As the sun sets on 2022, we take a look at the big winning bets from a year which has brought us plenty of highs and lows, but has always delivered on the drama.

Please remember that unlike fixed odds betting, when spread betting losses can exceed deposits.

JANUARY

WORLD DARTS CHAMPIONSHIP – PETER WRIGHT v MICHAEL SMITH – HIGHEST CHECKOUT X 180s (SETTLED AT 6847)

It seems like a lifetime ago already, but Peter Wright claimed his second world title in the space of three years when he defeated Michael Smith at the Alexandra Palace back in the early days of January.

The Scotsman was taking on St Helens’ finest (quite the accolade when it comes to darts) in Michael Smith and he came from 5-4 down to triumph 7-5, scoring 17 180s in the process. It was a match that enhanced Smith’s unfair reputation as a choker but the Englishman more than played his part in a terrific tungsten tussle as he weighed in with a record-equalling 24 180s and a high checkout of 167.

It was wonderful viewing and there was a bonus for buyers on the Highest Checkout x 180s spread which was 5050-5250 before an arrow was thrown in anger. A total of 41 180s and Smith’s 167 checkout left the spread to settle at 6847 with buyers winning 1,597x their initial stake.

APRIL

THE GRAND NATIONAL – NOBLE YEATS 100-60-30-20-10-5 (SETTLED AT 100)

One of the biggest betting events of the year saw a shock winner as Noble Yeats landed the spoils in the Grand National for jockey Sam Waley-Cohen on his final ride. Noble Yeats became the first seven-year-old to win the Grand National since Bogskar in 1940 and has gone from strength-to-strength since his success on Merseyside.

Having landed the spoils in the Many Clouds Chase in early December, the famous horse could well be angled at one of the championship races at the Cheltenham Festival. It is quite the story for a horse that was priced at 4-6 on our enhanced Race Index spread back in April, with buyers picking up a win of 96x their stake.

MAY

WORLD SNOOKER CHAMPIONSHIP – RONNIE O’SULLIVAN v JUDD TRUMP – FRAME 4 MULTI-POINTS (SETTLED AT 4818)

The 2022 World Snooker Championship final saw Ronnie O’Sullivan face Judd Trump and in an occasionally tense affair, it was the Rocket who eventually won to claim a record-equalling seventh title in the modern era.

The game was largely dominated by O’Sullivan, apart from the third session which saw Trump win six of the eight frames played to reduce the Rocket’s lead to 14-11, though he would eventually lose 18-13.

The Frame Multi-Points market is one of the more volatile when it comes to snooker and it was settled on O’Sullivan’s frame score multiplied by Trump’s . The fourth frame saw both players score plenty, with O’Sullivan winning it 73-66 to leave the Frame 4 Multi-Points market to settle at 4818. With the pre-frame spread at 1326-1476, this left buyers landing a massive 3342x their stake.

JUNE

NETHERLANDS v ENGLAND ODI SERIES – 1^st ODI – SIXES SQUARED (SETTLED AT 900)

England travelled to Amsterdam in early summer for a three-match ODI series with the Netherlands and the first match was a record-breaking affair as the visitors finished with a score of 498-4.

Three players helped themselves to centuries, with Jos Buttler hitting England’s second quickest ODI ton in just 47-balls. Jason Roy went for one run, but Phil Salt and Dawid Malan hit 122 and 125 respectively whilst Liam Livingstone finished with 66 runs from 22 deliveries.

It was a supreme display of power hitting from England, who leathered 26 sixes in their innings (Buttler banging 14 over the rope) and buyers on the Sixes Squared spread at 200-225 were already in profit after the first innings alone.

The Netherlands were never likely to chase down England, but they scored four sixes in a decent innings as Sixes Squared settled at 900 landing buyers a whopping win of 675x their stake.

JULY

EURO 2022 – ENGLAND WOMEN v NORWAY WOMEN – SHIRTS x BOOKINGS (SETTLED AT 2490)

2022 was the year that football finally came home – but while Gareth Southgate and the men’s team failed to deliver in Qatar, it was Sarina Wiegman and the Lionesses who triumphed in the Women’s Euros on home soil.

The tournament began with a nervy 1-0 win over Austria at Old Trafford and ended with a memorable 2-1 extra-time win over Germany at Wembley with England Women being roared on in sold-out stadiums wherever they played.

The real highlight along the way was a thumping 8-0 win over highly-rated Norway in the groups, where everything clicked into gear. Beth Mead – who went on to be named Player of the Tournament and who won Sports Personality of the Year in December – bagged a hat-trick while Georgia Stanway, Lauren Hemp, Ellen White (2) and Alessia Russo also got in on the act.

Shirt Numbers made up at a lofty 83 and with the beleaguered opposition also picking up three yellow cards to settle Bookings Points at 30 it meant Shirts x Bookings landed at a whopping 2,490. For spread betters who bought on the pre-match spread of 720–820, it meant a profit of 1,670x their initial stake

SEPTEMBER

SERIE A - JUVENTUS v SALERNITANA – SHIRTS x BOOKINGS (SETTLED AT 32240)

One of the biggest make-this year came in September as Juventus welcomed Salernitana with the Old Lady looking to get some wins on the board after a stuttering start to the season.

