Sporting Index

New clients only. Applies to first 5 x £5+ bets on any sports market at odds of 2.00 (1/1) or greater. All five qualifying bets need to be placed on separate selections and must be settled within 30 days of registration. 1 x £25 free bet issued once all 5 bets are settled. Free bet valid for 7 days and stake not returned. Cashed out bets will not count towards qualifying. Full terms available online. 18+ Begambleaware.org

Introducing Sporting Index – #1 Ranked Spread Betting Site

Sporting Index is a British based company that specializes in sports spread betting, but they also have a fixed-odds product now too.

They were the first internet-based sports spread betting site, first launching in 2001, then adding their casino and virtual games in 2004.

You will find spread bets on a wide variety of sports, an online casino, and virtual games, plus their fixed odds product (a traditional sportsbook).

Sporting Index Spread Betting Explained

To start, Sporting Index (a spread betting site) quotes two prices, the buying and selling price (also called the spread).

Football example: The spread for Total Match Goals market might be 2.9-3.1.

This means that Sporting Index thinks on average, there will be a total of three goals in the game. If you think there will be more than three goals in the game, you would “buy”, but if you think there will be less than three goals, you sell.

Buying (buy price)- If you think the result of the market will be greater than the buy price, you would buy.

Selling (sell price) – If you think the result of the market will be less, then you would sell.

If you are still unsure, Sporting Index has all the information in their “Training Centre” located in their help and support section.

In there you can learn about sport-specific spread betting including:

• Football
• Cricket
• Horse Racing
• Rugby
• Golf
• Tennis
• American Football
• Darts
• Boxing
• Motor Racing
• Politics

If you are new to spread betting, we recommend following these six steps first:

1. Use their training centre – It is a waste to not use their training centre, with a wealth of information, examples, and advice.
2. Use small stakes – As you are learning, it is risky to use anything other than small stakes. On Sporting Index, you can stake as little as 5p.
3. Stick to markets you know – Sporting Index offers a massive range of markets, but some are simpler than others. Stick to the markets you are used to from traditional sportsbooks.
4. Set a budget – Losses can rack up fast while spread betting, but so can winnings. It is important to always set a budget in any form of gambling.
5. Cash-out is an option – How much you win or lose is determined by how accurate you are. If it is going badly, do not be afraid to cash out to limit the losses.
6. Learn before you sign up – You will only get the £100 no deposit bonus for 7 days, take advantage of this by learning before you sign up.

How to Place a Spread Bet

Placing a spread bet is fairly simple once you understand the numbers.

For example, the total goals market in say Brazil v Argentina, and let’s say the price is set at 2.6-3.0

If you were to “buy”, you could lose up to 3x your stake at most (game ending 0-0, 0 goals).

If you staked £5, you would lose a max of £15 if the game finished 0-0.

Use this simple formula to calculate losses/returns:

(Settled Price – Buy Price) x Stake

(0 – 3) x 5

3 x £5 = £15 loss

Also, if you staked £5, you would lose £10 if the game finished 1-0 (1 goal in the game).

But, if you took the buy price and the game finished as a six-goal thriller (3-3). You would win £15 from a £5 stake.

(Settled Price – Buy Price) x Stake

(6 – 3) x 5

3 x £5 = £15 win

This formula is key for being able to calculate what your worst possible loss could be, whilst knowing that with every additional goal scored over the buy price, your profits increase.