The Best Irish Betting Sites for 2024

Convenience

You can access Irish betting sites anytime, anywhere. Whether you’re watching a match over a pint of Guinness in your local or from the comfort of your own home, you can quickly log in and place your bets. There is no need to travel or join a long queue to submit your betting slip.

Free Bets

When was the last time you walked into a betting shop and received a free bet? Online bookmakers roll out the red carpet for new customers by offering free bets and deposit bonuses. You will also receive special offers long after your first deposit to reward you for your continued loyalty.

Better Odds

The best betting sites for Irish punters offer greater odds than their retail counterparts. This is because hundreds of sites compete for your business online, whereas only a few retail betting shops are in competition with each other in your local area. Benefit from better odds by betting online.

Availability

Retail betting shops are only open for a limited number of hours per day. In contrast, online betting sites are available 24/7 – even on Christmas Day. It doesn’t matter if it’s night or day, you can easily add selections to your virtual betting slip and click the confirm button to lock in your bet.

Gaelic Football

Best described as a mix of football and rugby, Gaelic football is the national sport of Ireland. It has been played in the country for several hundred years and is by far the most popular sport on the Emerald Isle. Gaelic football accounts for over a third of total sports attendances in the country, with over 2,200 GAA clubs spread across the 32 counties of Ireland.

The All-Ireland Men’s Senior Football Championship is the premier competition in Gaelic football. It has been contested by the top male inter-county football teams in Ireland since 1887. The winning team receives the prestigious Sam Maguire Cup. Kerry has been the most successful team to date with 37 titles, but Dublin has dominated the competition since 2015 with five titles on the bounce.

Hurling

Another event native to Ireland is hurling – a sport which accounts for around a quarter of all attendances at live sporting events. The game has prehistoric origins and has been played for over 3,000 years. Each player has a hurley (a wooden stick) and the aim is to hit the sliotar (a ball) between the opponents’ goalposts, either over the crossbar, or into the net which is guarded by a goalkeeper.

Hurling is an incredibly fast and exhilarating sport, and although it hasn’t taken off significantly elsewhere in the world, it remains passionately supported in Ireland. Twelve teams compete against each other in the annual the All-Ireland Championship for the Liam MacCarthy Cup. Kilkenny is currently the most successful county in the championship’s history with 36 titles.

Horse Racing

As a spectator sport, horse racing is huge in Ireland. Some of the best racehorses, most talented trainers and biggest breeding operations in the world are nestled in the Emerald Isle. The best jump jockey of all time, Tony McCoy, calls Northern Ireland home, and the passion of the Irish is there for all to see every year when thousands make the trip over for the four-day Cheltenham Festival in England.

Ireland itself is home to 26 racecourses. Dating back to 1869, Ballybrit Racecourse is one of the most culturally iconic sporting venues in Ireland. It plays host to the Galway Races on the last Monday of July every year. Other major races on the Irish racing calendar include the Irish Derby, the Irish Champion Stakes, the Irish Oaks, the Irish 1,000 Guineas, and of course, the Irish Grand National.

Football

In addition to the country’s two national sports, football is extremely popular in Ireland. The League of Ireland isn’t the best in terms of standard, with most of the top grassroots players moving to England or elsewhere abroad due to the financial incentives.

Roy Keane, Damien Duff and Shane Duffy are three of the many Irish players who have graced the English Premier League since its inception.

The League of Ireland was founded in 1985 and features 10 teams. Dundalk boasts the most championships with eight, including back-to-back wins in the 2018 and 2019 seasons.

Ireland’s national team has qualified for the World Cup and European Championship on three occasions each. It would have been four World Cup appearances had Thierry Henry not ruined Irish dreams with his infamous handball in a 2009 play-off match against France.