Spread Betting Courses

Spread Betting Courses UK

There are plenty of spread betting courses out there if you want to learn how to spread bet. Selecting a spread betting course requires careful consideration. Accreditation, reviews, course content, and instructor expertise are essential factors to evaluate.

A well-rounded spread betting course not only imparts knowledge but also equips you with practical skills for real-world trading scenarios.

What Is Spread Betting?

Simply put, spread betting is a form of betting in which you win or lose money based on the accuracy of the wager. There are two main types of spread betting: financial spread betting and sports spread betting.

In financial spread betting, you speculate on the direction of a financial market without actually owning the underlying security. Sports spread betting, meanwhile, is essentially a prediction of what will happen in a given sports event, expressed as a ‘sell-buy’ range.

How Does Spread Betting Work?

Spread betting works by placing a bet on the price movement of an underlying asset, taking a position in that asset and tracking its value without taking ownership of the asset. You put on a spread bet using a trading platform provided by the spread betting provider.

Placing a spread bet involves understanding a few key concepts:

• Going long or short: buying or selling a given spread betting market
• Margin: the amount required to open a spread bet position
• Leverage: the purchasing power of a spread bet that’s above the margin
• The Spread: the difference between the buy and sell prices
• Bet Size: the amount you bet per price movement of the underlying market
• Bet Duration: the length of time before your position expires

Why Do A Spread Betting Course?

Spread betting courses offer numerous advantages to individuals looking to enter the world of financial trading. These include effective risk management, skill development, and gaining valuable market insight. For those new to spread betting, these courses become a cornerstone for a successful trading journey.

Spread betting courses come in various formats, catering to different learning preferences. Online courses, in-person workshops, and interactive webinars provide flexibility and accessibility to a wide audience. Choosing the right type of course is your first step towards a well-rounded trading education.

Ultimately, spread betting courses are designed to equip traders with the tools to navigate challenges successfully. From adapting to market fluctuations to staying compliant with regulations, these courses provide practical solutions that go beyond theoretical knowledge.

Which Are The Most Popular Spread Betting Courses?

The most popular spread betting courses depend on what type of trader you are. A quick Google search reveals that brokers such as IG Group (IG Index in the UK), CMC Markets and City Index come up first.

While these are all top spread betting brokers, it always comes down to your individual preferences as a trader. Often, the best spread betting brokers might not offer spread betting courses but they’ll always have good educational resources.

As such, we have laid out a guide for our picks for best spread betting courses for different trading styles and formats of spread betting.

For Beginners

For beginners entering the world of spread betting, practical tips can make a significant difference. Starting small, continuous learning, and patience are essential elements emphasised in spread betting courses.

From our analysis, the best spread betting platforms for beginners include those offered by OANDA, Pepperstone and Capital.com.

For Professionals

Spread betting as a professional trader requires a strong grasp of the markets, discipline, trading experience and a proven trading strategy. In this sense, it’s hard to go past IG Group’s free course, IG Academy.

While IG Academy is suited for all levels of spread bettor, it offers comprehensive, step-by-step courses with videos, interactive exercises and quizzes that will suit your needs as a professional spread bettor.

For Financial Spread Betting

Financial spread betting in the UK requires a spread betting broker that not only offers the appropriate spread betting account, spread betting platform and spread betting markets but useful educational resources to boot.

In this sense, there are many great choices, from IG Group to CMC Markets to City Index. If we had to pick, however, IG Group’s, IG Academy is again, very hard to beat.

For Sports Spread Betting

Not to be confused with regular sports betting, sports spread betting works by allowing you to predict which side of the buy-sell spread range the result of a given sports event will fall. Most spread betting firms provide betting over at least 15 different sports, with the most popular being football, horse racing and rugby.

As such, choosing an appropriate sports spread betting broker can be tricky, given most brokers only offer financial spread betting. To our minds, Spreadex stands out by offering both financial spread betting and sports spread betting, in addition to useful, educational resources.

For Day Trading

To day trade in spread betting involves opening and closing a spread betting position within the same day. Some of the most popular spread betting markets to day trade include forex trading, major indices and shares trading.

From our analysis, the best spread betting brokers for day trading include Pepperstone (best overall), City Index (top risk management) and, again, IG Group (Widest range of markets).

While Pepperstone doesn’t offer a spread betting course, unlike IG and City Index, Pepperstone does offer an MT4 course which is the most popular platform for spread betting.

How Much Will A Course Cost?

Theoretically, a spread betting course shouldn’t cost you anything. The only costs should come from spread betting itself, which you can calculate using our spread betting calculator.

Having said this, there are plenty of ‘marketers selling expensive trading courses and systems you need to avoid.
As such, every spread betting broker we recommend offers either a free course or free educational resources.

What Will You Learn On a Spread Betting Course?

There are many things you’ll learn on a spread betting course. A good spread betting course should not only touch on the basics but also offer a comprehensive education on the intricacies of spread betting.

We’ve highlighted the key things you will typically learn on a spread betting course below.

1. Spread Betting Strategies

Developing a spread betting strategy is essential to become a successful spread bettor. The best spread betting strategies will depend on what kind of trader you are. Some key strategies include trend market, consolidating market and breakout spread betting strategies.

Given these strategies can be quite complex, a good spread betting course will teach you how to use them effectively in plain English.

2. Sports And Financial Spread Betting Markets

Sports and financial betting markets are two completely different forms of spread betting. Sports spread betting markets involve various sports events while financial spread betting markets involve financial markets such as forex, shares, indices and commodities.

An example of a sports betting market is betting on Manchester City to beat Liverpool in the English Premier League at fixed odds of 0.3 – 0.5. If you place a £10 buy bet and Manchester City win 3-0, you’ll win £25 (I.E. (3-0.5) x £10).

A financial spread betting market could be betting on the GBP/USD to rise, so you place a £10 spread bet at 1.2670 and close your position at 1.2700, making a £300 profit ((1.2700 – 1.2670) x £10).

3. Leverage And Margin

Leverage and margin are two essential aspects of spread betting and are two sides of the same coin. Margin in spread betting refers to the capital you need in your trading account to either open a spread bet position (initial margin) or keep one open (maintenance margin).
Leverage, on the other hand, is the remainder of the spread bet that your broker is loaning you, after the margin, which gives you full market exposure.

4. Risk Management Tools

The inherent risks of spread betting can be minimised with risk management tools. Risk management tools to equip yourself with include knowing how to calculate risk, using stop loss orders and setting trading alerts when you spread bet.Utilising risk management tools successfully will help alleviate the spread betting risks of high leverage, market volatility and slippage.

5. Tax Rules

Currently, spread betting is tax-free in the UK, meaning that you won’t pay Capital Gains Tax (CGT) or stamp duty, unlike in CFD trading. Given that tax rules are ever-changing, it’s important to stay informed using a broker’s educational resources or spread betting courses.

FAQ

How Do You Learn About Spread Betting?

To learn about spread betting you can either do your own research or choose a broker that offers good educational resources or a good spread betting course. Alternatively, you can check out our spread betting guide for beginners.

How Profitable Is Spread Betting?

Spread betting can be highly profitable if you win more than you lose. To learn how to spread bet successfully requires many years of experience, a vast knowledge of spread betting itself and, a proven strategy. It’s important to understand, however, that spread betting is a high-risk investment and there is no guarantee you’ll make money consistently.

Is Spread Betting Legal In The UK?

Yes, spread betting is legal in the UK and Ireland. Spread betting regulation is overseen by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in the UK, which regulates spread betting as a financial product, despite it being considered gambling by UK tax authorities.