SpreadEx Review:

Formed in 1999, Spreadex has become one of the biggest names globally in spread betting. However, that tag has possibly done a disservice to Spreadex, because it also functions as a regular online bookmaker with fixed odds betting. In short, when you join Spreadex, you are basically getting access to two products on one platform. More importantly, perhaps, Spreadex is giving new customers a chance to choose an iPad as part of its welcome offer. Read on for our full review on Spreadex sports betting site.

Spreadex has been operating for 20 years now. It was started by a City trader, Jonathan Hufford, and still operates out of financial trading rooms in St Albans. Spreadex has been named as one of the top 100 fastest-growing UK companies on a number of occasions over the years, and it was one of the top 100 fastest-growing companies in Europe in 2017.  Spreadex is a privately owned company, with Hufford still acting as managing director. Spreadex started offering fixed odds betting online in 2010.

In relation to fixed odds sports betting and online casino gaming, Spreadex is licensed and regulated by the UK Gambling Commission. Spread betting and financials are authorised and regulated by the UK Financial Conduct Authority. An additional sports betting licence for bettors outside of the UK has been awarded by the Alderney Gambling Control Commission. Spreadex uses the latest encryption methods to secure financial transactions and data sent by you.

While it doesn’t get the scrutiny of the biggest UK bookmakers, Spreadex nevertheless has plenty of positive reviews online, including a “Great” 4.1 Star rating from Trustpilot. Other review sites have positive testimonials from players, who seem especially keen to highlight the range of betting markets and Spreadex’s live betting platform.

While you can deposit and withdraw using credit/debit cards or by bank transfer, Spreadex does not currently accept payments from eWallets like PayPal. A £1 charge may be incurred on deposits under £50. This is something we would like to see added in the future.

You can download the Spreadex betting app to your device from the Apple Store or Google Play, links for the official app are provided at the bottom of the Spreadex homepage. We would certainly recommend downloading the app because, while the mobile betting site works adequately on your handset, the app is a bit easier to use. Using the Spreadex app on your handheld device gives you access to the huge ranges of sports betting markets that you can find on the Spreadex desktop site. While navigation is easy and you can place bets smoothly, there is still arguably a bit too much information on the screen at any one time. Like the desktop site, we believe a bit more compartmentalisation and though to the users’ experience would give a better overall feel on the Spreadex mobile betting app.

Spreadex does not have a traditional welcome bonus of free bets or enhanced odds like many other online bookmakers, but it nevertheless has an intriguing sign-up offer for new customers. The Spreadex New Account Offer will award you up to £300 in cashback for placing qualifying bets on sports spread betting markets. This welcome offer will match your wagering 100% over the first 28 days, placing the money in your account as real withdrawable cash. However, if your wagering exceeds £300, you will be given the option of exchanging the £300 cashback for an Apple iPad. Qualifying bets can be made on a range of markets within several major sports, including football and tennis. Yet, we should repeat that it is only sports spread betting markets – and not fixed-odds betting markets – that count towards this bonus.

Indeed, we were a little bit disappointed to see no regular promotional offers for fixed-odds betting, and we believe Spreadex customers would be better served by having an option to choose an offer to suit their style of betting. You can, however, find some very lucrative promotions tied into sports spread betting, include Spread-Free Bets. Spreadex also has a refer a friend scheme, which will award you a £100 Spread-Free Bet if you encourage a friend to sign up and they meet certain requirements.

The Spreadex website site is effectively structured like a standard online betting site. However, there is a little bit more going on, due to the extra layer of spread betting markets. Rather than having the option to toggle between fixed-odds and spread betting platforms, the different betting options are lumped together on the homepage. It’s not until you are at the event level that you can choose: when you click on an individual event, you can select to display fixed-odds or spread betting markets. The site is well organized and stylishly designed, but we would perhaps argue for a little more compartmentalisation on the homepage. There are literally 100s of different betting markets, both spread and fixed-odds betting, listed on the homepage, and it can feel a little bit overwhelming at first glance. Still, the site is easy to navigate through and you can easily find what you are looking for within a few seconds.

Spreadex covers just as many sports as traditional online bookmakers. We found 20 different sports in total, as well as specials markets covering events like politics and entertainment. The depth of betting coverage within each sport is very impressive. For example, a typical Premier League game will have over 250 separate betting markets. In addition, an excellent stats centre is linked to the betting markets for each sporting event. Indeed, it should be noted that Spreadex has a brilliantly insightful sports betting blog accessible through the site. It gives plenty of useful betting advice, covering a range of sports, events and betting strategies.

As for odds quality, we tested Spreadex in the fixed-odds betting market for the 2019/20 Champions League winner. We compared the odds against three of PlayRight’s recommend UK betting sites – SkyBet, Betfair and 888sport. We found that Spreadex was competitive across the odds for the top teams. It had, for example, the joint-best price on the pre-tournament favourites Manchester City, and it was also the join-best option for betting on the second-favourite Barcelona. In short, bettors should have plenty of confidence that they are getting fair value when placing fixed-odds wagers with Spreadex.

Spreadex offers an extensive in-play betting platform, one that offers more markets and sports coverage than the average online bookmaker. All major sports and leagues are covered on the live betting section, but there is also plenty of coverage for niche sports. Again, like the pre-match betting options, there is an incredible amount of depth within each live betting event. Most football matches, for example, had well over 100 fixed-odds markets. We were particularly impressed with the fact that a “Bet-Builder” option was offered in many live events. This allows you to combine multiple unrelated legs in a single event and is not always offered on live betting platforms.

Using the live betting platform on Spreadex is fast and easy. Speed and real time updates are essential to a top live betting experience, especially for complicated “Bet-Builder” bets. The smart layout and software used on the Spreadex betting site work seamlessly to deliver this experience. You should also note that there are lots of opportunities for free live sports streaming through the Spreadex site. You will have to be logged in and some events might require a placed bet, but football, tennis and horse racing are all covered.