In relation to Sports Spread Betting, volatility is a measurement of how wildly results can (or are expected to) fluctuate on a specific market.

Low volatility means you would expect the fluctuation to be relatively low - for instance how many goals in a football match.

Whilst its possible for 9-0 like when Liverpool embarrassed Bournemouth in 2022, its much more expected for a match to finish 2-1 or 1-0.

High volatility means the opposite, where an expected outcome would fall within a very wide range - for example how many runs a team might score in a one-day cricket match.

There can be anything from 150 - 350 in a 'normal' match and totals outside this range are not entirely unexpected; as such this market would be one with high volatility.

Because some of our markets are more volatile than others, to help you understand the volatility of your bet, every market has been categorised into one of 4 ratings:

Low Volatility:
These are the markets that you would expect to have the lowest fluctuations of outcomes, for instance Total Match Goals in Football or Total Match Aces in Tennis.

Moderate Volatility:
These are the markets that whilst higher than Low, you would still expect the fluctuations to be relatively low, for instance Time of 1st Match Goal in Football or 1st Half Points in Rugby Union.

Medium Volatility:
These are the markets that you would expect quite a large fluctuation, for instance Total Match Passes in Football or Highest Checkout in Darts.

High Volatility:
These are our most volatile markets that can fluctuate significantly, for instance Total Match Goal Minutes in Football or Team Runs in One Day Cricket.

We've looked at 3 years of results for every market and allocated either a low, moderate, medium or high volatility rating depending on the range of actual outcomes.

Whilst we've used actual results to inform the rating, its important to remember that outliers are always possible - as mentioned above Total Goals in a Football Match is considered low volatility, but 7, 8, 9 and even 10 goals in a match is possible.

The volatility rating is designed to help customers be as informed as possible before placing a bet.

The level of volatility should be considered to decide if that market is right for you and that you understand the possible risk as well as possible reward before placing the bet.

By being more aware of the scale of volatility and risk/reward associated with the market selection this should also help you decide an affordable and sensible stake level.

This will be displayed under each market once you add it to your bet slip.

We offer a Stop-Loss account function that will automatically limit the amount a bet can win or lose when the result exceeds the limit. The cap level for winnings and losses will show on the bet slip before you place the bet, so you'll be aware of the most you can win or lose before placing.

You can change your account to a stop-loss account by talking to our customer service team here

These ratings are pre-match only and not applicable to in-play bets. Because in-play circumstances are so different from moment to moment, its impossible to apply the same criteria.

This applies to in-play markets during a match and for long-term in-play markets such as tournament markets.

If you're still not sure about volatility or have some questions about Sports Spread Betting have a look around the training centre or contact our customer service team via email at enquiries@sportingindex.com