The Best Sports Betting Sites Ireland

Our Favourite Betting Sites in Ireland

All of the above recommended betting sites are very good. All are safe, secure and trustworthy, offering punters the best betting in IE. However, that doesn’t necessarily narrow the search down for you, so we have come up with a shortlist of our most recommended online betting sites to help you make your pick of the best online gambling site for you.

888sport

One of the best online betting sites in the world is 888sport. There are plenty of reasons that it makes the list as one of the top sports betting sites in Ireland. Firstly, the quality and generosity of its sign up bonus help it stand out. It offers new customers free bets on sign up, but it doesn’t stop there, it also has plenty of bonus bet offers and promos for existing customers. It has very generous sport betting odds in comparison to other online bookmakers, with some of its best odds in rugby. It has hundreds of markets, betting types and options available for a whole host of sporting events for the most popular sports. It also offers live betting and live streaming as well as an online casino and online poker site to add variety. What’s more, you can enjoy the whole betting experience whether betting on desktop or mobile betting!

Bet365

Every Irelander will be familiar with Bet365, which is well known to offer arguably the best betting experience in the country. The journey starts with a very generous welcome bonus of 100% match deposit bonus – and the bonus bet and free bet offers keep on coming, whether you’re looking to place a bet on horse racing, football or even MMA. Betting online at Bet365 is excellent, whether on desktop or mobile, as it offers industry-leading in-play betting and live streaming, a whole host of betting options and features such as Cash Out, Bet Builder and Edit Bet. It has hundreds of sport markets and offers real money casino games if you’re looking for a bit of a change. There is no doubt as to why this is one of the top IE online gambling websites.

Betway

The other of Ireland’s top three best betting sites is Betway. One of the main reasons it tops our list is because of its excellent betting odds. It has some of the most generous odds in the industry, beating big names such as TAB. Betway offers a wide range of sports such as footie, horse racing, rugby and even lesser-known sport and betting options. To start you off, Betway offers a free bets welcome offer as a first deposit bonus. It also offers sport bets on a wide range of sporting events, in play and pre-match as well as live streaming. Taking all this into consideration, it is one of the best online sportsbooks for Ireland betting.

What Makes for a Great Online Sports Betting Site?

So, what is it exactly that lifts one IE sports betting website above its competitors? Well, when deciding which online sportsbooks are the best for sports betting in IE, here are some of the elements that we take into consideration.

Safe, Secure and Trustworthy

First a foremost, you need to know that the sports betting IE site that you are betting at is safe and secure – and totally trustworthy. As such, every online sportsbook we recommend will be fully licensed and regulated by at least one of the world’s leading regulatory bodies, such as the UKGC. Furthermore, all online betting IE sites will be tested by third parties to make sure all the technology being used on the site is fair, whether it’s on the sportsbook or online casino. When you are betting real money, you need to know that the Ireland betting sites that you are putting your money and financial details into are completely safe and trustworthy.

Range of Sports and Betting Offers

The best sports betting IE sites will offer players a wide range of competitions and sport markets for their punters. Not only would we expect to see all the regular popular sports, such as rugby, football and horse racing, but we also like to see more niche sports as well as the option of esports betting and virtual sports. Ideally, it will offer specials, political and TV bets as well as sports bets. The best sites for betting in Ireland will offer punters a whole variety of sports and markets on which they can place bets.

Welcome Bonus

The first thing a punter will notice when they sign up to IE betting sites is the quality of the welcome bonus. Pretty much all online betting IE sites will offer players a sign-up bonus. However, we look for the quality of the sign-up bonus as well as the size on offer. They might be free bets or match deposits. However, what we take into consideration most is the quality of the terms and conditions attached. Here are the types of bonus offers you might expect when signing up for a new betting site IE.

• Bet €10 Get €30 in Free Bets. The Bet €10 get €30 in free bets bonus is one of the most popular out there. It requires you to deposit and make a sports wager online of €10 or more on selected markets in order to qualify. As soon as your qualifying wager is settled then you will get your free bet offer credited into your account. Terms and conditions that might apply include minimum odds, validity, not valid for sports bet types such as live betting or in-play betting and a maximum win.
• Bet €10 get €20 free bet. This is very much the same as the €30 free bet offer, but you get a €20 free bet. Again, terms and conditions would apply to this type of bonus including minimum odds, free bet validity, sports bets types excluded etc.
• 100% Match Bonus. This is not a free bet online bonus. You simply deposit real money funds into your account at a betting site IE that offers a 100% match and your funds will be doubled. So, for example, you make a first deposit of €50, then the betting site would credit your account with €50 in bonus funds. Some of Ireland’s best online betting sites can offer thousands in bonus funds. However, to claim the bonus, Irelanders would have to deposit thousands of their own real money funds. Again, these offers come with terms and conditions attached, including minimum deposit, banking options exclusions, playthrough requirements etc.

