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Spread betting
Take advantage of rising or falling markets tax-free by spread betting.1 Offering seamless execution on more than 18,000+ markets and round-the-clock phone support, you’ll soon discover why we’re the world’s No.1 provider.2
Call 0800 195 3100 or send us an email with any questions about opening a trading or investment account between 8am and 6pm (UK time) on weekdays.
Contact us 0800 195 3100
Get info fast via our instant help and support portal. Available for account queries, ProRealTime, product info and more.
Visit help and support for more information.
Get info fast via our instant help and support portal. Available for account queries, ProRealTime, product info and more.
Visit help and support for more information.
Call 0800 409 6789 or email helpdesk.uk@ig.com if you have any questions about trading or investing. We're available 24/7 between 8am Saturday and 10pm Friday.
Contact us 0800 409 6789
Call 0800 195 3100 or send us an email with any questions about opening a trading or investment account between 8am and 6pm (UK time) on weekdays.
Contact us 0800 195 3100
Get info fast via our instant help and support portal. Available for account queries, ProRealTime, product info and more.
Visit help and support for more information.
Get info fast via our instant help and support portal. Available for account queries, ProRealTime, product info and more.
Visit help and support for more information.
Call 0800 409 6789 or email helpdesk.uk@ig.com if you have any questions about trading or investing. We're available 24/7 between 8am Saturday and 10pm Friday.
Contact us 0800 409 6789
Why start spread betting with IG?
Trade without paying capital gains tax or stamp duty1
Deal on the UK’s best web platform and app3
Get full market exposure with just a small initial deposit
Rest assured that you can’t lose more than your account balance4
Deposit funds safely – your money is held in segregated accounts
Discover opportunities on forex, indices, shares, commodities and more
What is spread betting?
Spread betting is a way to take advantage of opportunities on rising or falling markets – without having to buy the underlying assets. It’s popular in the UK and Ireland because profits are tax-free.2
We invented financial spread betting in 1974, and today enable you to take trade over 18,000+ markets.
How do I spread bet?
- Open a trading account
- Find an opportunity
- Take a position
- Monitor your trade
What are the benefits?
- Access 18,000+ markets
- Trade without paying capital gains tax or stamp duty3
- Go long or short
- Open positions on margin
What are the risks?
- Trade with leverage – which can magnify profits, but also amplify losses
- Short-selling can give higher exposure to losses if the market traded on moves unpredictably. If an asset’s price increases, your losses could potentially be unlimited
- Leveraging means the trade’s full profit or loss is calculated on the total position size, not the margin amount, so losses could substantially outweigh your margin
Open an account now
Open an account now
Fast execution on a huge range of markets
Enjoy flexible access to more than 17,000 global markets, with reliable execution
Deal seamlessly, wherever you are
Trade on the move with our natively designed, award-winning trading app
Feel secure with a trusted provider
With 45 years of experience, we’re proud to offer a truly market-leading service
Open an account now
Open an account now
Fast execution on a huge range of markets
Enjoy flexible access to more than 17,000 global markets, with reliable execution
Deal seamlessly, wherever you are
Trade on the move with our natively designed, award-winning trading app
Feel secure with a trusted provider
With 45 years of experience, we’re proud to offer a truly market-leading service
How much will I have to pay?
Margins
Leverage means you can open a position with a small deposit (margin) instead of paying the full value of your position. Loss and profit are still calculated based on the full position size and can substantially outweigh your margin.
Spreads
Your key payment for trading is the spread – the difference between the buy and the sell price, our charge for executing your trade. Our spreads are among the lowest in the business.
| Retail margin | Leverage equivalent | |
| Forex | 3.33% | 1:30 |
| Indices | 5% | 1:20 |
| Shares | 20% | 1:5 |
| Commodities | 5% | 1:20 |
| Minimum spreads from | |
| Forex | 0.6 |
| Indices | 0.1 |
| Shares | 0.1 |
| Commodities | 0.3 |
How much will I have to pay?
Margins
Leverage means you can open a position with a small deposit (margin) instead of paying the full value of your position. Loss and profit are still calculated based on the full position size and can substantially outweigh your margin..
Spreads
Your key payment for trading is the spread – the difference between the buy and the sell price, our charge for executing your trade. Our spreads are among the lowest in the business.
| Retail margin | Leverage equivalent | |
| Forex | 3.33% | 1:30 |
| Indices | 5% | 1:20 |
| Shares | 20% | 1:5 |
| Commodities | 5% | 1:20 |
| Minimum spreads from | |
| Forex | 0.6 |
| Indices | 0.1 |
| Shares | 0.1 |
| Commodities | 0.3 |
Create an account with us in just three steps - completely free. Open one today, and you’ll get access to over 18,000+ financial markets.
When you’re ready, you choose your deal size. What’s more, you'll get lower minimum deal sizes for one month while you master the markets.
Depending on your position, you may need to pay overnight funding.
Award-winning spread betting provider
Best Multi Platform
Provider
ADVFN International Financial Awards
Overall Personal Wealth
Provider
Online Personal Wealth Awards
Best Finance
App
ADVFN International Financial Awards
ForexBrokers is compensated by IG for marketing
Choose the world's No. 1
Open an account to start spread betting today. You’ll gain access to over 17,000 markets, round-the-clock phone support, and lower minimum deal sizes for one month.
Choose the world's No. 1
Open an account to start spread betting today. You’ll gain access to over 18,000+ markets, round-the-clock phone support, and lower minimum deal sizes for one month.
Choose the world's No. 1
Open an account to start spread betting today. You’ll gain access to over 17,000 markets, round-the-clock phone support, and lower minimum deal sizes for one month.
Choose the world's No. 1
Open an account to start spread betting today. You’ll gain access to over 17,000 markets, round-the-clock phone support, and lower minimum deal sizes for one month.
Choose the world's No. 1
Open an account to start spread betting today. You’ll gain access to over 17,000 markets, round-the-clock phone support, and lower minimum deal sizes for one month.
Choose the world's No. 1
Open an account to start spread betting today. You’ll gain access to over 17,000 markets, round-the-clock phone support, and lower minimum deal sizes for one month.
Try these next
Discover the features of these two ways to trade, their pros and cons, and decide which is best for you.
Explore the differences between spread betting and share dealing.
Get to grips with the risks of trading, and learn how you can mitigate them.
1 Applies to UK spread betting. Tax laws are subject to change and depend on individual circumstances. Tax law may differ in a jurisdiction other than the UK.
2 Based on revenue excluding FX (published financial statements, October 2020).
3 Best trading platform as awarded at the ADVFN International Financial Awards and Professional Trader Awards 2019. Best trading app as awarded at the ADVFN International Financial Awards 2020.
4 Negative balance protection applies to retail traders only. Should your account fall below zero, we’ll bring it back to this level as soon as possible at no cost to you. Please note that this protection does not apply to professional traders who can still lose more than the balance on their account.
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