PAYMENTS & WITHDRAWALS
How do I add/amend my card details?
To add a debit card to your account you should:
Please note that only one card may be attached to an account at any one time, and that only one different card can be registered online within a one-month period.
For security reasons your full debit card details are not accessible via the website.
Please contact our Customer Services Team to request any changes in your card details. You will be asked a number of security questions before these changes are processed.
How do I deposit funds by debit/credit card?
As of April 9th 2020, you will no longer be able to make a deposit or withdrawal using a credit card.
Should you wish to deposit money via a debit card please log in then:
We accept all major debit cards. We do not accept American Express and some International debit cards.
What is verified by Visa and/or MasterCard Securecode?
For your enhanced protection when depositing online, Sporting Index use the Verified by Visa (VbV) security programme from Visa and the SecureCode system from MasterCard. VbV and SecureCode allow you to create your own personal password to use as an extra security measure for any online Visa or MasterCard payments you make.
Therefore, when you use a card you will need to enter the password when you deposit as this will authenticate the transaction. You may have already done this if you have used the card on other websites but if you haven't we suggest that you register your new security code now.
Registering takes seconds and couldn't be simpler. Mastercard users should just click here and Visa users here. Then simply follow the on screen instructions for your card issuer. Once you have obtained your password, you can use it for any online transaction you make with your card, not just with Sporting Index. Please note - VbV and SecureCode will not be applied to Laser card transactions.
How do I deposit funds by bank transfer?
Should you wish to deposit money via bank transfer please contact our Customer Services Team who will provide you with the relevant bank account details.
How do I deposit funds by Skrill or NETELLER?
As of April 9th 2020, you will no longer be able to make a deposit or withdrawal via Skrill or Neteller.
Why is my card payment being declined and what can I do to resolve it?
When making a payment online, the two most important pieces of information (apart from the card number) are the 3-digit security code on the back of the card, and the postcode. So please ensure that you enter all details carefully.
Payments are often declined if the postcode entered is not the same as the postcode that your card issuer has on record for you. Ensure that the postcode entered is the same as that held by the card issuer.
As of April 9th 2020, you will no longer be able to make a deposit or withdrawal using a credit card.
The vast majority of problems with payments originate from the card issuers themselves rather than with our online system. Whilst our Customer Services Team will always be happy to try to help, contacting the card issuer first may be the quickest and easiest way to resolve any issue.
How do I withdraw to a debit card?
In order to withdraw money to your card online please follow these simple steps:
On average a withdrawal to your debit card will appear in your bank account 3-5 working days later, although some cards may take longer. If at any time you wish to amend your payment card details please contact our Customer Services Team.
Please note that we may need to speak to you before you make your first withdrawal with Sporting Index.
How do I withdraw via NETELLER or Skrill?
As of April 9th 2020, you will no longer be able to make a deposit or withdrawal via Skrill or Neteller.
Can I be sure the Sporting Index website is secure?
Keeping your personal and financial details secure is of utmost importance to us. Sporting Index uses the very latest web standard cryptographic protocols including Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) technology to encrypt transaction data. This means your data is secure and not visible to others. In the unlikely event that someone was able to monitor the information traffic between you and our server, they would possess no means of comprehending it. All the pages within our payment area use this method of encryption.
In addition we have selected Datacash, the UK's leading provider of e-commerce payment solutions, for securely processing online payments. Datacash is a market leader in its field and boasts a considerable number of high profile customers.
Sporting Index also operates in full compliance with all UK and European data protection regulations. For further details click here to see our Privacy Policy.
MANAGING MY ACCOUNT
I have forgotten my login details, what should I do?
If you've forgotten your account number and/or password then we'll email them to you swiftly and securely. Click on the ‘Lost Log In Details’ button located in the top right hand corner of the homepage. Then follow the instructions in order to obtain your details.
How do I change my password?
You can change your password if you feel it necessary by following these simple steps:
If at any stage you forget your password or type an invalid password into the password box you will be prompted to contact our Customer Services Team. Please note that if you enter an invalid password more than three times then you will automatically be locked out of your account.
Our Customer Services Team do not have access to details of your password but are able to reset it. You will then be prompted to change this password when you next log in.
