In order to help sports fans to pick the best betting sites, we spend a lot of time assessing a range of departments within them. Here are some of the top areas that we look at the most:
- Licences
- Safety and security
- Reputation
- Banking methods
- Free bets and bonuses
- Customer support
- Mobile apps
- Sports to bet on
- Betting markets
- High betting odds
- Unique features
We list and compare the betting sites which offer the most sports, betting markets and highest sports betting odds. You can also compare the best betting sites for popular sports below, including the best bookie for popular sports such as football, and horse racing.
Legal, Licensed & Safe
All of the betting sites on BettingGuide are legal, licensed and safe to gamble on from Ireland. We only list bookmakers with an Irish gambling licence or remote betting sites that hold reputable gambling licenses from respected authorities such as the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) and the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA), each bookie needs to comply with strict safety regulations or risk losing their licenses.
The reputation of a sports betting site can make it or break it. How they treat customers has a big impact on their industry reputation, which can always improve or get worse over the years.
Sign Up Offers
Free bets and bonuses are what catches the eye of a lot of people in Ireland. Those who want to snag a bargain will want to make sure they sign up to a site that offers excellent promotions.
All of the best betting sites offer high-value new customer sign up offers to attract new players. It is important to take full advantage of these signup offers, as you can only claim them once (on each bookie), and they almost always offer more value than any other promotion available.
Some punters even sign up to almost every legal bookie available to take advantage of these fantastic free bet offers. But, not all signup bonuses offer good value, and it is important to learn how to spot the best and avoid the worst.
Firstly, look at the wagering requirements on the bonus, to see how much you need to wager the amount to unlock the funds for withdrawal. The best bonuses come with no wagering requirements, but some, require you to wager the bonus 10x the amount, or even more on casino bonuses.
Secondly, check to see what restrictions there are on the bonus, whether you need to deposit using a certain payment method, or if the bonus can only be used on a certain sport, market, etc.
Lastly, it is important to check if you need to enter a bonus code, and what the minimum deposit and bet amount are to qualify for the offer. Not all bonuses have these conditions, but it is crucial to check so you do not miss out on claiming the offer.
Wide Range of Payment Methods
Sports betting fans increasingly demand a variety of banking methods be available to use. There is little point in a sports betting site excelling in areas if their banking options are limited.
After making sure the betting site is legal, licensed, and safe, we check to see which payment methods are accepted to be sure residents from Ireland can safely deposit and withdraw money.
All of the betting sites in our list accept a wide range of local and international payment methods ranging from debit/credit cards to e-wallets such as PayPal, Neteller and Skrill.
Sports & Betting Markets Available
Most sports betting sites have similar markets. But those who have different sports to bet on are likely to be reviewed favourably compared to those who focus on a limited number of sports.
Tied into the above is the depth of betting markets that are available. For the biggest sporting events, it is now not uncommon for there to be hundreds of different bets to pick from.
Quickly compare the top 10 sports betting sites in our list above, with the number of sports available, the average number of betting markets, and whether the bookie offers free live streaming and a cash-out feature.
bet365 is our number one pick for sports betting, with 30+ sports, free live streams, full and partial cashouts, high betting odds, and hundreds of betting markets.
High Betting Odds
Those who are experienced with sports betting know the importance of high betting odds. Small differences in prices can rack up in the long run. Which betting sites have the best odds?
Well, you can compare the betting margins for each bookie below, for both live and pre-match markets on cricket, football and horse racing bets.
If you did not know, the betting margin is essentially how much a bookie "charges" you to place a bet. Simply put, the lower the betting margin, the higher the odds.
Betting Sites with the Highest Betting Odds in Ireland
Below are the results of our latest independent betting margins tests. We analyse and test a range of betting odds across different markets, leagues and sports, to give an overall idea of the margins that betting sites charge.
As you can see below, the margins of the sports vary quite a lot from the best (MansionBet) to the worst (Casumo).
- Mansionbet betting margin - 3.57%
- Mr Play betting margin - 4.24%
- Unibet betting margin - 4.85%
- Quinnbet betting margin - 4.88%
- bet365 betting margin - 4.94%
- 888Sport betting margin - 5.13%
- Betfair betting margin - 5.69%
- Paddy Power betting margin - 6.49%
- BoyleSports betting margin - 6.49%
- Casumo betting margin - 7.01%
Mobile Betting
It is increasingly the case that people prefer to place their sports bets on a mobile device. Sports betting sites, therefore, need to work hard on their mobile sites and mobile apps to stand out.
We test the mobile betting apps, and mobile optimised betting websites to see which bookies offer the best mobile betting experience.
Compare which betting sites offer betting apps on Android and iOS below, and the results of our tests on our best betting apps in Ireland page.
Customer Support
Anyone who has ever had an issue with their account on a sports betting site knows the importance of customer support. We check to see what options are available to users.
We believe the best betting sites should offer 24/7 customer support with several methods of contact including a live chat, email, and free phone number.
This is certainly not the case across all betting sites, but the top five in our list all offer top-tier, 24/7 customer support with several contact methods.
Lastly, we look at what unique features a sports betting site in Ireland has to offer. Is there live streaming of sports to watch after having a wager on the action? What about deals like free bet clubs and acca insurance for existing users? And can users cash out on their bets?