The best betting sites in Australia let you back your favourite footy or NRL team. They offer 150+ markets per game, so you’ve got heaps of options every time you chuck a bet on.
We’ve checked out 20+ Australian betting sites, sizing up the odds, testing live betting features, and making sure the payouts actually come through. We even found some ripper promos like 10% weekly cashback and welcome offers up to AUD 1,000.
Top Australian Bookmakers
In This Guide
- Top Australian Bookmakers
- Is Sports Betting Legal in Australia?
- How We Rate Australian Betting Sites
- Sports Betting Bonuses for Australians
- How to Pay at Australian Bookies
- Sports Covered by The Best Bookies in Australia
- Types of Bets at Australian Betting Sites
- Sports Betting Apps in Australia
- Betting Strategies for Aussie Players
- Responsible Gambling
- Our Verdict
- FAQs
- References
Is Sports Betting Legal in Australia?
Sports betting in Australia is legal in various forms, but the laws are hard to follow due to heavy regulation. Each state has its own rules and guidelines, but all must comply with the national framework of the Interactive Gambling Act 2001.
This law governs online gambling through phones, apps, and betting websites in Australia. It has since had two major updates in 2017 and 2019, introducing stricter rules, new tools, and a National Self-Exclusion Register.
There are a limited number of locally operated sportsbooks, and in-play sports betting isn’t permitted. Overseas betting sites are located outside the country and aren’t bound by Australia’s strict regulations.
International sportsbooks are trusted options for online betting, as they’ve been around for years and are licensed and regulated by reputable authorities in jurisdictions such as Panama, Anjouan, and Malta.
How We Rate Australian Betting Sites
We use a consistent formula to rate all the betting sites in Australia, evaluating the quality of odds, range of payment options, and speed of payouts. Our expert team also assesses the full range of markets on Australia’s favourite sports.
Range of Markets
The best Australian sportsbooks should offer as many bets as possible on footy and NRL. We hunt through those categories, evaluating how many alternate lines, player props, and futures are on offer.
A good range of other sports and markets should also be available, like international soccer leagues, US sports like the NFL and NBA, and of course, cricket.
Value of Odds
We assess sites on their odds, looking at where moneylines sit against the average and the level of vig on handicaps and totals. Sites that regularly offer above-average value for bets earn higher grades from us.
Bonuses & Promotions
We look beyond the headline welcome offers and big AUD signs to find the bonuses and promotions that offer the most value to you. We assess terms & conditions, evaluating the fairness and transparency of rollover requirements, time limits, and wager contributions.
Payment Options
The more deposit and withdrawal options a site has, the higher it will rank with us. We want to see debit and credit card acceptance across Visa, Mastercard, American Express and others.
If a site accepts eWallets, then we are happy too. We use multiple deposit and withdrawal methods, verifying their acceptance and measuring payment times to find the sites that get you your winnings quickly.
Features, Tools, & Usability
From live betting to favourites lists and fast customer service lines, the on-site experience is crucial to how high Australian bookmakers will rank. We test sites across desktop and multiple mobile devices for loading speed and how easy they are to navigate.
We also assess the quality of live betting platforms, the level of account customisation, and the quality of customer service to identify the sites that make sports betting easiest and provide an enjoyable experience.
Licensing & Security
Finally, we verify each site’s license and assess encryption levels to ensure your data is secure. We want to see active licenses from the likes of the Malta Gaming Authority or Curacao eGaming that provide quality levels of fairness and player protection.
Sports Betting Bonuses for Australians
There are lots of betting bonuses available in Australia, like deposit match bonuses, free bets, and odds boosts. But you have to look at sites outside of Australia to find them.
Ever since the Interactive Gambling Act 2001, Australian online bookies aren’t allowed to offer you a welcome bonus or any other kind of promotion.
So if you do use a site that’s licensed outside of Australia, these are the kind of bonuses you can expect to find.
Welcome Bonuses
The welcome bonus is the first and biggest offer any site will give you. It usually comes as a percentage of your first deposit, and can be made up of free bet tokens or just bonus funds that are added directly to your account.
