The Top Greyhound Betting Sites: The Complete Guide
Last updated: by Leon Marshal
Few people realise that before the popularity of football gambling soared to the astronomical levels of today, greyhound racing was Britainās second most popular choice for sports betting. There are thousands of greyhound events held across the UK every year. But how does one proceed in order to make the best out of the betting in the greyhound’s world? We broke down the best greyhound betting sites to get an idea of which operators are at the top of their game.
Betting Sites Our Top 5 Bookies Check Them Out!Ā
The internet is awash with greyhound betting sites of all shapes and sizes. Naturally, reaching a final decision and choosing a bookie can sometimes seem rather difficult. Customers are bombarded with all kinds of promotions, betting types and odds, which make the decision-making process even more difficult and time-consuming. This short review takes you through some of the key aspects of greyhound betting, regardless of whether youāre a beginner or a full-on guru in the field.
The Best Greyhound Gambling Sites and How to Choose Them
If youāve ever placed a bet on a dog, then youāre familiar with the mountain of confusing and flashy ads, graphs and numbers that you need to sift through before reaching a sound decision on how to proceed with placing a bet. The process is quite unpleasant. This is why itās important to separate the important information from the distractions. This is where KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) come in handy. By focusing the bulk of our attention on these indicators, weāre able to make better judgements about how to go about punting on greyhounds and find the best greyhound betting sites.
Bookmaker | Welcome Bonus | Highlights | Rating | Visit Bookmaker | T&C |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
š„ William Hill | Ā£30 | Markets: 35, Bet Types: 14, Odds Levels: 90.51% | 5.0 out of 5 | www.williamhill.com | Full T&Cs Apply! New online customers only, min Ā£10/ā¬10 stake, win only, min odds 1/2, free bets paid as 3 X Ā£10/ā¬10, 30 day expiry, free bet/payment method/player/country restrictions apply. |
š„ Coral | Ā£20 Free Bet | Markets: 34, Bet Types: 14, Odds Levels: 88.31% | 5.0 out of 5 | www.coral.co.uk | Full T&Cs Apply! *18+ Eligible UK+IRE players. Paypal & some deposit & bet types excl. Min first Ā£5 bet within 14 days of account reg at min odds 1/2 = 4x Ā£5 free bets. Free bets valid for 7 days, stake not returned. No cashout, restrictions apply. |
š„ Ladbrokes | Ā£20 Free Bet | Markets: 34, Bet Types: 14, Odds Levels: 88.11% | 4.8 out of 5 | www.ladbrokes.com | Full T&Cs Apply! 18+ New UK+IRE customers only. PayPal and certain deposit types excluded. Min Ā£5 bet within 14 days of account registration at min odds 1/2 = 4 x Ā£5 free bets. Free bets valid for 4 days on sports, stake not returned, restrictions apply. |
ā bet365 | Ā£30 | Markets: 32, Bet Types: 12, Odds Levels: 88.57% | 4.7 out of 5 | www.bet365.com | Full T&Cs Apply! For new customers at bet365. Min deposit requirement. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits and are available for use upon settlement of bets to value of qualifying deposit. Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Time limits and T&Cs apply. Registration required. 18+ Begambleaware.org |
ā Grosvenor | x2 Odds! | Markets: 33, Bet Types: 12, Odds Levels: 84.85% | 4.6 out of 5 | www.grosvenor.com | Full T&Cs Apply! Offer applies to Sport bets only. Maximum total stake is Ā£10. Each way bets are a maximum of Ā£5 each way (Ā£10 total stake). Exclusive to new members. 18+ |
Top 5 Greyhound Betting Sites
- š„ William Hill āŖ Top Overall Online Greyhound Racebook
- š„ Coral āŖ Most Popular Greyhound Betting Site
- š„ Ladbrokes āŖ Most Secure Greyhound Betting Sportsbook
- ā Grosvenor āŖ Top Live Greyhound Betting Bookie
- ā bet365 āŖ Best Greyhound Betting Exchange
But itās not just about knowing what the KPIs are. Itās also about knowing what each of these KPIs mean, and how we can utilise them to the best of our advantage. At the end of the day, itās important to remember that not every bookie is worthy of our time and money. Some of the KPIs that weāll be considering include the pay-out rate, the markets on offer, the various types of betting, and of course, the extremely important bonuses and promotions that best greyhound betting sites provide both existing and new customers. Weāll elaborate on them below. So, letās get started. First off: odds levels.
Betting on Greyhounds Odds Levels
Bookmakers of all stripes love to make grandiose claims about how theyāve paved your path to prosperity and betting glory. But not all of them can deliver on their wild promises. One way to verify the veracity of their claims is to check their odds levels. Greedier bookmakers charge more commission, so finding higher payout levels points to a more generous operator. To better appreciate the importance of odds levels, consider this: a five percent increase in average payout equates to Ā£50 when you’ve played through Ā£1,000.