There are lots of different bonus types available at IE sports betting sites, and they all suit different types of players, with match bonus deposit being perfect for high rollers, and free bet online offers to suit the majority of Irelanders.

Best Odds

The odds available at an IE online betting site can make or break it. Ultimately, offering the most generous odds is what will keep punters coming back. Irelanders, quite rightly, will want to get the best value sports wager and they can only do this by placing their wager at the sports betting site that offers the best odds. We like to see excellent odds not just for popular sports such as rugby and horse racing, but also for lesser-known sporting tournaments and events.

Live Betting

The best sports betting IE sites will offer players a wide variety of live betting and in-play betting types and options. In Ireland, more punters than ever like to wager on a match or game when it is already in-play. As such, the best online betting sites in Ireland will offer a wide variety of live betting markets. This could be next to score, the next red card, next team to score a point etc. The odds for live betting wagers change constantly, so the sports betting site must be quick and reactive so that a punter can find their live betting markets and sports wager quickly and easily before it’s too late. Live betting is now one of the most popular forms of sports betting in Ireland, so the best betting sites will be perfectly equipped in this area.

Live Streaming

Alongside live betting, we have live streaming. The top sports betting sites in Ireland will all offer the opportunity to live stream a game if you place a bet on it. So, if you place a wager on a sports event or game, then you will be able to watch the bet play out as it happens. Not all Irelanders have access to special sports channel subscriptions as these can be quite expensive. One way around this is placing a sports bet on a game that you want to watch at a sports betting site that offers live streams. You will then be able to watch your sports bet play out! This can be a lot more money efficient for sports betting fans.

Mobile Betting

More and more punters in Ireland like to make their sports bets on the go. As such, the best bookmakers will offer punters the chance to access their site on mobile. The best mobile betting sites will offer their punters all the sports and features available on their mobile online sports betting site. It should offer all the same markets, the same bonus and promotion offers, the same banking options etc. The best sites in Ireland will have their sports betting sites available on browser and app.

Online Casino

Sometimes, players in Ireland want to step away from sports betting and try out casinos online. The very best online sports betting sites will also offer players the option to play at a casino. The casino should offer a number of slots and games for players to place their bets on, including table games, poker games and live casino dealer games. If a sports betting website offers players an online casino, then they can use their funds for sport and casino, which is convenient and gives players a wider variety of betting options.

Sports Betting IE – The Best Online Sports Betting Options

Sports betting in Ireland is an ever-changing landscape. It used to be that Irelanders had to head on over to their local land-based bookmaker in order to make a wager on Ireland and Australian sports events, matches and races.

Now, it is totally different. There are plenty of sports betting sites and betting online agencies – most offering punters more than twenty sports, markets, betting types and options. You can now wager on sports all over the world – not just Ireland and Australia, but also the US, UK, Europe and all over the globe. This means punters can wager on all different types of sports, including tennis, football, rugby, UFC, golf, eSports and even virtual. Indeed, some of the major online sports betting sites in Ireland, such as 888sport and Bet365 have over 35 different sports to bet on.

When you find the best sports betting IE sites, the variety of sports markets and odds available are endless. Punters can enjoy the basic types of bets, such as match winners bets as well as specials, accumulators, multiples, and even Build a Bet options.

At our recommended sports betting IE sites, you will find everything you are looking for, whether it’s the All Blacks or All Whites. They offer test match odds and odds for domestic leagues including IEFC, Super Smash and more, with some even offering punters the opportunity to place political wagers and special bets.

The Best IE Betting Sites for Super Rugby

Punters looking for Super Rugby odds at sports betting IE sites will find that the options are endless. Whether you are looking for Super Rugby Australia or even the Super Rugby final, our top IE betting sites will offer a whole variety of bets, including match betting, team bets, the top try scorer, winning margins and more.

