Betting Sites in Ireland

Betting Sites in Ireland

Long before Ireland gained independence more than 100 years ago, individuals in this country used to gamble on several sporting activities. Sports betting in Ireland is a common activity with recent statistics indicating than one in ten people engage in some sort of sports betting with a bookie at least once a week. It comes as no surprise that online sports betting is fully legal across Ireland. However, as a player, you need to ensure that you place your wagers with licensed bookies or online casinos in the country. Popular sports that players in Ireland like to wager on include football and several other events such as hurling, Gaelic football, and camogie. While a significant grey market did exist in Ireland regarding sports betting, such isn't the case as of today. In 2015, The Betting Amendment Act came into full effect, managing to efficiently regulate Ireland's gambling market.

Top 3 Online Bookmakers in Ireland

5 essential factors to know before betting in Ireland

Before you can try your luck at several Irish bookies that are licensed to operate, there are five essential things that you need to note. They include the following:

• Close to 15% of the Irish population bet on a daily basis.
• As of now, there are more than 299 online betting firms that offer their services to Irish bettors.
• Winnings realized from betting activities aren't subjected to any taxes. But again, the gambling law lacks clarity in terms of sports trading.
• MMA betting seems to be on the rise in Ireland thanks to the popularity of Conor Mcgregor.
• Just recently, the legal age of betting was raised to 18 years.

The Best Irish Betting Sites

Looking around, you'll notice that there are several online betting sites currently doing business in Ireland. Unfortunately, though, not all of them offer top-notch services that would see its customers begging for more. Based on our in-depth review, we found 22bet, 888sport, and 1xBet to be the best betting sites in Ireland. Based on their high ratings, all of them have attractive bonuses in addition to a wide range of safe and secure payment options.

The legal framework surrounding online betting in Ireland

As either a player or an operator, you would want to play or offer your services without the fear of being prosecuted or facing any legal actions. As mentioned earlier, online sports betting is legal in Ireland based on the country's right regulation policies that are coupled with low taxes. Such has led to a vibrant betting market with Ireland currently having more than 900 brick-and-mortar shops located in several places across the country. Ireland's Department of Justice has managed to issue 299 online betting licenses with operators required to pay €10,000 in fees for every two years that they are in operation. Besides the fees, the operators must also pay a 15% on Gross Gaming Revenue in addition to an additional 1% on total turnover that goes to the state directly. Fortunately for operators, the latter is expected to be scrapped. Unlicensed betting firms that carry out their operations without a license risk facing fines that aren't less than €150,000, and this can be doubled for those who repeat this mistake. But besides the expected changes in the Act back in 2016, the date was altered, with recent alterations being the raising of minimum gambling age from 16 to 18 years.

Taxes on Irish players’ winnings

Are Irish players compelled to pay taxes on their gambling winnings? This is a question that plenty of potential players in Ireland ask. But to be clear, in Ireland, winnings aren't subjected to any taxes at all. But of importance to note is that the legal framework lacks clarity on matters to do with "trading" since such is considered to be some sort of steady income as opposed to a recreational activity. Plenty of Irish players seem to have shifted their attention from betting shops and race tracks and now focusing on online bookies. With such, there has been a negative impact on conventional wagering turnovers.

7 Top Betting Sites in Ireland

Without a doubt, Paddy Power dominates Ireland's online sports betting scene. Based on estimates, after Paddy Power partnered with Betfair in 2016, it went ahead to control 17% of the gambling market in Ireland. Other notable betting houses include 10bet, Bet365, Betfair, and William Hill. Bwin is the only non-British or Irish operator that managed to make the top list. Irish favorable tax rates coupled with transparent regulatory measures have compelled betting sites licensed to operate across the country to engage in cut-throat competition with each other, especially in terms of odds, betting markets, bonuses, much to the delight of Irish online sports betting enthusiasts. The following are the best 7 betting sites in Ireland:

