When it comes to betting on football matches, there’s value to exploring markets beyond the moneyline. Take spread betting lines, for example, which help to create value in match wagering and also enables you to back heavy favourites at enhanced odds.
But what exactly is spread betting, and what advantages does it offer over fixed odds wagering? Find out all this and more in our comprehensive betting guide!
What is Spread Betting?
Spread betting is a common practice in both sports and the financial markets. Essentially, it requires you to predict the movement in a specified market within a given timeframe, with this expressed within a sell-buy range.
If you believe that the outcome in question will be over this range, you’ll ‘buy’. Conversely, if you think the outcome will be under the published spread, you’ll sell.
In the realm of football betting, you can place spread bets on a number of different outcomes.
These include the total number of goals scored in a game, while you can also apply goals handicaps to betting favourites (such as -1.5 goals) and wager on them to beat the spread at enhanced odds.
How does Spread Betting Work?
When engaging in sports spread betting, your returns will be impacted directly by your level of accuracy. For example, the multiples of your unit bet that you’ll win will increase incrementally in line with how correct your prediction is.
Conversely, your potential losses will increase depending on how wrong or inaccurate your prediction is.
To offer some context, let’s say that a sportsbook is offering a spread of between 2.7 and 2.9 goals in the total goals market. If your own analysis of the competing team suggests that three or more goals will be scored, you’ll buy. If you expect two or fewer goals to be scored in total, you’ll sell. Your stake will be the amount you decide to bet per point movement (such as £10).
In terms of winning margin, let’s say that you back Manchester United to beat Leicester City with a handicap of -1.5 goals. In this case, you’re buying the spread in the belief that the Red Devils will win by two goals or more. If they do, your wager will be successful, whereas a single-goal win, draw or loss will see you incur variable losses.
In terms of odds, Man United can be backed at 1.40 to defeat the Foxes at Old Trafford, implying a 71.42% probability of a home victory. However, betting on the -1.5 goal spread will create enhanced odds of 2.05, which implies a 48.78% chance of your wager being successful but will deliver higher returns if successful.
Best Spread Betting Platforms
Most UK sportsbooks offer spread betting to some degree. However, some sites offer extensive and specialist spread betting markets, alongside bespoke promotions aimed at enhancing your leverage and margin.
Some of the best new sports betting sites in the UK also offer generous free bet bonuses that can maximise your spread betting returns. Here’s our pick of the top four spread betting sites and their unique selling points!
Best Spread Betting Platform UK: Spreadex
Spreadex is the market leading sports betting site in the UK, and one that offers extensive coverage of football leagues and competitions.
When betting on Premier League matches, you can access more than 550 different spread betting markets, including totals, goal times and a diverse selection of player props.
As a new customer, you can also access two free £5 total goals spread bets. To qualify, place two consecutive fixed odds wagers of £10 or more at minimum odds of 1.50. After each of these have been settled, you’ll receive your two free spread bets.
Best Spread Betting Odds: Ladbrokes Sport
Although Ladbrokes doesn’t offer the same depth or variation of football spreads, you can still access a wide range of handicaps and totals lines here.
When betting on high profile competitions like the Premier League, the over/under betting lines for total goals scored range from 0.5 to 6.5. Overall, there are around 300 betting markets available per individual match, including half-time and full-time spreads.
Ladbrokes also offers daily odds boosts for football spread bets, alongside a welcome offer that comprises £20 in free bets. To qualify, simply deposit and wager at least £5 at odds of 1.50 or greater, at which point four £5 free bets will be added to your account.
Best Spread Betting Prop Markets: MyriadPlay
MyriadPlay is a relatively new sportsbook, but one that has quickly become popular among fans of spread betting. Here, you can access more than 180 different match betting markets when wagering on Premier League and Champions League games, including a diverse selection of props.
For example, you can access various spreads relating to goals and the total number of corners won during a game. Traditional and Asian handicap lines are also available, enabling you to place precise spread bets on the margin of victory.
As a new MyriadPlay customer, you’re eligible to receive a £10 free bet too. Simply Wager £15 or more at odds of 2.00 to qualify, after which you’ll have 14 days to utilise your free bet.
Visit MyriadPlayBest Spread Betting Free Bet Offer: HighBet
Like MyriadPlay, HighBet is another newcomer to the sports betting scene in the UK. It also offers extensive match and spread betting options, with more than 180 individual lines and markets available across multiple leagues.
