Sporting Index wins big during U.K. general elections

(PRESS RELEASE) -- Leading spread betting firm Sporting Index was one of the winners of the 2015 U.K. general election, reporting a 200 percent increase in new accounts and record bets taken.

What was billed as the closest general election in recent memory saw phenomenal interest from punters as the political trading floor took a bet a second during peak times during the past 24 hours.

The biggest winning markets for the firm were the number of Conservative seats above 300, and the outright Tory majority, as punters generally bet big against David Cameron's party sweeping to victory.

However, a number of savvy individuals walked away with upwards of £50,000 each from selling Labour seats and correctly forecasting a host of big names such as Ed Balls, Vince Cable and Nigel Farage would be ousted from the Commons.

"Though the result of the election surprised many, our political trading team played a blinder and our initial figures look very healthy indeed," said Mark Maydon, business affairs director at Sporting Index. "While many fixed odds bookmakers might be counting their losses today, the entire U.K. bookmaking industry will be pleased with the real-world ramifications of the election. The short-term losses might have been painful but are probably nothing compared to the long-term damage that a Labour government with a very anti-gambling agenda might have inflicted."