Award-Winning Betting Sites 2024
A good way to identify the best betting sites is by looking at the most recent online betting award winners.
Here are some of the best betting sites that have won awards in recent years:
🏆 Online Sports Betting Operator of the Year 2023: bet365 (Global Gaming Awards)
🏆 Best Football Betting Operator 2023: William Hill (EGaming Review Awards)
🏆 Best Horse Racing Betting Operator 2023: William Hill (EGaming Review Awards)
🏆 Mobile Operator of the Year 2023: LeoVegas Sport (International Gaming Awards)
🏆 Sportsbook Operator of the Year 2022: bet365 (SBC Awards)
🏆 Esports Operator of the Year 2022: Betway (SBC Awards)
Best Betting Sites Reviewed & Compared
We go the extra mile when reviewing the best betting sites Ireland has to offer to ensure our readers can pick one that suits their preferences. Below is a closer look at some of our top picks for March 2024:
Best Betting Site For Offers: QuinnBet
Best Features: QuinnBet has more promotions available than the vast majority of betting sites across a range of sports. Some of our favourites are 'Fallers Insurance' (money back if your horse is a faller) and 'Crossbar Insurance' (money back on goalscorer bets if the crossbar is hit during a football match).
Biggest Negatives: Live streams seem to be restricted to horse racing only.
Alternative: BetiBet
Our View: We always head straight to the promotions page when comparing and reviewing betting sites to see what extra perks are on offer. At QuinnBet, we counted 12 horse racing offers, seven football offers and more promos for golf, tennis, greyhounds etc. Compared to the majority of bookies, that's an impressive amount.
Established 2017
18+. T&C Apply
Best GAA Betting Site: BoyleSports
Best Features: As an Irish bookmaker with headquarters in Dundalk, BoyleSports has offered GAA betting for over three decades. Here you can insure or boost hurling and football accas, meaning you either get improved odds or money back if one leg lets you down. They also pay out your GAA bets early if your team takes a seven-point lead.
Biggest Negatives: Welcome offer could be improved.
Alternative: Ladbrokes
Our View: BoyleSports gives GAA the attention it deserves, with more markets for club and inter-county games than any other betting site. Seven-time All-Ireland winner Diarmuid Connolly is the GAA brand ambassador here and we've enjoyed his expert analysis on Gaelic football.
Our Expert's Opinion - Kevin Taylor:
"A seven-point lead can disappear quickly in GAA, particularly in hurling, so the early payout deal from BoyleSports is a pretty generous one in my opinion.
"In my experience, if you're a savvy GAA punter who follows the club game closely, you can sometimes find great value in club Championship.
"BoyleSports makes it possible to use club GAA knowledge to your advantage with a seriously impressive range of markets."
Established 2007
IRE/NI new customers only. Min Deposit €/£10. Min stake €/£10. Min odds Evs. Free Bet applied on 1st settlement of any qualifying bet. Free Bets expire in 7 days. 1 Free Bet offer per customer, household & IP address only. Account & Payment method restrictions. Cashed out/Free Bets won’t apply. 30 days to qualify. 18+. T&Cs apply.
Best Bookmaker For Bet Builders: BetVictor
Best Features: BetVictor makes it easy to place bet builders by listing all of the games available for same-game accas in one place. You also get a list of suggested markets to combine.
Biggest Negatives: BetVictor is great for football bet builders but you can't place same-game accas on every sport.
Alternative: William Hill
Our View: We love this betting site's range of live streams across multiple sports and we were able to watch our bet builder picks play out in HD live on our phone. Boosted accas, best odds guaranteed and money-back specials are also worth a mention.
Established 1946
18+ Opt in, bet £10 (odds 2.00+) on any football market within 7 days of registration. Get £40 in Free Bets on selected events. Free Bets expire in 7 days. Debit Card/Apple Pay payments only. Click for T&Cs. begambleaware.org
Best Live Betting Site: bet365
Best Features: bet365's live betting service is second-to-none. You get more live streams here than with any other bookmaker and there are a range of offers tied to in-play betting, like early payouts, live boosted odds, bet edits and partial cash-outs.
Biggest Negatives: Acca insurance isn't available at bet365.
