Best Hurling Betting Sites in Ireland

Hurling is one of a pair of unique and ancient field sports played solelyin Ireland, and along with Gaelic football (or just ‘football’ as it is called in Ireland) is regulated by the Gaelic Athletic Association, or ‘GAA’ as it is commonly referred to. Playing GAA in Ireland means playing hurling or football, and these sports are hugely traditional parts of Irish culture.

Hurling is one of the most popular participation sports in Ireland (girls play  a form of the game called camogie). While most villages and towns will have their own GAA club where hurling and football is played, the highest level of the sport is county level. The distinction is therefore made between club hurling and country hurling. Top sports betting sites will offer the opportunity to bet on both, although findingclub hurling betting options is difficult.

The pinnacle of the sport is the All-Ireland Championship, played in the Irish summer. This is when counties fight for the right to reach the All-Ireland Final – the championship game played at Dublin’s iconic Croke Park in front of over 80,000 fans. All-Ireland hurling betting is among the biggest events in sports in Ireland, and betting opportunities are freely available on many sports betting sites for this competition as well as the final game. Fans and bettors will also find the opportunity to get early market offers on the ‘outright’ winner of the All-Ireland Senior County Hurling Championship. Minor games are also played (featuring younger players or players as a lower level) but these are much harder to find on the betting sites, as are underage matches. Betyou Ireland helps you find the best sports betting sites for your hurling betting by assessing the number of markets available and the range of matches provided to bet on, among a number of other factors that we will cover.

Hurling vs Gaelic football (GAA)

Hurling shares many features with Gaelic football, including the pitch size and layout, the number of players, the points methods, and even some of the terminology. But the skillset of a hurler is quite different than that of a footballer. Due to the use of the hurley and sliotar, hurling is actually one of the fastest field sports in the world, and offers a unique blend of fitness, physicality, technique and skill. It’s an exciting watch and scores can change in an instant.

A senior county hurling match is played over two halves of 35 minuteseach, with all other games played for a total of 60 minutes. It’s traditionally played in the spring and summer, with the biggest matches and tournaments, including the All-Ireland Senior County Hurling Championship played in the summer months. This event attracts huge interest in Ireland from fans and bettors, and will be the main offering of any sports betting site which provides GAA betting opportunities.

Best hurling betting sites

Hurling is a hugely unique sport, but is also hugely popular in Ireland. Therefore, many people are interested in betting on this sport, and Betyou Ireland helps in choosing what are the best betting sites to bet with on Gaelic Games and hurling in particular. Indeed, because of the uniqueness of this sport to Ireland, there are a lot of more international focused betting sites that don’t offer the opportunity to bet on hurling at all.

It's no surprise that the Irish sites are probably best for when it comes to betting on hurling. After all, these are sites that really cater to the needs and likes of Ireland-based punters. Here are some of the best options:

Hurling Rules

To the uninitiated, hurling rules (and Gaelic football rules) can seem rather confusing. That’s no surprise considering this is a sport only played in Ireland. 15 players per side play on a pitch much larger than a traditional soccer or rugby pitch, and each player carries an ash stick, called a ‘hurley’, which is used to hit a hard ball called a sliotar. At each end of the pitch is a goal, which looks like a set of rugby posts but then has a goal with a net in the lower section under the bar. Points are scored by hitting the sliotar over the bar and between the posts, while a goal (and three points) is secured by hitting the sliotar into the goal which is guarded by a goalkeeper. A similar game is played by girls/women, but is called camogie.

It’s no surprise that the best betting sites for hurling and Gaelic football are those sites that are used to attracting Ireland-based punters. Here we run though the sites that work best for your hurling betting if you are based in Ireland:

PaddyPower: As mentioned previously, this Irish sports betting site is probably the best place for betting on Gaelic Games. Not only does it have the widest variety of tournaments and matches, plus specials, but it is one of the few to actually offer multiple markets on matches, instead of just the regular ‘to win’ category.

