Sports Spread Betting Sites

Are you looking for the best sports spread betting sites for 2026? If so, read our guide where we look at the best ones on the market today so you can make an informed decision before opening a sports spread betting account.

Spread betting on sports markets has grown significantly over the last few years, and many punters enjoy wagering on spread markets as it can be both thrilling and yield a good profit.

Sports spread betting is an exciting alternative to traditional fixed odds sports betting websites. Buying or selling bets “on the spread” is a betting technique loved by many sports bettors, as your payout increases depending on how strong your prediction proves to be.

In our sports spread betting sites guide, we list the top-rated sports spread betting companies and the benefits of opening a spread betting account.

Find out more about spread betting:

Best Sports Spread Betting Companies UK

Here are the best sports spread betting companies in the UK:

• Spreadex Spread Bets

  2 FREE £5 SPREAD BETS + £300 CASHBACK

  

  Sports spread betting with Spreadex is a fast-paced, exciting alternative to traditional fixed odds sports betting. Spread bettors love sports spread because with a spread bet, your payout increases depending on how strong your prediction proves to be.

  New Customer Offer. T&Cs Apply. 18+. Please Gamble Responsibly. #AD

  Full T&C's Apply

• Sporting Index Bet 10 Get 20

  BET £10 GET £20

  

  Sports Spread Betting is the most exciting form of sports betting and is important for spread bettors to understand the concept of the terms ‘Buying Spread Bets’ and ‘Selling Spread Bet’.

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  Full T&C's Apply

Read on to find out more about this type of betting and how it differs from fixed odds betting.

What is a Sporting Spread?

A ‘sporting spread bet’ is wagering money on a SELL-BUY range on what will happen in a specified betting event.

The bookmaker will provide a score (with a margin) where you can choose to “sell the spread” or “buy the spread”.

Buying the spread means you are predicting that the event will end up higher than the range (i.e., the odds).

Selling the spread means you are predicting that the event will end up lower than the range (i.e., the odds).

The main difference between Sports Spread Betting vs Traditional Fixed Odds Sports Betting is:

• The more you are right, the more you win
• The more you’re wrong, the more you lose

Wagering money on sports spread bets differs from regular fixed odds betting, and if punters are confident in their selection, the spread betting can pay dividends and reap big rewards. It is essentially a high-risk/high-reward type of sports betting.

How Does Sports Spread Betting Work?

Sports spread betting involves an online bookmaker setting several points (the spread) that determine the outcome of the bet.

Punters looking to place bets can determine whether the outcome of points will be higher (BUY) or lower (SELL) than the spread.

Sports spread betting enables bettors to win or lose based on the margin of victory or defeat, rather than solely on the outcome of the sporting event.

Wagering bets on sports spread betting is considered to be a higher-risk form of betting than traditional fixed-odds betting, as the potential winnings or losses can be much larger.

Selling A Sports Betting Spread

When placing a bet on “SELL”, your wager indicates that it will be below the bracket or threshold specified in the spread betting bookmaker’s range.

You are selling a sports betting spread on the lowest number in the range, which is predicted to fall under this value.

Many spread betting punters prefer to wager money on something to happen (rather than not), and savvy bettors believe the value lies in selling a sports betting spread.

Buying Into Spread Sports Betting

When placing a “BUY” bet, your wager is that the price will be above the bracket or threshold specified in the spread betting bookmaker’s range.

You are buying a sports betting spread on the highest number in the range, which is predicted to be above this value.

Purchasing a sports betting spread is wanting an outcome to be better or higher than the bookmaker’s prediction.

Best Sports For Spread Betting

Here are the best sports for wagering bets on spread betting markets:

Horse Racing Spread Betting

Horse racing is one of the most popular sports in the UK for spread betting.

Horse racing spread betting offers you the chance to bet against (SELL) as well as bet on horses (BUY) in a particular race.

The most popular spread bets on horse racing events are:

• Where a horse will finish in a race (its finishing position)
• Favourites performance
• SP of the winner
• Buy or sell the winners’ distance (the official winning distance)
• Jockey’s performance

Football Spread Betting

The most popular spread-betting sporting event in the UK is football. This is not surprising, as football is the most popular sport on which people bet in the United Kingdom. The number of football bet types on the spread is impressive, covering various leagues and competitions.

Here are some of the most popular spread bets on football events:

• Total Goals in a game
• Shirt Numbers
• Bookings
• Corners
• Match Performance
• Goal Times
• Player Minutes
• Player Performance

If you strongly fancy a football team, the more you are ‘correct’ in the bet you place, the more money you stand to win.

With a fixed odds bet, you are either right or wrong. But in spread betting, if you strongly fancy a team to win, the more goals they score, the more this can pay out.

Cricket Spread Betting

Cricket is one of the most popular and exciting sports for betting, especially in India.

Here are some of the most popular spread bets on cricket events:

• Supremacy spread bet
• Session runs
• Cricket match win index
• Fall of the next wicket
• Batsman runs
• Total 4s in a cricket game
• Total 6s in a cricket match
• Team runs

Rugby Spread Betting

Rugby spread betting is a way of betting on a ‘spread’ or prediction of outcomes to happen. This applies to both rugby league and rugby union.

Here are some of the most popular spread bets on rugby games:

• Total tries in a match
• Buy or Sell Match Points
• Supremacy bets
• Player try minutes (the time of scoring)
• Tryscorer shirts
• Team tries
• Team shirts

How Accurate are Sports Spreads?