How do I check my account balance?
Log in and then select 'Balance' from the menu towards the top right of the screen to find:
What's the difference between margin and trading balances?
When you deposit funds online, you will be asked whether you wish to deposit funds to your trading or margin account. The trading account is the balance that can be used to place trades, whilst funds that are in the margin account are offset against any potential losses on long term positions that might be open on your account - so funds in the margin account cannot be used for trading purposes.
If you wish to transfer funds between these two accounts, please contact our Customer Services Team.
How do I check my account history?
You can access your account history under the My Account menu. This allows you to check the details of the bets you have placed and also deposits and withdrawals you have made.
Every bet and transaction has a reference number. If you have any questions regarding bets or transactions, contact our Customer Services Team quoting your name, account number, and the reference number of the transaction.
How do I access my current bets?
Yes, when a bet has been accepted a bet confirmation box will appear showing the bet reference number. Bets made via this website should not be considered to have been placed unless a bet reference number is received. If in doubt, you should review your open bets listed on your account in the Account History section and in the Open Bets tab on the right hand section of the screen.
What do I do if I discover a discrepancy in my account history?
Trades made online or via our mobile platform are automatically booked onto our system which removes any potential for human error. While we make every effort to ensure that all telephone trades are booked correctly, there may be occasions when you wish to query an entry on your statement. If you believe a telephone trade has been recorded incorrectly on your account, or you have any questions relating to your statement, you can contact our Customer Services Team.
Please note a query should be made within 14 days of any notification of the details of a telephone trade and no query with regard to purported missing telephone trades will be entertained unless the client can provide reasonably accurate details of the time and date of the telephone trade in question.
How do I receive my winnings?
Sporting Index accounts with a trading facility can be automatically settled on a weekly basis (or fortnightly in the case of Stop Win/Loss accounts) either by bank transfer or debit card. Please contact Customer Services should you wish have your account to be managed in this manner.
If you have chosen for your account to be debit card managed it is important to note the following:
TRADING QUERIES
Is Sporting Index open for business 24 hours a day?
We certainly are. Clients can place bets on their accounts 24/7 via this sportingindex.com, via telephone (numbers are shown at the bottom of the menu to the left), or on our dedicated mobile platform.
What is the minimum stake?
Sporting Index accepts stakes from as little as £0.05. For most markets the minimum stake is £0.10.
Can I bet once an event has started?
Yes you can. Betting in-running during a live event is a test of your skill and judgement, as we are constantly updating our predictions as the event unfolds. And one of the exciting elements of spread betting is the fact that you don't have to wait until the end of an event to take a profit, cut a loss or place further bets on fluctuating prices or new markets. For more information on betting in-running visit our In-Play section.
Why is my bet being declined when I have enough funds in my account?
Sometimes bets that are placed online will not be accepted despite the account appearing to have sufficient funds to cover any losses. If the potential losses of the trade would take your account near to your available funds limit, then this could be a reason why the trade is not accepted. Similarly, if there are other open positions on the account at the time of the trade being attempted, then the online system will take any potential losses from these trades into account before new trades are accepted.
After placing any trade online, we always recommend that you check your open positions to ensure that the bet has been accepted as you requested.
If you experience any problems placing a trade, please contact our Customer Services Team.
How do I limit my risk?
Some spread betting markets are more volatile than others. In football, a market such as total goals for a match rarely makes-up above 7 goals (in fact approximately 95% of such games have less than 8 goals). This is an example of a market which exhibits low volatility. At the other end of the scale, in a market such as cricket runs, your profit or loss can escalate very rapidly.
So careful control is vital and we recommend four basic guidelines:
Additionally, with our Stop Loss account you can benefit from a cap on the amount that can be lost (and won). It is important that you familiarise yourself with our stop loss rules: they can limit your winnings, limit the size of the bet if it was to expose you to excessive risk, or in some instances cause a bet to be refused. You can also check out Stop Loss limits here for our most popular markets.
COMPLAINTS HANDLING PROCEDURE
1. Spread Bets
As a Financial Conduct Authority authorised and regulated firm, Sporting Index Limited is required to comply with the Financial Conduct Authority's rules for the handling of complaints relating to spread bets. This section summarises our procedures for handling such complaints.