BoyleSports: Another Irish bookie, BoyleSports has a similar number of tournaments and matches, but can sometimes lack the market depth of Paddy Power. It’s still a good option, though, so if you’re looking for an option for your GAA betting this weekend, you could do a lot worse.

William Hills: This British bookie also serves up a nice hurling betting product, with a few options of markets on the biggest matches, which is more than most.

Bet365: Much like William Hill, this is another British bookie that values the hurling fans among its customers by offering betting options on more than just the biggest matches, although the market depth is not up there with PaddyPower and BoyleSports.

Ladbrokes: Same again in that it doesn’t have the breadth of depth of the Irish bookmakers, but respects the needs of its Irish customers.

Top Hurling events, teams and players

When betting on hurling it’s important to know the tournaments and matches to keep abreast of. So here’s a quick guide to what to look out for.

County hurling

The biggest matches in Gaelic games are played inter-county – this is the pinnacle of the sport. But within the county game itself is a few different tournaments which attract differing levels of interest.

The traditional big three of hurling have always been Kilkenny, Cork and Tipperary, although in recent years Limerick have established a degree of dominance. The biggest events in the county game are:

• The All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship
• National Hurling League
• The Leinster, Munster, Connaught and Ulster Championships

Rest assured, betting hurling All-Ireland is one of the biggest attractions in sports betting in Ireland.

Club hurling

Under the county game is a fiercely competitive club game that is the bread and butter of hurling in Ireland. Locals are passionate about their clubs and huge rivalries develop between neighboring parishes. Similar to the county game, there is All-Ireland and provincial championship, while every county in Ireland will also have their own championship. For bookmakers that cover the club game, the games come thick and fast.

Top Irish hurlers such as TJ Reid, Patrick Horgan and Tony Kelly grace both the club and county game, and act as an inspirational to many hurling fans across Ireland and beyond. 

Popular hurling betting competitions

As we have already seen, hurling is a game played at both local (club) and county level, with a number of popular competitions and events played throughout the season. For the uninitiated, it can be a little confusing, but here we break down the most popular events for fans and hurling bettors to follow:

The All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship

The cream of the crop. The ‘All-Ireland’ as it is known is a knockout style tournament that culminates in the crowning of the All-Ireland champions – the best hurling team in the country. It is an iconic event that has been competed for every year but one since 1887. The competition is held annually between April and July.

National Hurling League

The National Hurling League has been played since 1925 and currently features 35 teams, including teams from England. It features promotion and relegation.

Provincial Championships

Each of the four provinces of Ireland – Leinster, Munster, Connaught and Ulster - have their own championships which are played between April and June and are a precursor to the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship.

As the biggest events in hurling, these tournaments will quite often be featured as ante-post (futures) markets with the best hurling betting sites, especially the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championships. Odds on the next winner will often feature not long after the most recent final has been decided. 

Hurling ante-post (futures) betting odds

Ante-post or futures markets are markets that are released early, a long time ahead of the event itself. It’s a popular attempt by the sports betting sites to attract interest in the event early. What’s in it for the bettor is that you can often secure way more favourable odds on an outcome if you place a bet a long time before the competition is set to take place.

The biggest and best sites for hurling betting offer futures markets on hurling, although most of the time these will not extend beyond the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship. However, the Irish sites such as PaddyPower and BoyleSports will also offer futures on Provincial county champions, and sometimes even club champions in some of the bigger counties. As always it’s a good idea to jump on odds comparison sites to see where the best hurling odds 2023 on futures markets can be secured. 

How to bet on hurling online

Starting to bet on hurling online is a simple task.

It starts with opening an account with the bookmaker of your choice, although you should use Betyou Ireland to help you decide which ones. All of our reviews are fully detailed and include all of the aspects we know sports betting fans appreciate. Also strongly consider the sites we recommend specifically for hurling betting.

