Updated: 10.07.2025
Believe it or not, as of 2015, online betting wasn't even a factor in the sports-crazy country of Ireland. But since laws concerning gambling have been relaxed, both bookies and bettors have been making up for lost time. Now, the list of Irish bookmakers contains dozens of names, and all of them are looking to sign up Irish punters. Revenues being generated from this are already estimated to be in the hundreds of millions of euros.
This article will encompass all you need to know about betting sites in Ireland. It will divulge your number one betting site choice, and the reasons for that site's ranking, and give you an idea of what kind of sports are available for betting on those sites. And that's just the first half of the article. Let's commence.
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MIN. deposit : 5 Free daily odds boost Highly prestigious brand |
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| 18+ New customers in the UK & Ireland only. Min £5 bet at 1/2 odds or higher within 14 days of registration. Excludes PayPal and some deposit/bet types. Get 4x £5 free bets (sports only, 7-day expiry, stake not returned). T&Cs apply. | |||||
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MIN. deposit : 10 Wide range of offers Price boosts each day |
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| Min £10 deposit with promo code 200BONUS. Full deposit must be wagered 2x at minimum odds of 1.50 to unlock the bonus. Bonus winnings require 5x wagering. All wagering must be completed within 60 days. Max £50 per bet applies. Cannot be combined with other offers. Withdrawal, payment, and country restrictions apply. Full T&Cs apply. | |||||
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MIN. deposit : 5 Extra places and BOG Correct4 football game |
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| 18+ New UK & Ireland players only. Min £5 first bet at 1/2 odds or greater within 14 days of signup. PayPal and some deposit/bet types excluded. Get 4x £5 free bets (valid 4 days, stake not returned). No cashout. Restrictions & full T&Cs apply. | |||||
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MIN. deposit : 10 Very well-regarded bookie Fantastic range of offers |
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| New customers only. Bet £10 and get £50 in Free Bets at bet365. Min deposit required. Free Bets credited as Bet Credits after qualifying bets are settled. Min odds, payment method and bet type restrictions apply. Bet Credits stake not included in returns. Time limits and T&Cs apply. | |||||
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MIN. deposit : 10 Innovative social features Free soccer betting tips |
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| New users from the UK, Ireland & Malta only. Min £10/€10 first deposit via Debit Card or Trustly. Free bets valid for 90 days. Full T&Cs apply. | |||||
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MIN. deposit : 10 Outstanding track record Fixed odds & spread betting |
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| Don’t miss our exclusive World Cup offers for new and existing customers. Terms apply. Full details available here. | |||||
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MIN. deposit : 10 Excellent track record New Bet Boost each day |
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| New customers only, with promo code H30. Min £10/€10 stake at odds of 1/2 or higher. Get 2 x £15/€15 in free bets after your first qualifying bet settles. Free bets expire 30 days after placement. Payment, player, and country restrictions apply. Full terms below. | |||||
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MIN. deposit : 30 Specialise in horse racing Boost on football accas |
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| 21+ New UK & Ireland customers only. Min £10 deposit. Qualifying bets: singles, win part of e/w, or multiples at min odds of 2.0. Free Bet must be used at 1.5+ odds and expires in 7 days. Stake not returned in winnings. Additional T&Cs apply. Please bet responsibly. | |||||
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| 18+ New customers only. Opt in and bet £5 to receive 2x £10 Free Bets on selected events (min odds 2.00) + £10 Slots Bonus on chosen games (35x wagering, max £250 withdrawal). Bonuses valid for 7 days. Card payments only. T&Cs apply. BeGambleAware.org – Please play responsibly. | |||||
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| 18+ New customers only. One £15 free bet max. Qualifying wager must be at 1/1 (2.0) odds or higher. Free bet issued as bonus token; must be used at min odds of 4/5 (1.80). Skrill, Neteller, and PayPal excluded. T&Cs apply. | |||||
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MIN. deposit : 10 Deep in-play section Widespread racing streams |
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| New customers only. Min £10 deposit and sportsbook bet at 1.5+ odds, placed and settled within 14 days of registration. Win part of E/W bets included. Receive 2 x £10 non-withdrawable Free Bet Tokens – accept within 7 days, valid for 7 days (excludes E/W & multiples). Stakes not returned. Rules & exclusions apply. Bet responsibly – BeGambleAware.org. | |||||
