Rugby Betting Sites – The Best the Online World has to Offer

Last updated: by Leon Marshal

Rugby betting sites popularity is exploding, partly down to the growing popularity of the sport, and partly down to new possibilities allowed by new technology, online rugby betting is on the rise. Whether you’re a fan of the AVIVA Premiership, Six Nations or other highly competitive global leagues, the internet’s best rugby betting sites will have you covered.

Below, we’ll cover everything you need to know about online rugby betting sites. From the odds levels to the markets and bet types on offer, we’ve got you covered. Use the quick navigation above to head to the area you’re most interested in or read on for a comprehensive review of what makes a great rugby betting site.


The Best Rugby Betting Sites and How to Choose Them

Casual punters might not be too concerned about much of what we discuss here. But if you’re a regular or semi-regular rugby bettor, then it pays to have a range of the best rugby betting sites at your disposal. This is because odds levels can vary among different online betting sites, some events may not be available everywhere, and some operators may not offer the bet type or market that you desire.

The Top 5 Rugby Betting Sites
BookmakerWelcome BonusHighlightsRatingVisit BookmakerT&C
ÂŁ30Markets: 33 Bet Types: 18 Odds Levels: 90.51%5.0 out of 5Full 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
Get ÂŁ10Markets: 32 Bet Types: 18 Odds Levels: 93.135.0 out of 5Full T&Cs Apply! DEPOSIT AND BET ÂŁ10 MINIMUM ODDS 1/2 (1.50) /ÂŁ10 FREEBET / VALID 7 DAYS / T&CS APPLY /18+ / BEGAMBLEAWARE.ORG
ÂŁ20 Free BetMarkets: 32 Bet Types: 17 Odds Levels: 91.89%4.8 out of 5Full T&Cs Apply! 18+ New UK+IRE customers only. PayPal and certain deposit types excluded. Min ÂŁ5 bet within 14 days of account registration at min odds 1/2 = 4 x ÂŁ5 free bets. Free bets valid for 4 days on sports, stake not returned, restrictions apply.
£10 Risk FreeMarkets: 31 Bet Types: 15 Odds Levels: 91.12%4.7 out of 5Full T&Cs Apply! Risk Free 20: New customers only, limited to one per person. If you’ve previously had a Paddy Power account, you will not qualify for the offer. Place your FIRST bet on any Sportsbook market and if it loses we will refund your stake in CASH. Max refund for this offer is £20. Only deposits made using Debit Cards or Paypal will qualify for this promotion. T&Cs apply. Paddy’s Rewards Club: Get a £10 free bet when you place 5x bets of £10+.
£30Markets: 30 Bet Types: 14 Odds Levels: 92.25%4.6 out of 5Full T&Cs Apply! New customers only – Minimum deposit of £10 using deposit code 30F - A qualifying bet is a ‘real money’ stake of at least £10 placed on any sports market - Minimum odds of 1/2 (1.5) - Free bets credited upon qualifying bet settlement and expire after 7 days - Free bet stakes not included in returns - Deposit method and withdrawal restrictions apply & Full T&C’s apply
The top rugby betting sites

Top 5 Rugby Betting Sites

  • đŸ„‡ bet365 âœȘ Top Overall Rugby Betting Site
  • đŸ„ˆ NetBet âœȘ Best Online Rugby Sportsbook
  • đŸ„‰ Ladbrokes âœȘ Most Secure Rugby Betting Site
  • ⭐ Paddy Power âœȘ Top Risk Free Rugby Bonus
  • ⭐ 888sport âœȘ High-Quality Rugby Livestreams

First, we’ll go through what to look out for in terms of the odds levels and which operators we think offer the best value. But don’t worry! Betting markets, types, in-play rugby betting and much more will all get the attention they deserve.


Rugby Betting Odds Levels

Squeezing as much value as possible from your bets can often be the difference between your account being in the plus or minus. That’s why it’s key to shop around and have a good idea of which operators generally have high odds for rugby. This rings true for whatever sport you bet on whether it be at greyhound bookmakers or football betting sites. While odds levels vary between events and markets within a single operator, it still helps to have this knowledge. That’s why we’ve compiled the table below with our findings on rugby betting odds explained, to give you an overview of which are the best rugby betting sites when it comes to odds levels.

Average Payouts At Top Tier Rugby Betting Sites
Bookmaker
Premiership89.64%92.83%89.63%90.94%94.23%
Pro 1493.44%89.41%88.97%91.38%86.59%
French Rugby Championship87.82%87.02%91.66%87.21%94.32%
Six Nations87.71%94.12%92.62%93.93%92.50%

As you can see, different operators come out on top for different events. Ultimately, if you want a strong all-around operator, you’re in safe hands with Ladbrokes. We found them to be consistently competitive. Calculating the odds is a tricky business. To produce the figures, we took ten events from each competition at each bookmaker and calculated the bookie’s average margin to give you the results you’re able to see above. As a punter, you’re essentially looking for the highest number, so you get the most value, and the bookie makes the lowest margin.

