Although seen as niche by some sports fans, rugby is still massively popular in the UK. Said to be about the eighth most popular sport in the UK overall, it is often believed there is a north-south split between league and union fans, but many people actually enjoy watching both codes of rugby: there is no need to choose one or the other.
Rugby betting has become increasingly popular in recent years, with the rise of online betting, and many have already placed bets on big rugby events and tournaments. Not everyone who watches rugby regularly will have ever placed a bet on the action, though, and they may be unsure of what they need to do to get started.
We have put together a list of the best bookmakers for the sport, also highlighting the most popular betting markets for the sport. As such, if you are new to betting on rugby, this is the perfect place to start.
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🏉 Rugby Outright Odds | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
📺 Rugby Live Streaming | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
💰 Rugby Promotions | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
👉 Visit Site | Bet on Rugby | Bet on Rugby | Bet on Rugby | Bet on Rugby | Bet on Rugby | Bet on Rugby | Bet on Rugby | Bet on Rugby | Bet on Rugby | Bet on Rugby |
Operator | Welcome Offer | Bonus Code | Claim Offer | |
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| Welcome Offer Bet £10 Get £50 in Free Bets | No code required | Claim Offer | New Customers only. Sign up and make a qualifying deposit of £5 or more to qualify for 500% of that amount in Bet Credits up to £50*. Bet credits are credited upon settlement of qualifying bets to the value of the deposit (capped at £10*), which must be within 30 days of claiming the offer. Min odds/bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. T&Cs, time limits & exclusions apply. Registration required. |
| Welcome Offer Bet £10 Get £40 in Bonuses | No code required | Claim Offer | 18+. BeGambleAware.org. New GB customers only. Min £10 debit card deposit. Place a £10+ bet on sportsbook at min odds 2/5 (1.4) each leg. Receive 2 x £10 free bets within 24 hours of bet settlement, and further 2 x £10 casino bonus the next day.T&C’s apply. |
| Welcome Offer Bet £10 Get £60 in Free Bets | T60 | Claim Offer | 18+. Play Safe. New players using T60 code. Online only. Get £60 bonus split as follows: (i) Deposit £10. Get a £20 Vegas Bonus on selected games (72hr expiry, wagering reqs apply); “(ii) bet £10+ (odds 1/2+) with cash or Vegas winnings (after wager reqs met). Once settled, get 4x£10 sports free bets (valid 7 days, excl. virtual sports). Payment & country restrictions & full T&Cs apply. #ad |
| Welcome Offer Bet £10 Get £40 in Free Bets | No code required | Claim Offer | New UK customers only. Min £10 first deposit using Debit Card or Bank Transfer. Place a bet of £10 at min odds of 2.0 and get a £10 Football Bet Builder token upon settlement. A £10 Multiple token, a £5 Horse Racing Multiple token and a £5 Football Bet Builder token will be credited after 24 hours. A further £10 Free Bet token will be credited 48 hours after the qualifying bet has been settled. Full T&Cs apply.18+. GambleAware.org. |
| Welcome Offer Bet £10 Get £40 in Free Bets | No code required | Claim Offer | Join and place a £10 fixed odds bet at odds of 1/2 or greater. Qualifying bet cannot be placed in-play or cashed out early. Get 2x £10 fixed odds free bet, a 2x £5 Total Goals football free spread bets, a 2x £5 racing Winning Favourites free spread bets and a £1 racing Race Index spread bet. Free bets expire after 28 days. Full T&Cs apply. |
| Welcome Offer Bet £10 Get £50 in Free Bets | BETFRED50 | Claim Offer | New customers only. Register with BETFRED50. Deposit £10+ via Debit Card and place first bet £10+ at Evens (2.0)+ on Sports within 7 days to get 3 x £10 in Sports Free Bets & 2 x £10 in Acca Free Bets within 10 hours of settlement. 7-day expiry. Eligibility & payment exclusions apply. Full T&Cs apply. |
| Welcome Offer Bet £10 Get £30 in Free Bets | No code required | Claim Offer | 18+ New customers only. Opt in, bet £10 at odds 2.00+ within 10 days, no cashout. Get 6x £5 Free Bets, set events at odds 2.00+. 7 day bonus expiry. T&Cs apply. gambleaware.org | Please Gamble Responsibly. |
| Welcome Offer Bet £10 Get £40 in Free Bets | No code required | Claim Offer | 18+ New UK+ROI Customers only. Min deposit & bet £10 at min odds 1/2 to qualify for 4 x £10 free bets. Certain deposit methods and bet types excl. Free bets valid for 7 days, stake not returned. Restrictions + T&Cs apply. |
| Welcome Offer Bet £5 Get £20 in Free Bets | No code required | Claim Offer | 18+ New UK+IRE Customers only. Certain deposit methods & bet types excl. Min first £/€5 bet within 14 days of account reg at min odds 1/2 to get 4x £/€5 free bets. Free bets valid for 7 days, stake not returned. Restrictions + T&Cs apply. |
| Welcome Offer Bet £10 Get £30 in Free Bets | No code required | Claim Offer | Qualifying bet of £10 at min. odds 2.0 within 5 days of registration, E/W excluded. Get 3 x Free Bets: 1 x £10 Football, 1 x £10 Racing, 1 x £10 Acca (Min 4 selections). 7-day expiry. New selected customers & 18+ only. Min. deposit of £10. Full T&Cs apply. Please Gamble Responsibly. |
Rugby is not the most popular sport on UK betting sites, but the offering is usually very good for the sport. Therefore, it might be difficult to tell which sportsbooks are the best without spending a lot of time investigating the different options. Fortunately, we have done the work for you with our top 10 list of rugby betting sites.
