Should I Spread Bet

Should I Spread Bet

Dan Blystone is the founder and editor of TradersLog.com, as well as the founder of the Chicago Traders Meetup Group.

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Spread betting allows traders to bet on the direction of a financial market without actually owning the underlying security. Spread betting is sometimes promoted as a tax-free, commission-free activity that allows investors to speculate in both bull and bear markets, but this remains banned in the U.S. Like stock trades, spread bet risks can be mitigated using stop loss and take profit orders.

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Spread betting is a derivative strategy, in which participants do not own the underlying asset they bet on, such as a stock or commodity. Rather, spread bettors simply speculate on whether the asset's price will rise or fall, using the prices offered to them by a broker.

As in stock market trading, two prices are quoted for spread bets—a price at which you can buy (bid price) and a price at which you can sell (ask price). The difference between the buy and sell price is referred to as the spread. The spread-betting broker profits from this spread, and this allows spread bets to be made without commissions, unlike most securities trades.

Investors align with the bid price if they believe the market will rise and go with the ask if they believe it will fall. Key characteristics of spread betting include the use of leverage, the ability to go both long and short, the wide variety of markets available, and tax benefits.

If spread betting sounds like something you might do in a sports bar, you're not far off. Charles K. McNeil, a mathematics teacher who became a securities analyst—and later a bookmaker—in Chicago during the 1940s has been widely credited with inventing the spread-betting concept. But its origins as an activity for professional financial-industry traders happened roughly 30 years later, on the other side of the Atlantic. A City of London investment banker, Stuart Wheeler, founded a firm named IG Index in 1974, offering spread betting on gold. At the time, the gold market was prohibitively difficult to participate in for many, and spread betting provided an easier way to speculate on it.

Despite its American roots, spread betting is illegal in the United States.

Let's use a practical example to illustrate the pros and cons of this derivative market and the mechanics of placing a bet. First, we'll take an example in the stock market, and then we'll look at an equivalent spread bet.

For our stock market trade, let's assume a purchase of 1,000 shares of Vodafone (LSE: VOD ) at £193.00. The price goes up to £195.00 and the position is closed, capturing a gross profit of £2,000 and having made £2 per share on 1,000 shares. Note here several important points. Without the use of margin, this transaction would have required a large capital outlay of £193k. Also, normally commissions would be charged to enter and exit the stock market trade. Finally, the profit may be subject to capital gains tax and stamp duty.

Now, let's look at a comparable spread bet. Making a spread bet on Vodafone, we'll assume with the bid-offer spread you can buy the bet at £193.00. In making this spread bet, the next step is to decide what amount to commit per "point," the variable that reflects the price move. The value of a point can vary.

In this case, we will assume that one point equals a one pence change, up or down, in the Vodaphone share price. We'll now assume a buy or "up bet" is taken on Vodaphone at a value of £10 per point. The share price of Vodaphone rises from £193.00 to £195.00, as in the stock market example. In this case, the bet captured 200 points, meaning a profit of 200 x £10, or £2,000.

While the gross profit of £2,000 is the same in the two examples, the spread bet differs in that there are usually no commissions incurred to open or close the bet and no stamp duty or capital gains tax due. In the U.K. and some other European countries, the profit from spread betting is free from tax.

However, while spread bettors do not pay commissions, they may suffer from the bid-offer spread, which may be substantially wider than the spread in other markets. Keep in mind also that the bettor has to overcome the spread just to break even on a trade. Generally, the more popular the security traded, the tighter the spread, lowering the entry cost .

In addition to the absence of commissions and taxes, the other major benefit of spread betting is that the required capital outlay is dramatically lower. In the stock market trade, a deposit of as much as £193,000 may have been required to enter the trade. In spread betting, the required deposit amount varies, but for the purpose of this example, we will assume a required 5% deposit. This would have meant that a much smaller £9,650 deposit was required to take on the same amount of market exposure as in the stock market trade.

The use of leverage works both ways, of course, and herein lies the danger of spread betting. As the market moves in your favor, higher returns will be realized; on the other hand, as the market moves against you, you will incur greater losses. While you can quickly make a large amount of money on a relatively small deposit, you can lose it just as fast.

If the price of Vodaphone fell in the above example, the bettor may eventually have been asked to increase the deposit or even have had the position closed out automatically. In such a situation, stock market traders have the advantage of being able to wait out a down move in the market, if they still believe the price is eventually heading higher.

