What sports betting markets do you offer?

Sporting Index offers sports spread betting on a huge range of sports including football, cricket, horse racing, golf, tennis, darts and more. On any given sporting event we can have as many as 150 different selections to bet on, with many of these available in-play.

What is the minimum stake I can place?

Many of our markets start with minimum stake sizes of 1p, however, some of our less volatile markets will have slightly higher minimum stake levels. Total Goals spread bets in a football match, for example, have minimums starting from 15p. You can see the minimum stake size for each market on the bet slip/trade ticket when placing your bet.

How much can I win or lose with a sports spread bet?

Spread betting differs from conventional fixed odds betting in that the amount you can win or lose is a multiple of your stake rather than a fixed amount. What this means is that if you bet, say, £10 per point, buying the number of corners in a football match at 11, for every corner more than 11 in the game, you will win £10 more. 16 corners in the game will win you £50. On the other hand though, if there are only 8 corners in the game you will lose £30.

How can I minimise the amount that I could lose?

It is important to understand the difference in volatility in different markets. For example a £10 buy of a batsman’s runs in a cricket match would have a much bigger win/loss possibility than a £10 buy on a football supremacy market.

It is also important to appreciate the potential maximum or minimum ‘make-ups’ of a market you plan to bet on. For example, Total Goal Minutes in a football match could make-up at 0 (if the score ends 0-0) or in the 400s if there is a particularly high-scoring match with a glut of goals late in the game. Conversely, Total Goals in a football match could make-up at 0 (if the score ends 0-0) but will rarely go into double figures unless there is an unusually high-scoring match (eg a 7-4 win would make-up at 11).

Therefore, by managing your stakes, in some of our markets you can limit the maximum amount that you could lose on a given bet. If, for example, you fancy buying goals in a match but want to limit your bet to a maximum loss of £30, you just look at the price you have to buy at and calculate how much you should stake to risk a maximum of £30. For example, if the price to buy goals at in a match is 2.5, you would buy £12. The worst result for you is that it finishes 0-0 and you lose 2.5 X £12 or £30. If there are six goals in the game you win £42 ((6 - 2.5) X £12 =£42).

Can I place a bet after an event has started?

Yes – we offer ‘in-play’ betting on a wide range of sports every day. This means that you can watch a game and see how it is developing before deciding to place a bet one way or another. Another advantage is that you don't have to wait until the end of an event to take a profit, cut a loss or add to a bet you placed before the start of the event.

Is it true I could close a bet for a profit even if the event is not over yet?

Yes that is true. For example, if you bought £25 per point of a football team’s season points at, say, 48 and they start the season really well, you may be able to sell/close out your bet a few months in to the season at 58, thus netting 10 points X £25 or £250 profit. How is this possible? Well, our traders regularly update many market prices and provide a two-way spread for customers to trade. At that point in the season, the team’s points spread might have been 58-60 allowing you to close your trade at the bid price.

What is a 'Make-Up'?

The ‘Make-Up’ is the result of the particular event and the basis of how we settle our markets. If, for example, a football match finishes 3-2, the Total Goals make-up settles or 'makes-up' at five.