(a) Eligible ComplainantsAny applicants who have successfully opened an account in accordance with Sporting Index's procedures or past clients, where the complaint arises out of matters relevant to his/her having been a customer of Sporting Index.
(b) Appropriate ComplaintsA formal complaint, received by email, telephone, live chat, fax or letter, about an aspect of the Sporting Index's service either offered or withheld. For clarification, day-to-day enquiries, for example about a make-up price or deal query, are excluded.
(c) Investigation of ComplaintsComplaints will be handled or reviewed by staff of sufficient experience, competence and authority. Any complaint which has not been resolved satisfactorily by Sporting Index's Customer Services Team will, at the time of acknowledgement to the client, be referred to Sporting Index's Compliance Department.
(d) Exemptions to These ProceduresIf:
(i) The complaint does not involve an allegation that the complainant has suffered, or may suffer, material financial loss, stress or inconvenience; or
(ii) The complaint has been resolved within three working days of having been initially received (the definition of business day for this purpose is between the hours of 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday); or
(iii) The complaint does not relate to an activity of the firm that comes under the Financial Ombudsman Service then the procedures summarised in this section will not apply (although in relation to fixed-odds bets see the relevant section below).
(e) Time LimitsA complaint will be acknowledged within five business days and include the name and job title of the relevant contact point together with summarised details of these internal complaint handling procedures. Within four weeks of receiving a complaint, the complainant will be sent:
EITHER
a final response which:
(i) accepts the complaint and, where appropriate, offers redress (financial or otherwise), or
(ii) offers redress without accepting the complaint, or
(iii) rejects the complaint and gives reasons for doing so.
OR
a holding response, which explains why the firm is not yet in a position to resolve the complaint. This will give an indication of when further contact will be made which must, at the very latest, be within eight weeks of receipt of the complaint.
Within eight weeks of the receipt of a complaint, or when the complainant is sent a final response, the person handling the complaint will: (i) inform the complainant that he may refer the matter to the Financial Ombudsman Service ('FOS') within 6 months, and (ii) include an explanatory leaflet about the FOS.
(f) Offers of RedressWhere a complainant has suffered a material financial loss and it is decided that redress is appropriate, the aim will be to provide the complainant with fair compensation for any acts or omissions where Sporting Index accepts responsibility.
2. Fixed-odds (including Binary) BetsAny complaint relating to fixed-odds bets (including binary bets) offered by Sporting Index may be escalated to the Independent Betting Adjudication Service (IBAS) for arbitration in the event that Sporting Index is unable to resolve the complaint to the satisfaction of the complainant.
Sections 1 (a) to 1 (d) as above remain applicable to complaints concerning fixed-odds bets.
Within four weeks of receiving a complaint, the complainant will receive a final response which:
(i) accepts the complaint and, where appropriate, offers redress (financial or otherwise), or
(ii) offers redress without accepting the complaint, or
(iii) rejects the complaint and gives reasons for doing so.
If outcome (iii) is reached, Sporting Index will inform the complainant that they may escalate the issue to IBAS should they so wish, and provide them with a link to the IBAS online Adjudication Form as well as a unique reference number which should be used when completing this online form
TECHNICAL QUERIES
What are the minimum system requirements for using the website?
The Sporting Index website has been designed with the latest generation of browsers in mind and for the best possible experience, we would recommend upgrading to the latest available version of your preferred browser:
Please remember to keep up to date with the latest patches for your preferred browser to ensure you are properly protected against any vulnerabilities that may be exploited whilst you use the internet.
The Sporting Index web site will function correctly, including on older browsers, provided that:
How can I stop Sporting Index emails going into my spam folder?
To prevent you receiving unwanted spam email, some Internet Service Providers (ISPs) block messages from senders whose email addresses are not in the recipient's Address Book or on their Safe Senders list.
To ensure your Sporting Index messages reach you in the future please add [email protected] to your Address Book or Safe Senders List. We have provided instructions on how to do this for the most commonly used email providers:
Hotmail Gmail Yahoo mail AOL mail Microsoft Outlook Microsoft Outlook Express Does the site use cookies?
