Rugby League Betting
That is certainly the case when it comes to Rugby League and betting so it can be deemed strange that in betting circles Rugby League possibly have the same following as other sports but the good news is that things from both a punters and bookmakers point of view is that in recent years all thing Rugby League betting have improved, with more markets and competitions available for betting on and more and more bookmakers offering their service to Rugby League fans.
With so much change in the Rugby League betting landscape it’s also no surprise that many who have bet in the past now find themselves confused or those new to Rugby League betting find the choice just too overwhelming. If that sounds like the situation you find yourself in, don’t worry, here is our in-depth guide to all things Rugby League betting!
Where is best to bet?
To start with any betting, you need a bookmaker and if you are new or wanting to expand your options, you may as well start with the best!
Although there is always personal preference in these things we have taken an in-depth look into all bookmakers that offer Rugby League betting. We have review them and ranked them so why not take a look at our top picks and register with the ones you find fit your needs the best. We always recommend joining up to 2-3 bookmakers at any one time.
This allows you take advantage of sign up offers and also allows you to choose the best odds and take advantage of the different markets on offer at different bookies.
Rugby League Bookmakers
Rugby League Bookies| NAME | COMPETITIONS | DETAILS | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
*Super League *Championship *NRL *Challenge Cup *Internationals |
Registration and deposited account needed. 18+ only. |  |
Bet Now (18+ #ad) |
 |
*Super League *Championship *NRL *Challenge Cup *Internationals |
Registration and deposited account needed. 18+ only. | |
Bet Now (18+ #ad) |
Rugby League odds
Why Bet on Rugby League?
If you are a fan of the sport of Rugby League, betting on the action can add extra excitement to match or for many it is simply a way of backing their team. If their team win, they get some cash as well as the enjoyment from their team winning.
Not too long ago Rugby League betting was mostly carried out by just fans of the sport but thanks to the increasing popularity of the likes of Super League and the NRL and the great exposure and viewing figures of recent England international matches all coupled with the extra focus given by many bookmakers, Rugby League betting is now becoming a main stream event in the betting industry.
What can I bet on?
As mentioned the choice of markets differs from 1 bookmaker to the rest but if you have chosen from our list above you are sure of finding a large selection of markets at each bookie with the majority covering all of the most popular markets for the most popular competitions and events.
These include everything from old favourites such as betting on the outcome of the match to betting on who will win the Man of Steel event and betting on who will win the next World Cup to what will be the first scoring play in a game.
Long gone are the days of heading down to the local bookmaker shop and writing on a piece of paper which team you think will win. The invention of online betting has truly revolutionised betting on Rugby League to the point where you can bet on seemingly every aspect of the game and of course you can bet any time of the day and from the comfort of your own home.
Competition wise the key focusses for the majority of bookmakers when it comes to Rugby League betting is the Super League, the NRL and Internationals but that doesn’t mean that that is all they are focussed on.
The best bookmakers, such as Bet365.com on a huge number of Rugby League competitions and events including the Super League, the NRL, the Challenge Cup, Internationals including the 4 Nations, World Cup and European Shield, both the Championship and Championship 1 in the UK, the State of Origin from Australia and even the Queensland and NSW cup.
New competitions including the Auckland 9’s are also now included by the top bookies.
Rugby League Betting Guide
Markets
With so many markets available to those looking at placing a bet on Rugby League it can seem confusing and perhaps in many ways that is because it is. For the majority of those betting there are only a few markets that are of interest and for most some of the newer markets will never of interest.
Although all betting offered on RL is Fixed Odds Betting where bookies offer a fixed rate of return on a bet for example odds of 3/1) betting on Rugby League can be split into 5 key areas:
- Ante Post Betting:
- Match Betting:
- In-Play Betting:
- Spread Betting:
- Handicap:
Ante Post Betting may sound confusing or something strange but if you call it by it’s over common name, futures betting, this type of betting becomes much easier to follow.
In Rugby League, the term Ante Post betting if most often used for betting events that will happen in the future such as the next Grand Final Winner, the next Challenge Cup Winner, the next World Cup winner etc. etc.
Although popular throughout the year, Ante Post betting in Rugby League is a great way of passing the off season when match betting simply isn’t an option.
Popular markets will include which team will get the most losses, will a team finish in the top 8 top 4) and which team will win the regular season.
This one is much more straightforward but takes so many market it too can seem confusing.
This area of betting take sin all aspects of betting on a Rugby League match, from betting on which team will win to betting on what type of ‘play’ will give the first score. Other popular markets including betting on which team will get to 10 points first, which the highest scoring half will be and will a team win both halves.
With things happening in an instant online a whole new type of betting has become available and that is In-Play betting.
As you would expect from the name of this type of betting, it is simply betting on a match whilst it is under way. Many of the markets similar to the ‘Match Betting’ markets but they much more focused on the next time an event will happen, such as who will score next. The market in this type of betting are constantly changing and it is a must faster pace of betting so it is often the preferred choice for those who have experience of betting or those simply betting on fun markets.
