match markets for live matches, and as many as 150 for live betting. Check out their spread betting calculator to get a quick insight into potential profits and losses.

For those getting in to spread betting, you can find extensive help on their site under the ‘Get Started’ section, detailing spread betting for all the sports they offer on their site.

Sporting Index

Sports betting Index is in fact the veteran site of the two, launching seven years before Spreadex in 1992. They remain a strong leader in the industry offering both spread betting markets and fixed odds. They pioneered features such as ‘Cashing out’ and certainly know more than just a thing or two about betting.

One of the massive advantages to using Sporting Index results in being able to set up a demo account. This means customers can try out sports spread betting to gain skills and confidence at absolutely no risk. Like Spreadex, they also have an online casino platform as well as an app to give you the ultimate betting convenience.

Their ‘Training Centre’ is for anyone who wants to get more information regarding sports spread betting, complete with walkthroughs and helpful videos.

Comparison of Sport Spread Betting Sites

Here are some features that you can find at Spreadex and Sporting Index:

Best New Betting Sites UK in 2024

Many of the new betting sites UK are raising the bar as a betting platform. It’s incredibly important in an already saturated market to stand out for all the good reasons. No matter what your preferences are, it’s possible to find the top bookmakers for offers, live betting, odds, popularity, app, experience in the industry and much more.

Take for example the offers available. Many punters are aware of Welcome Bonuses when joining a betting site for the first time. However, this one time offer doesn’t have to only be for new customers. Some of the best betting site offers can be found for existing punters too as a way for bookmakers to show their appreciation for loyal customers.

It’s true that many bookies can offer returns in different forms. While many punters enjoy Free Bets to have another chance at placing a winning bet, it’s possible to find many betting sites with cash out options. This is great if you want to use your winnings elsewhere for your other entertainment choices.

The Top Sport Spread Betting Tips

It’s all well and good reading and learning, but it’s even better to have some sports spread betting tips to hand to make the most out of it. Here are some of the top sports spread betting tips to keep in mind when placing these types of wagers.

1. If you want to minimise the risk when placing your wager, use small stakes. This is particularly helpful if you are new to spread betting sport or not too confident with your predictions within the market. It’s possible to find top betting sites that allow you to stake small amounts, which in turn can allow you stretch your funds in your betting entertainment pot as much as possible as well as allowing you to try out more markets. Of course, when you only stake a small amount, the returns will of course be smaller, but this is to be expected.
2. Another top tip is to choose the right types of markets for spread betting sports. Some markets are naturally more volatile than others. Less volatile markets such as Total Goals in a football match are more likely to stay within a reasonable range close to the spread. As an example, the average number of goals per game in the 2020/2021 Premier League season was 2.69. There are of course outliers to this such as Manchester United’s thrashing against Southampton resulting in a unprecedented 9-0 in February 2021, however for the most part, the number of goals scored in a game will typically be within the 0-3 range.
3. A further tip to always keep in mind is to remember when to cut your losses. If you can see that one or more of your bets are not going your way, the worst thing to do is to place more bets in hopes of trying to regain your losses. Of course it’s never nice to lose money with your bets, however the best thing to do is take a break from placing bets and return only when you know you are betting for that entertainment factor. It’s the best way to protect yourself and your betting funds.
4. If it’s possible, find a platform to practise using a demo spread betting account. This is a perfect way to decide if spread betting is for you, without having to spend a single pound. Demo accounts mean you can try out spread betting without any risk and is the ultimate way to learn spread betting for dummies, or perhaps a better ways is to say spread betting for beginners. Of course, you won’t be able to keep any of your winnings while using a demo account, but it is a great way to build your skills and confidence before switching to bet with real money. If you prefer not to set up a demo account, another risk free way to try spread betting is to simply start with pen and paper. Try writing down your selected bets and make a record of what your profits or loss would be. This is a great method to give you a better understanding of this betting type.
5. One final tip is to work out what the worst case scenario could be. Of course everyone wants to think about what the payout could be, but its even better to know what could happen if the bet doesn’t go your way.

Pros and Cons to Spread Betting

Take a look at the table below for a quick overview of the benefits and drawbacks when it comes to sports spread betting:

Conclusion

We have reached the end of our guide about sports spread betting in the United Kingdom. You have had spread betting explained in a few short sections! While there isn’t many choices of platforms in the UK, this can also be a benefit to punters as both Spreadex and Sporting Index will offer competitive odds with each other.

We hope this guide was useful in discovering what sport spread betting is all about and helps you to understand whether this type of betting is for you. There are certainly benefits and drawbacks to spread betting and this type of betting may not be for everyone. While there are some great upsides to this, it can come at a cost. As with all betting, it pays off to do additional research before trying it out.

We have many more sports betting guides covering topics such as betting offers, betting apps, Free Bets, and Live Betting if you are interested. Be sure to check them out for all the best up to date information regarding betting in the United Kingdom.

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