One of the biggest growth areas in wagering and particularly online is sports betting with more and more Australians taking an interest in the daily offering from around the globe. Sports betting sites are now a 24/7 service, with it possible to bet on events from all around the world, with the two biggest sports globally being basketball and soccer (or football, depending on your preferences), although we are partial to horse racing.
What is BettingSite.com.au’s role in this landscape? We are intent on giving a service to secure your patronage. We want to cover the sports and racing events Australians care about. We aim to listen to our readership and continue to improve our coverage of the big events and the Australian betting sites that offer markets on them.
- American football
While the key event in the NFL is the Super Bowl, Australians have a growing fascination with the entire season. Other prominent Australians to have played in the NFL include Darren Bennett and Saverio Rocca, who both started their careers in Aussie rules before becoming kickers. Australian betting sites will have markets on all major matches coming out of the USA, including the NFL and NCAA college matches.
- AFL
The no.1 football code in Australia is a huge betting sport. Collingwood defeated Brisbane in the 2023 AFL grand final. The previous year, Geelong continued their marvellous run at the top-end of the ladder, winning a fourth premiership this century. This puts them in rare air, with Hawthorn also having four flags since 2008. Australian betting sites cater extensively to the AFL, with match-day markets available from about the time the teams drop for the game until the first bounce. AFL futures are also a popular way to bet, with many punters betting on markets like the Brownlow Medal Winner, Rising Star winner, Norm Smith winner and of course the Premiership itself.
- Baseball
Another sport based in the USA, that has a big following with punters in Australia. As a wagering sport it has many dedicated fans and requires patience and the ability to grind, betting on many matches for small wins. There are competitions based all around the world that you can bet on, but without a doubt Major League Baseball in the USA is the no.1 drawcard at online betting sites. Australians to have played in the Major League Baseball competition include Shane Lindsay, Josh Spence, Luke Hughes, Brad Harman, Rich Thompson and Ryan Rowland-Smith.
- Basketball
The NBL is growing and growing in popularity in recent years and the talent leaving Australia for the NBA and European League is staggering. Australians also wager on the NBA and European leagues with it usually on during daytime hours in AEST time. NBA betting sites will have markets on everything from what colour shirt a coach will wear, right through to top point-scorers and rebounders. Many outstanding Australian basketball players have journeyed to the NBA, including Andrew Gaze, Andrew Bogut and modern stars like Ben Simmons, Dante Exum and the controversial Josh Giddey.
- UFC
The UFC has stolen the mantle as the most popular fighting code in the world and the punters love it. Most Aussie bookies will have extensive markets on both boxing and MMA. UFC betting sites will cover all of the fights in the competition, including the minor ones. The popularity of UFC betting increased dramatically during the covid years, with the events continuing to run, despite lockdowns in much of the world.
- Cricket
Australia is currently the no.1 Test team in the world, while they are also the defending champions in the 50-over World Cup. Cricket as a betting sport, is very popular in Australia, with the national team and Big Bash Leagues where the bulk of bets are place. The Big Bash League takes centre stage for much of the Australian summer. Cricket is also one of the most popular sports to bet on in the world with huge interest coming from the sub-continent. BettingSite.com.au will cover Test match cricket, T20s and One Day Internationals from a betting perspective. Cricket betting sites will have markets on many aspects of the game, including winner, most wickets, most runs and various combinations of these.
- Esports
Competition video games are very popular in many countries in the world, with more than one professional league getting around. This has made it one of the growing niches in sports betting with many of the major bookies and dedicated esports wagering sites taking bets on it. Esports betting sites will cover games liek League of Legends, Dota 2, Call of Duty, Fortnite, PUBG and even Hearthstone. Other games growing in popularity as esports include NBA2K and the various FIFA instalments.
- Cycling
While it’s not as popular in Australia as other places, cycling wagering is readily available at Australian bookmakers. Many of our best cyclists compete in European events like the Tour de France and various other races.
- Golf
Australia has long held a love affair with golf, with many of us growing up with Greg Norman the best player in the world. Not that much has changed with the Aussies still at the top of world golf with names like Jason Day and Adam Scott some of the best in the world. The best Aussie betting sites cater extensively to all pro golf tournaments. Female golf has also become popular with punters and betting sites will also cover their major tournaments.
- Horse racing
The gallops in Australia are no.1 and the bookies are all over both regional and metropolitan meetings. The crowning race in Australia is the Melbourne Cup but races like the Caulfield Cup, the Everest, the Golden Slipper and the Cox Plate draw international attention.
- Greyhound racing
Greyhound racing is a popular racing code in Australia that has gone through some troubled times over the last few years with its ban and reinstatement in NSW. The sport was also banned in the ACT at tail end of 2017.
- Harness racing
It might not have the pulling power it did 30 years ago but harness racing, or the trots, is still a popular sport to wager on. It is held in major cities and in regional centres. All decent bookies will have extensive harness racing odds and bet types. Major harness racing tracks in Australia, include Melton (Victoria), Menangle (NSW) and Albion Park (South Australia). Aussie betting sites will also often run promotions surrounding the major harness racing events in Australia.
- NRL
The major rugby code in Australia features teams from both here and in New Zealand. It’s also regarded as the strongest domestic rugby league comp in the world and a breeding ground for many of the best players. Betting wise, much like the AFL, there are 100s of different markets, including futures available at the top Australian sports betting sites. NRL bet types can number over one thousand on match-day, while same game multis, betting promotions and odds boosts are also common.
- Soccer/Football
The A-League is the premier soccer competition in Australia with it seemingly growing in popularity each year. Household names to have played in the A League include Harry Kewell, Archie Thompson and Kevin Muscat. A-League betting sites are frequent in Australia, with almost all bookies featuring at least some markets on this popular football competition. Aussies also love punting on the English Premier League and various other European leagues. Every Australian betting site of note has 1000s of markets available on football at any given time.