Spread Betting

Spread betting allows you to bet on how much something will win or lose by. The more right you are the more you win. The more wrong you are the more you will lose.

With spread betting you can always back your selection to do badly. If, for example, you don't fancy a certain favourite you can effectively lay it without having to find another horse to beat it.

Another great advantage of Spread Betting is the ability to bet 'in-running ' on live events. This facility allows you to place a new bet or to take a profit or a loss on an existing position during the course of a covered event.

Flatstats is perfect for spread betting. Using the Flatstats data you can place well calculated bets on spreads such as favourites, race card numbers, winning distances, winning SPs, number of jockey wins per meeting plus much more. Using stats to make your selections could mean that you get an edge over the spread makers if they rely on the tool of the masses: the form book.

Spread Betting On Favourites

Each day spread betting firms will quote a spread on the performance of the favourites on a racecard:

For each favourite points are awarded according to its finishing position

25 points for a favourite that wins

10 points for a favourite finishing second

5 points for a favourite finishing third

Say there is a six race card at Southwell on a cold day in December. The quote for favourites is 63 - 67.

Using Flatstats data you calculate that there will be at least three winning favourites with perhaps a couple of seconds. That would be worth (25+25+25+10+10) = 95 points so you decide to BUY £2 per point at 67. If you think the favourites would get stuffed you would want to SELL £2 per point at 63.

At the end of the day two favourites win, two are second, and two are third. That adds up to (25+25+10+10+5+5) = 80

If you bought £2 at 67 you would win (80 - 67) x £2 = £26

If you sold £2 at 63 you would lose (80 - 63) x £2 = £34

If the favourites performed really well that day (say all six won) the score would be (25 + 25 + 25 + 25 + 25 + 25) = 150

If you bought £2 at 67 you would win (150 - 67) x £2 = £166

If you sold £2 at 63 you would lose (150 - 63) x £2 = £174

If Martin Dwyer was riding every favourite on the card, and being December he does really badly so that all favourites are unplaced, the favourites score would be (0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0) = 0

If you bought £2 at 67 you would lose (67 - 0) x £2 = £134

If you sold £2 at 63 you would win (63 - 0) x £2 = £126

With spread betting you can see your maximum liabilities whether you chose to buy or sell and whether all favourites won or all favourites were unplaced.

Spread Betting On Distances

Zanay is taking on Compton Bolter in a Class B race at Lingfield. Using Flatstats data you think that Zanay will win the race but the bookies price that is available is 'too skinny' . What you could do is place a spread bet on the distance.

This bet invites you to predict which horse will finish ahead of the other and by how many lengths.

Spread betting firms predict there was nothing to choose between the two horses and quote a distance of half a length. if you think Zanay will be in front of Compton Bolter by at least 1 length you would buy Zanay at 0.5 lengths.

If you bought Zanay at 0.5 lengths for £100 and he indeed was in front of Compton Bolter by 3 lengths you won: (3 - 0.5) x £100 = £250

Notice that it did not matter if Zanay won, came second or was unplaced. As long as he finished in front of Compton Bolter you would still win!

Related Articles and Resources

• Favourite Stats
• Race Stats

Article created Dec 2000. Stats may have changed since.