Once you have your bookmaker, sign up either though the desktop site or through the app, which you can download (indeed if the site has an app or even one worth downloading, again details you can find out with Betyou Ireland). Then, just run through the simple sign-up steps as dictated by the bookmaker of your choice. This is a quick process, but please note you may need to upload certain proof of identity documents as a standard practice. 

When your account is active, you are then free to sign in and make your first deposit. Make sure you are fully aware of the details of the bookmaker’s sign up bonus so you know what you are entitled to. Now you can navigate over to the hurling betting options, and bet as you choose. 

Hurling Live Streaming Betting Sites

When betting on an event, especially if you’re betting live, it’s a great idea to watch the event itself. Of course you may have the means to watch hurling matches on your television set, but that may not be the case depending on where you are in the world.

Therefore, it’s a huge bonus if the site you are betting with offers live streaming of the sport you are betting on so you can bet and follow the event all in one place. Sports betting sites are constantly adding (and removing) sports to their list of live streaming options, and it’s worth keeping abreast of who is offering hurling live streams for any given match, although bear in mind that you should still consider where you can get the most favourable odds and all the other elements that we cover in our reviews.

Hurling Betting Deals and bonuses

Getting the best odds on your hurling betting is certainly important, but grabbing the best odds is only one way of getting value. Another is to take advantage of a hurling betting deal so you are getting a free bet or even your stake back if your bet loses. Here are just some of the possible hurling betting deals you could secure if you shop around (and use Betyou Ireland) for your bets:

Boosted odds: Often sites will offer boosted odds on the biggest events, which usually means the All-Ireland Final, although not exclusively. 

Money back offers: Usually secured as part of a sign-up welcome bonus, money back offers act in practice as a free bet because you secure your stake back if your bet loses. Sometimes bookmakers offer this option outside of the new customer sign up offer. Check out promotions regularly as well as your inbox within your betting account to find out when money back offers are available.

Boosted accumulators: Many sports betting sites will offer boosted rewards on accumulators, and of course you can use these in conjunction with your hurling betting. This kind of deal can increase your returns.  

PaddyPower love a promotion on hurling and also currently offer a €10 bet stake back as cash if it loses for new customers, free to be used on hurling of course. BoyleSports offer €40 as free bets to new customers, which is also a great way to secure a hurling betting deal. 

Hurling Betting Tips

Betting on hurling can be a fun experience, and you can also win some money. However, it’s really important not to see this as an easy way to make money, because that’s not what sports betting is. It’s fun, and from time to time, you can win. But to win, it’s wise to follow some certain tips that our experts at Betyou have put together.

Don’t just bet on team names: The team name is something, but dive deeper into who is playing, form, head to head results and more to see the full picture before you place the bet. Injuries can occur and this can weaken a team significantly, so make sure you are fully up to date.

Bet with deals, promotions and bonuses: There are a number of great sports betting deals that can be used in conjunction with your hurling betting to increase the return on your stake or even alleviate risk through insurance on the stake. These are just some of the options available, and it’s great to shop around and take advantage of these offers.

Play in-play: Keep a close eye on the match unfolding and take advantage of the live betting options that have become the newest phenomenon in sports betting. Utilise a live stream too to watch how the momentum of the match is unfolding and react to the market and spot opportunities to win. And don’t forget that with most betting sites these days, you can cash out early. 

Small gains are best: Always remember to never bet more than you can afford, and if you bet smart, small wins can stack up. Big pay days are what Hollywood movies are made of, it’s better to be sensible and look for value and use deals along the way to alleviate the risk.  

Hurling betting odds

When betting on hurling it’s important to focus on the odds. Of course, the odds represent the return you can get from the bet, but the odds can vary greatly depending on the outcome you are looking at. For example, in a match result scenario there are only three potential results, and in hurling the draw is not a regular occurrence. With two results really only to choose from then, you can’t expect the odds to be great either way. So it might be better to dig deeper into markets that offer more outcomes and therefore potentially bigger returns. It’s another option at least, and here are some of the other potential markets you can avail of when betting on hurling:

• Winning margin
• Points totals over under
• Player to score
• Outrights on teams and players 

But getting the best odds doesn’t just mean switching markets. Get on odds early with ante-post markets, or take advantage of bet boosts or betting offers to help maximise gains. 