The best and most recommended betting sites in our top list will have a whole host of Super Rugby odds as well as impressive match coverage. Indeed, one of the best for Super Rugby is Bet365. This betting website also offers punters an ‘early payout’ site. They also promote other offers including ‘extra time, extra chance’ which give punters an extra level of security to their bets.

So, no matter which Rugby tournaments or matches you want to wager on, at these bookmakers, you will find extensive odds for matches, the Six Nations and, of course, The Rugby World Cup as well as other major international competitions and leagues.

The Best IE Betting Sites for NRL

Betting on the NRL is one of the most popular forms of sports betting in Ireland, and as such, many punters judge a betting site based on its NRL markets and options. This is considered by many to be one of the biggest Rugby League competitions in the world, with all of the major online betting sites offering extensive NRL sports betting odds. The bets available could range from winner bets, point bets, margin bets and even specials and futures bets.

One of the best IE betting sites for NRL betting, in our experience, is Betway. Not only does it offer all the standard betting options and bet types, but it also offers punters their own feature – #betyourway, which is their Bet Builder feature, allowing you to combine different bets and odds to create one wager which will allow for even greater odds and winnings.

Additionally, Betway offers excellent NRL live betting and offers cash out for punters that want to take their winnings, or cut their losses before the match or event comes to an end. Simply press the ‘CO’ button and you’re good to go.

The Best IE Betting Sites for Horse Racing

Online betting IE wouldn’t be complete without having the opportunity to have a wager at the races. Although many Irelanders used to stick with the traditional land-based bookmaker, such as TAB, many are now discovering that even better odds can be found when betting online.

At all of our recommended IE betting sites, you will find a variety of markets, including harness racing, gallops and even greyhound racing. Practically all racing markets will be covered. Whether you are looking to wager on the Auckland Cup or Foxton Trials, or even if you want to place bets on international races such as the Grand National, Cheltenham Cup or Melbourne Cup, you’ll find all the top races covered.

In terms of picking the best online betting IE site for racing, it’s a tough call, but if you factor in 888sport’s ‘Best Price Guarantee’ for UK and Irish horse racing, then it wins by a nose.

️The Best Football Betting Sites

It doesn’t matter who you follow – whether it’s Auckland City or The Wellington Phoenix, at any of our top online betting IE sites you’ll find all sorts of bets available, from pre-match to live betting options. All of the best online bookies will offer a range of footballing leagues and tournaments to wager on, including the A-League, Chatum Cup or IEFC. You can also find many international leagues including the biggest European Leagues and tournaments including the Premier League, Bundesliga, Serie A, Champions League and Europa League.

Because this is one of the biggest markets in online betting, it’s very hard to pick out the best bookmaker – as so many pull out the stops to be competitive. However, if you take the best odds into account, then Betway is one to consider. However, because all of our top bookmakers offer competitive footballing odds, we would suggest that you check out a few of our top IE betting sites to see which has the best odds for that specific wager. So, whether you’re looking for football live betting, domestic football or international football, we suggest you compare our top three to see which is the best for that specific game.

The Best NBA IE Betting Sites

Although NBA betting is biggest in the US, the popularity of basketball betting is growing in IE, and more Irish than ever are checking out the best NBA betting markets. As it stands, when it comes to basketball, the NBA Championships are the most-watched games in the country – and the more popular it gets, the more people start to wager on the matches. At all of our top NBA online betting IE websites, you will come across an excellent range of NBA bet types and options. You can wager on match winner, point spreads, individual player bets and more. Aside from this, all of our top betting IE sites offer domestic bets for the NBL IE Breakers as well as excellent odds for the IE National Basketball League.

The Top Cricket Betting Sites

Cricket is a bit like sporting marmite – punters either love it or hate it. Players looking for fast exciting games can’t quite get their heads around long 5-day test matches. The quickest it gets is T20 matches that go on for a few hours. Then, of course, there are the match-fixing scandals in Australia that have plagued the game recently.

However, there are still plenty of punters that like to bet on cricket. Cricket bets can add a real sense of excitement to a match, and because of the length of some test matches, it is the ideal sport for live betting. Most online bookies will offer a host of cricket betting markets on events such as The Ashes, the ICC World Cup, the Big Bash League and more. Whether it’s IE cricket, Aussie cricket or International cricket, you can bet on any matches or events that you want at any of our top recommended online betting IE sites.

How to Calculate Your Sports Bet Winnings

If you place a wager on a sporting event, you are doing so with the hope that it will win – obviously. As such, when you look at the bets you make, it’s always handy to know what your winnings will be before you place your wager. Let’s look at how to work out exactly how much you stand to win from your bet.