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MIN. deposit : 10 Increasingly popular site Free bet refunds on racing |
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| 18+ | New customers only | BeGambleAware.org. Get 50% of your first deposit up to £50. Min £15 deposit (Skrill/Neteller excluded). One per household. Wager 8x deposit + bonus (max stake = bonus amount). Bonus valid for 60 days. Min odds: 4/5 on singles or 2/5 per leg on accas. Some bet types excluded. T&Cs apply. | |||||
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MIN. deposit : 5 Famous Free Bet Club #BetYourWay for football |
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| 18+ New UK customers only. Min £5 deposit via debit card. Bet must be a football or horse racing multiple with 3+ selections at combined odds of 3.00 (2/1) or higher. Max £30 in Free Bets issued after qualifying bet settles. Offer valid for 7 days after account registration. BeGambleAware.org. Full T&Cs apply. | |||||
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MIN. deposit : 10 Boosted specials on football Various free bet offers |
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| 18+ UK only. Get up to £35 in Free Bets – 50% of your first day’s losses – plus 10 Free Spins. T&Cs apply. | |||||
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MIN. deposit : 10 Money-Back football deal Exceptional mobile apps |
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| Terms apply | |||||
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MIN. deposit : 10 Acca protection & boosts Wide range of deals |
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| 18+ New players only. Welcome Bonus: Max £15 on 1st deposit (min £10). Valid for 14 days. Qualifying bets must be settled within 14 days at min odds of 1/1 (2.00). System bets excluded. Full T&Cs apply. | |||||
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MIN. deposit : 10 New specials bets each day Multiple acca promotions |
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| 18+ New UK customers only (excl. NI). Mobile exclusive. Opt-in required. Min £10 stake at evens (2.0+) within 30 days. Free Bet awarded after qualifying bet settles. Free Bet valid for 7 days. Cashed out and Free Bets excluded. One offer per customer, household & IP. Also: UK/IRE only. Max refund £/€20 on win or win part of e/w outright singles (5+ runners, 1st bet per race). Free/void/antepost bets don’t qualify. T&Cs apply. | |||||
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| 18+ New customers only. Deposit, opt in, and place a £5 bet at 2.00+ odds within 7 days (cashed out bets excluded). Get 2 x £10 Free Sports Bets (set events, 2.00+ odds, 7-day expiry) + £10 Game Show Bonus (selected games, 40x wagering, £250 max withdrawal). PayPal and card payments only. Geo restrictions & T&Cs apply. Please gamble responsibly. | |||||
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| New UK customers only. Use promo code BETFRED60, deposit and place a £10+ Sports bet (min cumulative odds Evens) within 7 days of signup. First bet must be on Sports. Get £20 in Sports Free Bets, £10 in Lotto Free Bets, and 50 Free Spins (20p each) within 48h of settlement. Extra £20 Free Bets added 5 days later. Bonuses expire in 7 days. Payment restrictions apply. SMS verification and/or ID/address proof may be required. Full T&Cs apply. | |||||
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| 18+ New players only. Welcome Bonus valid on first deposit. Min £10 deposit, max £40 Free Bet. Wager at least £20 at 1/1 (2.0) odds or higher within 14 days. System bets excluded. PayPal, Skrill & Neteller deposits not eligible. Full T&Cs apply. | |||||
When we rate sports betting sites, our team examines a variety of variables. Some are more important, but each plays a crucial role in the rating process. Here is an example of the most significant factors that we rate. Trust us; they are vital to making a safe choice.
We don’t approve sites which aren’t protected by a reputable authority, such as the UK Gambling Commission or Malta Gaming Authority. One or more of these bodies grant a license to the bookmaker that confirms it operates to the highest ideals. Safety is non-negotiable.
We would never purposefully guide you to a subpar online sportsbook, or one that might try to scam you out of your winnings. Besides our firsthand experiences with a range of bookmakers, we also consider what clients and other analysts have to say about a certain brand. Customer input is colossal.
The welcome bonus can be a viable way to augment your bankroll, but oftentimes high wagering requirements can make them difficult to enjoy the fruits of that bonus. In this section, we go over the conditions associated with some of the better and some of the worse online casino welcome bonuses. We mainly concentrate on three elements — the good, the bad, and the ugly. We hope to assist you in discerning which offers actually represent decent value.
