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Online Betting on Rugby Tips, Odds & Best Rugby Sites for 2024

Online Rugby Betting Basics
Rules Diffuculty Medium
Betting Types 20+
Payout 91.30% – 96.10%
How to Win Tips & Strategies
Where to Bet Bet365

Rugby Betting Guide: How to Bet on Rugby?

Welcome to our Rugby betting guide where you will learn more about the sport of rugby and all relevant details regarding rugby betting, its rules, and other important information. Rugby has similarities with American Football, and it shares the same keen interest across the globe.

After you read our rugby betting guide you’ll have all you need to bet on rugby. You will know what type of bets there are, what are the rules, which are the most famous tournaments around the world and the answers to many other questions related to rugby betting.

Best Online Rugby Betting Site to Bet for Real Money:

Top Offer

Bet365
Up to $200 In Free Bets
Full T&Cs apply. 18+. New customers only. Registration Required. Min deposit $5. Bet Credits available to use upon settlement of bets to value of qualifying deposit. Min odds, bets and payment methods exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Time limits and full Terms and Conditions apply.

To thoroughly learn how to bet on rugby, you need to get familiar with the main rules first. Then you need to understand how the bets are organized. Have in mind that there is much information that you need to soak up. Which are the best leagues, teams, and tournaments to bet on and more specifically, which are the best rugby betting websites?

Rugby Betting Rules

Now we’ll tell you the most common rugby betting rules. You should also know that each platform has the right to choose its own betting rules, so you should always read them carefully or at least their terms and conditions. Don’t forget that these rugby betting sites usually offer many sports betting options and rules and some of them could be similar or identical.

Here are the common rules of rugby betting that you can find in the majority of the top rugby betting sites. Of course, as we mentioned, different operators may have small differences or some lines could be interpreted in the same sense but with other words.

Rule Explanation
Abandoned Matches All bets could be void on matches that are abandoned before the 80th minute.
Venue Change If the match venue changes, all bets still stay on.
Postponed/Re-Organized Match All bets will be voided and refunded.
Total Team Tries Penalty tries count. Bets stand in regulation time only.
Anytime Tryscorer If the player on which you bet is not present in the game, the bet will be voided.

You will find similar sports betting rules applied to other sports, so study them, because you need to understand them before you start betting in general. Online rugby betting is no different than any other sport. You need to know more about the teams, the players, and their histories if you want to be successful and generate some income.

What Types of Rugby Bets There Are?

The next step to be good at rugby betting is to know the bet types and how they work. Of course, you can also guess that the bets are similar to other sports.

You need to pay attention to all details because after all, we told you already that different platforms may have slightly different terms and conditions. There are many operators, but for your convenience, we gathered only the best rugby betting websites with legit backgrounds and solid promotions.

Match Winner Bet on the winner of the match.
Match Result Bet on a particular match result
Player’s Score Bet on a particular player to score that exact score
First Score Which team will make the first point
First Try Scorer The player who will first attempt to score
Tournament Winner Bet on the tournament winner
Top Point Scorer of the Tournament Bet on a player and his overall score through the tournament
Handicap  One team has a points handicap to even things up
Total 3 Way Bet on the total number of points scored, 1 out of 3 options provided by the bookie
Total 2 Way Bet on the total number of points scored, 1 out of 2 options provided by the bookie.
Draw No Bet If the match is a draw, the stake is refunded

These are the most common rugby bets that you can find at online rugby betting websites. This betting terminology applies to all the best sports betting operators.

Rugby Betting Terms

Without knowing the terms of the game, you will feel lost even if you only listen to the commentator. To be successful in betting you need to know all rugby betting terms and all game terms in general. Therefore, we prepared a shortlist of the terms that are most commonly used in the sport.

