Updated: 25.08.2025
Although rugby enjoys a huge following, Gaelic football is generally regarded as the true national sport of Ireland. However, due to the breakneck pace and high level of skill required, Gaelic football has inexplicably become more popular in the UK in recent times. Unsurprisingly, bookmakers have been quick to capitalize on the growing popularity of this level of competition. Indeed, you would be hard pressed to find a bookmaker in the UK that does not offer a section dedicated to Gaelic football.
In this article you will discover some of the absolute best betting sites for GAA football. We will also explain the basics for beginners betting for the first time, look at the various promotions you might want to take advantage of, and share some of our favorite tips to ensure your betting activity is a profit center.
Gaelic is a limited contact sport that's a cross between football, rugby and a few other sports. Two teams of 15 players compete on a rectangular field that is approximately 130 to 145 meters long and 80 to 90 meters wide. At each end of the field is an H-shaped goalpost with a traditional soccer basket at the bottom, and the posts extend more than seven meters into the air. It's an exciting game to watch.
The game is designed for players to score by either putting the ball into the net or sending it over the crossbar and between the uprights. Gaelic football in its current form seems to date from the late 1800s. But of course, the enjoyment of similar Irish football games goes back centuries. With all this tradition behind it, Gaelic football must have some remarkably Irish aspects. Here, in their own wild way, players are allowed to make shoulder-to-shoulder contact and use their feet to knock the ball away from an opponent. But opponents may not:
Football is a very popular sport in Ireland. While the men's series undoubtedly interests most fans, there are also a number of women's series that play at a high level. However, Gaelic football, while perhaps not quite as fashionable, still has a very large following across the water. It's a really exciting sport.
This is especially true when it comes to betting interest, and almost all British bookmakers offer Gaelic football in their market selection. Below we detail some of the best sites for GAA football betting, the types of bets you can place, and a few other points that may interest you.
Although beginners often concentrate on markets that simply yield a win or a loss, the more experienced gamblers know that real profits over the long haul come from market strategies. Gaelic football, with its uncommonly swift play and scoring system, gives you several angles you can use to fleece the bookmakers. Here are three approaches we know work:
Combining these strategies with disciplined bankroll management significantly boosts your prospects of long-term success in betting on the GAA.
Though Gaelic football has always been a key part of Irish sporting culture, its impact is expanding across the UK, North America, and even parts of Australia. The interest in betting has been a major driver of this growth. With online bookmakers now showing the games and providing live markets, a whole new audience is experiencing the thrill of the GAA every year.
Recent surveys show that over 20% of UK punters have wagered on Gaelic football, compared to fewer than 5% who reported doing so just ten years ago. The surge in betting since then can be attributed both to the proliferation of betting platforms and to the enhanced profile of our leagues and games online. Services like GAAGO and Sky Sports have taken Gaelic football from a domestic niche and turned it into something resembling a global betting marketplace.
With its increasing popularity overseas, the sport is likely to see an uptick in the offerings from bookmakers, who should help drive the overall consumer awareness and interest in the sport.
When it comes to Gaelic football, not every bookmaker is equal, that's for sure. Some do extremely well when it comes to offering the sheer number of markets, whereas others really shine when it comes to the promotions side of things, or the live-broadcasting side of things. \n \n That being said, let's have a look at what actually does separate the best Gaelic football bookmakers from the rest of the pack.
| Bookmaker | Strengths | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Betfair | Wide selection of tournaments, exchange betting, daily free bet offers. | Advanced bettors seeking variety and accumulator bonuses. |
| Paddy Power | Deep coverage of Irish competitions, creative promotions, strong mobile app. | Irish fans and casual punters who want entertainment as well as betting value. |
| William Hill | Live streaming, reliable odds, strong international reputation. | Punters who value security, tradition, and real-time betting features. |
Selecting a bookmaker requires more than just plumping for the place with the most attractive sign. Ideally, all bookmakers should be balanced betting partners, providing not just good odds but also decent promotions and enough features to make an online betting experience worthwhile. A serious punter, of course, has to be a bit canny, too, which is why we suspect he might be using multiple accounts and why we strongly urge using multiple accounts in our section on DAWs.