Online sportsbooks offer welcome bonuses to attract new customers. They also have continuous promotions to ensure that the new customers come back and visit them on a regular basis. The kinds of promos they run are many and varied. Our experts take an expert and in-depth look at the almost limitless kinds and combinations of these very real marketing tools to figure out which of them really packs a wallop when it comes to having a significant and positive impact on your bottom line. We do this because you probably don't think about it and might not realize how much promos can and do affect things.
Today's sports gambler expects to be able to reach their bookie no matter where they are. If the online betting site has no true betting app, that isn't a deal killer — provided, of course, that the site is an optimized mobile betting site. And, let us not underestimate that mobile betting site. It is the cornerstone of successful interval and live betting, and it is critical to reach the modern sports bettor. Short of a good mobile betting site,
In-play wagering and live streaming function side by side. Those who want to know what makes live betting tick must have a grasp of its very essence. Numerous live broadcasts, along with showcasing the heart-pounding action itself, dish up to us some incredibly helpful betting info that really does seem to be updated at a lightning-fast pace, almost not of this world. Fact is, you can't put a price on this kind of real-time data. Bettors who want a leg up on the competition can't be without it.
Choice is what it's all about — and the power of the internet means that Irish betting fans can now find plenty of choices out there in the world of online bookmakers, all happy to take their bets. As with everything else in life, though, it quickly becomes a case of ‘you gets what you pays for’ — and if you want to play safely and securely while also enjoying the broadest possible selection of betting options, you’re going to have to stick with a bookie that you can trust.
The methods that people use most often to pay are bank cards and electronic bank transfers. Yet, many bettors prefer eWallets, vouchers, or wire transfers. Virtually everybody has a way to pay that they find most convenient and accessible. For some, that means using cash in a betting shop; for a larger segment of the population, it means using an instant payment method when they're placing bets online. The fact that more and more operators allow a greater variety of payment methods is a good thing.
When bookmakers provide around-the-clock "surgical" access to their customer service team, they earn our specialists' high regard. That's 24/7 access by both live chat and phone. And, of course, indirect support of superlative quality via FAQ and help desk is also a huge plus. If we were to come up with a ranking system and throw some arbitrary number of slots in there, we'd say that good support would be in the Top 5.
Using the aforementioned criteria, we have narrowed down the multitude of online betting sites to find our top five bookmakers. Let us examine them individually.
Bet365 has been in the sports betting business for over 20 years. It possesses all the top qualities we desire in a sportsbook. You will find a truly outstanding mobile app, fast payouts, an almost overwhelming assortment of promotions, and consistently very competitive odds over an extraordinarily broad range of sports. Sign up now and get as much as £100 in bet credits. You can use them to place pre-match or in-play wagers and then watch them unfold live, which is one of the site’s truly excellent features: its streaming.
Paddy Power is not just one of the main online bookmakers in Ireland; it is one of the best in the world. For fans of Gaelic football, this could hardly be bettered, as the GAA markets that Paddy Power covers are second to none and its pre-match and live odds on all the major GAA competitions are superb. It is worth mentioning, too, that with no wagering requirements attached to the £10 free bet you receive every week, cashing in with PP is as easy as pie.
One of the most respected and well-known names in the world of sports betting is Ladbrokes. There are many reasons for this popularity, and they start with the odds. These are certainly competitive, and you can find them in the two main places where you might bet with Ladbrokes – online or in one of their retail stores. Payouts and cash-outs are smooth and quick. But what really puts this brand in your good books and has you recommending it to your friends? Well, how about the outstanding welcome offer you receive when you join up? That's worth exploring.
Betway may be the newest bookmaker on our list, but they deserve their spot as one of the best Irish betting sites. They meet all of our grading curve's pass criteria and even accrued a few bonus points along the way. To start with, they offer a very generous welcome bonus of up to £30, and the only thing you have to do to convert that into real, usable cash is to meet the very ridiculously easy 1X rollover requirement. After that, they give you a £10 token every week as part of Betway's famous Free Bet Club.
Founded in 1982, BoyleSports is one of the top sports betting sites in Ireland. Like any bookmaker found in Ireland, BoyleSports covers an expansive list of sports, including but not limited to the following: Gaelic football, hurling, rugby, and other imaginative sports you can think of, plus a very decent virtual sports section as well. Throw into the mix that BoyleSports also offers very competitive odds and quick payouts, and we can see why this site is a pretty serious contender in today's betting world.