  • Ankle Tap – Also known as ankle tackle, this is when the defender targets the ankles of the ball carrier.
  • Advantage Line – Also known as the gain line. It presents an imaginary line that goes through the center of the pitch when there is a breakdown like a maul, scrum, or rush.
  • Blindside – The narrow side of the pitch, often related to scrum or breakdown.
  • Blood Bin – Also known as a blood replacement, this is when a player is injured with visible bleeding. Then he is allowed to step out for up to 15 minutes and then return to play.
  • Box-Kick – Behind scrum or half-scrum kick.
  • Breakdown – The period right after a tackle and ensuing ruck. At that time the teams are competing for the ball.
  • Caution – This is a form of penalty where the player is suspended for 10 minutes and receives a yellow card.
  • Foul play – This is when the laws of the game are deliberately infringed.
  • Open Side – The broad side of the field – often related to scrum or a breakdown.
  • On the Full – When the ball is kicked and caught without bouncing on the ground.
  • Touch – This is the area between two touchlines which defines the playing field.

Have in mind that the list of rugby terminology is super extensive and we are not able to display every term. If you are a beginner, we highly recommend you to get familiar with all the terms before betting on rugby, because it could cost you money if you don’t understand the rules or what happens on the pitch.

Rugby Betting Odds & Payouts

Different operators have varying rugby betting odds and payouts. But have in mind that usually, that difference varies up to 5%, which is not much from an overall perspective. But of course, the higher the payout is, the better.

Right below the text, you will find some of the largest international rugby tournaments and leagues and their payout percentages. The game’s origin comes from the UK, and because of that the game is most popular in the UK and its ex-colonies around the world. Take a look at the table below, and we will proceed right after.

League/Tournament Nation Continent Payout %
Six Nations Championship England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland, Wales Europe 92.50%
Rugby World Cup International Worldwide 94.30%
Lions Tour International Worldwide 92.88%
The Rugby Championship Australia, Argentina, New Zealand, South Africa Worldwide 91.40%
National Rugby League Australia Australia 92.50%
Rugby Europe International Championships International Europe 93.60%
Americas Rugby Championship Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, United States, Uruguay South and North America 91.30%
Oceania Sevens Championships International Oceania 96.10%

For your convenience only we decided to gather some more additional information related to these international rugby tournaments so that you can get familiar with all the small details around them. This will assist you in improving your knowledge, and since we speak about sports bettings, experience brings you confidence and better winning chances.

Rugby Leagues and Tournaments

As part of our rugby betting guide, we felt the need to show you in detail the most famous rugby league tournaments in the world and tell you a bit more about each one of them. If you look around the web, you will find even more small sized tournaments and leagues but you can’t bet on them all.

Of course, compared with the best football betting options and tournaments, rugby is a less popular sport. However, still, it is the sport which laid the foundations of the American Football. Rugby is known for its lack of protection and its brutality, similar to its modern American equivalent.

Six Nations Championship

Also known as the Guinness Six Nations championship – it is the first tournament that allowed women to have their own competition in 1996. Otherwise, the tournament has a long history, and it was one of the first international rugby tournaments.

It started in the late 1800s as Home Nations Championship, and it was organized between the UK countries. Then France joined the competition, and it was changed to the Five Nations Championship. Later still, Italy joined and five became six.

Rugby World Cup

Well, we don’t think that the Rugby World Cup needs any special introduction because it is clear that it is the pinnacle of the game. The first championship took place in 1987, and it was co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand. Indeed, New Zealand is the country with the most rugby world cups in their account up to this date.

Lions Tour

The British Lions tour every four years. Usually, the tour visits Australia, New Zealand, or South Africa. The Lions comprise the best players from England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales and when they tour it is hotly anticipated.

The Rugby Championship

This is another international championship that you can bet on. It is organized each year in different countries, but the tradition itself started in 1996. In this tournament, you will see teams from all parts of the world like South Africa, Argentina, New Zealand, and others.

National Rugby League

The NRL is one of the most popular competitions in Australia and features teams from the various states of Australia and also New Zealand.

Rugby Europe International Championships

About this tournament, you need to know that it was first organized in its current form in 2000. Before that, it was a sub-tournament referred to Six Nations B. The competition itself is split into five levels with five or six teams. Second-tier European countries can participate, including Georgia, Russia, and Turkey.

Americas Rugby Championship

Well, rugby is not that popular in North and South America, and this is a relatively super new tournament dating from 2009. Between 2009 and 2016 it went through several transitions before we were able to see the current format of the tournament. Of course, as you can guess, only countries from these two continents are allowed to participate.

