Each platform is regulated by the FCA and can be used by retail (non-professional) traders. Spread betting with City Index provides a convenient way to trade on thousands of financial markets via powerful and versatile trading platforms for all of your devices. In order to start spread betting online, you will need an account with a broker and access to a spread bet platform. There isn’t a great deal of spread betting brokers out there, which is why we have compiled this handy guide to help you discover some of the more established spread betting companies. See our list of the best spread betting brokers to find the trading platform that best meets your individual needs. Odds are updated in real-time — often faster than traditional bookmakers — providing users with a significant edge while deploying their betting strategies.

The unpredictability of horse racing adds excitement and value to every race.
First of all, Bet In Asia has way more options for depositing and withdrawing than most normal brokers.
Markets.com also makes the platform easy to use without having to install software.
On this spread betting broker, you have access to forex, oil, gold, currencies and more across 2,100 instruments.
Cricket is the second most-watched sport in the world, with matches being played year-round.
However, the largest market is in the UK, where the top providers are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) – a ‘green tier’ body.
The broker sets a ‘spread’ for each item, which is a range of values.

Exclusive offers

It also offers a set of diverse open positions to work with, e.g., commodities, stocks, FX, and indices. To profit while spread betting, the underlying amount must exceed the spread amount. The stock prices should move by a minimum of the same spread points for the trader to make a profit. The spread in spread betting is merely the contrast between an asset’s buying and selling price.

Are online stock brokers safe?

There will always be risks involved when trading, but using a tool that helps to manage your risks can certainly be beneficial. FxPro is a great broker for managing risk, and has been named the world’s #1 online Forex broker as well. With Think Markets, you get access to more than 4,000 instruments from multiple markets. IG nonetheless offers a safeguard to stop you from making a loss that goes over your account balance, if you activate their option which is called Negative Balance Protection.

CMC Markets

On average, the ratio should approximately fall between 93 and 97 percent. The remaining amount is retained by the sports betting provider as a fee for their services. There are also promotions, for example, where a game is offered with a 100% payout rate. In this case, the odds are particularly attractive and the bookmaker has basically no winning margin left for this game.

User Interface (Ease of use)

Choose a broker with fast and reliable order execution – these are crucial for fast-paced trading styles like spread betting. Previously, on the AsianOdds platform, you are limited to soccer and basketball. But in recent years they have added a lot of sports, so now you can bet a bit of everything, and it almost rivals SportMarket in game selection. When depositing and withdrawing, you can either use an e-wallet like Skrill or Neteller, or a cryptocurrency like Bitcoin or Tether. Their low fees and many betting options make Orbit Exchange perfect for making your betting more profitable.

Advantages of Using a Betting Agent or a Broker:

You can deal in everything from forex to indices and even crypto. The platform’s comprehensive educational tools can help you get up to speed on the latest trends and inform your trading decisions. Sports betting is a popular and well-regulated industry in South Africa, governed by the National Gambling Act of 2004. The act requires operators to obtain licenses from provincial gambling boards, with oversight provided by the National Gambling Board (NGB). Only licensed bookmakers are permitted to operate, ensuring a secure and transparent environment for punters. Bettors must be at least 18 years old, and operators are mandated to promote responsible gambling through measures such as self-exclusion and identity verification.

You then need to choose how many pounds you want to wager per point.
Certain Zacks Rank stocks for which no month-end price was available, pricing information was not collected, or for certain other reasons have been excluded from these return calculations.
The service is designed to offer customers an exceptional and professional betting experience.
Ensure that your broker is transparent with fees and those dues are competitive.
In this guide I’ve put together the best spread betting companies operating in the UK.
Other favorites include rugby, particularly during events like the Rugby World Cup, and cricket, with the ICC Cricket World Cup and local tournaments drawing attention.

What Do Spread Betting Trading Platforms Looks Like?

These agents make things easier by acting as a go-between for the person placing the bet and the bookmakers who take the bet. Even though each betting agent might work a bit differently, one great thing they all have in common is that they let you use one single account to place all your bets with different bookies. Central to BookieLink’s offerings is the “BookieLink Pro” account, which allows users to access competitive odds from a long list of bookmakers and exchanges. This section provides access to Orbit X, Fair Exchange, and LayStars all powered by Betfair, as well as OddsLay powered by Betdaq, making it ideal for those looking to trade odds. Acting as an intermediary, BookieLink facilitates betting transactions and settlements through its network of trusted partners, all under one central interface.

Decide to buy or sell.

