Best betting sites for AFL
Australian football or footy is a contact sport that can be associated with rugby and American football. Yet, it has so many unique features that put it above all other sports, at least for Australians. The men’s competition of Australian rules football is called Australian Football League, or just AFL, and it is probably the most popular sport to bet on in the Land Down Under by far.
The AFL owes its popularity to dozens of interesting betting markets, competitive odds, and the sheer number of spectators at every game of the season, and the number of active players in the country (over 1,4 million).
If you are a punter looking for the AFL betting site with the best odds, markets, and overall wagering experience, this page is the place to be. We have perused the leading bookies in the country, such as Ladbrokes, Unibet, bet365, and several others, to narrow down the choice to the three most deserving ones.
Who did we look at?
Today we will be discussing Ladbrokes, bet365, PalmerBet, PlayUp, Unibet, and Sportsbet, so let’s start.
AFL Odds and Betting Markets Compared
The showdown between the bookmakers offering AFL betting is going to be a fierce one. All platforms offer pretty similar betting options, but it is precisely those subtle differences that will allow us to make a sound and analytical choice of the best bookmakers for AFL wagering.
As we have briefly mentioned earlier, our research’s focal points are Ladbrokes, PalmerBet, PlayUp, Unibet, and Sportsbet. These names usually pop up when talking about the best platforms for AFL betting.
The most convenient and precise way of measuring how these sports betting sites fare against each other is by taking an upcoming AFL match and comparing their respective odds for that fixture. After all, punters constantly look for the best odds for the matches they want to put on their betting slip, so there is no better way of checking if the sites can put their money where their mouths are.
The match in question is the upcoming clash between St Kilda and Richmond, two median teams from the AFL table. Let’s dive right into the odds section:
- Ladbrokes — 2.60 on St Kilda and 1.50 on Richmond
- PalmerBet — 2.78 on St Kilda and 1.45 on Richmond
- PlayUp — 2.64 on St Kilda and 1.48 on Richmond
- Unibet — 2.70 on St Kilda and 1.47 on Richmond
- Sportsbet — 2.76 on St Kilda and 1.45 on Richmond
Even though these odds only reflect the current state of things and are prone to further updates and changes, we can safely deduce that all operators offer more than decent odds on the AFL game in question. However, comparing the odds for the wins of either of the teams, we give a slight advantage to Sportsbet, PalmerBet, and Unibet.
Still, the betting odds are just one side of the story, albeit an important one. But equally as important are the betting markets, you can explore the AFL fixtures. Let’s see how the bookmakers compare in that regard.
- Ladbrokes — 187 markets
- PalmerBet — 188 markets
- PlayUp — 247 markets
- Unibet — 104 markets
- Sportsbet — 253 markets
According to the data regarding the betting markets, Sportsbet, PlayUp, and PalmerBet are by far the most abundant platforms when the choice of AFL wagers is concerned. That leads us to our final list of the best bookmakers for AFL betting for Aussies that looks like this:
- Sportset
- PlayUp
- PalmerBet
How Did We Come Up With These Top Bookies for AFL Betting?
Although our starting point was to analyze the betting odds and markets, we did not even finish half of our work at that point.
Our next points of interest were security and licensing. The appropriate gambling jurisdictions had regulated all of the bookies mentioned here with proper reputation in the industry, which guarantees fairness and safety for the players. What’s more, the encryption methods and firewalls they employ to safeguard the sensitive data and players’ transactions are on par with the industry standards.
Next up were other sports and betting markets. While AFL wagering is certainly enough to keep your hands full for a long time, it pays to have a couple more options just when you want to spice things up. The sportsbooks mentioned here offer great odds for basketball, tennis, cricket, UFC, and other popular sports.
All punters know that a vital part of any betting site is the bonus and promotions section. So, we made sure that the ones mentioned here are teeming with great offers for both the newly-registered Aussies and those already playing on the platform. What’s more, we looked into the bonuses’ terms and conditions to see if the free bets and other perks can actually lead to real money payouts or not, and these thankfully can.
Finally, there was the case with the user interface. No one wants to wander around a site not knowing where to find the AFL betting offer or anything, so we excluded those we had difficulty navigating.
AFL Betting Markets
Let’s learn more about the various betting markets under the AFL betting category.
Head to Head
Head to head is the simplest bet to learn and the one used most by punters. Your job here is to bet on the team you think will be victorious in the match. The home team is shown first,and the away team second.
Total Game Points/Over-Under
The total game points or over-under wager allows you to bet whether the total score of the AFL fixture is going to be above or below the limit set by the bookmaker. If the teams score more than the bookmaker first predicted, then the over bet wins. If the teams don’t manage to score as many points, then the under wager is the winning one.
Margin Markets
The margin markets are among the most popular markets in all of the AFL betting arena. The bookmaker will normally set a margin of points by which one of the teams will win. The most common margins are:
- 1-39 points bet — The selected team must win by a margin of 1 to 39 points for the bet to be a successful one.
- 40+ points bet — The selected team must win by a margin of 40+ points for the bet to be a successful one.
Draw bet — This bet is only successful if the game ends in a draw.
Goal Scoring Markets
Markets that focus on the number of goals, the players scoring them, the number of goals landing in the first half or quarter, and other such wagering options all fall under the goal scoring markets. Sometimes punters don’t rely on the winner or loser as long as there are enough goals to make their ticket the winning one. Depending on the type of the bet, it’s also important to note which players score them, which is why many bookmakers emphasise markets.
Player Markets
Player markets are incredibly exciting because punters focus their full attention on one player’s performance. Under the player markets, you can bet on one player scoring four, five, or more goals, who will be the last goalscorer, who will be the scorer in the first or second half, and many other such bets that fall under the player markets category.
Disposal Markets
The disposal markets are self-explanatory to the extent that even novice players who have never wagered on AFL could use them right from the start. Disposal in AFL is a kick that gets the ball from one player to another successfully. The numbers for disposal markets vary greatly, but the most frequent ones are bets where you predict a player will get 20+ disposals in a game, the most of all players on the pitch, etc.