These include spreads on the number of goals, corners and cards produced during a match. You can also engage in totals betting for each half, while the site’s handicap spread typically ranges from -0.5 goals to -3.5 goals.
HighBet also excels from the perspective of its free bet offer. Here, you can claim a £15 free bet as a new customer, simply by depositing and wagering £10 or more at minimum odds of 2.00.
Visit HighbetKey Features of Spread Betting
When it comes to the functionality of spread betting, leverage and margin are key concepts. But what relationship do these entities have with one another, and how do they impact your football betting experience?
Leverage
Broadly speaking, leverage refers to the use of debt or borrowed funds to trade a larger financial position. While you don’t directly borrow funds when engaging in football spread betting, the nature of the market creates a variable financial commitment that scales according to your level of accuracy.
For example, let’s say that Spreadex is quoting Brentford over Bournemouth with a ‘Supremacy’ price of between 0.6 and 0.8. You decide to buy £10 at 0.8, with the Bees subsequently winning 4-1 in front of their own fans.
In this instance, the winning margin is three (4-1). So, we subtract 0.8 from this to create a value of 2.2, before multiplying this by our unit bet (£10) to reveal a profit of £22.
But what happens if Bournemouth were to defeat Brentford 1-0? In this case, you’d have to subtract 0.8 from the losing margin (-1), before multiplying the resulting value by £10. This creates a total loss of £18, with this exceeding your initial position size and unit bet value.
So, although it’s possible to make accurate predictions and bank inflated returns (especially when compared to fixed odds betting), you can also incur losses that are significantly larger than your original stake.
Margin
Conversely, the term ‘margin’ refers to the amount of money required to open a particular position. You can use margin to create leverage, with the size of your original stake having a direct impact on the potential scale of your profit or loss.
If we use the same example as above but increase your unit bet size to £50, your total profit will be £110 if Brentford prevailed by a 4-1 scoreline.
However, should the Cherries win 1-0 on the road, your prospective loss will increase to £90 with a £50 stake. Ultimately, it’s important to understand the relationship between leverage and margin, while setting optimal stake amounts that enable you to wager within your means at all times.
Sports Spread Betting
The impact of leverage and margin creates a fascinating risk-reward scenario for sports bettors.
After all, it’s possible to win significant multiples of your unit bet when correctly predicting outcomes, making spread betting potentially more profitable than fixed odds wagering. However, you can also incur disproportionate losses, which far exceed your original stake amount.
It’s for this reason that totals markets (such as goals and corners) are most popular among spread bettors, as they’re even money in nature and can be informed by huge swathes of data.
Spread Betting in Football
When engaging in football wagering, you’ll find a particularly diverse range of spread betting markets. These include various totals and handicap lines, the latter of which relate to the winning margin for one team in a particular match.
However, the sheer range of markets and spreads can be daunting, so it’s important to start slowly and scale your efforts over time!
How to Start Spread Betting on Football
The good news is that there are a series of simple steps that you can follow to kickstart your spread betting journey.
These include:- Choose a Spread Betting Provider: Firstly, you’ll need to identify a suitable spread betting provider. Spreadex is our pick as the best spread betting site in the UK, as it offers a particularly large selection of football spreads across thousands of different markets. However, we’d urge you to compare a number of licensed sites before making your choice.
- Learn the Basics: Before you place your first wager, you should also learn the basic principles of spread betting. Most importantly, study the differences between each market and try to identify the best value options, before understanding how margin and leverage will impact your P/L over time.
- Engage in Careful Risk Management: As it’s possible to lose more than your original unit bet, disciplined risk management is key. So, cap your initial stake in line with your bankroll and appetite for risk, while using data analysis to inform each individual pick!
Spread Betting Risk and Rewards
At this stage, it’s also important to consider the various pros and cons of engaging in spread betting. We’ve summarised these in detail below:
Spread Betting Advantages
- #1. Boost Profits with the Concept of Leverage: As we’ve touched on, leverage enables you to open positions that are larger than your original cash commitment. So, if you’re able to target the optimal spreads and make accurate predictions, you can boost your profits significantly.
- #2. Wager at Enhanced Odds: When applying goal spreads to betting favourites (such as -1.5 goals), you can immediately access enhanced odds. Of course, your pick will need to beat the spread for the wager to come in, but this may also unlock increased returns.