Oceania Sevens Championships

This rugby tournament is also relatively new, founded in 2008. There are over 15 countries allowed to participate. These are Japan, New Zealand, Tonga, Cook Islands, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Tahiti, and others. For 12 years history since its beginning, the title was held four times by each of the following islands countries Samoa, Fiji, and Australia.

Best Rugby Betting Sites

Okay, you now know a lot about the game, the rules, the best tournaments, but what about the best rugby betting sites? Well, from now on we will concentrate our efforts only around the betting sites, their bonuses, banking options, and all features and extras they provide.

Welcome Bonus Pros and Cons Test Score Trusted Link Terms
$200 24/7 Customer Support Many Payments Restricted In Many Countries 99% www.bet365.com Full T&Cs apply. 18+. New customers only. Registration Required. Min deposit $5. Bet Credits available to use upon settlement of bets to value of qualifying deposit. Min odds, bets and payment methods exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Time limits and full Terms and Conditions apply.
$250 Many Sports Markets 24/7 Support No Live Chat 98% www.22bet.com Full T&Cs apply. 18+. New customers only. Enter bonus code 50SPORT when making first deposit and wager your deposit once on betting markets with odds of at least 1.65 within 30 days. Activated bonus carries wagering conditions of 10 times. Min odds 1.65. Full Terms and Conditions apply.
$20 Reputable Platform Great Live Features Fewer Number of Games 97% www.williamhill.com
$200 Good Mobile App Many Jackpots Heavy Interface 97% www.888sport.com Full T&Cs apply. 18+. New customers only. The bonus will be applied once the full deposit amount has been wagered at least once with cumulative odds of 1.5 or greater. Wagering must be cleared within 90 days. This offer may not be combined with any other offer. Withdrawal restrictions and full Terms and Conditions apply.

We know that security is important for all online players. Therefore, we perform an extensive overview of each online sportsbook based on a long list of criteria. We decide if that platform is decent enough to be listed with us. Of course, many of the aforementioned operators offer betting on many sports. But the best tennis betting websites are not necessarily the same as the ones for rugby.

Rugby Betting Offers & Bonuses

Bonuses and other offers online are usually excellent, but the most generous bonus is usually the welcome bonus. You can find plenty of rugby betting offers online, but instead of wasting your time searching for them, you can just take advantage of our efforts.

The below-listed rugby betting promotions are only from reputable and competent online gambling platforms. No matter which one you choose, we can guarantee you a pleasant, safe and amazing player experience. We also recommend to overview them all and then take the final decision based on your preferences regarding design, bonus, listed sports, and other small details which you prioritize.

Rugby Betting Site Bonus* Wagering Requirement Min Odds Min Deposit Top Payment Method T&C
Unibet Up to $250 1x 1.33 $10 PayPal Full T&Cs apply. Make your first cash bet on any event. If your first settled bet loses, you will receive a refund in bonus money to your account equal to the amount of your losing wager (up to $250). You will receive the refund within 72 hours. Promotion Period - October 29th, 2019 – Onward. Players that are awarded a bonus for the Risk-Free Bet refund, will not be eligible for the 100% Casino Match Deposit. When depositing, players have to select the “Sportsbook | 2x $10 Free Bets & $250 Risk Free Bet” offer in the ‘Select your bonus’ section.
Bet365 Up to $200 1x 1.20 $1 paysafecard Full T&Cs apply. 18+. New customers only. Registration Required. Min deposit $5. Bet Credits available to use upon settlement of bets to value of qualifying deposit. Min odds, bets and payment methods exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Time limits and full Terms and Conditions apply.
888sport Up to $200 1x 1.50 $20 MasterCard Full T&Cs apply. 18+. New customers only. The bonus will be applied once the full deposit amount has been wagered at least once with cumulative odds of 1.5 or greater. Wagering must be cleared within 90 days. This offer may not be combined with any other offer. Withdrawal restrictions and full Terms and Conditions apply.
William Hill Up to $20 1x Deposit + Bonus n/a $10 Neteller

When choosing a rugby betting welcome offer, you should take into consideration several important aspects. Those are the validity time, the minimum deposit, the maximum bonus, and the minimum odds. Sometimes it is tempting to deposit more to get a bigger bonus. The same applies to horse racing betting or any other sports betting in general.