Things didn’t get off to a great start for Juve as former Italian international Antonio Candreva (shirt number 87) put the visitors in front and they went further ahead when Krzysztof Piątek (99) converted a penalty on the stroke of half time.

Summer signing Bremer (3) headed one back for the hosts who managed to snatch a late equaliser through Leonardo Bonucci (19) in the 93^rd minute. The drama was not over though as Arkadiusz Milik thought he had bagged a 95^th minute winner and celebrated by removing his shirt, which saw him sent off for a second bookable offence.

The goal though was not given, and as the two sides clashed on the pitch Juan Cuadrado and Federico Fazio were both given straight red cards. After a crazy game, Shirt Numbers settled at 208, Booking Points settled at 155, leaving Shirts x Bookings to settle at a whopping 32,240. Buyers on a pre-match spread of 3450-3750 were left living la dolce vita as they claimed a win of 28,490x their stake.

OCTOBER

RUGBY LEAGUE WORLD CUP - ENGLAND v SAMOA – ENG/SAM SUPREMACY (SETTLED AT 54)

The Rugby League World Cup may well have ended disappointingly for England, but they were superb in the opening match of the tournament at St James’ Park as they put Samoa to the sword in a scintillating performance.

It was a coming-of-age display for Dom Young with the dreadlocked Yorkshireman scoring two tries in his first competitive appearance for England. There were also tries for Tommy Makinson, George Williams, Elliot Whitehead, Herbie Farnworth, Kallum Watkins, Jack Welsby, and Tom Burgess as the hosts romped home to a 60-6 victory.

The fancied Samoan side boasted plenty of NRL quality and would ultimately get revenge on England in the semi-finals, but there was no doubt the opening day belonged to Shaun Wane’s side. Before the match the England/Samoa Supremacy was -3 – 0 and a 54-point winning margin for England gave buyers a win of 54x their stake.

CHAMPION STAKES – BAEED 50-25-10 (SETTLED AT 0)

Sprint sensation Baeed was looking to make it 11 wins on the spin when he rocked up at Ascot to contest the Champion Stakes. Most of his career had been run over eight furlongs where he had landed the Lockinge Stakes, Queen Anne Stakes, and Sussex Stakes in 2022 alone. He won over 10.5 furlongs at York in the International Stakes, but in a stacked Champion Stakes field, there were some questions about whether he could stay the distance.

Those questions were very quiet beforehand mind, with Jim Crowley’s mount an overwhelming 39-42 favourite on the 50-25-10 Race Index. In the end, though the superb sprinter couldn’t find enough to win or fill the places in a thrilling race with Bay Bridge holding off Adayar and My Prospero. That shock result left sellers whooping with delight as they collected a win of 39x their stake.

DECEMBER

THE BIG BASH – SYDNEY THUNDER v ADELAIDE STRIKERS – SYDNEY THUNDER RUNS (SETTLED AT 15)

One of the most remarkable games in the history of professional cricket took place in mid-December when Adelaide Strikers travelled to face Sydney Thunder in a Big Bash clash.

The Strikers batted first and managed their way to 139 at the Sydney Showground Stadium, with Chris Lynn scoring for the South Australians on 39. Thunder then went into bat and were very quickly back in the pavilion as they were bowled out for just 15 runs. Five players went for a duck, including England World Cup hero Alex Hales, with Henry Thornton finishing with figures of 5-3 and Wes Agar taking 4-6.

It would have been hard not to find a winning market selling on the Thunder, but even in their wildest dreams, sellers wouldn’t have expected the hosts to get a record low T20 score. With the market settling at 15 against a spread of 134-140, sellers won 129x their stake.

WORLD CUP 2022 - ARGENTINA TOURNAMENT TEAM CORNERS X BOOKINGS (SETTLED AT 6240)

In the year that one man who many would argue to be the greatest player ever to play the beautiful game passed away, another laid down his own claim as the footballing GOAT.

Lionel Messi was at his very best to inspire Argentina to win the World Cup in Qatar, scoring seven times (and becoming the first ever player to score in the groups and four knockout rounds of a World Cup) to fill the only gap in his trophy cabinet – but the debate will rage on whether he, or even Cristiano Ronaldo, can be named as the best-ever ahead of the incredible Pele.

Either way, Messi played his part in a penalty shoot-out final win over France that will long live in the memory as both teams played out an epic 3-3 draw via extra time; Kylian Mbappe, the next young pretender to the crown, scoring a hat-trick but still ending on the losing side.

However, for punters it was the outright of Argentina Team Corners x Bookings that threw up the opportunity for winnings. With the Argentines having some feisty clashes along the way, most notably in an ill-tempered quarter-final penalty shoot-out win over the Netherlands, this market eventually settled at 6,240. Anyone buying on a pre-tournament spread of 2,550 – 2,750 would have made a stomping 3,490 times their stake

Please note that these are examples of winning bets from the past year, and it is important to remember that spread betting carries a high level of risk to your capital and can result in losses larger than your initial stake/deposit.