Best Rugby Betting Sites

Our Top Rugby Betting Site Recommendations - October 2024

Rugby Betting Sites Reviewed

There are many rugby betting sites we’d like to recommend. Here are some short reviews of a few of our favourites. 

Boylesports

One of the original betting sites, Boylesports was set up back in 1989 in Ireland. Moving to the present day, not only has it transferred its sports betting markets online, Boylesports now also provides a range of casino, live casino and lottery options to customers. For me, this is one of the easier sites to navigate, as each of the verticals are listed across the top with the specific sports markets named down the left hand side. In terms of rugby, there’s both rugby league and union odds available. One feature I particularly like is that there’s an outline of how to bet on rugby at the base of the odds page, including a link through to a rugby-specific calendar of events. Overall, I highly recommend this site for rugby betting fans: it’s easy to use, has great features such as a bet calculator and the added bonus of casino games for when you fancy a change. 

Unibet

One of my favourite sites, Unibet, is easily recognised by its green and white colour scheme. There’s a great selection of sports available to bet on alongside rugby union and rugby league, including regulars like football and horse racing and more niche events such as surfing and netball. Something that always draws my attention on Unibet is the amount of promotional offers available to existing customers. At the time of writing, this includes bet builders, boosted odds and money back specials. For new customers, there’s a money back offer of £40 on your first bet plus a £10 casino bonus when you deposit £10 of your own money. Be mindful of the terms and conditions, though — I was slightly disappointed to see that only debit cards are an eligible payment method for this offer and there’s a hefty 50x wagering requirement attached to the casino side of the promotion.

William Hill

Entering the William Hill site, I was greeted by the familiar dark blue and yellow colour scheme and found betting, casino games and bingo available to play. I hadn’t bet on this site before but found it easy to use. Once I’d made a deposit, I checked through the list of sports markets and found both rugby union and rugby league options there. As a rugby union fan, I was pleased to see such a great range of tournaments to bet on, including information on the 2023 World Cup and 2024 Six Nations. It was easy to choose my bet, particularly with the betting slip being available in the right corner of the page. This is a great site all-round.

BetVictor

Having been around since the 1930s, BetVictor is one of the most historic betting operators available. Landing on the site for the first time, I easily located the rugby betting options which are split into union and league. Checking out the league options I was able to break down the bets via featured, competitions and upcoming matches. One thing that would have been useful on this site is an events calendar. Other operators provide this, and it really helps when working out what you want to bet on and when. There’s the opportunity to flick across to casino and live casino games when you fancy a change. To end on a positive, it was great to see live streaming and in-play betting available. 

How We Select Rugby Betting Sites

When completing reviews of the best rugby betting sites we follow a strict list of criteria to ensure the recommendations we give are consistent and contain the most useful information. Let’s take a look at what we cover.

Licensing

If a site doesn’t possess a UKGC gambling licence then we won’t complete the review. At Betting Odds, we only ever recommend sites that are regulated and follow the strict rules upheld by the Gambling Commission. We’d never recommend you opt for an unlicensed betting site, as you can never be sure of their honesty in relation to odds, promotional offers and terms of use, nor their reliability in keeping your personal details secure. 

Rugby Betting Odds

During our reviews we check out the rugby betting odds available to punters, highlighting any particular anomalies or best odds promises along the way. We know that when it comes to betting, the odds are a crucial factor. As such, we make the effort to compare sites along the way, providing reviews and odds highlights of the sites we rank most highly. 

Welcome Bonus

The best rugby betting sites will always provide a welcome offer to new customers. While on the face of it these can often sound incredibly generous, usually offering a free bet of a certain value when you bet a set amount with your own money, it’s important to know exactly what you’re getting into. Not only will we highlight the welcome bonuses provided by a site, but we’ll take the time to read through the terms and conditions, bringing to light any particular sticking points or overly harsh expectations. There can be conditions around time limits, winning caps and wagering requirements, all of which we’ll check out in our reviews. 

Additional Features

During our reviews we like to see some unique features on a site, whether this is the option to live stream a match or particularly good odds for loyal customers. As there are so many rugby betting sites out there vying to be the top dog, it’s important they show dedication to their customers by providing that little bit extra. 

Payment Methods

While it’s still common to deposit with a Visa or Mastercard debit card, many people now favour speedier, digital options such as Trustly, Skrill and PayPal. The best rugby betting sites will support a range of deposit and withdrawal options — we like to see a decent mix including Paysafecard, which is ideal for those closely watching their budget, Trustly, and e-wallets like Neteller. 

