Spread Betting On Horse Racing Explained

In a previous article I briefly touched on spread betting on horses. Data Sgp As promised, I will expand on this topic in this article.


Spread betting has become a popular way for punters of horse racing to place bets. If done properly, it can allow you to make a lot of money in a short time.


There are always risks with gambling. If you're new to horse racing or a bit of a novice punter, you should be aware that spread betting on horse racing is a little complex, and due to the nature of how it is structured, although you can win big it can also cause you to lose a drastic amount of money if you are not careful.


This makes it absolutely essential that you must be sure that you clearly understand the methods of spread betting on horse racing.


Spread betting on horses is becoming more popular


Spread betting is a concept that is traditionally more popular with sports that have the potential for big winning margins, so American football, rugby, cricket and darts immediately spring to mind.


Its also used by people who want to bet on the financial markets and so they bet on whether a stock will rise, fall and by how much.


I'm not actually convinced by spread betting on horses myslef, as I find that the risk is just too high, yet many people successfully achieve great results with it. For many, it's a more intriguing and enjoyable way to take calculated risks but everyone has to be aware that the risks are also pretty high, and this is what dissuades many people from trying it.


How do you spread betting on horses?


Spread betting on horse racing starts with what is called the favourite's index. Each favourite is awarded a certain amount of points. Hot favourites, such as at 6/5, would be awarded the most points (25), while a Grand National favourite of 9/1 would receive eight points.


Of course, what the bookies are doing here is protecting themselves, as the payout at 9/1 is going to be appreciably more that the 6/5, hence the reduction in the number of points.


So with the allocation of points, a spread is created and essentially what punters will do is buy if they feel the horse will win, or sell if they think it won't.


You can also bet on jockeys, which is a new twist to traditional betting. Jockey betting is almost identical to the favourite's index except that you are placing your bets against a prediction of the strength of a race or more than one jockey.


Predicting Winning Distances Will Pocket Cash Too


Similarly, the winning distance index is played in essentially the same way but with a slight difference, as points are awarded based how much you think a horse will win by. These can be broken down into a short head, head and neck, half a long length, 3/4 length and multiple lengths (two to ten, five to ten, etc).


The spread and points allocation for distance betting will often be affected by the racecourse's going. This is where the bookies really make their money. Bookies could lose thousands if they make poor judgments about how race conditions will affect races.


Spread betting on horses is too laborious, in my opinion. That is not to say that I am lazy, quite the contrary, but there are multiple factors and several key things that have to be considered properly even before you consider looking at what to back.


I prefer a simpler approach, and maybe this is why I have done so well.


Spread betting is a way to manage your money. Unlike traditional betting or betting on the Tote you don't know how much you can lose until the race ends. Then it may be too late. This is my biggest problem.


Although there are some punters who excel at this type of betting, you can call me old-fashioned. I prefer the traditional approach and I recommend it to all beginners.