Hurling Betting Markets

With odds being so important, it’s a must of a good hurling betting site to have options in the markets it offers. What does this mean? Well, more than just having the option to bet on which team will win the match, it’s great if you can also place a hurling bet on a host of additional outcomes where you can use your knowledge of hurling to really find some value in the bet you place. The best hurling betting sites do offer options here, including:

• To win: Simply bet on which team will win the match. Every betting site that offers hurling and GAA as a betting option will give you this betting option on at least some of the biggest games, but look for more, including:
• Handicap betting: Bet on a team with an additional handicap. For example, if you bet Cork (-1) then you are betting that Cork will win the match even with a point removed from the total score.
• Double result: Bet on who will be winning at half time and full time to increase those odds.
  
  
• To score first: Exactly as the name implies, bet on which team will register first
  
  
• Winning margin: Again as the name suggests you are betting on the team you think will win but then increasing your odds by being more specific about what you think the winning margin will be. These are usually offered as a spread, so options might include 1-3 points, 4-6 points, 7-9 points and so on. Because hurling is such a high scoring game, these options increase value in your bets.

 These are just some of the options that top sites offer, although the majority of betting sites unfortunately will not offer many market options on hurling. That’s why it’s good to use Betyou Ireland to find out where the best hurling betting experiences are to be had.

Best hurling betting apps

With more bettors now placing their bets on mobile devices than desktop devices, accessing a good mobile app has become an important part of a betting experience. Not all betting sites have dedicated betting apps for iOS and Android, and as we have seen, not all betting sites offer betting on hurling as an option. With these things in mind, here we run through the hurling betting apps offered by the betting sites:

• Paddy Power:  PaddyPower is one of the standouts in terms of hurling betting, and it also has a great app that is tailored to iOS and Android devices. The app brings all of the PP fun in terms of innovative betting promotions and offers that you can use in conjunction with your hurling betting. But it also brings the widest variety in terms of hurling games and markets to bet on.
• Boylesports: Another of the best hurling betting options, BoyleSports also has a great app to download for either iOS or Android device. Do so and bet on hurling from your mobile device with all the great BoyleSports features and with plenty of hurling market coverage.
• William Hill: With good options for hurling betting, including plenty of matches, William Hill also offer up fantastic mobile apps for your iOS and Android devices. Together that’s a great combo.
• Bet365: One of the best apps out there for both iOS and Android, Bet365 has fantastic user friendliness and features on the mobile app. It doesn’t have the same number of markets and matches as the Irish bookmakers, but it’s still a good option.

 These mobile apps and more are available on all popular apps stores or even on the sports betting sites webpage. Follow the simple steps to download and you can even sign up to the bookmaker directly through the app if you haven’t already done so. 

Hurling Free bets

 One way to maximise your hurling betting returns is to use the free bets offered out by bookmakers in order to eliminate risk: a free bet means no stake after all. These hurling free bets can take a number of different shapes and forms, and of course it’s great information to have to know where to get hurling free bets. It does involve shopping around and having more than one betting account, and of course you can let Betyou Ireland guide you in where to go for the best hurling betting experience.

 Here are some of the shapes that hurling free bets can take:

The sign up offer or welcome bonus: One of the best ways to avail of a free bet is to claim it during your sign up process with a sports betting site as a new customer. Nearly every sports betting site will offer a sign up bonus, so make sure you choose one that suits, and of course that you choose a site that offers the opportunity to bet on hurling. The likes of PaddyPower, bet365, Bet Victor, 10bet and BoyleSports all offer hurling and have great sign up offers that equate to free bets that can be used on hurling, or indeed anything else. 