For example, deposit AUD 200 at 100% match and get AUD 200 free, giving you a total of AUD 400 to bet with.
Free Bets
One of the most common promotions you’ll find at top betting sites in Australia is the free bet. It’s exactly as the name suggests: it lets you bet on sports like AFL, cricket, rugby, and soccer for free.
The bookmaker will stake your wager, usually a fixed sum like AUD 5, 10, or 20, and any winnings from the bet are yours to keep. You don’t get the stake back, but you also don’t lose anything if the bet loses.
Odds Boosts
Boost the odds of your bet for increased potential returns and profit. These odds boost promotions from Australian betting sites provide better value on specific markets, giving you the chance to win more on single or multiple bets without risking extra money.
Here’s how it works for an Aussie rules match between Sydney and Hawthorn when betting AUD 100 on Sydney to win.
- AUD 100 bet at odds of 1.81 equals a potential payout of AUD 181.
- The same AUD 100 bet at boosted odds of 2.10 equals a payout of AUD 210, giving you an extra AUD 29 of profit.
Cashback Offers
This bonus gives you a portion of your money back. It comes as a percentage and lets you recoup some of your losses when a bet doesn’t go as planned. It essentially insures your stakes up to a certain amount (usually 5%-30%) to use again on other markets.
Loyalty Rewards
There are multiple ways you can earn rewards as a loyal customer of a sportsbook. This includes regular offers and bonuses credited to you over a set period of time. But the best betting sites in Australia tend to have loyalty programs that are based on points.
For every AUD 1 bet, you’ll get a set number of points added to your account. The more you bet, the better the rewards get, which makes it worth your while to stay loyal and keep betting.
How to Pay at Australian Bookies
Getting money into an account is crucial, and there are lots of ways, from normal Visa and Mastercard bank cards to Aussie payment options like POLi Payments and BPAY.
Below are a few of the most popular ways to add money to your account and cash out any winnings.
Bank Cards
You can use your bank card at any of the brands in our list of betting sites in Australia. NAB may be unavailable, but Visa, Mastercard, and American Express are widely accepted and let you make instant deposits. Plus, this method is eligible for welcome bonuses, so you can lock in extra funds from day one.
However, it’s worth bearing in mind that there might be transaction fees involved, so factor those into your budget when you’re betting online.
eWallets
These are like a digital bridge between your bank/funding source and the online bookmakers in Australia. They keep your financial information private, so the betting app or site never sees it.
The snag is that eWallets like PayPal, Neteller, Skrill, and Payz are not always available, and when they are, they’re often not eligible for bonuses. Plus, these services usually charge variable transaction fees that you need to factor into your budget and profits.
Sports Covered by The Best Bookies in Australia
One advantage of online betting websites in Australia is that they offer a wide range of sports. There are plenty of opportunities to bet pretty much around the clock, seven days a week. You’ll find this with established bookmakers and new betting sites in Australia alike. Below are a few of the top sports covered by bookmakers in Oz.
AFL
The Australian Football League offers plenty of weekly matches to bet on during the regular season from March through to September. Place a line (handicap) bet, pick a straight-up winner in a single bet, or select multiple teams in a combination bet.
Top futures markets to look out for when betting online include the Brownlow Medal, Coleman Medal, and AFL Rising Star award.
Rugby League
Many betting sites in Australia offer rugby league markets in the NRL, including the Premiership, Pre-season Challenge, the Knock On Effect NSW Cup, and Hostplus Cup.
Whether you support the Storm, Panthers, Roosters, or another team, there are plenty of ways to bet in regular time and overtime.
Cricket
Cricket offers a variety of ways to bet at Australian betting sites across domestic competitions and leagues, as well as International tournaments. You can bet on things like match winner, toss winner, player runs, total run outs, highest opening partnership, and whether a century will be scored in a match.
Look out for markets from the Big Bash League, SA20, International League T20, The Ashes, and the Super Smash over in New Zealand.
