Spread betting on races seems an unlikely proposition when you consider one cannot come first by a bigger clear-cut margin. One would have to be very game – and, perhaps, very rich – to even consider spread betting on the number of milliseconds between first and second place in the 100m Olympics sprint final. Short and unpredictable races lend themselves much better to fixed odds betting – unless some form of scoring system is put into place.

As shown in a previous example, betting on races can be done by allocating a certain number of points to those that finish first, second and third. It is not subjective, but one must read and understand the points index system and its repercussions very carefully before placing a spread bet.

Prior research, as always, is vital to gaining knowledge on how to bet. Online betting sites may offer a variety of wildly construed events under the points allocation system, and it is your task to find one that looks juicy. Consider best and worst case scenarios. It may be that no sports betting tips are available for use since the bets and systems in place are exclusive to the online betting site, and vary from place to place. It is best in this instance to shop around before plunging in and placing your bet.

All the while, you should have developed a betting system that monitors your bets, and may be able to point out any failings that exists within your spread betting strategies. A number of free betting systems are available, while spread betting professionals may be consulted.

If you are quoted a 50:30:20:10 index by an English sports betting firm, it means that first place is awarded 50 points, second place 30 points and so on. Note that this is vastly different from the horse betting example offered before, and a good indication as to why the fine print and details of indices must be studied carefully before any bets are made.

Apart from point index systems as mentioned above, head to head spread betting in rowing, for example, may be done by considering how far one crew will finish ahead of another in a race. At a regatta, this may be done in seconds – although this was not condoned in the 100m sprint, it is a much safer proposition in rowing where there is much larger room to move.

Spread betting, although seemingly much better suited to sports that produce a score line and take place over a longer period of time, can be well adjusted to other sports.