Despite the risk that comes with the use of high leverage, spread betting offers effective tools to limit losses .

Risk can also be mitigated by the use of arbitrage, betting two ways simultaneously.

Arbitrage opportunities arise when the prices of identical financial instruments vary in different markets or among different companies. As a result, the financial instrument can be bought low and sold high simultaneously. An arbitrage transaction takes advantage of these market inefficiencies to gain risk-free returns.

Due to widespread access to information and increased communication, opportunities for arbitrage in spread betting and other financial instruments have been limited. However, spread betting arbitrage can still occur when two companies take separate stances on the market while setting their own spreads.

At the expense of the market maker, an arbitrageur bets on spreads from two different companies. When the top end of a spread offered by one company is below the bottom end of another’s spread, the arbitrageur profits from the gap between the two. Simply put, the trader buys low from one company and sells high in another. Whether the market increases or decreases does not dictate the amount of return.

Many different types of arbitrage exist, allowing for the exploitation of differences in interest rates, currencies, bonds, and stocks, among other securities. While arbitrage is typically associated with risk-less profit, there are in fact risks associated with the practice, including execution , counterparty, and liquidity risks. Failure to complete transactions smoothly can lead to significant losses for the arbitrageur. Likewise, counterparty and liquidity risks can come from the markets or a company’s failure to fulfill a transaction.

Continually developing in sophistication with the advent of electronic markets, spread betting has successfully lowered the barriers to entry and created a vast and varied alternative marketplace.

Arbitrage, in particular, lets investors exploit the difference in prices between two markets, specifically when two companies offer different spreads on identical assets.

The temptation and perils of being overleveraged continue to be a major pitfall in spread betting. However, the low capital outlay necessary, risk management tools available, and tax benefits make spread betting a compelling opportunity for speculators.

States Where Sports Betting Is Legal

What Is A Spread In Sports Betting?

What Does The + And – Mean In Sports Betting?

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Pros Generally have better betting line value than the moneyline It can add more value to parlay wagers Can have higher maximum bet limits Adds excitement to games with a clear better team against a worse team Cons Assessing a wager could take more time The winning team in real life doesn’t necessarily win the wager