Soccer
From Australia to Spain, England, Italy, Germany, and France, soccer betting comes with one of the largest varieties of odds to choose from. 1×2 wagers are popular in soccer as the match result can end in a home win, a draw, or an away win (more on this later). As are Total Goals markets, Both Teams to Score, and Half-time / Full-time.
With coverage of the A-League, Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, and other leagues, you’ll never be short of bets to place.
Horse Racing
Many top betting sites in Australia have a dedicated section for horse racing, or it may be included as a subcategory of the sportsbook. It’s sometimes referred to as a racebook.
Daily thoroughbred racecards at tracks such as Dalby, Moruya, Penola, and Sunshine Coast are available each week. Plus, harness racing is also available at the likes of Wagga, Maryborough, and Albion Park.
Don’t forget to mark your calendar for big events like the Melbourne Cup, The Everest, W. S. Cox Plate, and Golden Slipper Stakes.
US Major Leagues
If you follow US sports leagues such as the NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL, then you’ll be pleased with the wide range of markets at betting websites in Australia. Place bets throughout the regular season or lock in a wager on big competitions like the Super Bowl, NBA Finals, the World Series, and Stanley Cup.
Other Sports
Interested in other sports? You’ll find that established and new betting sites in Australia provide access to over 30+ sports and esports on average. Markets such as golf, boxing, MMA, Formula 1, Call of Duty, CS2, and surfing are all readily available. Keep an eye out for the Masters (golf), Australian Grand Prix, and the WSL Men’s Championship Tour (surfing).
Types of Bets at Australian Betting Sites
Online betting sites in Australia offer multiple bet types across different sports. While some of them are exclusive to a particular sport, many are universal, making it easy to understand how to bet and calculate your potential winnings.
Below are the different types of bets at Australian online bookmakers.
1X2
1×2 betting is one of the simplest ways to bet on sports, with three possible outcomes. These include Home win (1), Draw (X), or Away win (2).
It’s a popular bet at Australian betting sites that is available on sports like football, soccer, basketball, hockey, rugby, and handball.
Totals
A Totals bet (or over/under bet) is all about predicting the combined total score between two competing teams. Guess whether the total points or goals in a match will be over or under the amount set by bookmakers in Australia for pretty much any team sport.
Handicap
Handicap betting, also known as spread or line betting, makes some markets more interesting by essentially evening out both sides. Instead of just picking a winner, you can bet on how much a team will win or lose by.
This is how a bookmaker sets a ‘handicap’. If one team in an AFL fixture is -15 points, they need to win by more than 15 for your bet to win. Conversely, if another team is +15, then they can lose by no more than 14 or draw for your bet to be a winner.
Props
Prop betting is like making a side bet on specific scenarios within a sport. Rather than betting on the outcome of matches and events, you can bet on things like the number of corners in soccer, the first goal scorer, how many shots on target, both teams to score, or the winning method of a UFC bout, plus many others.
Top betting sites in Australia allow you to use props in multi-bets like accumulators and other combined bets, which we’ve explained in more detail below.
Multis
Multis in online betting for Australians let you combine different picks into one bet for a bigger potential payout. The type of bet changes based on how many selections you make.
Common multi-bets include Doubles, Trebles, Fourfold, Accumulators, and Trixies. You can link multiple bets together (from the same or a different sport) for better odds and bigger wins, but to win, all your picks must be successful.
Each-Way Bets
Do you have doubts about being able to pick a straight-up winner? This is where each-way bets offered by betting companies in Australia come into their own.
It’s a cautious way to place your stake as you can essentially split your decision between a win and a placement (such as 2nd, 3rd) in sports like horse racing, dog racing, and cycling. Each-way bets can still get you a payout even if your pick doesn’t win.
Live In-Play Bets
Live betting online lets you bet in-play on many sports. Instead of making your predictions before the match, you can wait for the action to start and use up-to-the-second odds updates to your advantage.
While in-play betting is banned through local operators, many of the live betting sites in Australia that are based offshore still let you enjoy real-time wagering. As the game unfolds, you can make bets based on what’s happening in the match or sport, using in-game stats and commentary to support your decisions.
