WHAT IS SPREAD BETTING?

With a traditional football bet (a fixed odds bet) you take a fixed price on the likelihood of a given outcome - such as one team to beat another. The bookie determines the odds and you decide on your stake on the agreement that if your prediction comes true, the bookie will pay you the pre-agreed amount in winnings. However, with Spread Betting your winnings or losses are not pre-agreed and you're instead betting that Sporting Index's prediction on an outcome is wrong and that the result will be either higher or lower than the quoted spread.

SPREAD BETTING ON THE WORLD CUP

Sporting Index will make predictions on a number of events and scenarios within every football match at the World Cup. Every spread has two prices, a buy and a sell price. If you think Sporting Index has predicted a quote too low, you would buy at the higher price, anticipating that the make-up of the market will be bigger than that price.

Every spread has two prices, a buy and a sell price. If you think Sporting Index has predicted a quote too low, you would buy at the higher price, anticipating that the make-up of the market will be bigger than that price.

Likewise, if you think the buy price is too high then you could sell at the lower price, believing the final make-up will be below the price they have sold at.

TOTAL MATCH GOALS

This popular market focuses on the total number of goals scored by both teams in any selected match.

Sporting Index might predict a World Cup match will yield 1.8-2.0 goals. Therefore, if you think that the match will be a goalfest you would buy at 2.0 for the stake of your choice, in this case, let's say £50 a goal.

If the match ends 3-1, the total number of goals scored in the match would be 4. If you bought Total Goals at 2.0 you would have made 2 times your stake: (4 - 2.0) x your stake = 2 x £50 = £100. However, if the game had finished 0-0, you would have lost 2 times your stake: (0 - 2.0) x your stake = -2 x £50 = -£100.

BOOKINGS MARKETS

If you are predicting a heated and scrappy affair then our Bookings markets are just for you. Our most popular Bookings market focuses on the number of yellow and red cards shown in any selected match. For every yellow card shown 10pts are awarded and for every red card 25pts.

For a World Cup match Sporting Index might set the spread at 48-52. Spread bettors that think the game will have a high number of bookings would buy at 52 for the stake of your choice, in this case, £10 a point.

If there were six yellow cards and one red card then the make-up would be 85. Had you bought Total Bookings at 52 you would have made 33 times your stake: (85 - 52) x your stake = 33 x £10 = £330.

But if the match ends with just two yellow cards (10pts each), you would have lost 32 times your stake: (52 - 20) x your stake = -32 x £10 = -£320.

CORNERS MARKETS

Sporting Index also offer spread bettors 21 corner-related football markets including Total Number of Corners in a match.

Sporting Index might predict a World Cup match will yield 10-11 corners. Therefore, if you think that the match will have more than the quoted amount you would buy at 10.5 for the stake of your choice, for example £20 a corner.

If the match ends with 16 corners you would have made 5 times your stake: (16 - 11) x your stake = 5 x £20 = £100. However, if the game had finished 6 corners you would have lost 5 times your stake: (11 - 6) x your stake = -5 x £20 = -£100.

TEAM PERFORMANCE

With this exciting market Sporting Index award or deduct team's points for various elements of a match. The spread will be based on the following: Win = 25pts, draw = 10pts, goal = 15pts, woodwork = 10pts, clean sheet = 10pts, each corner taken = 3pts, each yellow card = -5pts, each red card = -15pts.

For example, the England Team Performance against Italy might be 48-52. If the match ends with a 2-0 score line to England and they had five corners and avoided any bookings their make-up would be 80 (25pts for the win, 30pts for the two goals, 15pts for the five corners and 10pts for the clean sheet).

MATCH PERFORMANCE

With the Match performance market, points are awarded or deducted for various elements of a whole match. Our spread is based on the following: Goal = 15pts, corner = 3pts, yellow card = 5pts, red card = 15pts, penalty awarded = 10pts and 0-0 draw = -25pts.

GROUP INDICES

If you fancy a team to top their group, with our Group Indices market Sporting Index award points to teams on where they finish in their respective World Cup groups. Points are awarded for the following:
Group winner: 25pts, 2nd place: 10pts, 3rd place: 5pts, 4th place: 0pts.

For example, Sporting Index might quote England at 11-12.5 for their group. They would make up 25pts for winning Group G.

These markets are updated across the course of the competition.

PLAYER GOAL MINUTES

This exciting market is perfect if you fancy a specific player to get on the scoresheet. Sporting Index award points to players depending on the total minutes in which they score goals in a single match.

For example, Sporting Index might quote a striker to score in a match at 11-14. If you fancy that player to get goals you might buy at 14 with a £2 stake. If the player scores in both the 50th and 60th minutes then the players total goal minutes result is 110 and you would win 96x your stake: 110 - 14 = 96 x £2 = £192.

However, if the player does not score any goals then his total goal minutes result is 0 and you would lose 14 times your stake: 0 - 14 x your £2 stake = -£28

Don't forget, the player must start for the Player Goal Mins bet to count and own goals do not count towards their minutes.

Supremacy One of the simplest and most popular football spread betting markets is a Supremacy spread bet. This is one team's dominance over another, expressed in goals.

For example, Sporting Index might make Italy favourites to beat Spain by 0.1-0.3 goals. Therefore, if you think Italy will win you would buy at 0.3 for the stake of your choice, in this case, £50 a goal.

If Italy won the match 4-1, then their winning margin would be by 3 goals. Had you bought supremacy at 0.3 you would have made 2.7 times your stake or £135. Here's how the calculation looks: (3 - 0.3) x your stake = 2.7 x £50 = £135.

But, if Spain had won the game 1-0, the same bet would have lost you 1.3 times your stake. The calculation: (-1 - 0.3) x your stake = -1.3 x £50 = -£65.

Supremacy football spread betting markets are also available on other aspects of any match such as Corner Supremacy, Bookings Supremacy, Total Goal Minutes Supremacy and Team Performance Supremacy.