Sports Betting in Australia

Australia is a nation that has always had a love affair with sports. Today, Australia is a force to be reckoned with in sports such as AFL, rugby, cricket, basketball, and netball, while some other popular sports include football, tennis, golf, horse racing, UFC, and esports.

Naturally, as so many Aussies are interested in watching and playing sports, a good chunk of them also like placing real-money bets on their favourite sporting events. This guide will cover all the basics of sports betting in Australia, talking about the most popular betting markets and sports and sharing a list of top online bookies that accept Aussie players. Check it out!

Our Top 7 Australian Sports Betting Sites

After doing some research, we concluded that the following operators are the best options for real-money online betting in Australia.

Ladbrokes

✓ Includes the most popular Australian sports

✓ Live betting available

✓ Great for horse racing

✓ Plenty of rewarding bonuses

Sportsbet

✓ Great betting features

✓ Mobile-friendly

✓ Specialised in horse racing

✓ Above-average odds

PlayUp

✓ Dozens of available sports

✓ Approved by major AU leagues and organisations

✓ Excellent for horse racing

✓ Features a mobile app

Neds

✓ Over two dozen sports

✓ Covers all major horse racing events

✓ Rewarding promotions

✓ Great odds

TAB

✓ Trusted and secured

✓ Plenty of sports to choose from

✓ Live betting available

✓ Sponsored by major horse racing organisations

PalmerBet

✓ Highly secured payments

✓ Great for horse racing

✓ Approved by major AU sports leagues

✓ iOS and Android mobile app

Unibet AU

✓ Renowned sports betting brand

✓ Versatile sports selection

✓ Rewarding player promotions

✓ Advanced betting features

How We Review Top Australian Sports Betting Sites

We are very meticulous in our research, which is propelled by over 15 years of experience working in the online gambling industry. All that time has taught us how to separate the wheat from the chaff and recommend only quality online betting platforms to our Australian readers.

There are plenty of things that go into our review process. When going through a given betting site, the crucial aspects we look into include licensing and safety, available betting features, player promotions, mobile accessibility, banking, and customer support.

Safety

No matter how good the betting site looks, we first have to make sure that it’s safe for all players. We do this by looking into the operator’s licensing details to see whether it has proper documents issued by a trusted regulatory authority.

Once that is out of the way, we try to dig up as much information about the site’s safety protocols, thus ensuring that your data remains secure during your online play. We can guarantee that all sites we list here are 100% safe and trusted.

Betting Options

The core of every betting site is its betting features. We like when the operator offers plenty of sports to bet on, including sports that might not be that popular. Of course, it is a priority for a website to have sports that Australians like betting on.Each available sport must cover some of its major competitions, and each event should have plenty of markets for a player to choose from. Live betting is also a must, allowing you to place wagers as the event is taking place.

You can confirm that all of our recommended sites feature thousands of sporting events monthly, covering every sport from football and cricket to field hockey and lacrosse.

Bonuses

Bonuses should not be the main thing to concern yourself with, but they can present a nice kickstart to your balance. Almost every online bookie offers welcome bonuses to new players in the form of free bets and extra cash.

However, be careful when selecting these offers and always look at their terms and conditions to better understand the rules.

Mobile Accessibility

Betting on mobile is easy and convenient these days, but only if the betting operator has a quality mobile platform. There are two ways to bet using your mobile device — accessing the bookie’s mobile site or downloading its app.

The app is a much better option in terms of navigation and overall user experience. Unfortunately, not all online sportsbooks offer a mobile app, but most of the ones found on our recommended list do.

Banking

One of the first things you’ll have to do after choosing a betting site is deposit money into your account. To do that safely and effectively, you will need to select an operator that features trusted payment methods and optimal limits.

We specifically selected sites that accept payment options familiar to Australian players, including the most popular credit card services, e-wallets, and bank wires, among many other alternative options.

When looking through banking details, we made sure that the bookies guarantee quick payment processing with minimum or, preferably, non-existent fees.

Customer Support

There’s a good chance that you will need to contact the customer support of a betting site if you run into certain issues, like having trouble unlocking the promotion or wondering what is going on with your delayed payment.

In such cases, you should be able to rely on a professional support team that will respond quickly and give you the right answers. All of the sites we listed have customer support teams that you can count on around the clock.

Most Popular Sports on Top Australian Betting Sites

The best Australian betting sites feature plenty of different sports you can wager on. Of course, some of these sports are more popular than others and will be covered more extensively by the bookie.

With that said, here are some of the sports that you will find on almost every Australian online sportsbook.

Different Types of Sports Bets

Online sports betting is very versatile, allowing you to place a bet on almost every segment of every sporting event. If you are new to sports betting, here are some of the betting types you should know about before starting your journey.

Horse Racing Bets

Horse racing is a specific sport for betting, and many of its betting types don’t apply to most other sports.The most straightforward horse racing bet is a win, in which you simply choose the winner of a given race. Other common bets include:

Place

Runner finishes first, second, or third

Each-way

Win or place

Quinella

the first and second place in any order

Quinella

the first and second place in any order

Exacta

the first and second place in the exact order

Duet

two of the top three finishes in any order

Trifecta

first, second, and third places

You can also bet on multiple races (doubles, quaddie, or big six) on a single bet slip or opt for a parlay formula.

Straight Bets

A straight bet is the most basic sports bet. It simply lets you predict the winner of a given match (or, in the case of some sports, a draw). You either bet on the favourite or the underdog. If these two are very unevenly matched, the bookie might offer a point spread, giving a certain number of handicap points to the underdog. In that case, the odds will be more even, and you’ll get to choose whether the favourite covers the spread or not.

Total Line Bets

If you are undecided on who will win a certain game, you can instead choose to bet on the total number of points or goals. The bookie will set a line, like 2.5, on the total number of goals in a football match, and you need to guess whether the number of goals will be over or under that line.

Parlay Bets

Grouping together several fixtures on one betting slip is what is called a parlay bet. All the bets on your slip must be different from each other, and you’ll have the freedom of combining different markets and even sports. The odds will be multiplied, creating a potential for a huge win, but note that all of your bets must be correct for you to cash out.

Prop Bets

Prop bets allow you to wager on many individual aspects of a game, like how many points a certain player scores in a basketball game, how many yellow cards are shown in a football match, or whether a rugby game will have overtime.

Future Bets

With future bets, you try to guess who will win a particular competition. You can take a future bet before or during a given tournament or league. Some bookies might have more advanced future bets, like predicting whether a team will finish in one of the top places or avoid relegation, how far a certain team will go in the playoffs, and which player will win an individual reward.

Useful Links

The most frequently asked questions about betting in Australia.

How does sports betting work?

To bet on sports online, you’ll have to create an account on a sports betting site and deposit some money into it. From there, find the list of available games and choose your bet by clicking on it. Input how much you want to wager and create your betting slip. If you win, the money goes to your account, and you’re free to cash it out.

How to make money while sports betting?

To be a successful sports bettor, you will need to be knowledgeable of the sport you’re betting on. Follow the games, keep up with team/player form, and read sports news. Remember to always keep track of your spending and never risk too much.

How does line betting work?

Line betting is when the bookie gives a certain number of handicap points to the underdog. If you bet on the underdog, they will need to either win or lose by less than the indicated amount of handicap points. For a favourite bet to win, the favourite needs to win by more than that amount of points.

How does each-way betting work?

Each way is a bet consisting of two parts — a win bet and a place bet. If the runner you wagered on finishes first, you win both bets. If they finish second or third, you only win the place bet. Both win and place parts of the bet must be wagered with an equal amount.