What is a spread bet?
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A spread bet is a wager on whether an outcome will be above or below a value set by the bookmaker, rather than a simple win/lose bet. Your profit or loss scales with how far the actual result falls from the spread — more extreme outcomes produce larger wins or losses.
Financial spread betting
In financial markets, spread betting lets you speculate on price movements of stocks, indices, or currencies. If you ‘buy’ a spread bet on an index at 7500 and it rises to 7550, you profit by 50 times your stake per point. If it falls to 7450 you lose 50 times your stake. The risk is theoretically unlimited if the price moves sharply against you, which is why stop-loss orders are important.
Sports point spread betting
In US sports betting, a point spread is a handicap applied to even out two mismatched teams. Betting the favorite means they must win by more than the spread; betting the underdog means they can lose within the spread and you still win. A spread of -6.5 means the favorite must win by 7 or more. The term ‘spread bet’ in this context doesn’t carry the scaling risk of financial spread betting.
Ben Barber got into the gambling industry through the poker rooms of London in the early 2000s. After building up a solid grounding in casino, sports betting and poker, he made the move to Malta where he spent close to a decade writing for some of the biggest affiliate networks in the region. A few years ago he relocated to Bali, which shifted his focus toward website strategy and affiliate marketing. The casino side never really left, though. He still writes reviews, how-to guides and in-depth pieces on everything from slots and live dealer tables to crypto casinos and sweepstakes sites. His approach is fact-first: help players understand how online gambling actually works before they deposit a cent.