Markets on Offer

Betting market availability differs from one operator to the next. But it also makes a difference whether you’re betting on rugby union or league. As you can see in the table below, the bigger competitions have more betting markets. The AVIVA Premiership has by far the most, so that’s where you’ll find some of the more interesting betting markets and bet types.

Rugby Markets at Each Operator
BookmakerPremiershipPro 14French Rugby ChampionshipSix Nations
50302844
26312528
42333348
43413443
30462633

While the number of markets is obviously a huge factor in choosing a bookie, most of the best betting on rugby sites have great market coverage and very little differentiates them from one another. Unless you’re actively looking for obscure fixtures, you should be fine with most of the top bookmakers.

Bet Types Available

Thanks to innovations at the online bookmakers, there are now a whole host of rugby betting options available to punters. Along with the standard head to head bets, there are loads more interesting betting markets, many of which are great for in-play bets. Betting markets such as which team will score the first try and odd or even number of tries scored are just some of the emerging betting markets for the sport. Handicap betting is also more popular in rugby than it is for sports such as football due to the higher scoring frequency, so expect to find the best operators excel in this market. There will often be special betting options, which bookmakers create to get ahead of the pack. While fun, these don’t always offer the best means to turn a profit. Instead, make sure an operator has core betting options available, along with a host of different in-play bet types, which experienced punters will use to their advantage.

Live Rugby Betting Arena

One of the great things about rugby betting is that there are also loads of wide-ranging in-play options. This means that the best online betting sites for rugby will take their in-play rugby offering very seriously. Always make sure the platform is intuitive, easy to navigate and quick to load, so that you don’t miss any last-second opportunities that may arise. Check out the slider below to see how live betting on rugby looks with some of our favourite operators.

It’s easy to see why live betting is popular in rugby. The high-speed, high-scoring nature of the game, with plenty of different points of action, fits perfectly with live betting. This also means there are a vast array of different markets to utilise for in-play betting. Add to all this the fact that bookies take this feature so seriously, often adding live-streaming and sometimes stats for each game, and it’s clear why live betting on rugby has been so successful in recent years. If you want to know everything about in-play betting then check our live betting sites page.

Utilising Cash Out at Rugby Betting Sites

When to cash out an in-play bet is subjective. While we try to utilise the cash out function sparingly, it can be a great weapon in your arsenal when used correctly. Firstly, make sure you’re using one of the recommended sites that have instant cashouts to make sure you don’t miss anything at the last second. For single bets that are in-play, simply weigh up what you think are the chances of your bet winning at full-time, compared with the profit return you are currently being offered. For multiple bets, it’s a little easier as you can also place a bet or bets on the remaining selections that are yet to come in if you want to cash it out early. The best rugby betting sites also offer partial cashouts now, where you can cash out part of your stake, and leave the rest in play, so bear in mind that this is often also an option.


Bet Types Available in Rugby

As we mentioned above, there are numerous different betting options for rugby, which makes it both a fun and valuable sport to bet on. Below, we’ll outline a couple of our favourites. Handicap betting is very popular in rugby but not everyone knows how it works. With that in mind, we’ll start off with a couple of handicap bets.

Alternative Handicap 2-Way

the man of a rugby player holding the ball A handicap 2-Way will help to give you better odds for a favoured team winning by essentially handicapping them. A 2-Way handicap removes the option of the draw. So, let’s say you back England via a -18.5 2-Way Handicap to beat Scotland, then England would need to win by a difference of more than 19 points for the bet to win. As you can see, the 2-Way Handicap works to eliminate the draw by the use of the half-point or decimal place in the handicap value. Of course, you can back the other option, giving Scotland a +18.5 head start and hope that they don’t lose by more than that value for the bet to win.

Alternative Handicap 3-Way

3 rugby players in a scrumA 3-Way handicap works in the same way but includes the outcome of a draw. That means a bookie will give offer a handicap result for the draw, let’s say a draw between England and Ireland is +6, with England -6 and Ireland +6. Should you bet on the draw – for which you’ll be given long odds since rugby matches rarely result in a draw – then you would need England to beat Ireland by 6 points to equal the handicap difference.

Try-scorers

A rugby player kicking the ball Try-scorer bets are self-explanatory, since you’re essentially betting on an individual to score a try. But there are a few permutations of the bet which we’ll outline here. You can bet on a player to be the first, last or an anytime try-scorer. There are also multi try-scorer bets where you can bet on a player to score more than a set amount of tries, usually more than two or three.

First Team to score

3 rugby players in action during a match A bit like the above try-scorer bet, but instead, you’re betting on which team will score first in the match. Many bookmakers offer an extension of this bet, which is whether you think the team scoring first will also win the game. Some operators go even further, offering the first team to score / half-time / full-time bet, which means you’ll need to correctly predict the first team to score and which team will be winning at both half and full time.