Single Bets

This is the easiest of all the bets to figure out. In order to work out your winnings from a single bet, you simply need to multiply your wager by the odds. So, for example, you bet €5 on odds of 3.5. So, your RETURN would be 3.5 x 5 = €17.5o. This would include your original €5. So, your actual winnings would be €12.50 and your return would be €17.50.

Double Bets

It starts getting a little more complicated when you move into multiples. However, the process is pretty similar. So, for example, if you bet € 10 on odds of 3.5 and 3.0 then you would work it out as follows:

Firstly, you multiply your wager by the first bet odds – €10 x 3.5 = €35

Your winnings then become your new stake. You multiply this stake by your second set of odds:

€35 (winnings from first odds) x 3.0 (second set of odds) = €105.

So, if both those wagers come in, and you wagered €10, then your RETURN would be €105, with your overall winnings being €95 (minus the €10 stake).

Online Betting IE – Is It Legal?

As it stands, at this moment in time, not only is online sports betting legal in the country, but it has never been more popular than it is right now. However, it isn’t as straightforward as all that.

In 2003, Ireland’s Gambling Act was put into place to prevent and ban betting and gambling activities that originated from within the borders of Ireland. Because of this, TAB, Instant Kiwi and Lotto IE are currently some of the only IE gambling operators that are permitted to operate their services from within the country borders.

However, there is a big but. This 2003 Gambling Act does not stop betting sites and gambling agencies that come from outside of IE. As such, if you choose to place your bets in Ireland dollars on gambling sites from outside IE, then it is perfectly legal to do so.

No gambling act, however, is set in stone and Gambling Commission all around the world are constantly updating the rules associated with online gambling. Currently, though, the Gambling Act is only concerned with commercial bodies, like betting sites. As such, IE punters and their funds are completely safe.

The Regulations

Every single betting site and IE online casino that you find on our website are completely legal and safe for Irish to enjoy. It is important to note that we would only ever recommend legal betting sites. All of the above listed betting sites and any casino that we recommend on this website are not only legal in the eyes of the laws of IE, but they have all been regulated and certified in their home countries. Every single one of these bookies has been licensed and regulated in countries such as: The United Kingdom, Malta, Gibraltar, Australia, with many often being licensed by more than one governing body.

Not only does this mean that they are legal, but it should also assure you that these have gone through strict tests and are subject to very stringent rules, so you can be sure that they are trusted, fair and transparent. They are also constantly subjected to checks and always monitored so you know that they are always looking after the best interests of their customers.

You will notice that the bookies we recommend do not have an IE license. That doesn’t mean that they are not legal in IE, it is only because the IE government does not award gambling licenses and betting licenses to offshore betting companies. However, as long as they have licenses from gambling commissions such as UKGC or MGA then they are fine. As it stands, only a handful of bookmakers and gambling sites currently have IE licenses – TAB IE, Instant Kiwi, SkyCity Casinos and Lotto IE.

Sports Betting IE History

Sport betting in Ireland has been around since 1877 and has had quite an exciting history. This is how it has evolved since it first became commercialised in Ireland:

• 1877 – Lottery was first introduced. The Otago Art Society started to operate the first Art Union. It introduced lottery betting to help raise money for the society.
• 1920 – This was when IE declared bookmakers illegal in Ireland. The only place punters could bet on the horses was at the horse racing tracks with underground illegal bookies.
• 1933 – National lotteries were introduced, known as ‘Art Unions’. They offered bettors small prizes.
• 1950 – Because Art Unions only offered small wins, bettors in Ireland started to look at overseas Australian lotteries to enter. This led to the government reviewing IE lotteries in the late 1950s.
• 1961 – TAB (The Totalizer Agency Board) and Golden Kiwi Lottery were introduced in IE.
• 1987 – A big year for IE betting. Firstly, the IE Lotteries Commission was established. This saw lotto tickets available for bettors in IE for the first time. In addition, Slots (slot machines) first became available in hotels and bars, operated by charitable foundations.
• 1989 – Instant Kiwi Scratchies replaced The Golden Kiwi Lottery.
• 1993 – This was the year when the Lotto strike started.
• 1994 – Christchurch Casino, IE’s very first casino opened for the first time. This year also saw the introduction of Keno tickets. 1994 also saw the privatisation of TAB.
• 2001 – Saw the introduction of Powerball Lotto.
• 2003 – This was the year that saw the introduction of the Ireland Gambling Act. As such, IERB (Ireland Racing Board) replaced IE TAB. However, the betting arm of IERB kept its TAB branding.
• 2005 – Saw the introduction of Big Wednesday.
• 2014 – Saw the introduction of Play 3.
• 2017 – The year when Instant Play games became available to IE bettors.
• 2019 – The IERB rebranded as RITA (The Racing Industry Transition Agency).
• 2020 – The Racing Act of 2020 saw TAB IE taking control of RITA.

