I am with you to some extent. I have been through the whole spectrum from believing that the SB companies were the spawn of the devil only interested in bleeding dry small punters right through to believing that this facility was a gift from the gods and too good to be true!
It all depends on the size of your position and the SB company's stance on the situation.
If the company has a bearish stance on IMG then they will not hedge your bet and run the risk of being hurt and could be tempted to manipulate the market by trading. However if, like you, they are bullish then they will offset your bet in the market with phsyical shares. In this case they are on your side and are happy to watch you make money.
The Spread betting thread has had numerous debates about this, and the majority of it is paranoia. However as already mentioned somewhere on here, you need to keep a very close eye on your positions and if you feel that your position was unfairly closed, then complain. In my experience I have had many positions reopened, after I have proven that the price never traded at the SB company's stated level.
You also need to be aware which price they use, bid/mid/offer. Talking of which I could add a column for that I suppose.