Customer Support

It’s never something we want to encounter, but when we need help with our account, it’s vital that a betting site provides good customer service. The majority of sites now provide live chat, which is ideal for quick questions, alongside an email address, telephone number and even social media handles. Similar to deposit style, everyone has a preference when it comes to communication so it’s important this is reflected on rugby betting sites too. As not everyone bets at the same time, we like to see at least one of these available 24/7. 

Rugby Betting Welcome Bonus

We often talk about how we review the promotional offers on the best rugby betting sites, but what exactly do these offers contain? There’s three you’ll see most often — let’s detail them now. 

Free Bets

The most common of all the betting site bonuses, free bets are exactly as they sound. Usually you will need to deposit a certain amount to receive a certain amount in free bets, and this will, of course, vary from site to site. Another thing to take note of is the terms and conditions attached to free bets. The time limit attached will vary wildly from a few days to a few weeks. There will also be other stipulations such as market and payment method eligibility. Nevertheless, a free bet is a great way to test the water, either in a market you’re familiar with or perhaps one you haven’t yet tried out. The chance of winning any withdrawable cash is minimal but it’s fun to see just how good your match predictions can be while using a free bet. 

Matched Deposits

A matched deposit is often found on sites that also offer casino games to customers and will be written in a similar format to:

• £100 up to 100%

What this means is that the site is offering you potentially an extra £100 if you deposit an equal amount. Matched deposits typically range from 50% up to 200%, however, be careful of any offer that sounds overly generous. It’s rarely as great as it first seems and will likely come with a whole host of terms and conditions that mean it’s virtually impossible to withdraw any winnings.

Bet Refunds

Similar to a free bet, some sites offer a refund of your initial bet if it’s lost. It’s rarely withdrawable and more often than not given as account credit. You will find this worded differently depending on the site: it can be called a back up bet, a free bet or simply a bet refund. As with all promotional offers, there will be terms and conditions attached such as within which sports the refunded bet is eligible and how long you have to use it. You may also find specific minimum odds as another requirement.

Payment Methods at Rugby Betting Sites

There are many payment methods available to use as both a deposit and withdrawal. Some are available for both, whereas others may be deposit-specific. Here is a selection of the most commonly-found payment options you’ll have to choose from. 

• Debit Cards – Still the most popular payment method, despite a plethora of digital solutions hitting the market over the years. You can guarantee debit cards will be available to use on a rugby betting site for both deposit and withdrawal. They provide speedy deposits but slower withdrawals than most other options, unless you have access to Visa Fast Funds, in which case you can withdraw in as little as half an hour. 
• e-Wallets – There are many e-wallets available these days, but the ones you’ll most likely be able to use when betting on rugby are PayPal, Skrill, Neteller, MuchBetter and Payz. They’re a great option for security reasons, as they remove the need for you to submit any personal banking details online. The only snag is that they’re usually excluded as viable deposit options for bonus acceptance. 
• Prepaid Cards – We recommend using a prepaid card if you want to keep a close eye on your spending. Prepaid cards are typically bought in the form of Paysafecard and come in set amounts. They are deposit only, so you will need to find an alternative to withdraw from your betting account. Deposit limits are lower than with other digital or debit card payment options.
• Pay by Mobile – Boku is the pay by mobile provider you’re most likely to find at rugby betting sites. This method of deposit is super convenient, as all you need to do is submit the amount you want to deposit along with your mobile number. A text will then come through asking you to confirm payment. Your deposit amount will be added to your mobile phone bill or deducted from your pay as you go total. Deposit limits are generally smaller than other options.

Responsible Gambling at Rugby Betting Sites

Betting on rugby is a way of enhancing your enjoyment of a match, however it’s important to remember to always gamble responsibly. Here are some tips that will help keep you safe.

• Stick to your budget – It’s important to know what you can afford to lose and never go over this amount;
• Don’t bet under the influence of alcohol or drugs – Our perception differs in this state and you may make betting decisions that are harmful; 
• Speak to family and friends – Never keep your betting habits a secret as it will only lead to more secrecy, and potentially even decisions on betting that you are embarrassed to admit; 
• Only bet at licensed betting sites – To ensure your safety and security while gambling, always choose a licensed betting site; 
• Check out safer gambling tools on your chosen betting site – There are many great support tools available, such as deposit and loss limits, that you can set at registration and amend as and when you want;
• Read up on safer gambling organisations where you will find lots of useful information and advice on gambling safely. A few we can suggest are:  
  • GamCare
  • Gamblers Anonymous
  • Begambleaware 

Frequently Asked Questions