Is it legal to bet on online sportsbooks in Ireland?
Ireland is a nation of absolute sports lovers, so it will come as no surprise that online sports betting is the most popular form of gambling in the country. Online betting sites in Ireland offer a wide selection of sports to stake on including soccer, horse racing, tennis, golf, motorsports, rugby, and darts (but more on this below), and each one provides punters with a broad range of bet types.
When you’re looking to make a bet at a bookmaker, Ireland has strict laws which must be followed. Anyone wishing to make a bet must be over the age of 18. All online sportsbooks used by Irish customers must be fully licensed and regulated. All of the legal betting sites in Ireland discussed in this guide fully meet all of these standards.
Picking the best sports betting sites in Ireland
At Strafe, we take our recommendations very seriously! So to make sure we provide you with a countdown of the very best sports betting sites Ireland has to offer, we use a checklist of key areas. These look at different aspects of a site, including basic factors like usability, as well as components like bonus offers. In this way, we make sure that our recommendations guarantee a positive player experience. And you know that our top choice is only there because it really offers a standout experience.
With so many top betting sites in Ireland to choose between, it’s in their interest to attract players with a generous welcome bonus. But that isn’t the end of the story.
Bonus offers at online sportsbooks can take many different forms:
This is where a sportsbook will match the amount of your deposit, up to 100%.
Boosted odds are popular during big sporting events, and basically give you a larger payout on specific bets.
No sweat bets are often provided on your first bet at a sportsbook. If it doesn’t win, the sportsbook will refund you the amount you staked in the form of a free bet.
Payment methods
The payment methods provided by a sportsbook are a very important consideration when making your choice. Some sportsbooks may charge fees to deposit and withdraw money using certain methods, which should be a red flag that the site is not reputable, so it’s important to be aware of this before you sign up.
Payment methods vary slightly between Irish sportsbooks but the following methods will always generally be available.
Many punters love to use a digital wallet such as PayPal, Neteller, and Skrill to deposit and withdraw funds into a sportsbook account. It is quick, convenient, and simple and allows you to easily keep track of your finances using an app.
Bank transfers are another popular and easy way to deposit and withdraw funds.
All of the top betting sites in Ireland discussed here accept all of the most common credit and debit cards, including Visa and Mastercard.
There may be limits on how much you can deposit using each of these payment methods, but this will be made clear when you visit your chosen sportsbook site. There may also be restrictions on the amount you can withdraw but, if you face any difficulties, this is an area that the customer service team can help you with.
In the main, withdrawals will be made via the same payment method used to make a deposit but, if this isn’t possible, a sportsbook may contact you to arrange an alternative.
Before deciding on a payment method, it’s also worth checking the processing times for each one. Some, such as PayPal, are basically instant whereas bank transfers may take longer. It’s important to remember that once the withdrawal request has been processed by a sportsbook, it must still be approved and processed by your bank, which could take several days.
License and security
In order to become a top choice as one of the best sportsbooks Ireland can boast, a bookmaker must be fully licensed and regulated. In Ireland, the legal situation is currently undergoing some changes, and a new statutory body called the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland will shortly become responsible for regulating and licensing all gambling services. However, you can rest assured that all of these legal betting sites in Ireland recommended by us fully adhere to current standards.
It’s not just about making sure that a bookmaker is fully licensed though. In order to be a top betting site it must be able to safeguard all players’ personal and banking information. All of the best betting sites in Ireland use SSL encryption to make sure that your information is protected from third-party trackers and hackers.
The best sites will also use fraud prevention technology, such as two-step verification when making payments, to guarantee that your money and profile are safe.
The Usability of online betting sites in Ireland
A good sports betting site has to do more than offer a great range of sports and a wide range of bets. It also has to be easy to use, well organized, optimized to run on mobiles as well as desktops, and with sufficient running power to make sure that it doesn’t crash just as you’re about to place your winning pick. To make it to our list, all of these online betting sites in Ireland have to be usable for both experienced punters and those who have never visited a sportsbook before.
Another important aspect that we consider in this section is whether a sportsbook has an app available and whether it offers the same level of service across all devices.
Betting markets at online betting sites in Ireland
The Irish may love their rugby (and why not, the boys in green have won the rugby union Six Nations tournament five times in the past 15 years), horse racing, and Gaelic sports. However, the best Irish sportsbooks have to provide a varied betting market to suit all players. That means that as well as Gaelic football, horse racing, and hurling (or its female counterpart camogie), there must be a wide variety of other betting markets available. This includes soccer, golf, snooker, tennis, MMA, motorsports, cricket, and much more, with both domestic and international action being covered.
While it’s important that odds are competitive compared to the rest of the market, we also like to see a good mixture of bet types, from straight-up winners to each-way bets on horse racing and guessing who’ll be the next goal scorer in a Premier League match.
Many of the entrants on our list of betting sites in Ireland will also offer live, in-play betting. This is a brilliant way to keep up with the action and lets you cater your bets according to what’s happening in the game right now. It also gives you a chance to beat poor pre-match odds. If your next goal scorer has just gone off on a stretcher, it can also be comforting to know that many sportsbooks offer an early cash-out feature. This allows you to recover part of your bet if it looks like it’s not going to be a winner.
Along with the ability to make live bets, another excellent feature offered by the very best Irish sportsbooks is the ability to watch a live stream of sporting action. This is something that may not be offered on all sites but definitely enhances the experience where it is provided. If a site doesn’t let players live stream events, it may offer graphic or cartoon-style representations of the action.
