Spread-betting pioneers founded in 1992 reaches landmark
London, April 3rd 2017 – World leading spread-betting firm Sporting Index is celebrating its 25th anniversary this month, having traded excitement since being founded in April 1992.
Trading from its London office, the original in-play bookmaker has been giving sport a shot in the arm over the past two and a half decades, and remain pioneers in the spread betting industry to this day.
Since its historic first bet, a buy of Conservative seats in the 1992 General Election, Sporting Index has given punters 25 years of excitement and innovations. These include being the original two-way market, the first to offer cash out features, and unique markets that aren’t found anywhere else – and it continues to set trends that others follow to this day.
In 2001, Sporting Index was the first bookmaker to launch an online, fully interactive sports spread betting service, and in 2003, unveiled ‘Bet on the Move’ – the UK’s first ever mobile betting application.
Buying and selling long before anyone came up with the notion of backing and laying, it has also suffered its fair share of big losses over the years.
In 1994, Brian Lara’s 375* against England cost Sporting Index dear – each of his boundaries cost the firm £1,500. More recently, Barcelona’s thrilling comeback over PSG last month also saw the traders come out second best, with the final total goal minutes of 424 well above the opening prediction of 202.
One of Sporting Index’s most well-known features has been its innovative and unique markets – some have raised a smile, some an eyebrow, but most have raised the bar. One of the most fondly remembered markets was ‘Jerry Springer’ during England’s 5-1 victory over Germany in 2001, which predicted the number of German headers during the match.
All this work couldn’t have been done without the team of dedicated traders, who have been drinking raw eggs for breakfast and volunteering to work two extra days at the weekend – all for the love of live sport.
There hasn’t been a dull moment since 1992, and as they continue to set trends, Sporting Index are sure to own excitement for many years to come.
Simon Trim, CEO of Sporting Index, said:
“Sporting Index has enjoyed an incredibly successful 25 years where we’ve constantly pushed the boundaries of sports betting.
“The industry landscape is vastly different today than in 1992, and we feel we’ve helped to lead the way in much of the major innovations that have taken place.
“A big “Thank You” must go to all of our employees and customers who have been part of the journey, and here’s to the next successful 25 years.”
About Spread Betting
The principle of spread betting is that the punter is invited to challenge a prediction made by Sporting Index by betting higher (buying) or betting lower (selling) on that prediction. Profits or losses are calculated on how right or wrong you are with the outcome.
Sporting Index Timeline Infographics
About the Sporting Index Group
The Sporting Index Group is best known as the world’s largest sports spread betting business, offering the widest range of markets and taking some of the largest bets on sporting, political and entertainment events around the world.
The Group has over 300 staff, all based at its London HQ. It is privately owned and is the undisputed world leader in sports spread betting, dominating the global market with an estimated 80%+ market share. Today it makes thousands of markets on upwards of 500 events every week, offering the sports fan the opportunity to bet on a wide variety of sports, political and showbiz events, as well as on a portfolio of unique virtual games. Clients transact via its websites, award winning mobile phone applications, and a 24/7 voice telephony service. Sporting Index’s B2C business continues to grow in the face of a fiercely competitive online betting market.
At the heart of the business is a world class trading, modelling and liability management capability that is widely acknowledged as amongst the best in the global betting market. The Group combines the latest technology with unrivalled trader expertise to service its core sports spread betting clients as well as an increasing number of wholesale customers who rely on the company’s fixed-odds in-play pricing data to underpin their own sportsbook operations via the Sporting Solutions brand. This has quickly established itself as a leading data provider with a number of flagship betting brands signed up.