The sports spread average variance is pretty accurate.

Bookmakers employ specialist odds compilers who predict the outcomes of football games, horse races, or sports events, and these predictions are usually close to the actual range.

BUT spread betting punters have a huge advantage to take on the spread range because they can find out the following information after the odds are available:

• Starting a lineup on football teams can hugely influence your opinion of a result
• Ground conditions can massively influence the chances of a racehorse – read more about horse racing goings
• The formation of a football team can change views on total goals in a match
• The position a player is starting can affect the goalscorer spread bets
• Non-runners can affect the spread bet ranges

Although sports spreads are accurate on many sporting events, they are not always perfect, and spread bettors can find some real value when studying the horse racing picks or football game selections.

Don’t forget to read our tipping pages, where we offer sports spread betting tips as well for your sports spread bets.

Different Types of Spread Betting Football Markets

Here are the main football spread betting markets:

• Goalscorer minutes
• Goal scorer shirt Numbers
• Time of 1st Goal Scored
• Supremacy bets
• Total corners
• Total bookings

There are many more football spread betting markets available for football punters to wager money on.

In Play Spread Betting

In-play spread betting, also known as live spread betting, is a type of spread betting that allows you to place bets on sporting events while they are in progress.

Spread betting allows bettors to take advantage of changing circumstances and momentum during the game to make more informed betting decisions.

In-play spread betting works in the same way as traditional spread betting, with the bookmaker setting a spread and the bettor wagering on whether the actual score or result will be higher or lower than the spread.

In-play spread betting enables you to place bets after the event has begun, with the spread and odds constantly updated as the game progresses.

In-play spread betting can be a fast-paced and exciting way to bet, but it also requires quick decision-making and the ability to react to changing circumstances.

Who Regulates Sports Spread Betting?

Sports spread betting is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and is considered a form of financial trading in the UK.

The spread betting market is seen as financial trading because you can lose more than your initial deposits, and in some cases, you can bet on credit.

It is highly recommended to wager only with fully licensed spread betting companies, such as Spreadex and Sporting Index.

Spreadex Vs Sporting Index

Spreadex and Sporting Index are both companies that offer sports spread betting to UK punters.

Both Spreadex and Sporting Index allow customers to place bets on a wide range of sports events, including football, basketball, cricket, tennis and horse racing.

One key difference between the two companies is that Spreadex also offers traditional fixed-odds betting, in addition to financial spread betting.

Sporting Index is exclusively a sports spread betting company.

This means that customers of Spreadex have more options regarding the types of bets they can place, while Sporting Index only offers spread betting.

Both companies offer online platforms for placing bets, as well as mobile apps for on-the-go betting. They also offer a range of other services, such as live in-play betting and cash-out options, which allow customers to cash in their bets early if the market moves in their favour.

Ultimately, which company is better for you will depend on your personal preferences and betting style. It may be worth considering both options and comparing their spreads, fees, and other terms and conditions to determine the best fit for you.

As you can see, spread betting options in the UK are somewhat limited at the moment, but both of these spread betting firms are excellent.

Facts about Spread Betting

• Sports spread betting sites are online platforms where users can bet on the outcome of sporting events.
• They offer a variety of different types of bets, including point spreads, moneylines, futures, and parlays.
• The sites allow bettors to place bets on events from all over the world, including major sports leagues.
• Sports spread betting sites use sophisticated algorithms to determine the odds of each bet.
• Sports spread betting is a form of gambling that involves predicting the outcome of a sporting event and wagering on the result.
• According to the UK Gambling Commission, the total gross gambling yield of sports spread betting sites in the UK was £1.2 billion in 2018.
• In 2018, the number of active sports spread betting accounts in the UK was estimated to be around 350,000.
• The most popular sports for spread betting in the UK are football, horse racing, and tennis. Other popular spread betting markets include rugby league, ice hockey, badminton and athletics.
• Spread betting on sports is one of the fastest-growing types of gambling.
• Much financial trading works similarly.

Summary of Sports Spread Betting UK Options

We hope you have enjoyed our guide to spread betting. We have explored how to place spread bets, the leading UK spread betting companies, the differences between spread betting and fixed odds betting, and more, so you have more information about this growing form of gambling, which is taking the betting world by storm.

Wagering bets on the spread betting markets is not for the faint-hearted, and the more you are wrong on a bet, the more you can lose (above your stake).

Spread betting and betting on the betting exchanges are deemed to be high risk, but are also seen by more punters as a high reward. Spread bets involve risks and are often used only by experienced punters.

The spread has two prices: a buy price and a sell price. If you believe the online bookies have pitched a quote too low, spread bettors would buy at the higher price, anticipating that the make-up of the market will be bigger than that price. Likewise, if spread bettors think the buy price is too high, they would sell at the lower price, believing the final make-up will be below the price at which they sold.

At British Racecourses, we recommend registering with both spread betting companies, Sporting Index and Spreadex.

The reason we feel both spread betting accounts are good to open is that you can utilise the bet 10 get 20 free bet offer at Sporting Index and also make the most of the bet 10 get 30 in free bets offer at Spreadex.

On top of the free bets, you then have both spread betting accounts to compare the marginal ranges and wager bets on the bookmaker with the better prices.

As with all betting, please bet responsibly.