Live Rugby Betting

Live betting is increasing in popularity. You can bet on the action as it happens and as the odds change.

Top for Live Betting

888sport
Up to $200 Free Bets
Full T&Cs apply. 18+. New customers only. The bonus will be applied once the full deposit amount has been wagered at least once with cumulative odds of 1.5 or greater. Wagering must be cleared within 90 days. This offer may not be combined with any other offer. Withdrawal restrictions and full Terms and Conditions apply.

Live rugby sports betting delivers plenty of excitement. Games can be close with only a few points separating teams and one try or penalty can often make all the difference to the final result.

Rugby Betting Apps

Another extra valued feature is the optionality to access, bet and play online everywhere you go by using your smartphone. Betting apps are available for Android and iOS and enable gamblers to place wagers when they are out and about.

Best Rugby App

Bet365
Up to $200 In Free Bets
Full T&Cs apply. 18+. New customers only. Registration Required. Min deposit $5. Bet Credits available to use upon settlement of bets to value of qualifying deposit. Min odds, bets and payment methods exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Time limits and full Terms and Conditions apply.

Betting via smartphones or tablets is something that is likely to increase even more in the future. Rugby betting apps usually provide as good a customer experience as their website counterparts.

Don’t also forget that if you are a fan of other sports, we can show you many sports betting websites that provide significant betting and gambling varieties and even online casinos. But now at your attention the best newcomer on the market.

Rugby Betting New Websites

If you are looking for a juicy welcome promotion, you should look at the newcomers on the market because they often have the best offers. Logically, the purpose of the welcome bonus is to attract more customers.

Top New Rugby Bookie

Bethard
CASH BACK

New platforms are tempting, but you should be careful because each new online sportsbook does not necessarily have a proven track record. For that purpose, you need to learn how to separate decent and secure platforms from scams. Of course, you can also take advantage of our guides and choose one of the operators that we list because we do all those background checks for you.

Rugby Betting Legal Status Around The World

We mentioned that rugby is a popular sport around the whole globe, but we didn’t say anything about rugby betting. This is tightly related to the overall perception and laws in different countries. From a global perspective, if sports betting is allowed and legal, rugby betting is too.

Country Legal Age Online Rugby Betting
United States – New Jersey 21+ Yes
UK 18+ Yes
Italy 18+ Yes
South Africa 18+ Yes
Nigeria 18+ Yes
Germany 18+ Yes
Canada 18+/19+ Yes

Nowadays, sports betting is legal in most parts of the world, but of course, you can still find some very conservative countries where gambling is forbidden in general. In other countries, online gambling falls into the grey or the unregulated economic sector, which could hide some dangers too.

This is because of the lack of regulations. It makes it the perfect place for malicious actions, especially when we speak about online fraud and other digital crimes. No matter where you are in the world, we can save you that struggle and show you the best operators, so you can feel safe and have fun at the same time.

Tips and Strategies

To be good at something you definitely need some knowledge and a lot of practice. We will share some of the best rugby betting tips, and then we will tell you more about the rugby betting strategies.

  • Learn everything about the leagues, the players, the history of the game, and all small particularities which could improve your predictions
  • Explore all betting options. You need always to check all possible bookies and their odds and payouts
  • Explore all betting options. If you are experienced, it is easy to understand complicated bets, but if you are a newbie, you should stick to simple bets like “match winner”
  • Find any local or international chat groups or forums for online gamblers where you can discuss and learn how to bet.
  • Experiment! Things change regularly, so you need to seek new systems and ways to optimize your systems. For that purpose you need to experiment.

Now you know our rugby betting tips, it is time to move on to strategies. Have in mind that to increase your winning chances, you need to be well prepared. When speaking of sports betting it is the first priority to know everything about the game itself. Then to follow the latest matches, be familiar with the players, the latest transfers, and more.

