First and foremost, the Spread Betting FTSE platform should be fast, simple and easy to use. Trade tickets should be straightforward and intuitive, so that opening and closing a position is always possible within a couple of clicks.  Most spread betting companies offer platforms that have no associated platform fees, and this is the minimum you should look for.

The spread betting platform should also give you the tools to enable you to execute your financial betting strategy. In particular it should offer:

The ability to manage your portfolio remotely with advanced order types.
Fast execution.
Stop, Limit and IF DONE orders.
View your entire portfolio, trade history and open positions.
Amend open orders quickly and easily.
Instant trade confirmation and emailed contract notes.
The option to have an automatic stop loss is set each time you place an order
Ability to deposit funds quickly and easily online.

However, trading isn't just about buying and selling. Watching, tracking and researching is a real skill and your platform should help you achieve this by providing intuitive and easy to use charting tools.

In particular you might look for charting that enables you to set your levels for bollinger curves, moving averages, stochastics, momentum and more.

You should also expect the platform your firm provides to be quick. There is little more frustrating than having a slow response when you are looking to move quickly on a trade.