At Betfair, sports bettors have a wide range of Gaelic football tournaments to choose from. All-Ireland Football, NFL Division 1, 2, 3 and 4, Longford Club Football and Laois Club Football are just a few of the competitions that give punters the opportunity to enjoy the unique taste of betting on Gaelic Football. Gaelic football also offers some great accumulator betting opportunities. By betting on a GAA football accumulator with at least one selection at odds of 1/2 or greater, you'll be eligible for a £5 free bet every day. Same game multi's are another way to earn a free bet on Gaelic football. If your multi has 5 or more selections and you back it at odds of 5/1 or more, it's free bet time again!
If you want to place a bet on the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, then William Hill is an excellent choice. Backing a favorite like Dublin to win the football league is one thing. But if you're looking to back a long shot, like Kildare, Tipperary or Wexford, then you can trust William Hill to have you covered. And are you wondering whether to follow the action with a live stream or maybe even a reel of instant replays? No worries, when you bet with William Hill you can do both.
The Grosvenor brand has been around for over 50 years, making it one of the most recognisable names in the UK. This bookmaker has a special treat for fans of Gaelic football who open a new account. You can place any bet you like on your favorite Gaelic football team and Grosvenor Sports will give you a flawless 100% odds boost. Grosvenor also offer a variety of other promotions for Gaelic football fans.
As an Irish bookmaker, it should come as no surprise that Paddy Power offers a wealth of betting opportunities on the GAA.
As well as offering odds on All-Ireland Football, Connacht Championship Football and Leinster Championship Football, Paddy Power also have odds on Ulster Championship Football, Munster Championship Football, Galway Club Football and a number of other competitions. And then of course there's the fact that they have a pretty good selection of promotions available and a pretty generous welcome bonus.
Ladbrokes has been in the bookmaking business for over 100 years. To this day, the site offers some of the best odds on GAA football competitions and you'll regularly find fantastic promotions to enhance your Irish football betting experience. Open a new account, place a £5 bet and Ladbrokes will give you a generous four £5 free bets, all of which can be used on Gaelic football. You can also take advantage of daily increased odds on selected GAA football events and watch the action for yourself with Ladbrokes' live streaming feature.
Real-time betting has become extremely popular in recent years, and it's easy to see why. Those who watch a game closely can pick up on certain aspects of the game that simply can't be picked up before the game starts.
Of course, to get the most out of it, you need to actually watch the game. That's why it's best for live bettors to choose a site that also offers live streaming of the event. Not only will you be able to see the action as it unfolds, but many of these sites will also provide you with statistics and even some good old fashioned betting advice to help you make the most informed decisions when it comes to your bets.
Ways to Watch Gaelic Football Online Even if your online sportsbook doesn't have live streaming, there are several other ways to watch Gaelic football. For example, you can watch many games on network television throughout Ireland and the United Kingdom. There are also a number of websites that broadcast the games, including
In terms of the sheer variety of betting types, you don't have as much choice with GAA as you would with regular football, for example. However, there are still a few options available to you, and here are some of the most popular.
Similar to other sports, although there is plenty of betting action throughout the Gaelic Football calendar, most of the betting action is concentrated on a few major events. Here are the three competitions we'd suggest you target first if you want to bet on Gaelic football.
The All-Ireland Senior Football Championship is the premier event in Gaelic football. Each year this GAA football tournament holds a championship final. The first of these took place in the 1970-71 season and on that occasion East Kerry were the winners. Since then, the GAA Football Championship has awarded a trophy to the championship winner each year.
