Rugby Betting Odds

There are so many online bookmakers established, knowing which ones to choose when betting on rugby can be problematic.

You will notice many special offers when looking at various bookmakers for rugby betting and websites will try and tempt new customers with promotions and bonuses. However, there is more to consider when choosing the best website for rugby betting.

Here is our list of the top 5 bookmakers for rugby.

The history of rugby has its roots in football (soccer) and its an interesting story. It is claimed that in 1823, William Webb Ellis, who was a student at Rugby school picked up the football and started running with it in his hands.

Students from the school were keen to spread the game and in 1871 the first rugby international took place, between Scotland and England. Scotland won the match.

The sport has developed a great deal from those days and is now one of the top sports for online betting, especially in the United Kingdom and Europe.

Rugby betting is most popular around the big tournaments, such as the Rugby World Cup, Six Nations, European Cup and the Lions Tour. However, these are not the only rugby events available on betting websites and it can be easy to become overwhelmed with the choice of matches, rugby betting markets and odds.

As with any sport, you should always consider the quality of the odds when betting on rugby. You do not want to place a bet on a rugby tournament or match only to find better odds at a different bookmaker once you have placed the bet. Its too late to cancel the bet and you are stuck with the lower odds and lower potential winnings.

Analysing the pay out prices of bookmakers offering rugby odds is the best way to discover which you should use when placing your rugby bets.

You will find the average pay out price on rugby odds to be generally lower than sports like football and rugby but this does not mean you cannot find some good odds on which to bet. One of the top online bookmakers for rugby odds is BetWay, along with Paddy Power, William Hill, 888Sport and Ladbrokes.

None of these bookmakers have a strong affiliation with rugby but a quick example of some rugby odds will show you why they are the best.

One look at the winners market for the match between France and Ireland Six Nations shows France priced at 6/4 with Bet365 to win the match. A £10 bet on France at these odds would see a total return of £25. The odds with BetWay for France to win the match are 2/1 and this would see returns of £30, which is £5 extra in comparison to the same bet with Bet365.

That’s not to say Bet365 is not a good bookmaker, they are generally one of the best but when considering odds for betting on rugby, there are better options available.

With so many online bookmakers offering rugby betting, market coverage and bet selection are important criteria when choosing which one to use.

It wasn’t long ago that bookmakers would only cover the big matches in tournaments such as the Six Nations but this has changed dramatically and you can now bet on a huge range of matches from around the world.

Whether its England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, France, Italy, South Africa, New Zealand or Australia, you should find betting markets available for matches on the top rugby betting websites. Any bookmaker which does not offer markets on matches featuring these nations and clubs from these nations, should not be considered a serious rugby bookmaker.

BetVictor are considered one of the best bookmakers for their choice of rugby bets. They have a wide coverage of competitions and betting markets and Paddy Power, perhaps due to the popularity of the sport in Ireland, also have one of the best choices of competitions and markets on the internet.

Betting markets every serious rugby bookmaker should include are 3-Way Handicap, Double Result, Winning Margin, Exact Winning Margin, To Win Both Halves, Total Points, Highest Scoring Halve and First Team to Score.

In addition to the above-mentioned bookmakers, Bet365, BetFred, Coral and Ladbrokes all price up rugby markets quickly and have a good selection on their website.

Every rugby match in the Six Nations, Rugby Championship, Rugby World Cup, European Cup and Lions Tour is shown live on television. This means there is plenty of opportunities for live betting and the nature of rugby, with it’s full on action, means there is always something happening on the field.

In-play betting has taken off in rugby over the past few years and there are some rugby betting markets which are only on offer during the match. These include Next Team to Score and Method of Next Points Scored.

There is no excuse for an online bookmaker not to offer in-play rugby betting but some still do not have this feature. However, there are many which do and Coral go one step further and stream live rugby matches on their website, to enhance the betting experience.

As with many sports, the type of events being streamed is often restricted due to your location and with big television companies owning the rights to the top international and club matches, these are unlikely to feature in live streams on betting websites.

The good news is, websites such as Coral will be streaming lesser know matches and this is a good way to get on the action if you do not know the teams very well. Watching the match allows you to get a feel for the way the match is flowing and allow you to make a more informed rugby bet.