Alternative: Betway
Our View: bet365 is one of the most complete online betting sites and has the best live betting platform of any bookmaker we've reviewed. Even when a match isn't streamed, there are instant updates and in-depth statistics available to view.
Established 2001
18+. Available to new customers only. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. T&Cs, time limits and exclusions apply.
Best Mobile Betting Site: 888sport
Best Features: 888sport has the most user-friendly betting app in Ireland, which comes with a free football score prediction game with up to €10,000 in cash prizes. You also get a €5 free bet whenever you land a horse racing winner at 4/1 or bigger.
Biggest Negatives: Desktop version isn't laid out as well as mobile.
Alternative: Novibet
Our View: Who doesn't love a freebie? 888sport's mobile betting site comes with a free bet welcome offer, weekly free bets and a free prediction game with big cash prizes. The app works seamlessly on Android and iPhone, allowing bets to be placed easily and quickly.
Established 1997
18+. Min deposit €10 • A qualifying bet is a ‘real money’ stake of at least €10 • Min odds 1/2 (1.50) • Free Bets credited upon qualifying bet settlement and expire after 7 days • Free Bet stakes not included in returns • Casino Bonus must be claimed within 7 days and expires after 14 days • Bonus valid on selected Casino games only • Bonus wins capped at €500, excluding Jackpot wins • You must wager Bonus amount x40 – this requirement varies by game T&Cs apply.
Best Pools Betting Site: Tote
Best Features: The Tote is a feature-packed pool betting site where you share in the total money that's placed on a market if your bet wins. The placepot is this bookmaker's most well-known promo, with a prize fund up to €100k if you have horses placed in the first six races of a selected meeting. That prize fund is bumped to €250k on Saturdays.
Biggest Negatives: There are only three sports to bet on - horse racing, greyhound racing and football. Fixed-odds betting is not an option either.
Alternative: TonyBet
Our View: We enjoy mixing things up with pools betting and the Tote is the ideal betting site for this. Along with the placepot, there are fantasy games like Ten to Follow (minimum €10k top prize) and Tote Fantasy (winner takes 25% of the jackpot).
Our Expert's Opinion - Diarmuid Nolan:
"I view the Tote as an essential bookie for any serious racing punter and I'll often use this pool betting site to back less-fancied horses.
"I'm also a big fan of playing the placepot and trying to predict six horses to place on each day of the Cheltenham Festival has become something of a tradition for me. It's a small-stakes bet with the potential to win big and adds an extra bit of fun to my Festival betting."
Established 1929
18+. New customers online only. €10 min stake (if EW then min €10 Win + €10 Place). Receive €30 Tote Credit + 50 Free Spins on selected game within 48 hours of qualifying bet settlement. Tote credit subject to 7-day expiry. Free spins subject to 7-day expiry. Qualifying bet is the first racing pool bet added to the bet-slip. Full T&Cs apply. Dunlewey.org. Full T&Cs apply.
Best Spread Betting Site: Spreadex
Best Features: Spreadex is the #1 sports spread betting site in Ireland. You can choose to buy or sell a range of outcomes and your winnings/losses are determined by the accuracy of your predictions. This is also one of the few betting sites with credit facilities.
Biggest Negatives: Spread betting can carry additional risks if you aren't experienced.
Alternative: bet365
Our View: We usually review fixed-odds bookmakers at Gambling.com, so it's nice to try out a site like Spreadex for something a bit different. They don't neglect fixed-odds customers either, with first goalscorer insurance (football) and '2nd to a rag' insurance (racing) among the promotions.
Established 1999
18+. Gamble Responsibly. Begambleaware.org. Spread betting losses can exceed deposit. T&C's apply.
Best Football Betting Site: Ladbrokes
Best Features: With Ladbrokes, you can choose to either boost, edit or insure your football accumulators. There's a '5-a-side' fantasy football game where you pick five players and earn points based on their performances. You can also watch live streams here from top leagues like La Liga and Serie A.
Biggest Negatives: Site layout is a bit old-school and not for everyone.