Emerging features in Rugby Betting

As highlighted earlier, rugby is one of the numerous sports to benefit from advances in technology, which have brought new betting markets and types to our screens. The best rugby betting sites always tend to deal with new develops and features. With in-play betting making innovations seemingly every week, you can expect this to continue. Live betting will continue to evolve, meaning there will be more bets and the cash-out feature will continue to expand in the near future. New deals and promotions, as you can find out by consulting our list of the best betting bonuses are always on the run, so a constant overlook of every operator’s page is definitely worth it!

Flash Markets

One of these innovations already on our doorstep is flash betting markets. These bets appear instantly during live matches and disappear just as fast. They often revolve around a time frame. For example, in rugby, some operators will offer in-play bets such as “will there be a free kick or scrum in the next minute of play?” The time-frames vary, which means the number of flash markets are almost endless. While we find them a little gimmicky and not a means to find serious value, they are fun and will appeal to casual rugby betting fans.

New Rugby Betting Sites

Along with new markets and bet types, there are also new rugby betting sites springing up. Challenging the old-school or the more recently established online operators, these new rugby betting sites turn to innovative approaches to stand out from the pack.

Rugby ball with the MansionBet logo
Best New Rugby Betting Site
  • Great rugby odds
  • High payout level of 93.67%
  • Plenty of Rugby legaues for betting
  • Bet on multiples and in-play
iOSAndroidBlackberryWindows Mobile Visit Site!
Full T&Cs Apply! Please gamble responsibly. 18+

They are also the place to look for more unusual bonuses or promotions, as well as high odds, as they look to attract customers away from the more traditional betting sites. Take a look at our favourite new rugby betting sites in the table above or read our in-depth look at what we think are the best new betting sites in the UK.


Rugby Betting by League

If you’re reading this in the UK, then you’re likely a fan of the AVIVA Premiership. In the Premier Division in England, twelve clubs battle for the title each season, with winners gaining entry to the European Rugby Champions Cup and the European Rugby Challenge Cup. But there are many more leagues and markets out there, so let’s take a quick look.

AVIVA Premiership

Premiership logo As we mentioned above, England’s Premier League is the big one for fans in the UK. The Leicester Tigers are the league’s most successful team, with ten titles overall. Thousands of people enjoy betting on the league every week, which means that operators put special focus on it. That is music to the ears of punters, who will find competitive odds, more betting types, and even rugby-specific bonuses and promotions on the league from competing operators looking to take a slice of the pie.

Pro 14

Pro14 logo The Pro 14 is an interesting competition. Taking place each year, sides from Ireland, Italy, Scotland, South Africa and Wales take part. Currently sponsored by Guinness, this is another well served betting market. Due to the nature of the competition, outright markets are particularly popular with punters.

French Rugby Championship

French rugby championship logo The French Rugby Championship – or the French Top 14 – is a rugby union league in France. Containing some of the world’s best teams, it has been around since 1892. It is the top league in France and is run by the French National Rugby League. This league is huge with French rugby fans. With Canal+ televising many games since 2008, its popularity has grown even further, and it now has audiences all over the world.

Six Nations

Six Nations logo Perhaps the greatest international rugby tournament other than the World Cup, the Six Nations is loved by many. England has a great record at this tournament, which also involves France, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, and Italy. However, many operators will have heaps of exclusives for this one, so it’s always good to keep an eye out. Be like former rugby player Brian O’Driscoll, for example, who won a nice little sum on the last tournament, when he successfully tipped Ireland to win the tournament.


Q&A / FAQ

While we tried to make our rugby betting guide as comprehensive as possible, our readers will occasionally have more specific questions. You can see our answers to them below. For a complete broad overview of the UK betting industry and the top aspects that punters enjoy, see how we rank the best betting sites.

🏆 What are the best rugby betting sites?

The best rugby betting sites are ones licensed by the Gambling Commission. Discounting other factors like odds and markets, a UKGC licence is the best indicator of a legitimate sportsbook. All the bookies listed on our site have a UKGC licence, so have a look at our best rugby betting sites for some suggestions on where to bet.

💰 What are the payout levels for rugby betting sites?

The payout levels at online rugby bookies can vary significantly. It's worth checking our rugby betting odds chart to see which ones payout more. Keep in mind the bookie's commissions are built into the odds, so finding higher payout bookmakers generally means they're charging you less. This has a great effect on your bankroll over the long run.

🏉 What are the top rugby competitions to bet on?

In the UK, the AVIVA Premiership is the most popular rugby competition. However, the Pro-14 League and Six Nations League all see significant money wagered on them and bookmakers capitalise on this by featuring loads of special promotions. You can see our overview of the top rugby competitions for betting for more details.

▶ Where can you live bet on rugby?

Almost every bookmaker in this day and age has a live betting platform, so the question, therefore, becomes about quality. We went into thorough detail about what to look for at live rugby betting sites so you have some criteria to compare with. Overall, you should look for mobile-friendly, fast and intuitive platforms.