Sports spread betting offers the chance to use your sports knowledge to try and turn a profit – but where were the big wins of 2012?
See below for our list of top 10 spread moments from last year. However, remember that unlike fixed odds betting you can lose more than your initial stake so it is always wise to work out your worst-case scenario when choosing your stake size!
FEderer won 3-6, 7-6, 19-17
10. Roger Federer v Juan Martin del Potro, Olympics semi-finals
Date: 03/08/12Market: Cross CourtsSpread: 58.5-63.5Make-up: 383Potential profit x stake: 319.5
Cross Courts is a market which allows you to bet on player 1’s set 1 games multiplied by player 2’s set 1 games and then aggregated for each set in a match.
So when Roger Federer and Martin del Potro briefly threatened to match John Isner and Nicholas Mahut’s Wimbledon classic during the men’s Olympics semi-finals, the final set make-up of 323 (19 x 17) helped create a huge outcome for Cross Courts buyers.
AUSTRALIA WON BY AN INNINGS AND 68 RUNS
9. Australia v India, 2nd Test
Date: 05/01/12Market: Clarke RunsSpread: 48-53Make-up: 329Profit x stake: 276
Cricket is arguably the perfect sport for spread betting with the scoring pattern of team and batsmen runs ideal for opening and closing bets in-play to either take a profit or cut a loss.
Ominously for England and the Ashes, Australia skipper Michael Clarke was one of the form players of 2012 with the bat and his 329 in January in the second Test against India was a perfect start to the year for spread betters who bought his runs at 53.
SOUTH AFRICA WON BY AN INNINGS AND 12 RUNS
8. England v South Africa, 1st Test
Date: 22/07/12Market: 3rd South Africa WicketSpread: 307-317Make-up: 637Potential profit x stake: 320
It’s not just batsmen or team runs that can offer opportunity when it comes to spread betting on cricket, predicting the fall of the next wicket can be just as volatile.
When the Proteas dismantled England to win by an innings and 12 runs at the Oval in July, the 377 run partnership of Hashin Amla and Jacques Kallis was far higher than the Spreadex predicted level meaning buyers were begging South Africa to hold out on their declaration for as long as possible to maximise profits.
Arsenal won 7-5 after extra time
7. Reading v Arsenal, Capital One Cup
Date: 30/10/12Market: Extra Time Goal MinutesSpread: 105-115Make-up: 459Profit x stake: 344
Anyone who had a spread bet on this game will surely not forget this match in a hurry. The Gunners powered back from 4-0 down to force extra-time and the goals continued in the additional half-hour.
Total Goal Minutes is a market based on the aggregate of the minutes goals are scored in a game. The Spreadex prediction for extra-time goal minutes was between 105-115 but four strikes took the make-up to 459 and a happy conclusion for buyers, if not for Reading fans.
CELTIC WON 5-06. Celtic v Hearts, Scottish Premier League
Date: 14/05/12Market: Shirt NumbersSpread: 90-94Make-up: 440Profit x stake: 346
Another popular football spread betting market is Shirt Numbers – a market based on the aggregate of the shirt numbers of the goalscorers in a match.
So when Gary Hooper, wearing number 88, bagged all five goals in Celtic’s demolition of Hearts in May, the market made-up 440 and anyone who had bought at 94 was left to net a tidy profit.
FINIAN's RAINBOW WON THE QUEEN MOTHER CHAMPION CHASE
5. Cheltenham Festival, DAY TWO
Date: 14/03/12Market: Multi-MulesSpread: 830.5-870.5Make-up: 430Profit x stake: 400.5
Spread betting on horse racing offers a wide variety of markets to choose from, but one of the more volatile is Multi-Mules. This is based on the number of the winning horse of a race multiplied by the number of the second placed horse in a race, aggregated for each race in a meeting.
With races at some of the larger meetings sometimes including around 30 runners, the range of potential make-ups on this market can be vast. On Day Two of the Cheltenham Festival in March the final make-up was much lower than the original Spreadex quote meaning sellers at 830.5 were left in the money.
ARSENAL WON 7-3
4. Arsenal v Newcastle, Premier League
Date: 29/12/12Market: Total Goal MinsSpread: 158-168Make-up: 641Profit x stake: 473
Arsenal feature again in another big Total Goal Minutes make-up at the end of the year when four late strikes including three in the last six minutes helped push the make-up to a massive 473.
Again it meant big profits for anyone who had bought at the initial 168 level and even some very respectable gains for people who had got involved in the action later on, buying at higher levels.
SO YOU THINK WINS THE PRINCE OF WALES'S STAKES
3. Royal Ascot, DAY Two
Date: 20/06/12Market: Multi-MulesSpread: 390-425Make-up: 992Profit x stake: 567
With races at Royal Ascot sometimes including around 30 runners, the potential for a big make-up exists. And this was the case in June for Day Two of the event when this market made-up at 992 resulting in big wins for any buyers at the original 425 level.
25 Matches proDuced 93 goals
2. Football League Cup, second round
Date: 28/08/12Market: Cross Goals (home goals x away goals)Spread: 980-1030Make-up: 1610Profit x stake: 580
Groups of games betting offers the chance to place bets over groups of fixtures rather than just on one match alone.
It also offers the potential for some big swings away from the original predicted spread as was the case in the League Cup second round in August when there were plenty of away goals as well as home goals meaning a big make-up and a big payday for anyone who bought at 1030.
HULL FC WON 70-6
1. Bradford v Hull FC, Super League
Date: 01/09/12Market: Hull Multi-PointsSpread: 132-142Make-up: 1176 (28 x 42)Profit x stake: 1034
Backing a strongly fancied favourite at a very short price on a fixed odds bet can mean limited returns, but with spread betting there are a variety of ways to try and gain extra exposure.
One such way is Multi-Points in rugby spread betting, based on a team’s first half points multiplied by their second-half points. So when Hull FC scored 28 in the first half and 42 in the second against Bradford in the Super League in September it resulted in a huge make-up of 1034.
SEE THE TOP SPREAD BETS FROM OTHER YEARS
Top 10 Spread Bets of 2013
Top 10 Spread Bets of 2014
Top 10 Spread Bets of 2015
Top 10 Spread Bets of 2016
Top 10 Spread Bets of 2017
Email:
info@Spreadex.com
Sports Desk:
08000 526 575
+44 (0)1727 895 090
General Enquiries:
+44 (0)1727 895 000