TAB IE

One of the most well-known names in Ireland betting is TAB. TAB IE (The Totalizer Agency Board) is the only IE sport online betting company that is currently licensed and legal to operate inside of Ireland. As it stands, it is the Racing Industry Transition Agency (RITA – formerly known as the IERB, Ireland Racing Board), that runs TAB IE. As such, until the introduction of online betting, it has had a monopoly over sports betting and horse racing betting in Ireland.

However, because there are now more online betting sites than ever before available in Ireland, TAB doesn’t have the easy ride that it once had. It now has a lot of competition and is coming under much more pressure. These online betting companies offer more sport markets, even more betting features and bet types, more competitive odds, as well as hugely impressive bonuses and promotions available for customers.

Now, more Ireland bettors than ever are betting offshore, and a lot of these would have been customers that have left TAB IE. Because of the rise of these excellent online bookies, punters in IE have had their eyes opened. They can now see that if they shop around with bookmakers from all over the world, they can get so much more for their money.

Best Betting Sites IE FAQs

What are The Best Betting Sites for New Players in IE?

We are lucky because some excellent overseas betting operators are currently available in Ireland. All of our recommended online bookies offer a whole variety of bet types, bet features, excellent sport markets as well as the most generous odds and fantastic mobile apps, a variety of banking options and professional customer service operators. They are also fantastic for live betting and sport live streams. However, the three online bookmakers that really stand out in their field as the best are 888sport, Bet365 and Betway. When it comes to overall user experience, these are the bookies that come out on top!

Which is the Best Online Bookie for Live Betting?

More punters in IE like to enjoy live betting. It allows customers to bet on the action as it happens, which adds even more excitement to the match. Since it was first introduced, live betting has grown in popularity and now just as many punters bet in-play as pre-match. In our opinion, we found the best bookie for live betting and live streams to be Bet365. It offers excellent in-play betting on both desktop and mobile, meaning you can enjoy the thrills of betting in the game whenever you want, wherever you are.

Is Online Gambling Popular in Ireland?

Watching sport in IE is hugely popular, and betting on your favourite sport has never been more popular than it is now. Betting on sports is a way for sports enthusiasts to extend their passion for the games. Betting on their favourite sport teams or events can add an extra layer to the whole experience. Because of the rise in popularity of sports gambling, there have never been more options to find competitive odds, excellent promotions and top features.

What Does Handicap Mean?

When you see a sport betting IE site offering a ‘handicap bet’, it means that the sports betting IE site has given the underdog team a ‘virtual advantage’. They do this by adding points or goals to the underdog team to help their score. So, if the underdog team has a +2 handicap, then the favourite team would need to win by 3 clear points/ goals in order to win the bet. This is very popular in football, basketball and rugby betting.

How Do I Make a Bet at a Sports Betting IE Site?

The good thing about online betting is how simple it is. Making a bet at an online betting site is simple and can be done in just moments. As soon as you have found the sport betting website that works best for you, you need to register and make a first deposit. As soon as this is done, simply search the site for the sport event and wager that you want to make. Click on the odds and enter the amount that you want to stake. This will then be added to your bet slip. You then click on Bet Now and that’s it. Your wager is complete and you need to just wait for the result to come in!

Can I Claim a Betting Bonus in Ireland?

Yes indeed. All of our top recommended online bookmakers offer a whole host of bonuses and promotions. It starts with a generous welcome offer and then existing customers can enjoy promos such as loyalty points, free bet clubs, enhanced odds, risk-free bets, best odds guaranteed and more. All of our best sites offer excellent promotions, most of which will be available to punters in Ireland.

What is Three-Way Betting?

If you see a three-way wager, then it means that there are three possible outcomes to the bet. An example of this would be a football winner bet. The result of the match could either be a win, loss or draw. These are popular because they generally offer better odds than two-way wagers (win/lose).

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