Futures / Outrights
If you like the idea of betting online on outcomes happening in the future, then Futures (aka outrights) could be a bet for you.
You can place these bets on events like the winner of the Australian A-League, English FA Cup, French Ligue 1, UEFA Champions League, FIFA World Cup, The Ashes, and cycling’s Tour Down Under. Usually, the earlier you lock in your decision, the better the odds and the bigger potential profit you can make.
Sports Betting Apps in Australia
Mobile sports betting sites are exploding in popularity because they offer all the benefits of a full sportsbook from your phone or tablet. The best betting apps in Australia offer you touch-screen controls and the convenience of being able to bet from anywhere at any time, as long as you have a network connection.
Although betting apps can be good for quick access from your home screen, many top brands, especially those on our list of recommended online betting sites, use mobile-optimised websites instead.
You don’t have to worry about downloading any software or having available storage space. Open a browser like Chrome or Safari and start betting. You can even use the bookmark tool to create a shortcut icon on your mobile that links directly to the betting site.
Betting Strategies for Aussie Players
We’ve put together a list of expert tips to help you get the most out of your bets and make your experience at betting sites in Australia more enjoyable. Use these as part of a wider strategy to improve your odds and maximise your potential profits long-term.
Study the Form Before You Bet
We advise researching a player or team’s performance before placing a bet. Study form and recent games, injuries, and other stats that can help with your decisions. There’s never a shortage of sports news, media websites, and blogs with insights and pointers from pros and those in the know.
Bet on Familiar Sports where Knowledge is Strong
Stick to betting on familiar sports that you know well and where your knowledge is strongest. If you’re a fan of cricket, you’ll most likely have a better understanding of the game, teams, players, and strategies compared with taking a shot in the dark on a niche market or a sport you’re unfamiliar with.
Join Multiple Betting Websites
There is no limit to the number of betting sites you can join. Sign up with several brands to compare odds and get the best value on your bets. Different bookmakers sometimes offer different odds and promotions, so it’s definitely worth hedging your bets and shopping around.
Manage Your Budget Carefully
Set a specific amount of money to one side to use just for betting. That way, you can avoid overspending or chasing losses and ultimately keep your betting stress-free and enjoyable.
Use Online Betting Welcome Bonuses and Promotions
As mentioned earlier, a huge benefit of choosing a brand from our list of online betting sites in Australia is the availability of a welcome bonus. These offers can give you extra funds to bet with immediately and help you try out different betting markets without risking too much of your own money.
Responsible Gambling
Sports betting in Australia is more fun when you do it responsibly. That means setting yourself a weekly or monthly budget that is not more than you can afford to lose.
Every site offers tools such as session timers and deposit limits that can help you stay in control.
If you, or someone you know, is struggling, there are organisations like Gambler’s Help and Responsible Wagering Australia that provide free help and advice.
Our Verdict
The legal landscape of sports betting in Australia can leave you feeling very boxed in with its lack of bonuses and limits to in-play betting that people elsewhere in the world can enjoy. This is why offshore sites can be more attractive, as they offer those things Aussie-licenced sites don’t, along with AFL, rugby, and cricket markets.
Of course, this comes with its own risks. You’ll receive no assistance from Australian authorities if you run into disputes with an international site, and they offer fewer responsible gambling tools, while moving funds in and out can take longer and incur more fees.
No matter which licensing style you choose, you can still enjoy betting on your favourite teams through your mobile device or desktop computer. Just make sure you’re shopping for the best odds and not accepting the first line you see.
FAQs
Is sports betting legal in Australia?
Can I bet online in Australia?
What is the best betting site in Australia?
What bonuses are available at Australian betting sites?
Do you have to pay tax on gambling winnings in Australia?
Are there betting apps for Australian gambling sites?
References
- Most Popular Sports in Australia (Teacher Professional Development)
- Australian Sports By Type (Statista)
- Bitcoin Average Transaction Fee (Ycharts)
- Australian Mobile Statistics (Redsearch)
