The total number of spread betting accounts currently active in the UK has topped 1 million, marking the extent of the rise in popularity of the spread betting craze over the last decade.

With a heightening media and public profile for spread betting, combined with the timely rise and proliferation of the Internet, spread betting has risen to become a significant growth area for financial investing, leading to strong growth in the brokerage sector as players new and old step forward to meet this new found demand.

independentinvestor.com, which provides broker comparisons and advice for spread bettors of all levels of experience, suggested that the rise in spread betting accounts was a marker of the continuing success of the spread betting medium, and a testament to the innovation and marketing effort of the spread betting industry.

A spokesperson for independentinvestor.com said that with the full force of the spread betting brokerage industry, combined with an ongoing and self-perpetuating media fascination with the model could help strengthen the sector even further over the coming years as spread betting becomes even more prevalent nationwide.

“Spread betting has enjoyed steady, strong growth since its inception in the 1970s until today, where it stands with a staggering one-million-plus membership in the UK alone. Penetrating both the professional and DIY investment markets with a sharp trajectory, spread betting has become one of the fastest areas of growth in financial services, giving rise to a dedicated brokerage industry all of its own making, in addition to substantial additional daily trade volumes.”

“And as far as we can tell, it doesn’t look likely to end there.  Spread betting is continuing to benefit from a rising profile, both in the eyes of the financial and mainstream press, in addition to having reached a critical mass amongst the investment community whereby it becomes a perpetual growth sub-niche. We predict big things for spread betting over the decades to come, building on the staggering growth rates that has seen the industry top 1 million user accounts in 2011.”

independentinvestor.com helps demystify the spread betting market by breaking down and comparing spread betting companies in a straightforward manner, affording at-a-glance comparisons to make choosing a broker an easier process.