Football betting is huge – whether it’s the Premier League or UEFA Champions League betting – taking a punt on the beautiful game is very popular. You’re clearly here because you want to know more about football betting in Ireland? Take a look at our guide below.
A Guide to Sports Betting for Football Betting Sites
The Irish are some of the biggest sports enthusiasts in Europe. They are also big on betting. For this reason, there are many sports betting websites offering betting services in the country, allowing punters to create accounts, claim bonuses, and bet on their favourite teams on football betting markets.
But how exactly do you choose a site for betting in Ireland? What are some of the best sports betting companies in the country and what do they have to offer? Who is the top Irish bookmaker? This article will be answering these questions and more.
In this guide, you will learn what makes a great betting website, what payment methods are available, and some of the best sports and competitions to bet on. If this piques your interest, stick around!
Best Sports Betting Sites for Irish Punters
You probably came here to learn more about the best Irish football bookies and football betting markets. In this section, you will find the best betting companies in Ireland.
Here is a list of 5 of our favourite Football Betting Sites for Irish Gamblers
Paddy Power Football Betting
This is one of the names that comes to many people’s minds when you most likely can’t avoid encountering it in Ireland, mostly due to its marketing strategy, which not only tends to be omnipresent but also quite hilarious sometimes.
Paddy Power is excellent across the board in nearly all of the most widespread Irish and UK sports. Horse racing, football betting, and other popular betting markets can be found on the Paddy Power desktop website or their app.
Paddy Power is a leading bookmaker based in Ireland. Their main selling point over the competition is their betting formats, prices, and coverage of the most popular markets in sports betting. There are multiple options available for Hurling, Gaelic Football, rugby, and football.
Bet365 Football Betting
This is a company that has witnessed tremendous growth over the last few years owing to its market-leading odds as well as its exceptionally put-together mobile apps. From our testing, we visited and placed several bets with Bet365, where we discovered that a lot more often than not, it had the best odds by far, better than any other bookmaker. This trend of market-leading values extends to its Android and iOS apps.
Ladbrokes Football Betting
This is another bookmaker that also has had physical betting shops in Ireland for many years. The company has famous red and white colors that can be spotted in most big towns and cities in the country. Their move online has seen a lot of their customers migrating to the website and app.
It’s difficult for any of the leading betting sites in Ireland to compete with Ladbrokes in their greyhound and horse racing offerings. The bookmakers offer excellent coverage, betting formats, live streaming, and tips.
Bethard Football Betting
Bethard is quite a popular bookmaker founded in 2012. Punters that sign up with this bookmaker can benefit from their nice welcome bonus and several other potentially rewarding features, like Bet Builder, and cash out. While it doesn’t offer the largest variety of events, it lets you bet on over 700 markets.
Kwiff Football Betting
Kwiff is another bookmaker with a reputation for providing their clients with a “getting Kwiffed” bonus, which is an innovative betting promo. It essentially means that every bet you place has a chance to get automatically boosted, raising the potential payouts if it wins. The bookmaker also has an app along with a detailed in-play section.
How we Rated the Football Gambling Sites
All the sports gambling sites featured in this guide were subject to a thorough review process before earning their final spot. To achieve this, our team developed a detailed testing method that assesses betting sites based on multiple criteria, ranging from security features to sign-up bonuses.
Promotional offers on betting sites
These would not be the best Irish football betting sites if they didn’t offer exclusive offers for their users. All bookies were tested based on their football bonuses, such as the wagering requirements and variety of offers. Some of the best offers we found also included boosted football betting odds, accumulator betting specials and freebie bets.
Bonuses
While we ranked the best sports betting websites, they shouldn’t be the only sport where punters can grab bonuses. We also evaluated other promotions to verify what sports they are compatible with. The best sites often have bonuses that let you bet on various sports, including greyhound racing, horse racing, and others.
We also checked the casino welcome bonuses that the operators had for the sake of our customers who like both casinos and sportsbooks.
Market assortment
One great thing about bookies in Ireland is the huge variety of betting markets they offer. Many Irish bookmakers feature thousands of events with hundreds of different markets to be on. When trying out their services, we searched for the most common types of sports bets, such as handicap, over/under, 1×2, and others. Here is a good selection of football gambling terms explained.
Payment methods
Bookmakers in Ireland are known for offering a wide range of payment methods with low fees and fair limits. Before recommending a betting and gambling site, we always verify the available options., the minimum withdrawal and deposit amounts, and which transactions are subject to fees. We also verify if a site also accepts the less traditional payment methods, like cryptocurrencies.