AVERAGE PAYOUT LEVEL AT MAIN RACE TYPES | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bookmaker | William Hill | Coral | Black Type | bet365 | Grosvenor |
Track Racing | 86.87% | 87.91% | 84.96% | 84.99% | 83.93% |
Coursing | 91.32% | 91.89% | 85.86% | 87.31% | 89.32% |
Flatground Long Distance | 83.31% | 89.21% | 88.65% | 85.44% | 87.42% |
Short Sprint Racing | 85.47% | 84.49% | 87.02% | 83.42% | 91.10% |
What complicates matters even further is that odds fluctuate as conditions change. Staying on top of changing odds is crucial to greyhound betting, so be sure to check your sportsbook often throughout the day until you find odds you like. Throughout the years, Paddy Power has proven itself to be a solid performer when it comes to the odds they offer on UK events.
Markets on Offer
While greyhound betting is a very popular activity in England, not all greyhound racing events take place there. Furthermore, there are greyhound racing events taking place throughout the year. So when deciding to flex your betting muscles, remember that you also have non-UK events. There is, for instance, the Irish Derby at Shelbourne Park. Greyhound racing also has a large following in Australia, where the biggest events are held at places like Sandown Park. Altogether, there are 65 events held in the country. In Scotland, the main derby takes place at Shawfield Stadium.
Greyhound Markets at Each Operator | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Bookmaker | Track Racing | Coursing | Flatground Long Distance | Short Sprint Racing |
William Hill | 7 | 4 | 7 | 8 |
Coral | 7 | 3 | 8 | 8 |
Black Type | 4 | 5 | 4 | 8 |
bet365 | 3 | 7 | 5 | 6 |
Grosvenor | 6 | 7 | 3 | 6 |
If live streaming is important to you, remember to check and see if your favourite event is live streamed by your favourite bookie, and if you want to have a lot of precious infos about in-play markets, take a look at our live bets page. Of course, donāt forget that bonuses and promotions can vary in quality and quantity depending on the bookie and event.
Bet Types Available
If youāre used to using the best sites for football betting, then thereās a good chance that you wonāt be too impressed with the number of betting markets available for greyhound racing. Here, you have the straight win bet, which also happens to be the most popular type. As the name implies, punters have to predict which dog will win the race. A variation of this comes in the form of predicting from which trap the winning greyhound will start. Naturally, no one knows which dog starts from which trap. Widely regarded as a difficult bet, the āpick threeā bet type involves predicting the winner of three races in a row. Last but not least is the superfecta, which is also a very challenge bet. Winning here requires that you predict the exact order in which the first four dogs finish. Operators like Ladbroke and Coral offer some decent markets, when someone is looking for best greyhound betting sites.
Utilising Cash Out at Greyhound Betting Sites
Although cash out has become a standard feature offered by so many betting sites these days, this popular option is not available for greyhound racing. An important reason is the fact that the duration of greyhound racing is relatively short in comparison to other sports. It, therefore, does not make much sense for bookies or customers for this option to be available.
Greyhound Bonuses and Promotions
What would betting be without bonuses and promotions? But punters need to remember that the number of bonuses and offers on best greyhound betting sites are not as impressive as they may want it to be. But this doesnāt mean they donāt exist if you donāt look hard enough. Thereās the Best Odds Guaranteed bonus by operators like Coral as well as the second chance promotion by William Hill. Overall, the mentioned names are two of the most formidable force when it comes to bonuses, but do make sure you check the other operators out there in case they offer something better suited to your playstyle. Do you want to know everything about a bookmaker’s offer? Check our page about bonus and on-going promotions.
Best Odds Guaranteed
So, youāre on a website thatās claiming to have Best Odds Guaranteed on its greyhound races. What does that even mean? Well, the idea is pretty straightforward. Imagine the following scenario while betting on greyhound racing: the starting price turns out to be larger than the price you originally took on a specific selection. If the operator is offering Best Odds Guaranteed, it means theyāre obliged to pay you out at the higher price. Itās very rare nowadays for bookies not to offer this bonus. So, if you come across one that doesnāt, keep looking and the ideal bookmaker my just be around the corner. Ladbrokes, for instance, offer BOG on all Irish and UK races.
Other Offers
Overall, when it comes to bonuses, our experience has taught us that Paddy Power tend to be a safe bet. In addition to BOG, which is a standard these days, Paddy Power usually give an offer for an event each week as part of the operatorās money back greyhound racing special. The website also uses different colour codes to highlight whether a certain race is eligible for this promotion or not. None of this means that these are the only offers available out there. Bookies are always offering special deals and boosts that change frequently.
