We Brits love to bet. We always have and most likely always will. We bet on sports. We bet on games. We even bet on television and on superstars. We can't seem to help ourselves - perhaps it is in our blood. Whatever the reason we can't get enough, it is evident that we are in our glory now that we can take our passion online and bet even easier than ever before. One clear indication of this is that the majority of the last World Cup bets were placed online and that overall betting on that event was up 60% from the previous World Cup.



While there are in fact other nations that do appreciate betting to some degree, it seems that we are well ahead in a lot of those statistics. One such example is spread betting. Spread betting is not even allowed by law in many places including the United States. In Britain, one estimate is that up to 400,000 of us currently have spread betting accounts.

Basic Spread Betting

Spread betting involves complicated sporting indexes that are made up from the odds of certain things happening. For example, the index may say that in a particular game, there will be between 10 and 15 points awarded in a certain type of play or certain type of goal. That means that the 'spread' is 10-15. A better who bets (or 'buys') in at 1 pound will then either win or lose money based on if the actual number of those type of goals ended up under the spread or over the spread amount. If the actual number was less than 10, the better must pay out money lost. If the actual number is higher than the spread, the better wins.

Spread Betting and Finance

Outside Britain, spread betting is more of a financial term. Especially in the U.S., it is seen as a money game for investors who play the markets. Spread betting in this case is done when companies provide the chance to gamble on the future prices of commodities or on company stock.

Spread betting is generally seen as a high risk financial game and it does not have a place in sport and entertainment gambling in most places outside Britain. As we know however, the internet has erased borders in many ways and online spread betting in the UK is being enjoyed by people from all over the world.

Cautious Enjoyment

While we aren't afraid of spread betting and what it has to offer here in Britain, it isn't for everyone. Experts caution us against getting into this type of betting if we are not familiar with how the numbers work and the fact that we can lose more than our bet in one fell swoop. Once you learn the ropes and decide you can afford it, it might just be the game for you too.

Never considered faint of heart, Britons are actually embracing spread betting in ever increasing numbers. It can be an exhilarating change to regular betting and many like the additional risk involved in this kind of play.