For many spread betting is something more associated with financials and financial betting and whilst it is certainly more popular in those markets, spread betting has had a long association with sport and it now becoming a more and more common type of betting in Rugby League.
Instead of betting on a win-lose outcome or a yes-no outcome of the majority of markets, spread betting is betting on whether the outcome is above or below the spread. If that sounds confusing to you, well you’re in good company as spread betting is more complex than most other forms of Rugby League betting which could explain why it often gets a bad reputation in the press.
To try and explain it as simply as possible, the spread is a predetermined number for which an event will happen. This is determined by the bookmaker and it is your job to decide on whether an event will happen more or less times than the bookmaker has decided.
An example in Rugby League is betting on the number of tries in a match. A bookmaker may give the spread of 4 and you bet on over or under that amount. If you think there will be 5 try’s in a match, you would bet over if you think 3 you would bet under.
The high scoring and unpredictable nature of Rugby League makes the traditional To Win market sometimes too risky a bet or sometimes a team just has so many injuries or are playing a lower division team that you can only see a huge win on the cards so the odds on betting on the favourite is just too small to make it worthwhile. In these occasions the handicap market is ideally placed for your custom.
In the main there are 2 types of handicap betting, 2 way and 3 way.
The 2-way handicap coupon covers either team to beat the handicap whilst the 3 way includes the option of the team equally the handicap and therefore creating a draw, but just what is the handicap?
The handicap is an extra score decided upon by the bookmakers as to what they think a team will win or lose) the game by. This is written as either a + or a – and helps create better odds for you as this is thought to be the points needed to level the teams and therefore you will get odds of either evens or 10/11.
An example of a handicap bet could be Leeds to take on Warrington in a match that the bookmakers think Leeds are the slight favourites. They think Leeds will win by a 6 point advantage or more so they become -6 whilst Warrington become +6. If you think Leeds will win by more than 6 points, you would bet on Leeds -6 whilst if you think Warrington will win or lose by less by 6 points, you would bet on Warrington +6.
The number of markets and what they mean is too complex to cover in this guide please see our Rugby League Betting Markets guide for all the information you will ever need.
How can I bet on Rugby League?
There are so many options nowadays it is basically the case of how ever you would like to when it comes to the methods of betting on Rugby League action.
Every high street in the country has at least 1 bookmaker it could quite easily be argued that there are far far too many betting shops in all parts of the country!) and the chances are that there is one close to where ever you live. If you would prefer to bet via a bookie offline in the real world as they say), all you need to do is simply visit your nearest bookmakers shop and follow the signs.
The options in shops tend to be more limited and for many the bookie shop still has a negative connotation despite many now been more like cafes than the old bookie shops that smelt of old men!
Here at RLBet.co.uk we are of course focussed primarily on online betting. Betting online is much more dynamic than betting off line, with many more markets but the real advantage is that you can view all of the markets and odds in the comfort of your own home and choose which you like to bet on in your own time.
The most popular method of online betting is via the bookmaker’s website on a laptop, PC or Mac computer. Using a bookmakers App is quickly catching up though, with the majority of bookmakers offering easy to use apps that you can use on your phone or tablet.
Other options include using the telephone or using the mobile version of the bookmaker’s main website.
What makes it different?
If you are new to betting, we would recommend starting out with a sport you know and love, which if you are reading this is probably Rugby League. If you know the sport, you have more chance of winning.
If you are an established better or have bet on and off for a while now and want something different, the good news is that there are many elements of betting that are unique to Rugby League.
The sheer competitiveness and unpredictability of the sport makes the popular market of To Win a market to avoid for most Rugby Matches leaving the handicap coupon the lace to bet.
If you have bet of football you will have noticed markets such as which team will lead at half time but in Rugby League markets such as the first to score 10 points and will a team score 3 unanswered tries for example) real open up the options, you have. All of which are made available due to the high scoring nature of the sport especially when compared to other mass market sport sin the UK such as Football.
Do I need ‘insider’ knowledge?
Many people believe that the only way to win at betting is to have so called ‘insider knowledge’. We would argue that that is never the case. So long as you have an interest in the sport, you have all of the knowledge that you need. When betting you should only ever bet what you can afford to lose and of course betting should be for fun not for profit. If you win great, if you lose, so what!
Which bookies offer odds on Rugby League?
We have shown you the best bookies above but maybe you would prefer to bet somewhere else or maybe you live in a part of the world where those bookmakers are not available.
Here is a table of all bookies we feature that offer Rugby League odds and betting markets.
Rugby League Bookies
| NAME | COMPETITIONS | DETAILS | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
*Super League *Championship *NRL *Challenge Cup *Internationals |
Registration and deposited account needed. 18+ only. | |
Bet Now (18+ #ad) |
|
*Super League *Championship *NRL *Challenge Cup *Internationals |
Registration and deposited account needed. 18+ only. | |
Bet Now (18+ #ad) |