Of course, a list of this nature will always be subjective, but we have made sure to focus on the factors that matter when betting on rugby. Some of these have already been highlighted above, such as whether rugby promotions are available on the site in question or not.
Betting juggernaut bet365 tops the rankings for the UK's leading rugby betting site, just as it does for a lot of the other most popular sports in this country. A true all-rounder, bet365 offers rugby fans absolutely everything that they could ask for from an online betting experience.
Live in-play betting is a particular area of strength for Bet365, with lots of rugby markets to pick from once matches are underway, as well as pre-match. There are ante-post rugby markets for top competitions like the Rugby World Cup available to browse well in advance of the event too. Fans can also create their own same-game acca for rugby matches via the bet365 bet builder.
One of the few British bookmakers to offer special rugby betting promotions, bet365 has an Extra Time Extra Chance deal for both union and league matches. Bets that are not settled in the initial match period will stay live during the extra time. Furthermore, rugby union fans can benefit from an early payout deal with bets settled if a team backed to win goes 15 points up in a game.
bet365 also provides some rugby live streaming - unlike most of its UK betting site rivals - and its bet365 authenticator adds an extra layer of account security for its users. The full package!
Pros
Cons
Unibet is a strong second place in our rankings of the UK's best rugby betting sites. While it cannot match bet365 features like live rugby streaming, Unibet does have many more rugby betting markets than a lot of its rivals, while its rugby odds are some of the best around too.
Rugby fans who join Unibet can pick from more than 30 markets for the most high-profile big matches such as those in the European Champions Cup. Options include margin betting and the chance to bet on a team being the first to score a certain number of points in a match.
Various outright rugby betting markets are also provided on the Unibet site including ante-post options for the winner of the next Rugby World Cup and Six Nations tournaments as well. Unibet has one of the best live streaming services of any major UK betting site, but there does not appear to be anything available for fans of either rugby league or rugby union on it at this time.
Pros
Cons
William Hill is a solid online bookmaker for most major sports and rugby is no different. While there are no particularly great rugby betting bonuses on offer here, there are often enhanced odds for big games in the Premiership. For instance, when we were browsing the upcoming games, the price of one team to win an upcoming game by 6-10 points was at 11/2, up from 9/2.
High-profile domestic matches often have dozens of good markets to pick from, with nearly 80 to check out for the biggest Premiership clashes. Among them are handicaps, try scorer markets, home/away points totals and any time try scorer wincasts.
Ante-post outrights for tournaments like the Six Nations and RWC are always offered, while fans who cannot see a bet they want to place can also request it through William Hill's handy #YourOdds feature. Indeed, William Hill has one of the best bet builders in the country.
Rugby often features in the 'top bets' section at Hills too, offering customers a chance to see some of the most popular wagers that are being placed on the site at this time. With William Hill having been in business for far longer than most UK online bookies, it is a trusted, reliable site.
Pros
Cons
A spin-off from the Smarkets betting exchange, SBK uses that site's odds so its prices for rugby are consistently up there with the best available. There is decent depth to the coverage too, with Super Rugby, the United Rugby Championship and Major League Rugby all available to bet on, as well as domestic competitions such as the Premiership.
However, some European cups are not always available to bet on until the matches are closer, unlike at other rugby betting sites.
SBK is very easy to navigate but it is worth noting it exists solely as a mobile betting app. Those who prefer to bet on rugby using a laptop or desktop PC will need to go elsewhere, in other words. Many sports fans might see this as a positive, but there is no attached online casino at SBK.
There are also few sports betting promotions, bonuses, deals and offers compared to a lot of the biggest UK online betting sites, so this is worth keeping in mind for those considering joining.
Pros
Cons
Spread betting is getting more popular among rugby fans in the UK, with Spreadex at the top of the pile in this category. While spread betting can be confusing and risky due to the potential to sustain significant losses, it provides different opportunities to profit from rugby betting as well.