The more you know, the better! When you see the history and the skills of every player, you can bet on the score of a particular player or on a tournament winner. Greater knowledge gives you a bigger chance to be a successful gambler.

Strategy Explanation
Handicap Betting A different style of betting where the playing field is limited and the favourite gets a points handicap.
Checking Underdogs If an underdog wins then you will get paid out more. That’s why it pays to seek out which underdogs could provide value.
Investigate Everything Apart from the teams, you should always check the referees, the weather, and other small side factors that could reflect on the game.

If you are not yet too good at rugby betting yet, we suggest you play small and make simple bets. Eventually, with time you will develop better prediction skills, and then you will be able to make more complex bets which could pay dividends.

History of Rugby Betting

The rugby betting history is bounded with the history of the sports itself, because as popular one sport is, as bigger the chance to bet on it is. In the table below, we show a short timeline describing the history of rugby and how it evolved through the centuries.

Rugby Betting History Timeline
1823 Rugby began to be played in England, but the game was not officially recognized with written rules until 1845
1845 – 1900 In 1871 the first Rugby Union was formed, but small specifics like formations, strategies, and others were dispute until 1895 and beyond.
1900-2000 The game crossed the world and became popular in many countries like Scotland, Wales, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, France, and others. Many new teams, tournaments, and rules were established and it developed into the sport as we know it today.
2000 – Today From the Millennium to our current year, not many changes took place. Several new and modern tournaments were set up due to the rising interest in the sport around the world.

Rugby will always be less popular than soccer. Rugby is not played in many countries around the world and it is more technical and complicated than other games. If you prefer more common sports, we can show you the best football betting sites

Conclusion: Our Top Recommended Rugby Betting Operator

Before we introduce the FAQ section, we want to make a quick summary of everything we talked about. Let’s start with the fact that all of our top rugby betting websites are safe and secure. We know that safety is one of your biggest concerns when using online betting platforms.

Top Offer

22Bet
100% up to $250 Sports Betting
Full T&Cs apply. 18+. New customers only. Enter bonus code 50SPORT when making first deposit and wager your deposit once on betting markets with odds of at least 1.65 within 30 days. Activated bonus carries wagering conditions of 10 times. Min odds 1.65. Full Terms and Conditions apply.

Sports betting guides are what we do, and our job is to search the web and find the most recent and relevant information about the market and the best sports betting websites that you can find online. Trusting us will be your first step to success, following us will be your second one. From then on, you will be ready to walk alone.

FAQ

We hope you enjoyed our rugby betting guide and found it informative. If you need a summary then below are the top five frequently asked questions about betting on rugby union.

1. What is the best online rugby betting site?

This is a subjective question because nowadays, there are many platforms, and it is a matter of personal perspective. Therefore, we have prepared the best rugby betting online platforms for you, so you can take advantage and take the final decision which one has the features to be your gambling partner.

2. It there are rugby betting guide that I can use?

Yes, there is! At the very beginning on this article, we presented our rugby betting guide where you will find everything you need to know to start betting on rugby. Of course, we can show you also the best possible platforms where you can bet. Aside from that, you will learn much more about the terminology and the game of rugby itself.

3. How does handicap betting work in rugby?

Handicap betting is one of the complex bets that you should skip if you are not an experienced gambler. In our rugby tips and strategies section you will find more about the best ways to approach the rugby season and how to create a smart and working winning strategy, so you stop losing money and start earning some.

4. Which are the largest and best rugby betting tournaments?

There are many large tournaments around the globe. You can't bet on every league and tournament, but for your convenience, we prepared list of the best rugby betting tournaments in the world.

5. What is the history of rugby betting?

Rugby betting has been available for a long time. But if you ask about the history of rugby it comes from England. The sport started to be played in 1823. In 1895 rules of the game began to be written, and the sport started to take the form that we know today.

Matt Speakman, Betting Expert at online-gambling.com
Matt Speakman

Matt Speakman is a Connecticut-born and raised betting expert with a soft spot for the Patriots. He is also a proud member of the online-gambling.com team. You can read his articles on a broad range of topics, including sports betting and DFS.

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