Spread Betting Guide

THE HOW TO GUIDE TO SPREAD BETTING

Before we dive into the ins and outs of spread betting in this ‘how to spread bet’ guide, let me first give you a small warning.

Spread betting can result in big losses. This is because you are, in effective, buying and selling a potential outcome on credit.

If that outcome is extremely unfavourable, you can end up a owing a lot of money. Losses are potentially unlimited with this form of gambling.

What Is Spread Betting and How Does It Work?

Spread betting is a form of gambling where the bettor is presented with a points spread for a particular event. If you think the result will be greater than that number of points, you can ‘buy’ at whatever stake you decide.

If you think the result will be less than that number of points, you can ’sell’ - again at whatever stake you decide to place.

Winning And Losing A Spread Bet - An Example

Let’s take the number of corners in a Arsenal v Tottenham match as our example.

The spread is set at 11-13 corners in the match.

BUYING EXAMPLE: You think there will be more than 13 corners, so you ‘buy’ at 13 at £25 per point.

Winning Outcome: There were 17 corners in the match. You win. There were 4 more corners than the 13 you bought at, so you win 4 x £25 = £100.

Losing Outcome: There were only 9 corners in the match. 13-9 = 4 less corners than you bought at, so your loss is 4 x £25 =£100.

SELLING EXAMPLE: You think there will be less than 11 corners, so you ’sell’ at 11 at £25 per point.

Winning Outcome: There were 9 corners in the match. You win. There were 2 less corners than the 11 you sold at, so you win 2 x £25 = £50.

Losing Outcome: There were actually 17 corners in the match. 17-11 = 6 more corners than you sold at, so your loss is 6 x £25 =£150.

Opening A Spread Betting Account

Because of the risks involved and the nature of this type of gambling, all spread betting firms are regulated by the Financial Services Authority.

This means that opening a spread betting account is not as simple as opening an account with, for example, William Hill.

With spread betting firms, you are actually applying for an account. There WILL BE credit and suitability checks made and on rare occasions you may be asked for further documentation before you can open an account.

All this is in your interests and, to be honest, it’s not too problematic at all.

Hang On, What Happened To The Price?

Once you have opened an account, you can, of course, start betting. You can bet either online or by telephone.

We would strongly recommend that you bet online as it’s easier to see what you’re doing. However, spread bets fluctuate a lot so you need to make up your mind about a price fairly quickly.

Online, once you decide to place a bet and choose a stake, you get connected to someone who will give you a live quote. This isn’t necessarily the same price as the one you first saw on the site.

You get only a few seconds to decide whether to accept the quote and place your bet. Spend too long thinking about it and the time could expire.

Our advice is: if you see a price you like, make your mind up quickly and be decisive.

Football Betting Tips For Spread Betting

The key to football spread betting is, in our opinion, accurate research. Pick two or three markets, such as ‘total goals’ or ‘total points in a season’ and do the research over the last 3-4 seasons to see exactly how many more goals each team scores at home rather than away. Find out how many points it takes to come 4th in the Premiership.

This kind of information is readily available. You will need to work in some kind of factor that gives extra focus on more recent form in order to get more representative numbers. After all, the Tottenham team of 4 seasons ago are not the same as the current side (thank God !).

Maxmising Your Spread Betting Income

Thanks to Cantor SpreadFair, which combines spread betting with a betting exchange, you can more easily minimise your risks by laying off your bets to other punters.

We here at PremiershipToday think that SpreadFair is the best thing to have happened to the spread betting field. It works exactly in the manner of other betting exchanges.

So, if you are comfortable with Betsson, then you should have no problems making the most of Cantor Spreadfair.

It really is the best way of trying to ensure that all your trades are profitable.