Some providers offer proprietary platforms with unique tools, notably IG’s Online Platform, CMC Markets’ Next Generation platform, and FXCM’s Trading Station. This is the website where we share our findings – you’ll find bookmaker reviews, predictions, general betting news and various guides. Overall, we consider AsianConnect the second-best bet broker on the market, almost at the level of SportMarket – which is a very impressive feat. You get access to more sports, can bet more money, and find better odds.

Spread betting examples and calculators

When customer accounts bear significant interest levels, the increasing deposits can often grow into millions for brokers. Pepperstone offer access to spread betting trading through TradingView, MT5, MT4 and cTrader. They provide access to a wide range of assets, including forex CFD, inices CFD, commodities CFD, Stock and shares CFD, Futures CFD and cryptocurrency.. Ideal for spread bettors and day traders who rely on quick order execution. IC Markets offer low latency collated VPS machines for serious traders who want faster order speeds.

FxPro – Best Spread Betting Broker for Risk Management

In the UK, the maximum leverages for 30x for most retail trades. Nonetheless, only a tiny percentage of spread bettors succeed and the majority don’t. Those who do succeed only do so after developing a system and having years of experience. And be very aware of the addictive nature of betting in general, which usually takes more than it gives over time.

Due to its many research tools for market analysis, novice investors will have no trouble placing and monitoring trades. To further improve the trading experience, educational tools are also available, such as tutorials, videos, and a test account. CMC Markets introduced financial spread betting in 2001 to complement its CFD and Forex trading.

Founded in 1999, Spreadex is governed by the Gambling Commission and the FCA.
Brokers care about their customers and are usually highly professional.
Also called a sports betting broker, a betting agent is a middleman between a bettor and a betting site.
Had the market moved against us, dropping 50 points instead, we’d be facing a $5,000 loss, eroding half of our stake.
Working with a spread betting broker with a bad customer service reputation is similar to shooting yourself in the foot.
Markets.com is regulated in the UK by the FCA, in Cyprus by the CySEC, and in South Africa by the FSCA, which makes it the best broker for spread betting.
Cobra Trading is ideal for short selling with exceptional access to stock borrows and direct access routing.

Deposits are completely free, and the first withdrawal of the month is free for all payment methods. BetInAsia operates discreetly and professionally, with a smart, sleek website. It provides 24/7 customer support via live chat, email, and phone, with dedicated VIP support.

Commission Charges

Customers can place bets on various markets, such as the match winner (Moneyline), Asian Handicap, Over/Under, and accumulator bets. The platform is affiliated with some of the most respected bookmakers in the industry, ensuring fair play by partnering with those who do not discriminate against winning players. What sets BetInAsia apart from competitors is that it only earns a commission from bookmakers based on the turnover generated from clients. The website features low fees, highly simplistic terms and conditions, and ties to industry-leading sites, making BetInAsia one of the best bet brokers in the market.

Beginner Friendly Spread Betting Brokers

Football is the dominant sport for betting, with the English Premier League (EPL) and other European leagues attracting significant interest alongside local leagues. In our reviews of betting apps, we focus on evaluating the mobile experience for Android and iOS users. We check whether bookmakers offer dedicated mobile apps for both platforms, or if their websites are optimized for seamless use via mobile browsers.

As you initially bought the UK 100, you would need to sell it at £8,012.62 to close the position, giving you a 60-point return. Also, if you want to aim for a profit of £100, make the risk worthwhile. Here, you decide to buy the UK 100 at £5 per point if you think the FTSE 100 is going to rise. This is known as going long, and it means that for each point the index rises, you will make a profit of £5.

Best bet brokers

This innovation by Wheeler was a significant pivot, transforming spread betting from a form of sports betting into a financial tool. It opened up new opportunities for retail investors to engage with and speculate on financial markets, laying the groundwork for the spread betting industry as we know it today. Take advantage of the tighter spreads to take risks and explore ways to earn more. Do not overestimate your position, though, as doing so could result in hefty losses. In our evaluation of the providers we always aim for the highest level of transparency. We test the betting sites according to fixed criteria, which we share with you in advance.

See More Zacks Research for These Tickers

FXCM’s spreads are a bit higher than those of other brokers, starting at 1.3 pips, and the average EURUSD spread is also 1.3 pips.
Along with this, you should use limit orders to ensure your profit.
BetInAsia and BFB247 are also competing in the race as their websites are fully compatible with mobile devices and are fast.
70% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets and CFDs with this provider.
Pepperstone offer access to spread betting trading through TradingView, MT5, MT4 and cTrader.
For that, you can check customer reviews and ratings on sites like the Better Business Bureau and TrustPilot.