As with many other websites, we use software known as cookies to store certain types of information each time you use our site. Cookies enable our system to recognise your computer, and to ensure that your account is attributed to the user who inputs the correct username and password for that account. For further information about cookies please refer to www.allaboutcookies.org.
I am still having technical problems - what do I do?
Please report your problem to at [email protected]. In order to try and resolve any technical issue that you may be experiencing, please provide us with the answers to the questions below, giving as much detail as possible:
Please follow the instructions below if you are unfamiliar with how to take screen shots:
PC (Windows)
To capture a picture of the screen simply press the 'Print Screen' key, usually located on the top row of the keyboard, above either the cursor or the number pad keys. NOTE: If you just wish to capture the currently active window instead of the whole desktop, hold the ALT key when you press 'Print Screen'. This will place an image copy of the screen into the computer clipboard but you will need to insert that into a file so that can be emailed to our Customer Services Team. You can do this by using the Paste function (hold CTRL key and type letter V) when composing the email.
Apple Mac
Pressing Command-Shift-3 takes a screenshot of the entire screen, and Command-Shift-4 takes a screenshot of a chosen area of the screen. These images are saved to the desktop and can be attached to the email you send to us.
As soon as we have your email, it will be passed to our IT department for a response as soon as possible.
SPREAD GAMES
What are Sporting Index's virtual games?
They are computerised games with a unique twist to Sporting Index in which you can spread bet in a wide variety of ways. Some games are based on sports, some on casino and others on differing high-low scenarios. You can play all our games for fun which is a great way to experience the thrills of spread betting without risking any real money.
What is the difference between a sports spread bet and a virtual game spread bet?
Not a great deal. In a normal sports spread bet we make a prediction on a future event, say, the number of runs scored in an over. The prediction is based on the combination of historic data, the context of what is happening in the game and ultimately the view of our traders on what is going to happen.
For example, for the number of runs scored in an over we may predict, say, between 5.5 and 6 runs will be scored. A client can either bet higher (buy) than 6 or lower (sell) than 5.5 runs. If they went high at 6 runs at £1 per run they would win £1 for every run above 6 and lose £1 per run for every run less than 6. The future event then occurs (the over is completed) and we determine the market result (in this case the number of runs scored) and settle the bet by calculating the profit and loss.
A virtual game spread bet works in much the same way. We make a prediction on a future event. The client bets higher or lower. Instead of an actual live sporting event taking place, a random number generator is used to generate random numbers to determine the make-up. For example in our Cricket Roulette game there is a market on the number of runs scored in an over. Six random numbers are required to represent the number of runs scored for each ball in the over. Once a result is calculated the bet is settled by calculating the profit and loss.
If there is no trader involvement how is a prediction made?
By using mathematical probability analysis on the games rules we can calculate what we expect to happen on average in the long run. We then take a spread either side of this average. We may also simulate a large number of games to get an historical average.
How does the random number generator work?
It is an independent certified standard unit of software that is utilised in a number of applications across the gaming industry. A naturally occurring random phenomenon called 'Johnson noise' is used to cede and recede a software random number generating algorithm. The unit produces a random number every 0.5 seconds. When a game requires a random number it simply waits until the next one is generated and uses that.
The software produces numbers without knowing anything about the client, their bet history and what bet they are having. Many random numbers are generated that are never used in a game.
How do you know the numbers generated are genuinely random?
The unit has been used in a number of applications across the gaming industry and has been tested for randomness. Additionally Sporting Index has engaged The University of Hertfordshire Statistical Services and Consultancy Unit to review the output from our random number generator. They have also performed work for Camelot and the National Lottery. The work was performed by Dr Neil Spencer whose research interests include tests of randomness. He issued the following report: 'Our responsibility is to confirm that the random number generator used by Sporting Index produces numbers such that every number has an equal chance of being selected at every stage. We have carried out extensive analysis on numbers obtained from the random number generator used by Sporting Index to determine the outcome of its games. The conclusion drawn from this analysis is that the numbers are entirely consistent with what a truly random process would be expected to produce.'