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As of the second half of 2022, more than 30 states have retail and/or online sports betting laws enacted or pending legislation for the industry.
Since the US Supreme Court overturned the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) in May 2018, sports betting has caught on like wildfire. Each year, more and more bettors are finding interest in the activity.
Even if you’ve never wagered on a game, you’ve likely heard the term “point spread” or “the spread.” But what exactly is it? How can you use it when betting on your favorite sports team to add extra money to your wallet?
Here, we’ll not only explain what sports betting is, but we’ll look at the purpose of the spread, compare moneyline betting and spread betting, how it varies by sport and more.
To better understand spread betting, there are four main terms to know and understand: underdog, favorite, push, hook and juice.
When you first arrive at your favorite online sportsbook and look at the available bets for the upcoming games, you may notice two notations in the spread column—a “-” and “+.”
These are important as these not only indicate what the spread is but also illustrate which team is favored and which is the underdog.
For example, you look in the spread column of the upcoming Baltimore Ravens and Miami Dolphins game. The Dolphins are +2.5 on the spread, and the betting line is -110.
With that +2.5, you could view the game starting with a score of the Dolphins up 2.5 to 0. Of course, the game’s score will be 0 to 0, but in the eyes of the spread, the Dolphins either need to win outright or lose by no more than two points.
You’ll lose that spread bet if the Dolphins lose 23 to 20. However, if they lose 23 to 21, you would win, as the added 2.5 points would result in a score of 23.5 to 23 through the prism of the wager.
On the other side, the “-” before the number indicates the favorite. Sticking with the above Dolphins/Ravens example, the Ravens would be -2.5.
Side note: For most sports, the spread will be the same on both sides, with the only difference being “-” or “+.”
Unlike the Dolphins, who need to lose by no more than two points, the Ravens now need to win by at least three points, given the added 0.5 on the spread.
Now, if the spread were Ravens -3, they would need to win by at least four. If the final score were 23 to 20, that would result in a push.
While we go into each wager hoping to win, taking a draw is better than losing.
A push can only occur when the spread is a whole number and doesn’t have the added 0.5.
As mentioned, if the spread is -3 and the team wins by three, this would result in a push as the underdog also has a spread of 3 on the other side, but with a “+.”
You don’t win or lose when this occurs—you receive your original wager back.
We’ve made mention of “the added 0.5,” but in sports betting, that added 0.5 is important. So important, in fact, that it has its own term—the hook.
There’ll never be a push with the hook, as teams cannot score half of a point. However, depending on which side you bet, the 0.5 acts like a whole point.
Again, if the spread is +2.5, you need to win outright or lose by no more than two; if the spread is -2.5, you not only need to win outright, but you need to do so by three or more.
Juice, also known as “vig,” is a price you pay for making a wager through an online sportsbook. The standard betting line, commonly seen in spread betting, is -110. With this betting line, you’ll earn $10 for every $11 wagered.
Think of it this way: If you see a “-” line of anything above -100, each point is the “juice” or the “vig.”
Spread betting is exclusively for sports betting. Thus, this isn’t a bet type you’d find at an online or retail casino.
The closest thing to a spread at an online casino would be the house edge, which is constant with each online casino game. In contrast, the spread is an optional wager in sports betting.
No matter what sport you’re a fan of, there’ll always be good and not-so-good teams.
There’s always going to be a disparity in professional sports.
But that’s where the point spread comes in.
The purpose of a spread is to make the teams as even as possible. The point spread is typically generated by online sportsbooks using algorithms and other mathematical formulas which determine how superior or inferior a team is.
So, when you bet on the point spread, you can look at the favorite and think, “According to this bookmaker, this favored team is considered ‘x’ number of points better than this other team.”
While the spread accounts for the strengths and weaknesses of each team, the moneyline removes all of that.
The moneyline wager is picking which team will win outright, with no strings attached.
While picking a moneyline team may be easier, the conversation around bet value is necessary.
We can all conclude that the Rams are incredibly likely to beat the Jaguars. However, the moneyline in a bet like that could have a -1000 line for the Rams. This would mean that you’d need to wager a hefty sum of $1,000 to profit $100.
The spread counteracts that value disparity but introduces an additional variable.
Say the Rams are -14.5 point favorites. You may conclude that the Rams will win, but will they win by 15 or more?
Generally, a point spread betting line will almost always be roughly -110.
So, you can bet on the Rams to win outright at -1000 ($1,000 to win $100), or you can assess the situation, and whichever side you think will cover the spread will get you $100 on a $110 wager.
Now, there are times when betting on the moneyline makes more sense. That said, there are different strategies for different sports, such as the NFL, MLB, NHL and NBA.
The key spread number in the NFL is -3 or anything less than that. When you see a -3 line, this is typically for when two teams are relatively equal in stature, but this could account for home-field advantage.
When you see a spread less than three, it may be better value, depending on which side you want to wager, to bet the moneyline.
According to Sports Insights , the chances of winning an NFL game by less than three points is minimal.
The point spread in the MLB is known as the “runline.” Unlike the NFL, the runline will always be 1.5 on each side. The betting line will almost always be different than -110, as 1.5 runs in a baseball game can be substantial.
Also, with the runline of 1.5 being so static, the “favorite” may not be the best candidate for that -1.5 runline.
The NHL also has an alternate term for the points spread—the puckline. Like MLB betting, the standard puckline is also 1.5. This makes sense, as MLB and NHL scores are far more synonymous than the NFL or the NBA.
As the NHL and MLB are more similar to one another final score-wise, the NBA and NFL are more on par.
However, the similarity isn’t the final score but rather the margin of victory. NBA games can have high point totals, but you’ll find that the spreads are more “in the ballpark” with the NFL.
It’s more common to find “larger” spread numbers in the NBA, but the betting line of -110 is something you should often expect to see.
You can absolutely win money when betting the spread. However, there are a couple of easy strategies you can deploy immediately to assist in winning cash.
If you’re in a state where multiple sportsbooks are available, we recommend looking to see if any offer better value for you, depending on the wager you intend to make.
Whether getting a better betting line or adding 0.5 or a whole point to a spread, this can be a way to find the most attractive bet for you.
Alternate line wagers may not be available at all sportsbooks, but it is something to consider. With this type of bet, you can bet on a different spread with the betting line value reflecting that change. You may sacrifice some betting line value for that added point or two.
All online sportsbooks will have some form of a bonus or promotion offer.
Whether it’s no-deposit bonuses, deposit bonuses, free bets, “risk-free” bets or something similar, you can leverage these to explore wagers that you might not have otherwise considered. Some promos are tied to specific bets.
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Graduating from the University of New Hampshire with a BA in Journalism, Richard Janvrin has been covering iGam
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