Spreadex provides spread betting markets for rugby but there are fixed odds options too, for anyone who is unsure how the former works. Spreadex also has guides available to introduce newcomers through the spread betting process. There is also a big welcome bonus up for grabs for anyone creating a new Spreadex account, with up to £40 in free sports bets available here.
A surprisingly large number of markets can be found at Spreadex. When we checked out the site's rugby betting offering, we found 250+ bets for a Premiership match between Sale and Leicester, with options including various handicap, points totals and try scorer markets. This is a lot more than a typical British bookie has available on exactly the same Premiership game.
With so many different broadcast companies involved in sports these days, one of the handy things about using Spreadex is the site displays what channel a rugby match is being shown on.
Pros
Cons
As a traditional British bookmaker with its base in the north of England, it is not surprising that Betfred is making a play to be considered the best rugby league betting site around. Indeed, Betfred is currently the title sponsor of the Super League competition, indicating its priorities.
This means that rugby league fans are well catered for at Betfred, which has a fantastic Super League Double Delight promotion. For selected top matches in the competition, UK customers who correctly back a first try scorer will be paid double the odds if they go on to score again.
Racing Post data is also plugged in for Super League matches, giving Betfred users a chance to read up on some expert analysis before deciding which wagers that they are going to place.
Betfred customers can see some top bets that other users have requested by tapping on the #PickYourPunt section on the sportsbook. Those who cannot see a bet they want to put on for an upcoming rugby match can also contact Betfred on X/Twitter and request the bet they want.
Along with the Premiership, rugby union fans can bet on competitions like the United Rugby Championship, Super Rugby Pacific and France Pro D2, as well as the Top 14. Naturally, Rugby World Cup and Six Nations ante-post betting markets are available all-year round here as well.
Pros
Cons
Like Betfred, the BetVictor brand has been around for a long time. But the site still has a reputation for innovation, as seen through its loyalty club. Rugby fans who place five bets of £5 or more on any sports market at odds of 1/2 (1.50) or greater can open a box for a chance to win a prize, with up to £25 in free bets up for grabs through the BetVictor loyalty scheme.
BetVictor always ranks highly when it comes to sports betting odds and its rugby prices are up there with the best around. Plenty of competitions from around the world are available to bet on, including Major League Rugby in the United States, which is not always the easiest to find.
While the lack of rugby-specific betting bonuses is a shame, BetVictor is a very solid option for anyone seeking a new UK online betting site account, especially as the welcome offer is good.
Pros
Cons
Coral is another long-established British betting brand and remains a good choice for rugby fans who want to know which UK online bookmaker to use. Coral's rugby betting markets are largely comparable to most of their rivals, with plenty of domestic and European competitions covered.
The prices on offer at Coral tend to be somewhere in the middle of the road. However, for some high-profile matches Coral does provide odds boosters, which is its version of enhanced odds. When these are available, users will often find the wager is at the top price on the UK market.
For a typical Premiership match, Coral has around 20 bets to pick from. While this is a lot lower than some sites such as Spreadex, the main rugby betting options are still covered. When users browse markets pre-match they can also check out handy data such as the head-to-head record of the teams involved, as well as their respective top try scorers, along with other key statistics.
Ante-post outrights for the next Rugby World Cup and Six Nations events are offered with a lot of notice at Coral, but it is missing some popular competitions such as Major League Rugby. Nevertheless, while Coral is not the most exciting choice of UK betting site out there, it does a solid job and the Coral mobile betting apps for Android and iOS are among the best around.
Pros
Cons
Ladbrokes and Coral are sister sites these days - meaning they are owned by the same company - so it is unsurprising their rugby betting coverage is very similar. There is a decent welcome bonus giving out free bets that can be used on rugby, while Ladbrokes customers also get an odds boost that they can use on a wager of their choice every day.
While the odds at Ladbrokes are not always right at the top of the market, being able to boost them once a day does ensure that very good value can be found for a wager on the big rugby match of the day.
Matches in the Champions Cup and Challenge Cup are available to bet on with plenty of notice, while the normal ante-post options for the Six Nations and Rugby World Cup are offered as well.
Pros
Cons
The conventional UK betting sites are not for everyone, which is where Kwiff comes in. This leading mobile betting app - which also offers a basic desktop site - has a unique selling point.
Every time a rugby fan places a bet with Kwiff, they have the chance to see the odds they get be given a supercharged boost, a process that is known as being 'Kwiffed'. It is not unheard of for massive upgrades in the potential profits available from a Kwiff bet to be offered through this.
However, the sportsbook is lacking some market depth when compared to the biggest and best online betting sites in the UK. The basics are covered for rugby union fans but some of the more unusual markets are not offered by Kwiff at this time, although the sportsbook is expanding fast.