• Ladbrokes.ie – this bookie is highly popular in Ireland, especially for greyhounds and horse racing. Better yet, they offer races from every location across the UK. The range of soccer events here is also impressive as there are more than 200 alternative markets to choose from.
• Paddy Power.ie – this is a household name in Ireland. Based on the fact that it's a local sportsbook, it home to all types of national sports and other sporting events. Here, players can bet on football Premier Division, the Six Nations Rugby tourney, and the first Paddypowwer GAA division, to mention but a few.
• Bet365 Ireland – this is one of those bookies that offer its customers a ton of betting markets and plenty of outright bets. Furthermore, there are lots of bonuses and promotions such as "Bet365 Price Promise" and "soccer early payout," among others.
• 10bet.ie – this one is an excellent choice for football enthusiasts as there are plenty of matches not only from the Premier Division but also the lower divisions too. Other great additions include the Price boosts and "Daily trebles." Other excellent additions include Gaelic hurling and Gaelic football.
• William Hill Ireland – this bookie mainly focusses on horse and football betting. Betting options available here include Bet on Scorer, Asian Handicaps, Match Specials from the Premier League in addition to all UK and Irish races. Dart betting is also available here in addition to the entire Senior Football Championship.
• Unibet Ireland – this bookie appeals to its customers due to match bets and outrights. As a bettor, you can bet on Handicaps at the Six Nations Rugby event in addition to ante-post bets such as Triple Crown and Tryscorer. Other thrilling betting options include Matchday Specials and other alternative markets across the Premier Division.
• Betway Ireland – this bookie is more of an all-round operator that comes with a wide range of betting markets. Here, players are likely to find bets on the number of corners, cards, and combo bets, among others. The most thrilling feature here the "betyourway" that offers a combination of alternative bets. As a bettor, rest assured of finding plenty of other extra markets to bet on, Betway promos, and boosts.

Making deposits at Irish online sportsbooks

As a player, you would want to sign up for an online sports betting site that allows you to safely and conveniently fund your account. This way, you'll be assured of unforgettable betting experience. Luckily enough, you can deposit and withdraw your winnings using almost every method that you can think of when placing bets in Ireland. Some of the means that you can use include Laser, Solo, Switch, Credit & Virtual Cards, Neteller, PayPal, Skrill, and Bank Transfers. If you prefer making payments via mobile, then you can go ahead and use Boku, a means used by a majority of young bettors. Boku is one of those fastest and secure methods of payment. But again, you have to keep in mind that this mode of payment carries a €30 daily transaction limit.

The future of Irish sports betting market

Just like the UK, Ireland did follow the right path two years ago in 2018 by going ahead and regulating its online gambling market. Favorable taxes, coupled with the issuance of many licenses, work on the advantage of players. The reason for this is simple, with increased competition, the odds become even better for players. Also, the raising of minimum age requirements means that minors and underage bettors are kept safe. The only thing that Ireland needs to tackle is the country's youth gambling addiction rates that seem to be on the increase. Many are waiting to see what will be added to the proposed Betting Act.

A Full List of Irish Bookies

• 22BET – there are a number of reasons as to why players in Ireland may find it ideal playing at 22BET. For instance, there are more than 1,000 live events daily here, a 95% payout on some of the top leagues, and a cashout feature.
• 1xBet – this bookie offers its players more than 1,000 events on a daily basis, more than 50 sports to bet on, and the option of Asian Handicap.
• 888sport – here, bettors are assured of more than 10,000 events per month, a bet builder, and more than 40 sports to bet on.
• BETWINNER – this bookie offers its customers more than 1,000 pre-match events daily, 98%+ on tennis in addition to the availability of horse racing bets.
• FEZbet – FEZbet has the cashout option, next minute bets in addition to very fast markets.
• Bwin – Irish players, betting using this bookie, have a chance of editing their bets in addition to being provided with more than 50 sports to bet on. Also, players can bet on corners and cards with this bookie.
• Librabet – Librabet has got high odds of football events in addition to a huge variety of betting markets. That not all as there's also a mouth-watering welcome bonus available for new players.
• Bet365 – football enthusiasts will find Bet365 highly ideal for them. Bet365 has got more than 150 extra bets on top leagues in addition to several Asian handicap markets.
• Campobet – if your desire is to bet in anonymity, then FortuneJack is an ideal betting site for you. Additionally, Campobet employs extra security with two-step authentications and both a cashout and partial cash-out option.
• Unibet – at Unibet, players stand a chance of enjoying more than 250,000 pre-match events every year, 10,000+ live events on a monthly basis, and 96%+ on Asian Handicaps.