Fancy a punt in the General Election stakes?

If you didn't back the winner in the Grand National, don't worry. There are still plenty of betting chances in the next big race - the General Election. Here's how to take a punt on it using spread betting.

If you didn't back Tony McCoy's horse in the Grand National, don't worry. There are still plenty of punting chances in the next big race.

Compare the top 20 spread betting accounts here

I'm talking about the General Election - and about how to profit from it using spread betting. At the very least, it will take your mind off the endless prattle constantly pouring from the politicians.

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As this explanatory link explains, spread betting is "high octane, and not for widows and orphans". But with those big risks can come some chunky rewards.

Take parliamentary seats. Sporting Index is currently making a spread on the number of constituencies that the Conservatives will win of 326 331. In other words, the bookie thinks the Tories will triumph in, at most, 331 seats out of a possible 650.

That would mean a tiny overall majority. But could Messrs. Cameron & Co. do rather better?

Sure, the opinion polls are all over the place. And most people see these as a good guide to what'll happen on 6 May.

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Yet when did the opinion polls last call it right? OK, sampling methods have changed in recent years. But the current Conservatives forecast could still be short of where it'll be on the day if only because many people still don't like admitting to the pollsters they'll be voting Tory.

What's more, that Conservative guesstimate has fallen by eight seats since the weekend. And, as with the stock market, the time to get in is when the price has dropped.

Buying at 332 for £10 a seat would, for example, net you a handy £100 if the blue rosette brigade snaps up 341 seats.

As Ladbrokes says, "Everyone has an opinion what's yours worth?" Spread betting is one way of finding out.

Tim graduated with a history degree from Cambridge University in 1989 and, after a year of travelling, joined the financial services firm Ernst and Young in 1990, qualifying as a chartered accountant in 1994.

He then moved into financial markets training, designing and running a variety of courses at graduate level and beyond for a range of organisations including the Securities and Investment Institute and UBS. He joined MoneyWeek in 2007.