- #3. Bet on Thousands of Markets and In-Game Events: Through market leading sites like Spreadex, you can access thousands of football betting spreads and lines. These apply to a huge range of in-game events, including goals, corners, bookings and various individual player metrics.
Spread Betting Risk & Disadvantages
- #1. You May Incur Disproportionate Losses: Of course, leverage can also lead to disproportionate losses depending on how inaccurate your predictions are. This is the biggest risk of engaging in spread betting, which is why setting optimal stake amounts and calculating your worst potential downside is so important.
- #2. Some Spread Betting Markets are Particularly Volatile: It’s fair to surmise that some spread betting markets are more volatile than others. For example, the ‘Total Goals Minutes’ market is far more volatile than the standard Total Goals alternative, so understanding each betting line is key if you’re to manage your risk.
Strategies for Successful Spread Betting
At this stage, we’re going to look at the spread betting strategies that can contribute to your success. Here are some of the most widely deployed:
Conducting Market Research
Because successful spread betting relies on the accuracy of your picks and predictions, you’ll need to conduct thorough market research.
The datasets that you target will vary from one market to another, with scoring averages and goals-per-game data crucial when engaging in total goals betting. Also, be sure to make a distinction between the home and away form of two competing sides.
Risk Management Techniques
In terms of risk management strategies, it’s crucial that you utilise techniques to set optimal stake amounts. Popular examples include flat betting (where you wager the same unit bet per individual line) and the ‘Kelly Criterion’. This strategy enables you to calculate optimal stakes as a percentage of your bankroll based on odds and implied probability values.
Also, we’d recommend using deposit limits and stop-loss orders, the latter of which immediately close positions once a predetermined level of loss has been recorded.
Responsible Betting Practices
Practices such as setting optimal stake amounts and deposit limits are also crucial to responsible betting. The latter can be personalised at most sportsbooks, to reflect both the size of your bankroll and betting frequency.
Also, your total bankroll should never exceed an amount that you can afford to lose. This should cover a fixed period of time too.
Setting Limits
In addition to setting stop-loss orders and deposit limits, you can also cap the amount of time that you spend spread betting online.
By setting personalised time limits, you can schedule frequent betting sessions without running the risk of wagering outside of your means. This is especially important given how leverage can impact spread betting losses.
Recognizing Problem Betting
When it comes to recognising problem betting, overspending is one of the first and most obvious symptoms. Exceeding your bankroll and spending more time betting online are also red flags, at which point you should seek out impartial advice from a trusted third party.
In the UK, the National Gambling Helpline (run by GamCare) and GambleAware are accessible 24/7 and will provide practical support. Visit the Gambling Commission website to learn more.
Spread Betting Frequently Asked Questions
What is Spread betting?
In general terms, this is a form of betting in which you win or lose money according to the accuracy of your picks and predictions. When it comes to football markets, sportsbooks will set different spreads as individual betting lines, and you’ll have to make your selection before choosing whether to ‘buy’ or ‘sell’.
How does Spread betting work?
‘Spreads’ refer to predictions of what will happen in a specific market and football match. The spread is typically expressed as a ‘Sell-Buy’ range, such as 2.8 -3.0 in the total goals market. If you think the actual number of goals scored in a game will be lower than 2.8, you’ll sell. If you think more than 3.0 goals will be scored, you’ll buy.
What is a Spread Bet example?
Let’s say that the total goals spread for the EPL game between Liverpool and Aston Villa ranges between 3.30 and 3.50. If you think the actual number will be four or more, you’ll ‘buy’ at 3.5. If you subsequently stake £10 and six goals are scored, you’ll bank £25 in profit.
What is a +1.5 Spread?
A +1.5 goal spread can be applied to a particular team to afford them an advantage over a betting favourite. In this case, your bet will be successful if the side in question wins, draws or is defeated by just a single goal.
What is a negative Spread?
A negative spread (such as -1.5 goals) indicates the match betting favourite. This affords the team a virtual disadvantage in the betting market, while boosting their odds and your potential returns. However, the team will have to beat the spread and win by two goals or more for the wager to be successful.
Is Spread betting legal in the UK?
Yes, spread betting is completely legal in the UK. It’s also inherently safe, so long as you wager at UKGC-licensed sites that also offer 128-bit SSL encryption as a minimum security standard.