Spread Betting

With fixed-odds sports betting, you take a price and are stuck with it until an event reaches its conclusion. At this point you simply win or lose. Many punters have taken "fancy" ante-post prices on football, only to see their team beaten in a final. They were right to take the big price, but still lose. With a spread bet, they could have closed the bet before the final even started, realising a profit.

Understanding Spread Betting

History

Sports spread betting was introduced to the UK market in 1986, pioneered by City Index, followed by Sporting Index in 1992 and IG Sport in 1993. There are now a multitude of sites offering online spread betting. Spread betting used to be a "rich man's game", suitable for those who could withstand major losses. However, in order to make spread betting more accessible to the average punter, many spread firms have lowered minimum stakes. Spread betting is essentially a game of "higher or lower". The more correct your prediction, the more you win. Conversely, the more you're wrong, the more you lose. For many punters, this added excitement factor makes spread betting preferable to straightforward win or lose betting at fixed-odds.

Types Of Spread Betting

Unlike traditional high-street bookies, soccer gives spread firms its biggest revenue, taking more than a 60% share of the business. For this reason, the following focuses on popular football spread bets.

Supremacy

This is a market predicting a team's dominance over their opponents. Spread firms predict how many more goals a team will score against their opponents Example
Arsenal favourite to beat Tottenham by 0.1-0.3 goals. You might "buy" at 0.3 for £50 per goal. If Arsenal win 3-1, their winning margin (make-up) is 2 goals. A "buy" at 0.3 you would have made 2.7 times your stake.
(3 - 0.3) = 2.7 x £50 = £135.
However, if Tottenham win 1-0, the make-up is 0.3 - - 1 = 1.3, so a loss is incurred of:
(0.3 - -1) = 1.3 x £50 = -£65.

Shirt Numbers

This market is based on the aggregate of shirt numbers for all the goalscorers in a match. Example
For Spurs v. Arsenal, shirt numbers are priced at 36 - 39. Expecting a high-scoring game, you buy at 39 for £10 per point. Spurs win 2-1, with number 9 scoring both goals, and shirt number 12 scoring for Arsenal. The make-up is 9 + 9 + 12 = 30. In this case, you lose 39-30 = 9 x 10 = - £90. However, your friend, who fancied a goalless draw, sold at 36 for the same £10 per point. He wins 36-30 = 6 x £10 = £60.
Hopefully, the above examples serve to illustrate the principles involved in football spread betting. There are many other football spread betting markets available, as below:

Bookings

Most spread firms use the same points allocation system, namely, 10 points for a yellow card (maximum one per player) and 25 points for a red card. If a player receives a yellow card and subsequently a red card then he is awarded 10 + 25 = 35 points.

Total Goal Minutes

This is a very volatile market based on the aggregate time of all goals scored in the game. Goals scored in the 31st and 75th minute make-up to 106 total goal minutes.

Team Performance

Spread firms offer a "Team Performance" market for both teams in matches on live TV. Points are awarded for various criteria, typically:

Total Corners

A market based on the total corners taken by both teams.

Total Goals

This market is based on the total number of goals scored by both teams.

Spread Reversals

Spread punters must be aware of the possibility of taking a profit, or cutting a loss, "in-running". Consider the FA cup 2008 online betting for the Final between Portsmouth and Cardiff. The opening quote on the "Total Goals" market is 2.5-2.8. Envisaging a high-scoring game, you "buy" for £50 at 2.8. Portsmouth score twice in five minutes, and the updated "in-running" quote on Total Goals increases to 4.2-4.5. A profit can be realised immediately by "selling" at 4.2. This profit would be 4.2-2.8 = 1.4 x 50 = £70. This profit remains the same, regardless of the final score. A resurgent Cardiff City eventually wins 3-2 (a total "make-up" of 5). The original buy at 2.8 realise a profit of 5-2.8 = 2.2 x 50 = £110. The sell at 4.2 realise a loss of 5-4.2 = 0.8 x 50 = £40, an overall profit of £70. This can also work in reverse allowing the backer to cut their losses.