It was a huge 2019 for sport, with Rugby, Cricket and Women’s World Cups, a gripping Ashes and an all-time great Premier League season. But what were the top 10 spread bets of the year?

10. Ronnie O’Sullivan vs James Cahill, World Snooker Championship 1st Round
Date: 23.04.19
Market: James Cahill Points
Make-up: 912
Initial spread: 465-495
Potential profit: 417 x initial stake
In what was low-key one of the biggest sporting shocks of the year, James Cahill – the first ever amateur player to qualify for the World Snooker Championship – beat world no. 1 Ronnie O’Sullivan in the opening round.

This meant he racked up far more points than expected, leaving the 23-year old with a Cahill Points make-up of 912! Factor in an initial spread of 465-495, and you get 417 times your original bet.

9. The Ashes 4th Test
Date: 04.09.19-08.09.19
Market: Steve Smith Super Mega Runs (runs scored by a batsmen over an entire Test match with runs between 51 and 100 doubled in an innings and any runs over 100 trebled in an innings)
Make-up: 597
Initial spread: 132-142
Potential profit: 455 x initial stake
After missing the 3rd Test, ceding the spotlight to England’s Ben Stokes, Steve Smith was back with a vengeance in the 4th, scoring both the highest innings of the 2019 Ashes (211) and the greatest Test total (293).

That meant anyone buying a Smith Super Mega Runs spread of 132-142 was rewarded with 455 times their initial stake, courtesy of a make-up of 597.

8. USA vs Thailand, 2019 Women’s World Cup
Date: 11.06.19
Market: Total Goal Minutes
Make-up: 773
Initial spread: 291-306
Potential profit: 466 x initial stake
Everyone is aware of the USA’s World Cup pedigree. After all, they won a record 4th title in 2019. And no-one expected Thailand to beat them in their opening game in France. But that didn’t change the shock at the size of the victory, USWNT smashing their Thai opponents 13-0 in the biggest ever World Cup victory, Men’s or Women’s.

Of course it also led to a substantial Total Goal Minutes make-up of 773, which, compared to an opening spread of 291-306, could have left you with 466 times your initial stake.

7. West Ham v Huddersfield, 2018/19 Premier League
Date: 16.03.19
Market: West Ham Headed SMMs (minutes are doubled for 2nd headed goal and trebled for 3rd)
Make-up: 513
Initial spread: 23-38
Potential profit: 475 x initial stake
In their 4-3 thriller over Huddersfield back in March – part of the Terriers’ grim march towards relegation – 3 of West Ham’s goals came from someone’s noggin.

A bonce brace from Javier Hernandez, alongside another from Angelo Ogbonna, sent the West Ham Headed SMMs make-up to 513. Take away a comparatively small starting spread of 23-38, and that’s 475 times your opening stake.

6. Peter Wright v Michael van Gerwen, 2019 Champions League of Darts Final
Date: 20.10.19
Market: Highest Checkout x Total 180s
Make-up: 2340
Initial spread: 1442-1522
Potential profit: 818 x initial stake
Before Peter Wright beat Michael van Gerwen to win the 2020 PDC World Darts Championship, he had lost 7 times to the Dutchman in major finals. One of those came in October 2019, when Snakebite suffered an agonising 11-10 defeat in the Champions League of Darts climax.

Wright even got the final’s best checkout, his impressive 156 seeing off van Gerwen’s 154. Multiple the former figure by 15 – the number of overall 180s – and you get a Highest Checkout x Total 180s make-up of 2340. Buy at 1442-1522 and you get 818 times your initial stake.

5. Man City v Burton, EFL Cup Semi-Final 1st Leg
Date: 09.01.19
Market: Goals x Shirts (total goals x sum of goalscorers shirt numbers)
Make-up: 2331
Initial spread: 640-669
Potential profit: 1022 x initial stake
Man City’s 2019 was littered with big wins, including their 8-0 FA Cup final victory over Watford. Better from a spread betting perspective, however, was their 9-0 romp against Burton in their EFL Cup semi-final 1st leg.

A quadruple from then no. 33 Gabriel Jesus really helped swell the Goals x Shirts make-up, all the way to 2331. Minus the starting spread of 640-669, and you get 1022 times your original bet.

4. New Zealand v Tonga, Rugby World Cup Warmup
Date: 07.09.19
Market: Match Multi-Points (1st Half Points x 2nd Half Points)
Make-up: 2430
Initial spread: 1173-1277
Potential profit: 1153 x initial stake
The All Blacks put in plenty of thumping performances during the Rugby World Cup, including hefty score lines against Canada and Namibia. However their biggest victory of 2019 was their final warmup fixture against Tonga, a game they won 92-7.

The punishment was pretty evenly split over both halves – perfect, then, for Match Multi-Points, which shot to a make-up of 2430. If you bought at a starting price of 1173-1277, you were left with 1153 times your initial bet.

3. Australia vs Sri Lanka, Cricket World Cup
Date: 15.06.19
Market: Launch! (Highest Individual Batsman Score x Highest Scoring Over)
Make-up: 3366
Initial spread: 1800-1900
Potential profit: 1466 x initial stake
Part of their sprint to the semi-finals, Australia’s 87 runs victory over Sri Lanka was defined by Aaron Finch’s hefty 153 runs, the joint 2nd highest score of the World Cup.

Multiple that number by the impressive 22 runs managed in a single over – the 45th – by Glenn Maxwell, and you get a Launch! make-up of 3,366 against an original spread of 1800-1900. That’s amounts to winnings of 1466 times your initial stake.

2. Minnesota Vikings @ Kansas City Chiefs, NFL
Date: 03.11.19
Market: Kansas City Chiefs Launch! (Longest Completed Pass x Longest Run From Scrimmage by Named Team)
Make-up: 3731
Initial spread: 970-1120
Potential profit: 2611 x initial stake
During their comeback at home to the Minnesota Vikings – a potentially key win en route to the play-offs – Kansas City running back Damien Williams sprinted 91 yards for the longest touchdown of the game, the season and (joint with Jamaal Charles in 2012) Chiefs history.

Multiple that by the game’s longest completed pass of 41 yards and you get a Kansas City Chiefs Launch! make-up of 3731, compared to an opening spread of 970-1120. In other words, 2611 times your initial stake.

1. Real Betis v Getafe, 2018/19 La Liga
Date: 16.09.19
Market: Multi Bookings (1st Half Bookings Points x 2nd Half Bookings Points)
Make-up: 4675
Initial spread: 620-740
Potential profit: 3935 x initial stake
Our no. 1 might not be as immediately recognisable as some of the other entries on this list. However, the 1-1 draw between Real Betis and Getafe was an increasingly unpleasant affair – luckily for anyone buying Multi Bookings.

The first yellow card came in the 9th minute; the final booking was an injury time red for Loren. In total there were 9 yellows and 2 reds, back-weighted to the 2nd half of the game. All-in-all that meant the Multi Bookings make-up came in at a whopping 4675. Take away the restrained opening spread of 620-740, and you could have won 3935 times your initial stake.