It is going back a few years now, but I remember being told to bet on a specific game in the Barclays Premier League. I was told a heavy defeat for one side was guaranteed. It was an end-of-the-season fixture, with nothing much resting on it. I didn’t, but was not surprised at all when the scores rolled in, and, sure enough, there had been a hammering.

Those involved, it turned out, had not bet substantial sums on the outcome — a win for this team, a defeat for that — but on the number of goals that would be scored. Back then, such spread betting was a relatively new phenomenon. Now, though, it is one of the cornerstones of the gambling market.

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