Alternative: LiveScore Bet
Our View: There's nearly too many promotions at Ladbrokes for us to mention in one review - but our favourite is probably the 'Fanzone' feature, because it's unique to this betting site. Pick your favourite team to get special odds boosts, free bets and fan prices for the club you support.
Our Expert's Opinion - Michael Butlin:
"I've been betting on football online for decades at this point, so I've become familiar with most of the different types of football promotions offered by betting sites.
"That's why I recommend Ladbrokes - you have all the staple offers here like acca insurance, odds boosts and early payouts, along with completely unique promos like Fanzone."
Established 2000
18+ New UK+IRE Customers only. Certain deposit methods & bet types excl. Min first €5 bet within 14 days of account reg at min odds 1/2 to get 4x €5 free bets. Free bets available to use on selected sportsbook markets only. Free bets valid for 7 days, stake not returned. Restrictions + T&Cs apply.
Best Horse Racing Betting Site: William Hill
Best Features: William Hill is the standout online Irish betting site for extra each-way places. The 'Pick Your Places' promotion allows us to customise our each-way betting by deciding the number of places we want paid out for a race.
Biggest Negatives: Not the best option for betting on niche sports.
Alternative: BoyleSports
Our View: We recommend William Hill as the go-to betting site for keen horse racing punters. Aside from extra places, you have best odds guaranteed, price boosts, non-runner no bet, racing live streams and a dedicated Racing Radio channel with expert analysis and commentary.
Established 2008
New customers using Promo code H30 only, Min £10/€10 stake, min odds 1/2, free bets paid as 2 x £15/€15, free bets credited after settlement of first qualifying bet, free bets will expire 30 days after the qualifying bet is placed, payment method/player/country restrictions apply. Full T&Cs apply. 18+. Play Responsibly www.begambleaware.org.
Best Features: LiveScore Bet is home to a great range of tennis streaming options, so you can watch a range of ATP and WTA matches while you bet. There's also a €5 weekly free bet for tennis when you stake €20 or more here.
Biggest Negatives: Could add more unique tennis promotions.
Alternative: 10bet
Our View: We rate LiveScore Bet really highly because this betting site has consistently improved since launching in 2020. More streaming options continue to be added and more existing customer promos become available as the site develops, while the bet €10 get €30 welcome offer is also a relatively generous one.
Established 2020
18+ New members. Must sign up via this offer link. Min €10 deposit & bet on sportsbook (ex. virtual), placed & settled in 14 days of sign-up. Min odds EVS. Free Bets: valid 7 days on sportsbook. Stakes not returned. Full Terms Apply. Bet Responsibly. Gamblingcare.ie.
More Betting Site Rankings
🏈 Rugby Betting Sites
⛳ Golf Betting Sites
🏁 F1 Betting Sites
🎯 Darts Betting Sites
🎱 Snooker Betting Sites
🥊 Boxing Betting Sites
🏀 NBA Betting Sites
🏈 NFL Betting Sites
Meet Our Betting Sites Experts
Our Gambling.com review team is made up of industry veterans and keen sports bettors. Get to know the people who compare and rank Ireland's best betting sites here:
Michael Butlin - Author
"I've spent more than 20 years working in the gambling industry across a variety of roles with major bookmakers like Unibet. I've also been an avid sports bettor for decades, so I know what punters generally want from betting sites.
"As Gambling.com's EN Director, I lead a team of experts who review and rank all of the best bookmakers in the UK and other English-speaking countries."
James Molloy - Editor
"Like Michael, I've been lucky enough to work for some of the biggest names in online betting during my career to date. I spent five years with Paddy Power and Betfair, giving me a great insight into internal processes at a large betting company.
"I'm now the Commercial Account Manager for Gambling.com, where I test online bookies and contribute to reviews. I also work with the best betting sites to bring our readers exclusive offers."
Kevin Taylor - Fact-Checker
"I've reported on sport and sports betting for over a decade at this point, previously working as a journalist with news publications and now as a Content Strategist with Gambling.com.
"I cover sports betting from a number of different angles alongside a talented team of writers and editors. We rank the best betting sites based on their unique features, provide strategy tips, and help readers compare odds and offers for the biggest sporting events."