Horse racing also holds a significant place in South African betting culture. These are the number of points that your bet needs to move in a favourable direction for your bet to yield results. A +7 spread would mean the underdog is gaining seven points, written as +7 on the odds. The minimum withdrawal amount is £100 for bank transfer, or £10 for debit card.

The strategy allows traders to speculate on the price movements of various financial instruments without owning the underlying asset. CFDs and Spread Betting are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 73% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs and Spread Betting with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs and Spread Betting work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.

Charles Schwab charges a $0 commission for online stock and ETF trading.
FXCM is a spread betting and CFD provider that offers smaller bet sizes than other top brokers.
Think Markets uses its own software designs, but you will also find spread betting via Meta Trader 4 and Meta Trader 5 available here.
Thus, spread betting enables traders to profit from both rising and declining markets.
With SMART signals, you can receive trade ideas that are based on current market conditions and tested against historical data for accuracy.
FXPro offers automated trading, a proprietary platform, a demo account to play in, and standard stop loss protocols.

However, if you had made a profit of £20,000 on a spread bet predicting the share price to rise, you would not be subject to capital gains tax. In spread betting, the “spread” is the difference between the buy (bid) and sell (ask) prices of an asset. An industry-leading 17,000+ markets, including 51 currency pairs, 38 commodities, 34 indices, and over 10,000 UK and foreign stocks, are available for traders to wager on with IG.

Before placing any bet with any broker, ensure they are trustworthy. Do your due diligence to ensure the broker has no client trust issues. Regulation is extremely important because you do not lose large sums when trading. If a broker is not on the Stock Exchange, check their accounts on government agencies like Companies House. If you are trading via a white label, you must check the balance sheet you are using, i.e., the underlying provider or the brand. For example, if a trader based in the US happens to speculate a £1 movement on a particular UK asset worth £10 for every share and they place a 0.05 USD per £1.

Interactive Brokers combines affordability, functionality and extensive resources, making it a top choice for global and active traders. Plus500 is a global multi-asset fintech group that operates trading platforms globally, offering a range of trading products, including CFDs, Share dealing and Futures trading (US). Unlike most online brokers, Public does not participate in payment for order flow on equities trades.

As a top betting broker, PremiumTradings brings extensive experience in football and the Asian Handicap markets. The company provides exclusive access to private accounts with major bookmakers and exchanges, including Matchbook, Betdaq, MaxBet, and 18bet. A preferred choice among professional gamblers, Sportmarket stands out by offering a live casino and a seamless experience for betting on multiple sports and games through a single account.

Interactive Brokers also regularly offers impressive promotions to help you earn and invest more. Right now, you can earn up to $1,000 or more with a signup bonus and referrals. By now you must be well aware of how important stop-loss orders are while trading. Please note here that since this is a daily-funded trade, you will be charged a small overnight funding fee if you keep your position open overnight. These tools don’t need to help you protect yourself from loss, but these benefits prove useful in achieving the goal.

This means you don’t have to wait for the markets to move one way. You should seek advice if needed before engaging in spread betting, and do extensive online research about how it works and the risks. Access to convenient, prompt and dependable support is key when you’re using short-term trading products like spread betting. It’s also an important safety cushion for beginners who typically need more support getting started. High-quality execution will help ensure your trades are executed at the requested time and price. In general, we view anything below 100 milliseconds (ms) as ‘fast’, but some trading platforms go much further.

However, it was not until the 1970s that this concept found its way into the financial industry. Across the Atlantic, in the City of London, Stuart Wheeler, an investment banker, recognized the potential of applying the spread betting model to financial markets. The origins of spread betting are indeed rooted in a concept similar to sports betting.

Liquidity refers to the amount of money available to match bets on a betting exchange, and it directly impacts your ability to get bets placed at your desired stakes. Understanding these differences can help you make smarter betting choices and possibly win more money. Some betting intermediaries, such as BetInAsia call themselves agents. On the other hand, earnings estimate revisions are at the core of the Zacks Rank. And empirical research shows a strong correlation between trends in earnings estimate revisions and near-term stock price movements. In other words, their interests aren’t always aligned with retail investors, rarely indicating where the price of a stock could actually be heading.

In this approach, the accuracy of the forecast increases the probability of profit. However, if the market moves contrary to the trader’s position, losses may exceed the trader’s initial investment. volume betting Markets.com has a spread-only pricing model, meaning you don’t have to pay traditional trading commissions. Today, it is known for its competitive spreads, fast execution, and reliable platform.

6 Best Spread Betting Brokers & Platforms February 2025