Above, we have looked at five individual bookies. Each of them is a leading brand of sorts. Yet that’s not the whole story. Alongside them, you can choose from a whole host of new Irish betting sites, which can deliver just as fun and thrilling a betting experience.
There are, of course, substantial benefits to using new Irish bookmakers. For one, they are so desperate to attract new business that the sign-up bonus they offer is practically guaranteed to be huge. Furthermore, the new betting sites in Ireland that are out looking for customers are much more inclined to offer odds that are significantly better than average.
Generally, one method isn't 'better' than the other; however, we encourage you to look at more recent alternatives to the old, big-name bookmakers. Especially, these are the alternatives we'd recommend you check out first.
Like bettors in all countries, Irish sports gamblers wager on a wide variety of sports. Yet, among the Irish, certain sports attract much more betting attention and generate much bigger betting volumes than others. Here are the top sports that the Irish like to bet on.
The sport that the majority of people favor in Ireland is Gaelic football, and one of its finest aspects is that wagering on Gaelic football can occur for almost the entire year. Apart from the NFL season, which runs from January to late October, there are several other upper echelon Gaelic football tournaments that take place, most notably the All-Ireland Football Championship, and the Connacht and Munster Football Championships.
Some teams really have met their backers' expectations over the years, and they are:
The All-Ireland Football Championship is the premier event of the sport, and Dublin has been its reigning power, winning six straight titles in recent years. So it's not surprising to see that Paddy Power has the Dubs favored to win it yet again in 2024, listed at 4/6 to take the title, with other contenders being Kerry, at 7/2, and Tyrone, Donegal, and Mayo all set at 12/1.
With a global following of over 4 billion people, soccer is undoubtedly the most adored sport on the planet. It and its most well-known leagues and tournaments are certainly where and what the biggest amounts of betting and wagering go on. Against that backdrop, let's now shine a light on some of the top leagues and clubs in Irish soccer and, while we're at it, place a few bets. After all, betting on soccer is a not-so-secret global business. And if you're going to do it, why not do it on some of the top teams in the leagues below?
An immense quantity of wagering takes place at sportsbooks in Ireland on the League of Ireland Premier Division. Dundalk gives us an interesting case study because they were a team that ruled the roost in the league from 2014 to 2019. During those years, Dundalk was undoubtedly the most successful club in the league, piling up five league titles. They were, essentially, the Alabama of a kind of college football dynasty, where you sort of had to respect them—even if you kind of resented them—for something like that.
Another sport associated with the Gaelic Athletic Association that has a massive following in Ireland is hurling. Like Gaelic football, hurling is a GAA sport with much in common with that other game of 15 players per side. The league and tournament structures are virtually identical. Both sports are played on the same field. Both use the same H-shaped goalposts.
In terms of large assemblies, the prime event is the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship. It is the culmination of a number of ensemble qualifying tournaments—the Connacht Senior Hurling Championship, Leinster Senior Hurling Championship, and Munster Senior Hurling Championship—that lead into it, and it holds the appearance of much presence. Not only is it preceded by these qualifying tournaments, but it appears to be the basis for another half-dozen tournaments that somehow are not the same as the five half-dozen full-tournaments that look and feel like the All-Ireland itself—tournaments that have names like the Christy Ring Cup, the Nicky Rackard Cup, and the Poc Fada.
Rugby is another sport that has a world appeal; in some parts of Ireland, this tough sport is even more favored than Gaelic football and hurling. Countless leagues and competitions play rugby all around the nation, including the likes of the All-Ireland League, the Irish Rugby Football Union, and the Guinness PRO14.
The Six Nations brings betting on rugby to a boil. This tournament kicks off on the first weekend in February and wraps up with Super Saturday in mid-March. Naturally, the betting shops stay busy with international events such as the Rugby World Cup.
A very good part of betting on rugby is that there are so many kinds to bet on. You can wager on everything from the fundamentals of money lines and spreads to all sorts of prop bets involving teams and players. If you prefer to bet on outcomes with a longer time horizon, you might consider the odds on Ireland winning the Rugby World Cup in 2024, which are currently listed at about 15/1.
