Best Football Betting Sites

Just as we all hold different opinions on the beautiful game, everyone has a view on which football betting site is the best.

On this page, we've ranked the top sites and also shared the things to think about when choosing a football bookmaker.

As many top football bookies as empty seats at the Etihad!

Bet365 is the undisputed number one for many, while BoyleSports is hard to beat for some Irish punters. 

BetVictor, Sky Bet, Ladbrokes and Coral are also popular options for punters wagering on football in Ireland.

But which one suits what you're looking for? We've broken down what we like most about each of the top football bookmakers below.

• More live football streams than any bookie
• Biggest variety of markets
• Original football promos and free football games

It’s not only Stoke City supporters who are fond of Bet365. Football fans worldwide hold Bet365 in high regard because of the first-class football betting experience it provides.

Just one of the reasons why its offering is head and shoulders above the rest is football live streaming - no football betting company has as many football live streams as Bet365.

You can just as easily watch the big games from popular leagues like the Championship, La Liga and Serie A as you can the action from the Taiwan Premier League and Kazakhstan second division.

The same range and depth of options also apply to the number and variety of markets on offer, many of which can be added to Bet365’s easy-to-use bet builder.

What's more, Bet365 has the most inventive promos, with the Early Payout offer being one of the best football promos around and adopted by other bookmakers.

• Excellent acca package
• Add special offer within the bet builder
• League of Ireland betting tips

BoyleSports is home to one of the top football acca deals in Ireland. That’s because you can insure or boost the odds on your acca and get a €5 free acca for every five accumulators placed.

And while we’re talking about promotions, BoyleSports has many other perks, including its free-to-play football game, BoyleSports Fantasy5 (based on the Fantasy Premier League game), which gives customers the chance to win up to €10,000.

Several special offers based on certain eventualities, like a penalty being scored or a red card can also be added to your football bet builder.

Another aspect of its football offering we like is the match, player and betting facts which are available for the most popular games in the Premier League; if you’re in doubt about a stat, you needn’t go anywhere else to check.

League of Ireland betting tips and a range of markets for games from Ireland’s top football division also mean BoyleSports is an automatic choice for Irish punters.

• Only bookie offering bets on goalkeeper saves
• No expiry with free bets
• Top-notch coverage of LOI

Sky becoming involved in sports betting was almost inevitable given its continued success as the leading football broadcaster in the UK and Ireland, spanning three decades.

For this reason, Sky Bet is a go-to football bookie for most. But the brand, which, along with Paddy Power and Betfair, is under the stewardship of Flutter, doesn’t just survive on name alone.

Few Irish betting sites have a better selection of markets to choose from. And Sky Bet has improved this part of its armoury even further by making it possible to bet on Goalkeeper Saves, just like you can wager on player shots.

Sky Bet also stands out with its superb coverage of the League of Ireland - there's an abundance of markets, stats and betting specials for all the top-tier Irish fixtures.

What’s more, the product oozes convenience. Group Bets makes it easier than ever before to set up one big acca with your pals, while creating a Bet Builder is swift and seamless with 'Quick Picks'.

• Stream games from many leagues
• Free football bets
• LiveScore Bet Squads free to play game

LiveScore used to be just about checking the scores. Then came the chance for users in Ireland to stream Champions League games and matches from top European leagues including La Liga, the Bundesliga and Serie A.

Now the company has completed the set - and given football punters no need to go anywhere else - with its own betting service, LiveScore Bet.

The sportsbook, which only launched in 2020, is fast becoming one of the most popular football bookies for punters in Ireland. And on this evidence, the company looks as if it has the attributes to keep up with the best around.

As you may have guessed, the live-streaming possibilities are a standout feature of the sportsbook. LiveScore Bet also has a great pool of promotions to benefit from including free bets, weekly rewards club and free-to-play game, LiveScore Bet squads.

Finding bets is also fast and easy thanks to its Bet Builder Quick Bets feature and the numerous specials on offer.

• Most free-to-play football games
• Excellent market depth
• Synonymous with football betting

Ladbrokes is among the leading bookies for football, without any fancy promotions or gimmicks, choosing to focus instead on the basics - football is a simple game after all.

There is tremendous variety: customers betting on the Premier League and other top fixtures can pick from up to 200 markets or tweet #GetAPrice to @Ladbrokes with your bet.

With a large live streaming schedule featuring games from La Liga, the Bundesliga and Serie A, Ladbrokes also meet the needs of those wanting to stream games live.

Ladbrokes is, along with BoyleSports, offering a terrific football acca package that can see you boost the odds, insure your bet and claim a free bet back if one team lets you down.

But the best part of Ladbrokes’ football offering is the number of free games existing customers can play. Among them are Ladbrokes 5-A-Side, 1-2-Free and the newest addition to the line-up, Half Time Quiz.

• Huge choice of player stat bets within bet builder
• Top footie promos and free predictor game
• Wide-ranging selection of football markets overall

Despite new betting companies popping up right, left and centre, Coral is still regarded as one of the best places to bet on football online in 2023.

One of the key reasons behind this is the bet builder. At Coral, you can create your own personalised bet based on the finer points of a player's game like shots, passes and tackles.

