Stephanie, in the USA, the word "spoil" may have the same meaning you describe for the UK, or it may have the degrading meaning to which you refer. It depends on the context.
I can show love to my SO by pampering her and treating her extremely well. When "spoiling" comes from a giver, it is a good thing. (And who here would not like to be spoiled as a woman?)
But when someone expects preferential treatment, then we say they are "spoiled." For instance, a teen or a bratty child whose parents give in to their demands.
This is also indicated in the popular phrase "spare the rod, spoil the child." It means that, if a parent refuses to discipline an unruly child, that child will grow accustomed to getting his own way and develop an air of entitlement.