You will struggle to find as many rugby specific promotions as you would for other sports such as football and horse racing.

You can use the generic promotions which are advertised when you first sign up at an online bookmaker to bet on rugby but after that, rugby betting bonuses and promotions are few and far between.

However, at certain times of the year, some bookmakers run special promotions around rugby tournaments and these tend to be for the Six Nations, which is in February and March, summer tours such as the Lions and the Rugby World Cup, which is usually in the autumn.

Paddy Power are usually the pick of the bookmakers for rugby bonuses and promotions. They offer a good welcome bonus and tend to offer the best rugby specific deals throughout the year. So, check Paddy Power in the build up to the Six Nations, Lions Tour and Rugby World Cup and you are sure to find some great bonuses.

Although the above criteria must be considered when choosing a bookmaker for rugby betting, there are other things, which must also be taken into account before placing your bets.

Rugby betting odds, competition and market choice, live betting and streaming plus bonuses and promotions are important considerations but you must also

Having easy access to the bet you are looking for is very important when considering which bookmaker to use for your rugby betting.

You do not want to be wasting time having to search through several pages of a website before you find the rugby bet you wish to place. This becomes vital when you are betting close to the start of a match. Sometimes it pays to wait until close to kick-off as you watch out for the team news and if you head to the betting site only to struggle to find the rugby match, it could start before you have placed your bet.

Many online bookmakers focus on football and you will find football betting markets in addition to tennis and horse racing are often given the bulk of the homepage of a betting site. Rugby is rarely featured and this means you need to find the link to the rugby betting page.

The best bookmakers for rugby will have a link clearly displayed in the top or side menu of their website and within one click, you will see a list of rugby tournaments and matches on which to bet. You will probably need to scroll down the website to find the link to rugby but there should be one, for both rugby union and rugby league.

Within one click of the rugby link, you should be presented with an option to bet on upcoming matches and one further click should see a bet placed in your betting slip. If you are required to navigate your way around the website any more than that to find a rugby bet, you are better off finding a different bookmaker for your rugby betting.

If you are away from the computer a lot, mobile betting is very important and the top rugby bookmakers will have an app you can download to your phone or tablet which gives you access to the latest rugby markets and odds on the go. Having a mobile responsive website is fine but having an app on your phone which you can access with one press of the screen is the superior option.

Efficient and secure deposits and withdrawals are a key aspect to any serious online rugby bookmaker.

You do not want to be faced with a long process to deposit money and place your bet. Likewise, you want the process to be safe and secure, with no danger of your banking details being abused. So, when betting on rugby, look for the safety certificate in the website address bar and the licenses the betting company is displaying. This can usually be found in the footer of the website.

The most common deposit and withdrawal methods found at the best rugby bookmakers include credit/debit card and eWallets such as Neteller, Skrill and PayPal.

Betting on rugby, especially in-play betting has become more popular in recent years. Betting in-play on rugby is a fantastic experience but occasionally something can go wrong and leave you needing to contact the bookmakers support team.

The top rugby online bookmakers will have many options by which you can contact them and these include telephone, live chat, email and post. Telephone and live chat are the most important of these options as they allow you to contact the support team directly.

Look for rugby bookmakers which operate a 24/7 phone and live chat service, as this means you can always speak to someone quickly if required. Also, if you are betting on rugby matches taking place on the other side of the world, it is important you can speak to someone always.

The Rugby World Cup will be in Japan and for some people, this will mean betting late at night or in the small hours of the morning. You want to place your bets knowing you are in safe hands should you need some help.

Using a bookmaker which is trusted within the rugby betting community should be one of your top considerations when placing a bet.

Not only should you look at the gambling licenses which a bookmaker holds but also look at the recent news surrounding the company. If the bookmaker holds betting licenses including Malta, Gibraltar and Great Britain, that’s a good start. In addition, if they are in a good financial situation, you can rest assured your money is in safe hands when betting on rugby.

If you land on a betting website and feel unsure about placing your bet, you are advised to leave the site and look elsewhere for your rugby betting.

Use our guide to find the best bookmakers for your rugby betting and enjoy a fun and safe rugby betting experience.