Dedicated free bets: Some sites such as bet365 will spontaneously offer up free bet options to loyal customers. You’ll get details of the free bet sent to your account. Other sites such as PaddyPower will have free bets offered up to customers on dedicated events, such as the biggest hurling matches. Either way, these are brilliant types of hurling free bets available. 

Other types of promotions: Sports betting sites offer a range of innovative promotions that add up to a free bet if you know where to find them. These include free accumulators (after placing a certain amount per week), free bet clubs and more. Stay up to date with Betyou for details of the best hurling betting sites in conjunction with the best betting promotions.

The terms and conditions for betting offers can vary greatly and we always recommend reading the fine print. However, these promotions we have mentioned here are great ways to avail of hurling free bets.

How we rate Hurling Betting Sites

 With so many betting sites out there to choose from, it’s simply good advice to follow the recommendations of a site such as Betyou in order to select the best site for your betting needs. At Betyou we include comprehensive reviews of betting sites and really dig deep into the aspects of a betting site that we know make a difference to customers. So what exactly do we look out for?

Market options and live betting: Sites need to offer up options on their hurling betting, not just ‘to win’. Therefore we really recommend the sites that have multiple markets and live betting options on hurling, with the latter really increasing in popularity in recent times.

Odds: And when you find those markets, we like to see fair and competitive odds. We recommend using odds comparison sites where possible to find the best odds available. 

Betting apps: With so many bettors now placing their wagers from mobile devices, using responsive betting apps is becoming more and more important. We go into detail about our favourite betting apps that can really enhance your betting experience.

Customer support and banking options: This might not be the most exciting of categories, but we only like sites that are trusted, secure, and offer up proper options for customer support and banking. These are non-negotiables for us, and we wouldn’t recommend a site unless it ticks the boxes on this criteria. 

Betting promotions and bonuses: And of course we like sites that offer value, not just through the day-to-day odds, but through innovative and fair promotions that bring excitement and also value to the customer. 

It’s these elements, and more besides, that add up to a good hurling betting site (or not). At Betyou Ireland we know what is important, and that’s why you should use us to choose your best hurling betting site options. 

Deposits & Withdrawals at hurling / GAA Betting Sites

It may not be the most exciting of categories to consider, but banking options with a betting site are simply crucial. You can forget about all other aspects of a betting site if it doesn’t offer up the banking options that you feel comfortable using. Fortunately, most betting sites offer options, including:

• Debit and credit card deposits and withdrawals
  
  
• Bank transfer
  
  
• E-wallets such as Skrill, Neteller and PayPal
  
  
• Pre-paid cards
  
  
• Crypto

 Our comprehensive bookmaker reviews give details of the banking options with the sports betting sites, and provide information about transaction times and limits. This is crucial information that you should consider before embarking on your hurling betting journey. 

Hurling Betting 2023 schedule

The best hurling betting sites offer ante-post markets on the best hurling events. It’s therefore vitally important to stay up to date with what’s going on in the hurling schedule. Here is the 2023 hurling calendar for all your hurling betting needs: 

All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship

Running from April to July, this is the cream of the crop of hurling competitions and you can be sure sites that offer All-Ireland hurling betting will have ante-post (futures) markets on this event a long long time in advance. 

The National Hurling league

Jam-packed with inter-county fixtures, the league runs in the early part of the year and finishes up in April before the Provincial Championships and the All-Ireland kicks off in earnest.

All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championship

This is an event that stretches over a long period and is a great one for the hurling experts as it’s a chance to follow the fortunes of clubs all around the country, starting with the county championships with traditionally run from June to November. Provincial Championships run from October to December, with the All-Ireland quarter and semi-finals played in February. This all culminates in the All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championship final played on St. Patrick’s Day in March.

These are not the only events, and it’s well worth keeping an eye on the best hurling betting sites as well as the GAA fixture list to find additional events that also offer chances to bet and enjoy hurling.