Customer service
It doesn’t matter how good a betting site is, there’s always the chance for something to go wrong! Whether this is a simple issue, such as needing to change details on your profile, or a more complex query, such as an expected payment not appearing in your account, it’s important to know that a sportsbook will be able to help you resolve the problem quickly.
The best sports betting sites in Ireland will offer punters a variety of ways to get in touch. Emails and contact forms are great for general queries but we give the highest marks to sportsbooks which provide an easy-to-use live chat service through their site. A telephone support line is also a bonus.
As part of this criteria, we also expect the very top sportsbooks to have a detailed FAQ page on their platform. This should cover common queries in detail and should be clearly organized to help members find their way around quickly.
Responsible gambling
As part of our recommendations, we also consider whether a site has any responsible gambling features. These let players take breaks from the site, or put limits on the deposits they can make.
The best Irish sportsbooks
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Finding the best betting sites in Ireland - Our top tips to maximize your wagers
To help you not only find the best sports betting sites Ireland has to offer, but to get the most from it too, our Strafe experts have put together a few top tips to help you enjoy your time.
Look for early cash-out options
As mentioned above, early cash outs let you end a bet if it looks like it’s not going to be a winner. This lets you recoup some of your losses to bet on for another day.
Check the terms and conditions
Every promo and bonus that a sportsbook gives punters will have some small print attached. While Ts and Cs are generally quite standard, it’s worth giving them a read-through so you know what to expect, and you don’t miss out on any freebies. You’ll especially want to look out for play-through requirements and any conditions around no-sweat bets. For example, many no-sweat bets have to be used within a specific time frame (generally between 7 and 14 days). If not used, they will expire.
The best way to know if you’ll like a site is to read through reviews written by industry professionals. Every sportsbook is different and these will help you to decide if it looks like it’s a good fit.
Don’t just stick to one bookmaker in Ireland
Our list of betting sites in Ireland will show you the top sites at the moment but these don’t stay the same forever. As different providers add new features or increase their betting markets, or even update their welcome offers, their position at our top spot may change. Check back with Strafe regularly, as we update our list of the best esports betting sites.
What sports can you bet on at the best sportsbooks in Ireland?
- Gaelic sports: Gaelic sports include hurling, handball, and football. The action is fast and furious, and a lot of fun.
- Soccer: Soccer, or football as it’s known to the Irish and the UK, is the most popular sport in the world. The best betting sites in Ireland that we’ve discovered include matches from different leagues around the world, including the Premier League, La Liga, and the UEFA Champions League.
- Rugby: As mentioned above, Ireland loves its rugby. A match offers plenty of action to bet on, including winner, totals, and over/ unders.
- Tennis: Tennis is a very popular option at sports betting sites. Each match provides betting opportunities in the form of next point winner, next set winner, overall match winner, and lots more.
- Golf: Golf is another popular option at Irish sportsbooks. Golfing superstar Rory McIlroy hails from the Emerald Isle and it is home to several famous courses.
- Horse racing: Ireland is host to several major dates in the horse racing calendar including the Irish Derby, the Irish Champion Stakes, and the Irish Oaks.
Joining online betting sites in Ireland
Another good measure of a sportsbook is how simple the signup process is. We’re happy to report that joining any of these online betting sites in Ireland is a straightforward process that takes only minutes. Here’s a quick overview of what to expect.
Make an account
Once you’ve decided on the best Irish bookmaker for your needs, you’ll want to head to their site using our link. Once there, you’ll hit the ‘signup’ or ‘register’ button.
You’ll be asked to provide basic information including the following:
- Full name and date of birth
- Email address
- Proof of address - this can be a utility bill or similar as long as it is recent and clearly shows your name
- Security questions - you’ll have to set a security question to help you in case you ever need to change your details. This is usually the standard mother’s maiden name, first pet, favorite vegetable (maybe not!?)
Make a deposit
Once you’ve got your account set up, you’ll need to verify it via your email. You can then go through the process of adding funds to your account to start playing. Don’t forget to take advantage of any welcome bonuses.
The Best betting sites in Ireland - our verdict
Deciding which sportsbook to join is a big decision. After all, you don’t want to spend your hard-earned cash at a site that doesn’t deliver the best odds, the top betting markets, or a substandard staking experience. In this guide, we’ve shown you how we make our decision by exploring all of the factors that impact the playing experience. So, you can be sure that all of the best esports betting sites in Ireland recommended by us are sure to offer a first-class time.
If you enjoy a spin on the reels, you can also have a look at our list of the top online casinos in Ireland.
Our favorite bonuses for sports betting
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Online betting sites in Ireland FAQs
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You can read through our guide to discover the very best sportsbooks Ireland has to offer. Here at Strafe, we love reviewing sportsbooks, it’s our meat and potatoes, and that’s why we put so much effort into making sure that every sportsbook we recommend meets (and potatoes) the high standards that punters expect. We’ll also give you extra tips to get more from your gaming and tell you everything you need to get started. You can also read our best esports reviews to find out more about all of the providers discussed.
🥊 What sports can I bet on at Irish betting sites?
From rugby to racing, the best esports betting sites in Ireland have a whole host of sports to bet on. To find out more about some of the most popular sports to place wagers on, read through our complete guide.
❓Are there any new Irish sports betting sites?
Ireland is home to an ever-growing number of online sportsbooks, and this shows no sign of slowing down anytime soon. Our regularly updated guides will tell you about all of the new Irish betting sites so bookmarking this page is an excellent way to keep up to date with new developments.