Special features
Many sports betting sites usually rely on special features to stand out from the competition. Some of the best betting site features in Ireland include live streaming, cash out, and Bet Builder. We compared the different tools offered by different bookies considering how intuitive they were and the kinds of markets they are compatible with.
Reputation and Licences
Working with a licensed bookmaker will help ensure your safety. We only recommend the best casinos and bookies that are licensed by trustworthy commissions, such as the United Kingdom Gambling Commission (UKGC), the Irish Revenue Commissioner, and the HM Government of Gibraltar. Additionally, we rank the sites based on their reputation as well as the number of years they have been in the industry.
Mobile Experience
Betting on your phone is like having a pint of Guinness while watching your favourite team play – you simply can’t go wrong with it. When assessing the bookies, we always check to see if they have a proper betting app or mobile website. Betting via a mobile site or an app should be as intuitive as using the desktop version.
Security
As mentioned before, licences are important when it comes to the safety of the punters. However, this is not the only thing we look for. We also assess the security features that Irish bookmakers use, such as KYC procedures, encryption protocols, and GDPR guidelines. The goal is to make sure the privacy of all punters is protected so that their information is not shared with third parties.
How popular is betting on football in Ireland?
Besides GAA (Gaelic football), football is by far the most popular sport in Ireland. For this reason, it’s one of the sports where punters bet the most. But Irish punters usually prefer betting on overseas competitions, like the English Premier League or the Champions League.
Which Football Games and Tournaments do Punters in Ireland Bet the Most On?
Most football fans in Ireland like to bet on international competitions – from the Premier League to the Champions League to the World Cup. The following are some of the most popular tournaments and championships in the country:
The Premier League – Football Betting Odds
This is the top level for English men’s football. The Premier League is made up of 20 teams and usually takes place from August to May. The Premier League is the biggest in the world and claims itself to be the best. Premier League odds vary from tiny to as high as 5000/1.
FA Cup
The FA Cup is one of the most diverse football tournaments in England. Every team from the 10th level of English football to the Premier League can participate in the FA Cup.
UEFA Champions League
This is the elite competition league and features contestants from the best leagues all over Europe. The UEFA Champions League has a total of 32 teams, which usually battle each other in about five rounds of games.
The UEFA Europa League
Formerly called the UEFA Cup, this is the second most popular competition in Europe. It features a total of 48 teams that compete in six rounds.
FIFA World Cup – Online Football Odds
This is the most prestigious football competition on the planet. The World Cup happens once every four years and features 32 teams that qualify for a sport across separate continental tournaments for international football matches of the highest quality.
Others
Of course, football betting in other football leagues and tournaments is also popular. There is a growing appetite for online football odds for everything from the UEFA Nations League to the League or Ireland or even Championship betting – the old First Division as it is now known. The above are the most common betting markets for those looking for good football odds or those with football betting tips.
What other sports are popular among punters in Ireland?
Aside from football, Irish sports enthusiasts also enjoy betting on other sports, including horse racing, Gaelic football, hurling, greyhound racing, and snooker.
Is online sports betting legal in Ireland?
Yes. Online sports betting has been legal in the country since 2015. The organisation that’s responsible for overseeing the operations and activity of online bookmakers in Ireland is the Irish Revenue Commissioner.
Are football betting sites trustworthy?
Yes. There are many trustworthy sites operating in Ireland. Many online bookmakers are regulated and licenced under strict gambling commissions such as the Irish Revenue Commissioner and benefit from long-standing reputations.
5 top tips for football betting in Ireland
To improve the way you bet, here are some essential tips for sports betting in Ireland.
Always record all the bets you place
Recording your placed bets on a spreadsheet will help you avoid making mistakes in the future. The information to record includes the odds, the bet placed, the stake amount, and whether it’s a win or not or even in play betting.
Have a budget for every bet
One of the key rules to sports betting is never betting more than you can afford to. Only bet the amounts you don’t mind losing.
Consider value betting
Value betting is the strategy hinged on calculating your football betting odds and comparing them with different bookmakers. Where the bookie’s betting odds are the most beneficial, your bet has value. Have a football betting strategy
Make the most out of free online bets
freebie bets are a favourite feature for Irish punters. You could use the freebie bets to wager on your favourite sports without having to risk real money.
Stay in the know
Read the news to get up to speed with any injuries, transfers, and other important details. Use statistics to help you make informed bets.