How we Review Betting Sites
We review betting sites by registering an account with all available licensed online bookmakers - including the latest new betting sites to launch.
We then place bets and try out betting sites in the same way any other punter would.
Here are some of the criteria we use to test and compare bookies:
Licensing & Security
Betting sites we recommend are always licensed and regulated, meaning that bettors can bet in a safe, secure and legal environment.
Welcome Offers
Always examine welcome offers as a priority when choosing which online bookmaker to bet with. The free bet bonus value should be high and the terms and conditions shouldn't be restrictive. Our reviewers go through the small print so you don't have to.
Ongoing Promotions
Bonuses and free bets should be available on a regular basis after you sign up. Regular promotions come in the form of loyalty bonuses, free bets and money-back offers like acca insurance.
Mobile Experience
The best betting sites need to deliver a smooth mobile betting experience. Many online bookmakers have user-friendly betting apps for Android and iOS devices with quick loading times and slick designs.
Betting Market Variety
Betting websites must have a wide range of markets to choose from. This has long been one of the first things we look for when reviewing betting sites at Gambling.com.
Competitive Odds
We expect the best betting sites to provide bettors with value for money. When trying out sites, we compare odds from dozens of bookies. This process allows us to separate the best-priced bookmakers from the rest.
Payment Options & Payout Speed
Licensed sports betting sites must accommodate a range of payment options. We expect to see debit cards from Visa and Mastercard supported, along with popular e-wallets. Instant deposits are a must and withdrawals should reach your account within 48 hours.
Quality of Customer Support
The more available customer support channels, the better. Live chat is the handiest way to get a question answered and all betting sites should have this facility available. Email and toll-free phone number details should also be provided.
Ease of Sign-Up
You shouldn't have to jump through too many hoops to sign up to betting sites. It should be a simple, secure process that doesn't take too much effort.
Industry Reputation
Irish betting sites have to come from betting companies with a solid reputation in the gambling industry. We believe that betting companies should pay the price if they stop doing the right things, so you won't see any disreputable names featured here.
In-Play Betting Options
These days the best betting sites offer 24/7 live betting. In-play betting is the perfect tool for strategic punters who want to take advantage of odds while an event is live. It also helps if a bookmaker has live streams, so you can watch sport while betting.
How to Fund Your Online Betting Account
Banking options are an important factor to consider when choosing which bookmaker to bet with. There should be a wide range of payment methods when you make a first deposit.
You should also be able to withdraw any winnings quickly and seamlessly. Some of the most popular payment methods at Irish betting sites are:
- Visa Debit
- Debit Mastercard
- PayPal
- Apple Pay
- Skrill
- Neteller
- Paysafecard
Responsible Gambling Online
The best betting sites must take responsible gambling seriously.
Remember, for the vast majority of us, betting is entertainment rather than a source of reliable income.
Here are a few tips to help you bet safely and responsibly at betting sites:
- Stick to a Betting Budget: Ensure that you bet within your means by sticking to a budget. Have a set amount of money that you can afford to bet with on a weekly or monthly basis and don't go over this limit.
- Don't Chase Losses: Bet with your head and not your heart. Chasing losses is never a good idea. Never bet emotionally as you could incur greater losses.
- Use Tools to Stay in Control: The online bookmakers we recommend have tools to help keep betting fun and under control. If you need to take some time out or set some betting limits, we recommend making use of the tools they provide.
The Final Word From Our Online Betting Experts
Our March 2024 betting sites Ireland guide was designed to help you identify the bookmakers that suit your betting preferences. Consider what you want from a bookie and read our in-depth bookmaker reviews if you need more information on any particular betting site.
Most importantly, no matter which site you choose to bet with, keep online betting fun by gambling responsibly.
Don't forget to check this page regularly for the latest rankings, as our list of the best Irish betting sites changes when we update it with all of our latest findings.
Latest Promotions From Irish Betting Sites
References
- Gambling.com Responsible Gambling Website
- Problem Gambling Ireland
- ICLG - Ireland Gambling Laws and Regulations
- Rutland Centre - Treating Gambling Addiction
- The Independent Betting Adjudication Service (IBAS)
- Department of Justice and Equality Ireland - Gambling & Betting Act