Whatever you call it - rugby football, rugger or simply "league" - and whichever type you prefer, Rugby League or Rugby Union, we can all agree that this physical, fast-paced game could have been made for wagering real money on!
You\'ll always find the following at our top rugby betting sites:
From Six Nations, kicking off in early 2018, to Rugby World Cup online betting at the back end of 2019, there's a lot of exciting rugby action coming up soon. And even though much of it is quite a way off, there's nothing to stop you from getting your real money wagers in now. In fact, at the time of writing, you can even bet on who will be hosting an international tournament in 2023!
To get the most out of rugby betting sites, you'll want to consider betting on both Rugby League and Rugby Union - most sites that offer online betting on rugby treat these as two entirely different sports, with some sites offering close to double the number of potential Rugby Union bets as Rugby League.
The majority of rugby events take place between September and March so, as you'd expect, the same is true of rugby betting. UK punters always have plenty of opportunities to bet on rugby at an online bookmaker though, whenever you decide to visit.
Individual game winner
World Series champion
Over/under on game score(s)
American and National League winners
Once you've sifted through all those rugby betting tips out there, you're ready to sign up with online bookies and start taking advantage of those welcome bonuses. Rugby World Cup online betting, and placing wagers on 2024's other events, couldn't be much easier:
Sign up with one of our recommended rugby betting sites by submitting some personal information
Claim your welcome bonus and, unless you have a no deposit free bet, add some real money to your account to play with
Make your way to the rugby (League or Union) betting area, find a team you want to back and place your wager
It's as easy as that! Just make sure your bet is confirmed before you leave the page, as it would be a shame to miss out on winnings due to a careless mistake.
When you're playing at online betting sites in the United Kingdom, it's pretty much a sure thing that you'll be able to take advantage of a welcome bonus. Sadly, you can't withdraw this bonus as real money right off the bat but must wager it many times over before you can do that. Still, the best bonuses are always worth having!
In 2024, the most common type of bonus is a % match bonus. Usually to the value of 100% (or more) and with a maximum value that can be matched, this means that you'll get an extra £200 to play with if you make an initial deposit of £200. Feel free to get a little fast and loose with your bonus credit, and maybe use it to take a few risks that you might not if you were using real money!
Editors Pick
100%
100% deposit bonus of up to £30
T&Cs Apply
New UK & Ireland customers only. £10. First deposit matched up to £30. 1x wagering at odds of 1.75 to unlock Free Bet. Credit Card, Debit Card & PayPal deposits only. Full Terms apply.
Players Favourite
£30
Bet £10 get £30 when you place your first bet
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 balance is available for withdrawal at any time. General deposit method & withdrawal restrictions apply & Full Terms apply.
In the UK, the most common odds format is fractional. You might occasionally see decimal odds (1.6, 2.3 etc.) but these are much more common in Europe than Britain. For the purposes of this guide to rugby betting odds, we'll stick with fractional!
Fractional odds are pretty easy to understand, even for those who aren't particularly mathematically minded: successfully betting £1 on 5/1 odds will yield a total payout of £6, made up of £5 profit and your original £1 stake. Betting £4 on 3/4 odds would yield a real money payout of £7, comprising £3 profit plus your original £4 stake.
You don't need to worry too much about odds, however, as all of the top online bookies offer a built-in betslip calculator that shows you how much you can win. Our site also has a free betting odds calculator for you to try right now.
In 2024, more and more online gambling sites offer real money action through dedicated apps, responsive mobile sites or, in some cases, both. This means that you'll almost certainly be able to take advantage of wagering on mobile rugby odds, even if you don't have the most up to date Android or Apple smartphone/tablet.
As well as placing new bets, you can also use mobile bookies to check out the latest rugby news, changes to odds being made in real-time and monitor the progress of any bets you've already made. Being able to do all this from the palm of your hand gives online bookies a huge advantage over the high street bookmakers, where players have to sit around to follow progress.
Online betting on rugby can seem a little daunting to British players who are totally unfamiliar with the game, so we'd certainly advise brushing up on the rules before you wager any real cash. The following advice might also help you out:
You'll also find various rugby betting tips at online bookies who offer online betting on the Rugby World Cup and other major events, so be sure to check those out.
Whether you're wagering on NRL or taking advantage of Rugby World Cup online betting, there's always a ton of excitement to be had with this game. Betting on rugby may not be quite as popular as football, but it's definitely up there are as one of the major online sports betting activities enjoyed by British gamblers.
The World Cup may be a little while off but that just means that you have a bit more time to get to grips with the rules and figure out whether you prefer League or Union!
T&Cs Apply
New UK & Ireland customers only. £10. First deposit matched up to £30. 1x wagering at odds of 1.75 to unlock Free Bet. Credit Card, Debit Card & PayPal deposits only. Full Terms apply.
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 balance is available for withdrawal at any time. General deposit method & withdrawal restrictions apply & Full Terms apply.
T&Cs Apply
18+ only, new customers only, gamble responsibly. Full Terms apply.
T&Cs Apply
New online customers only, min £10 stake, win only, min odds 1/2, free bets paid as 3x £10, 30 day expiry, free bet/payment method/player/country restrictions apply. Full Terms apply.
T&Cs Apply
New customer offer. Place 5 x £10 or more bets to receive £20 in free bets. Repeat up to 5 times to receive maximum £100 bonus. Min odds 1/2 (1.5). Exchange bets excluded. Full Terms apply.
T&Cs Apply
New UK & Ireland customers only. £10. First deposit matched up to £30. 1x wagering at odds of 1.75 to unlock Free Bet. Credit Card, Debit Card & PayPal deposits only. Full Terms apply.
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 balance is available for withdrawal at any time. General deposit method & withdrawal restrictions apply & Full Terms apply.
T&Cs Apply
18+ only, new customers only, gamble responsibly. Full Terms apply.
T&Cs Apply
New online customers only, min £10 stake, win only, min odds 1/2, free bets paid as 3x £10, 30 day expiry, free bet/payment method/player/country restrictions apply. Full Terms apply.
T&Cs Apply
New customer offer. Place 5 x £10 or more bets to receive £20 in free bets. Repeat up to 5 times to receive maximum £100 bonus. Min odds 1/2 (1.5). Exchange bets excluded. Full Terms apply.
T&Cs Apply to All Bonuses. 18+ only. Gamble Responsibly.
As popular as rugby online betting already is in Britain, we still get plenty of questions from newbies looking to get in on the action. The most common include:
With both Rugby Union and Rugby League events going on throughout 2017, there’s no shortage of big tournaments or regular smaller-scale games going on that you wager on using rugby betting sites.
The majority of online bookmakers are trustworthy, but you do need to be careful if you want to avoid running across rogue sites. Or you could just play it safe and use our list of rated and recommended sites!
As long as you’re using one of the top online bookies, you’ll certainly be able to take advantage of a bonus. Reputable sites always want to attract new users, and offering generous % match welcome bonuses is a common way of doing just that.
From outright tournament bets to wagers on how many yellow/red cards there will be in an individual game, there are plenty of different bets to dabble in no matter what the size of your bankroll or how you prefer to gamble.
Save yourself a lot of headaches and make your way straight to our list of recommended sites to enjoy fantastic rugby online betting action in a safe and secure environment.