And if you’re thinking, well yes, Bet365 do this as well, you’re right but not to the extent Coral does. Bet365 offer a maximum of three players for total tackles and passes, Coral has odds for every player.

As with its site, Ladbrokes, Coral is also renowned for its free-to-play games. Coral's Football Super Series sees customers predict match stats of Coral’s four featured games to potentially win cash or free bets.

There’s also Coral’s Football Bet Bundle promotion, which gives punters the chance to buy football bet tokens for double the value or more that can be used to wager on Premier League games.

• Good value, frequent bet boosts
• Terrific weekly free bet club
• User-friendly football bet builder

Just like Ireland’s record goalscorer and Betway brand ambassador Robbie Keane, this football bookie is known for delivering the goods consistently.

Irish punters get an easy-to-use football bet builder, well-thought-out promotions and live streaming for the top European leagues. But that’s not all of course.

With Betway’s Free Bet Club, you can earn up to €15 in free bets each week around big tournaments and you are always guaranteed competitive prices for the day’s fixtures thanks to Betway Boosts.

Meanwhile, 4 to Score, Betway’s free-to-play football game, gives customers the chance to win €50,000 for correctly predicting the first four teams to score in the 3pm kick-offs in the Premier League, Championship, League One and League Two.

On this display, Betway is fully deserving of its place among the elite football bookmakers in Ireland.

• Superb selection of markets
• Popular free-to-play predictor game
• Highly optimal website

BetVictor offers a sleek, user-focussed sportsbook and vast betting selection geared towards football.

The variety and volume of bets to pick from are as good as any football bookie. Customers can select from popular markets like goals, results, over/unders and player markets, in addition to niche markets like method of goal, goal/assist doubles and player stat bets.

The pre-picked bet builder bets make it easy to place bets if you’re short of time, and price boosts are frequent and offer 'triffic' value, as brand ambassador Harry Redknapp would attest!

What’s more, BetVictor’s free-to-play football predictor game, Pick 6, offers punters the chance to win €1000 for correctly predicting the outcome of six Premier League games.

• League of Ireland features prominently
• Lots of free bets & football promotions
• Asian handicap, corners, cards betting lines

It’s safe to say that Novibet is winning the hearts of many Irish football punters. And with frequent and generous promotions, its excellent coverage of Irish football and an impressive choice of markets it is easy to see why.

Customers can claim free bets when betting on big games and benefit from odds boosts on a daily basis.

The Irish football focus is arguably the most comprehensive of any bookie with a huge pool of bet types, specials and combo bets available when wagering on League of Ireland games.

Novibet’s free-to-play football predictor game, NoviLeague, also offers the chance to win cash prizes and free bets.

Here's more about NoviLeague and how it works.

• Bet on VAR decisions
• Amazing selection of match combos
• Player-focused bet builder

What LV Bet may lack in live streaming, it makes up for with a variety of bets, which is just as good as the top football bookies.

The number of different match combos available, for example, is quite staggering, and, whether you love it or hate it, you can bet on the number of VAR decisions in a game.

I also liked the custom player bets feature based on player statistics. With it, you can combine player selections from different matches and pit two players against one another. It’s also possible to pick the order in which three players will reach a certain metric like the number of shots, for example.

There are some average football bookies and also some rubbish ones. Luckily, you don't need to worry about those, as we've picked out the crème de la crème of football betting sites.

The options we've recommended tick many boxes and excel when it comes to:

• Football betting promotions for existing customers
• Football betting features (live streaming, bet builder, cash out)
• Selection of football leagues and competitions
• Variety of football betting markets
• Mobile betting experience

Below, we break down the key areas for you, explain what we look for and recommend the best football bookmakers within each category.

You’ve registered a new account, claimed the welcome sign-up offer and used your free bets. But how does the bookie look after you after that? What's on offer in terms of betting promotions, offers and games?

For example, is there a loyalty club? Are free bet promotions frequent? Are odds boosts competitive? What benefits do you get when placing your acca?

A common way football bookmakers offer extra value is with free-to-play football predictor games that give you the chance to earn cash prizes and free bets.

The competition between the top football bookies in Ireland is fierce. But betting features such as Live Streaming, Bet Builders, and Cash Out give betting companies the chance to enhance the experience for customers and, ultimately, stand out from the crowd.

One of the most common ways to choose a football betting site is actually by looking at the unique features it offers and comparing them to what is offered or similar on another betting site. This is a good starting point towards making a decision.

Unless you’re watching Stoke vs Norwich, a lot can happen in one football match. Naturally, then you want the opportunity to bet on every eventuality.

Whether you enjoy having a punt on popular markets like the final result or first goalscorer, Asian handicaps, total number of goals, or corners, or, you see Granit Xhaka’s name in the lineup and instantly head to the card markets, the top bookmakers for football lay on an extensive range of markets.

You have a perfectly poured Guinness in one hand and your phone with a football betting app open in another - a match-winning combination if ever there was one.

We test whether a bookie has optimised its product for mobile by assessing what the site is like to use in a mobile browser and how its betting app performs.

Ideally, the mobile version of the site and app should be almost the same as using the desktop version with the same variety of markets, promotions and features available.