Emerging Features in Greyhound Racing Betting
There is no genre of sports betting that has not been exposed to the latest in innovative technologies and developments. And greyhound racing is no different. The industry is always evolving in the most unforeseen ways and itās important to keep up-to-date with whatās going on. There is, for instance, virtual greyhound betting, which is a common feature offered by operators. Furthermore, there are always up and coming names in the industry that arenāt necessarily known to everyone. Below, weāll quickly go through some of these emerging trends that we think punters should be mindful of when spending their hard-earned money. Most of them, as you may notice, will be mobile-oriented: why not take a look at our app page to learn all about this way of betting?
Virtual Greyhound Betting
It may be the case that seeing live dogs race each other isnāt the type of thing that sends tingles down your spine. But donāt worry. Because thanks to the latest innovations in the world of virtual betting, those of us who prefer a more pixelated approach to life can now lose ourselves in the thrill and excitement of virtual greyhound betting. Furthermore, for the more environmentally conscious punters out there, virtual greyhound betting means that you can bet while being animal friendly since no living dogs are involved in the process. William Hill is one of the bookies that offer customers the virtual greyhound betting option. The platforms for greyhound races have become so ridiculously slick that you canāt tell where reality stops and where virtual reality begins.
New Greyhound Betting Sites
As pointed out earlier, the world of greyhound racing is always experiencing ebbs and flows. Nothing stays the same. Well, almost nothing. One of the things punters want to remember when spending their hard-earned money is the new names out there. Though operators like Paddy Powers do command respect, theyāre by no means the only forces to be reckoned with.
- Up to Ā£20 Welcome Bonus
- High payout level of 85.93%
- Plenty of greyhound events for betting
- Get non-runner insurancee
Ladbrokes, for instance, offers a welcome bonus of up to Ā£20 and a decent payout rate. They also have many events to choose from. Their app is also impressive and makes betting on the go that much easier than before. Check out our Ladbrokes review for the full details.
Greyhound Betting by Race Type
Owing to its very nature, there are not that many greyhound race types out there and when it comes to picking the right strategy here is where you must be clever. This and the introduction of tougher regulation have meant that punters have a more limited range of possibilities when it comes greyhound betting systems. Having said that, thereās always a greyhound racing event for someone to bet. The key is to always be attentive and know exactly what it is youāre looking for.
Track Racing
Track racing is the most common type of greyhound racing. Central Park, Towcester and Sheffield are some of the most popular greyhound racing events in the UK. But there are races across the world throughout most of the year, so the likelihood of finding a race on any given day is very high. In Britain, most races fall into two broad categories: open and graded racing. The latter group are considered to be the biggest events and the minimum prize cannot be less than Ā£50,000. Englandās Greyhound Derby is the most respected event in the greyhound racing.
Coursing
Today, in many parts of the world, including the UK, hare coursing, or more commonly referred to as coursing, is no longer a permissible activity under law. The Hunting Act, which was passed by the British Parliament in 2004, banned several hunting activities including coursing. The ban means that operators are also forbidden from promoting coursing bets, since they must conform with the new regulation.
Q&A / FAQ
While we tried to make our greyhound betting guide as comprehensive as possible, occasionally our readers have more specific questions that we answered below. If you’re interested in more general betting knowledge, check out our best betting sites homepage.
š What are the best greyhound betting sites?
While there are countless choices out there, the best greyhound betting sites are ones that have a licence from the Gambling Commission. A UKGC licence is the number one indicator a gambling site is safe and trustworthy. Any UKGC licensed sportsbook meets stringent rules and regulations pertaining to player safety, legal compliance and other factors. You can check out our list of the top greyhound racebooks for some suggestions on websites to get started at.
š° Which greyhound betting sites have the highest payouts?
The payout levels at greyhound betting sites can vary greatly. It's worth checking our greyhound betting odds table to see which ones payout more on average. Keep in mind the bookie's commissions are built into the odds, so finding sportsbooks with higher payouts generally means they're charging you less. This can be a great boost to your bankroll.
š® Are greyhound betting sites secure?
In general, yes, but only if they have a UKGC licence. Having a licence means an operator is fully compliant with all UKGC requirements and regulations. Furthermore, sticking to UKGC licensed websites drastically reduces the likelihood your data is leaked, as transaction encryption is one of the things the UKGC looks at. You can see our list of recommended greyhound betting sites to see which licensed greyhound racebooks we like the most.
š What are some popular bet types at greyhound bookies?
Most of the greyhound bet types are quite similar to horse racing. At one end of the spectrum, you can pick a single dog to win, and on the other, you can get a huge payday if you can correctly predict the top three runners in a race. You can also make accumulators where you combine the odds on multiple races into one bet. We suggest checking your greyhound betting website to see any special bets it might offer.