Another sport that is enviously popular in Ireland is golf, which enjoys a widespread following among male and female fans alike. Betting on golf shows no favoritism between the genders and definitely does not show any partiality toward just the major men's tournaments. Stake action flows freely in and around LPGA events as well. When you look at the overall golf landscape, the U.S. Open, British Open, PGA Championship, and Masters represent the four biggest betting-rage events. The same could be said for the year's two Women's Opens and the Ryder Cup when those tournaments roll around.
There are a number of annual golf tournaments in Ireland that bookmakers take bets on. Of these, the events that attract the most attention—and dollars—include:
Shell Pro-Am is an event that features amateur golfers competing alongside professional ones. This event is held under the auspices of the Shell Corporation, which is known for its involvement in various forms of sponsorship. In the Pro-Am format, professionals and amateurs share the golf course together, with the latter group playing in a format that makes the event much more spectator-friendly. The Shell Pro-Am has been held in various locations around the world and has been associated with numerous professional golf tournaments. Not very far into the future, the Ryder Cup of 2027 will be played at Adare Manor Golf Club in Limerick.
For innumerable people throughout Ireland and the world, existence sans the National Lottery is unfathomable. Though it's true most of us can hardly conceive of times when the Lotto wasn't a part of low-weekly-dip into, it has a very brief history here. The Irish National Lottery's inaugural draw happened on 6th June 1986.
You can choose to participate in the Irish lottery either via the internet or from a physical retailer. BoyleSports, Paddy Power, Ladbrokes, Betway, and Bet365 are all excellent online lottery bookmakers that allow you to wager on the result of the Irish Lotto draw. And those same bookmakers provide access to other well-known global lotteries as well. In addition to conducting draws in the standard 6/49 format, the Irish Lotto also offers a cornucopia of instant games, including Grands and Dollies.
In Ireland, betting on sports is a large part of the gambling landscape. And the predominant method of funding that bet, or the betting account itself, by the punter, is via card. Debit cards are the most convenient means for Irish sports bettors to fund their accounts. Instant bank transfers are used equally, if not more so, than debit cards when it comes to the making of deposits. Both methods are relatively close to eWallets in terms of convenience, but they're not as fast. When we're talking about withdrawals, however, debit cards and instant bank transfers fall way behind eWallets in terms of speed.
You can still fund and access your sportsbook account without a debit card or bank account. A variety of vouchers and other prepaid methods will work. Some bookies that have betting shops you can walk into will let you do business with them in person, too, so you can fund your account with those funds and then use the account online.
In Ireland, it is completely lawful to place bets with bookmakers; the same is true for licensed offshore operators. The 2015 rewrite of the betting laws even covers betting online or with a mobile device. These laws, however, are most notable for something they do not allow: any kind of casino to be located on land in Ireland. Your chances of encountering an actual casino in Ireland, though, are pretty good, since the no-casino law is largely flouted. You could have a better chance of winning at the private gaming clubs that supposedly can’t exist than at a land-based casino that supposedly can.
The governing laws of online gambling in Ireland permit Irish citizens to participate in many kinds of digital games of chance. This encompasses not just poker, but also casino games, bingo, and most other kinds of online gambling activities. Forming this almost inclusive condition in which just about any online bet (like bets on eSports and virtual sports) with current events as the subject of those bets is also permissible. The only age requirement that truly encumbers Irish online gamblers is the condition that they must be at least 18 years of age to partake.
Yes. Wagering with registered online sportsbooks in Ireland has been perfectly legal since 2015.
Bet365 is one of the best all-around bookmakers, and it seems to have by far the best mobile features of any betting site in Ireland. Both its mobile web page and its apps are excellent.
Despite being the payment method with the broadest acceptance, making withdrawals with e-wallets like PayPal and Neteller is a quicker process than using debit cards.
Absolutely. All our recommended bookies allow Gaelic football betting, with most offering both pre-match and in-play markets.
In Ireland, online sports betting is a nascent market, yet it is already showing tremendous growth. Given that this is a country with a dedicated fan base for all sorts of sports, this is guaranteed to be a moneymaking venture. Not to be outdone by any of the international players, Ireland’s bookmakers have, in relatively short order, assembled an array of compelling online platforms.
The moment could very well be the best yet to jump right into the action. All one has to do is pick from among the top-notch Irish betting sites we detailed above in this piece. Then, it’s time to register and fund that account—ideally in a fashion that nets you the sweet welcome offer so many sites dangle. After that, it's a matter of not putting all your eggs in one basket, mixing up your bet types under the good old cover-all-your-bases philosophy.