The All-Ireland Senior Football Championship consists of three stages: the Provincial Championships, the Qualifiers and the All-Ireland phase. The 2021 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship match will be played at Croke Park in Dublin on January 17th. This match will determine who will be crowned champions that year. The following teams have already qualified for the qualifiers: Armagh, Donegal, Dublin, Galway and Kerry. A number of other big teams - including Cork, Derry and Kildare - will qualify based on their performance in the 2021 NFL. (See below).
The Allianz National Football League, commonly referred to as the NFL, is highly regarded as the next highest level of Gaelic football competition. It began in 1926-1927 and is considered by most teams to be a precursor to the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship. The first team to lift the Irish National Insurance Cup was Kerry, and they hold the distinction of being the most recent team to do so, having won the title in 2025. In all, the boys from the Kingdom have seen the trophy lifted in their honor 21 times and have come close on at least seven other occasions.
As of November 10th, Dublin are 11/10 favorites to win the 2021 NFL Division 1 championship, with Kerry close behind at 11/4. Donegal, Tyrone and Galway also have respectable odds to win, while Monaghan have been given an 18/1 shot. As for serious underdogs, Armagh at 33/1 and Roscommon at 50/1 are two of the better bets.
The 122nd edition of the Connacht Senior Football Championships will be held in 2021. Six teams will compete in 2021 for the J.J. Nestor Cup, which was won by Mayo in the last edition in 2020. This single-elimination tournament always features five teams from the province of Connacht and one team from either London or New York. However, New York will not be participating in the 2021 tournament.
Paddy Power list both Mayo and Galway at 11/10 to win the 2021 title. After winning in 2025, Mayo now have an astonishing 47 tournament wins to their name, including a five-peat from 2011 to 2015. Galway hasn't been nearly as successful, tending to lose more finals than they win, although this year they seemed poised to finally overtake Mayo in wins. The final we covered is Mayo and Galway's showdown in a 2021 rematch - that is, a 2021 final that more or less serves as a 2025 rematch, in cover-my-bases mode for the fact that the previous 2020 final also exists in this story.
The leading online bookmakers for Gaelic football offer an almost endless selection of bets covering all 12 months of the year. A few minutes spent filtering Google's search results for the keywords "GAA football league 2021" or "GAA football tournaments" will bring up a few dozen league and tournament names - most of which offer their fans a way to place bets.
As a punter, you want to give yourself the best chance of coming out on top in every contest you bet on. Here are our top eight tips to help you take your Gaelic football betting to the next level.
Whether you've been a devotee of Gaelic football for years, or you've never even watched a game, it's now extremely instructive to stake a claim on Ireland's relatively obscure national sport. You can and should bet freely and liberally on the pre-match, in-play and outright markets that the aforementioned bookmakers emphasize in their promotional material.
To get started now, simply select one of our recommended Gaelic Football betting sites and create an account. We strongly recommend that you take advantage of their welcome offer to fund your account - the offer will almost certainly be valid for betting on Gaelic football. After that, keep our excellent GAA betting tips in mind to give yourself a fighting chance of turning a profit over the course of many bets.
Each of the leading sportsbooks offers great mobile apps for their customers. These apps allow users to place bets and watch sporting events from anywhere. But Bet365 and William Hill are two sportsbooks that happen to have particularly great mobile apps.
Absolutely. Every top bookmaker now offers live betting, even on something as specialized as Gaelic football. As with many in-game betting situations, however, the types of bets you can place tend to be less diverse than what you'll find in the pre-match markets. And in most cases, you can also cash out your live GAA bets.
The All-Ireland Senior Football Championship. The competition that bears the name and hallmark of the sport is almost certainly the one that attracts the most gambling interest, both at home and abroad. The National Football League and the Connacht Football Championship are also very popular.
Some of the best sportsbooks now offer live streams of Gaelic football, and usually you don't even need to place a bet to watch the game. Alternatively, you can pay to watch Gaelic football through an online subscription service such as GAAGO.