Kwiff's community department is also a handy resource for those who are newer to betting. Rugby betting guides are available to get customers clued up before they place any wagers.
Pros
Cons
When deciding the best rugby betting sites in the UK, our experts made sure to focus on the factors that truly matter. We have already touched on these above, highlighting the situation for each site, and below we will delve a bit deeper into why these matter so much for betting on the Rugby League and Rugby Union.
While the top UK sports betting sites all cover rugby to an extent, the number of markets available can differ by a surprising amount from bookie to bookie. Betting sites should cover rugby leagues, cups and competitions from around the world, including the likes of Major League Rugby in the United States, not just top domestic tournaments taking place in the UK.
For each match, rugby fans want to have a wide choice of markets to pick from, not just being given the chance to bet on the winner of the match. Examples of additional rugby betting markets to look out for can include first try scorer and handicap options, which are useful when one team is a heavy favourite.
While betting bonuses at British bookmakers often focus on football and horse racing, some do provide special offers and promotions for rugby as well. These tend to come up around the most popular events, such as the Six Nations and the Rugby World Cup, when deals like enhanced odds and price boosts might be offered.
The welcome bonuses that are available on UK online betting sites normally have free bets up for grabs that can be used on rugby wagers too, but this is not always the case.
Many of the top bookmakers in the UK now have a live sports streaming service as part of their offering for customers. While horse racing live streams are very common in the industry these days, it is more unusual to see sites giving their customers the chance to watch live rugby simply by logging into their betting account.
As an example, Bet365 is one of the very few UK online betting sites that has some rugby live streams available for customers, who will need a funded account to access them.
The rugby betting pages should be fast to load and easy to navigate, particularly switching between options for rugby union and rugby league. For live in-play betting on rugby, the interface should include various statistics and data that can be analysed to help rugby fans pick out a winning wager.
Features such as cash out and bet builder tools can be provided to offer a high-quality rugby betting experience. We also take a look at bookies' mobile betting apps on iOS and Android to assess them.
Rugby league has lots of variety when it comes to betting markets - here are some top options:
Outright markets: For casual UK rugby league fans, the only bet they might place is on the winner of a competition such as the World Cup or the Challenge Cup. These markets tend to be available well in advance in the form of ante-post markets, which is ideal for those who like to plan ahead.
Tournament winner markets do what the name suggests, with users simply having to correctly predict which rugby league team will be lifting the trophy at the end of the event.
Match winner: As with other sports, it is also possible to bet on the outcome of individual markets. Like in football and rugby union, the draw is a possible result so there are three options to pick from in match-winner markets for rugby league: home win, away win and the draw too.
Again this is a simple one to understand, with users predicting which team will be the winner. Home advantage tends to be very important in rugby league, which is reflected in the odds.
Handicap: Many rugby league matches see one team start as a strong favourite in the betting odds, which is where the handicap comes into play as a decent option. With the handicap, one team is essentially given a headstart in the scoring, with a number of points added to their score. The aim of this is to provide a more balanced match for the purpose of the betting odds. Let's say that Wigan Warriors are playing at home to York City Knights in the Challenge Cup. Wigan would be expected to win easily, so their price in the match-winner market would be short.
However, a handicap bet such as Wigan -5.5 might help to even up the score. With this option, Wigan would have to win the game by six points in order for the handicap bet to win. In rugby league, handicap betting markets are also worth in the opposite direction as well. Let's say a fan felt York might lose, but not heavily. They might be tempted to bet on York +5.5 in the handicap market, meaning they would win the bet as long as they did not lose by six points.
First Try Scorer: As with rugby union, fans of the league can often place a wager on the first player to score a try in a match. It might even be possible to bundle in the first try scorer bet with a match-winner option to make a double in the form of a scorecast, or perhaps a wincast instead.
Certain players in the sport of rugby league are known for making an explosive start to games, so this will make them particularly appealing options when it comes to first-try scorer bets.
Total Points: For those who are unsure which team is going to win, a rugby league betting option is to predict how many points are going to be scored in the game. A quick look at the previous results will show which league teams are known for being defensively solid and therefore likely to be involved in low-scoring matches, and vice versa for attacking teams.
First Scoring Play: Many of the top rugby league betting sites in the UK, such as Unibet, also allow their customers to bet on the first scoring play in a particular match as well. Users will have to pick from options such as a team to open the scoring via a try, a field goal or a penalty.
Steven is an experienced iGaming content writer who has been working in the industry since 2018. He is passionate about sports betting and enjoys writing about all aspects of the industry, including bookmaker reviews, betting tips and strategies, and news and analysis. If you have any questions about online gambling in the UK, please don't hesitate to contact him.