Best bookmaker for Australian sports betting

One of the questions we get asked the most is: what is the best bookmaker for sports betting? We live in an online age where everything needs to be at your fingertips, and it was only going to be a matter of time before the gambling industry caught up.

These days, punters need to be careful – there is so many online bookmakers out there purporting to be the best, but without the knowledge of the ins and outs of the industry it is hard to know who is legitimate and who is offering an inferior product.

Our site already offers a list of trusted bookmakers that we recommend to our readers but there is always a preeminent pick you can select from a best-of-the-best line up, so we put together a compilation of the top tier bookmakers and selected our best bookie.

Best book makers for United States

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Bookmaker

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Pros & Cons

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- Lines come out early and have a very low minimum bet
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Popular Australian sports to wager on

Australia is a country mad about sports. Our native sport – AFL – is played all over the country, while rugby league, soccer and horse racing are massive with the punting public. This section will run you through the ‘main events’.

Aussie Rules

Australian Rules Football, headed up by the AFL, our elite men’s competition is played in the winter months and runs through to the end of September each year. It boasts teams from Victoria, Western Australia, New South Wales, South Australia and Queensland. It also has an avid following in Tasmania, which has been advocating for its own AFL team for many years.

While the heartland of the AFL is Victoria, Western Australia and South Australia also claim it as the no.1 sport. The game has also experienced growth through the inception of the AFL Women’s competition, which sees eight teams battle it out over a short season, with the inaugural premiership taken out by the Brisbane Lions.

As a wagering sport the AFL is very popular with all Aussie bookies featuring extensive markets on games, player awards, coaching appointments and any other major happenings that take place.

You can read more about how to watch the AFL right here.
Rugby League

The NRL is the premier rugby league competition in the world, with teams from New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, ACT, and New Zealand taking the field for premiership points each year. The heartland of rugby league is New South Wales and Queensland, with the other states being more AFL-oriented. Despite this, the Victorian team – the Melbourne Storm – is hugely influential and boasts a proud and chequered history in the competition.

Representative rugby league is what counts in the NRL with the epic match-up between Queensland and NSW – the State Of Origin – something all Australians mark down in their sporting calendar each year.

The Australian Kangaroos are have been the standout in the Rugby League World Cup with neighbours New Zealand narrowly behind them in the market. The 2027 World Cup will be played in Australia and New Zealand and is one of the most hotly anticipated events in rugby league.

As a betting sport, Australian bookmakers offer wagering on every match of the NRL, State Of Origin and all international games. Also, many feeder competitions will have head-to-head odds offered.

Our no.1 bookie for Rugby League wagering is Neds.com.au.
Soccer

The Socceroos cracking into the World Cup of soccer and the emergence of the A-League as a genuine option for international players has seen a huge increase in participation and interest in the sport.

The A-League has teams from Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, and New Zealand and is played from October through to May, which is the summer months in Australia.

The 2023 decider was won by Central Coast Mariners in a highly competitive season, which is sure to have caught the eye of international scouts, who scour domestic leagues like the A-League for potential recruits.

As a punting sport, football is massive, with the World Cup (to next be played in Mexico, the USA, and Canada in 2026) holding the record as the biggest gambling event of all time. Other major competitions Australians love wagering on include the English Premier League, The Champions Cup, the La Liga (Spain) and the American Major League.

Some of Australia’s biggest exports in soccer include Mark Bosnich, Harry Kewell, Mark Viduka, Lucas Neill and Josh Kennedy, with all these players having strong careers in various international leagues, as well as brilliant careers for the Socceroos.

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Cricket

If the sun is shining and it’s in the summer months, parks and back yards are full of the sound of Aussies playing cricket. Our national team is among the best in the world and plays for rewards including The Ashes, The Frank Worrell Trophy, 50 Over World Cup, the T20 World Cup, and The Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Domestically we have the Sheffield Shield (our four day competition), the Matador Cup (50 over) and the globally successful Big Bash League, which is Australia’s answer to the Indian Premier League, and features many of the world’s best short form players.

All Australian states barring the ACT and Northern Territory have First Class teams with the reigning champions being Victoria. New South Wales is the latest Matador Cup winner, while the Perth Scorchers currently hold the BBL title.

Cricket is a massive betting sport, with the emergence of T20 making it an even more attractive proposition for sports bettors. The fast-paced nature and the ability to have a result quickly means bookies are all over most cricket competitions.

The IPL is the biggest betting tournament held annually, with millions of dollars wagered all round the world. BettingSite.com.au has extensive guides to cricket wagering, all available from our cricket hub.

Our no.1 cricket bookie is Neds.com.au, largely because they have extensive markets on all the major comps and leagues around the world.
Horse racing

Horse racing in Australia is a billion-dollar industry, with each major city in Australia boasting at least one metropolitan race track, with major centres like Melbourne having three key courses, including the home of the Melbourne Cup, Flemington.

The gravity of horse racing down under is massive, with races like the Melbourne Cup, the Caulfield Cup, the Cox Plate, and the Golden Slipper gaining traction in both Australia and internationally.

The Melbourne Spring Carnival kicks off in October each year and runs through to November, while Sydney’s major carnival, The Championships, is held over two weekends in July each year.

Racing is held almost every day of the year, whether it’s at one of the major tracks or at a regional centre, with many towns across the country having a track. The standard varies from the ‘picnics’ to group racing.

Globally, Australia is regarded as one of the strongest horse racing countries in the world, with many of our horses exported to places like Hong Kong, which does not have a breeding industry of its own.

Some of the biggest names in Australian racing include Gai Waterhouse, Darren Weir, Chris Waller and David Hayes. Our biggest equine athletes include Winx, Black Caviar, Makybe Diva, and the legendary Phar Lap.

Neds.com.au

Read our full review on Neds

Neds.com.au has been a key part of the Australian sports betting vernacular since their inception, and they continue to be a trailblazer in the industry.

Neds adverts have become legendary given their commitment to humour and tendency to go above and beyond for their customers, but if the product itself is not up to snuff, it does not account for much.

Thankfully, Neds’ dedication to advertising has translated into their service. Neds routinely offers the best fixed odds on races, the widest range of sports on offer, as well as a plethora of novelty bets and specialty markets that truly set them apart.

Vibrant colours and easy-to-access menus help elevate Neds from a run-of-the-mill betting company to a top-tier agency that we are happy to recommend to our followers.

What sets Neds apart: Excellent advertising campaigns, and their ability to continually evolve and give the punters what they want.

Bet365.com.au

Read our full review on Bet365

The self-anointed ‘world’s favourite online sports betting company’ talks a big game, but does it have what it takes to win over the customers in an invariably cutthroat Australian marketplace?

The first thing to note about Bet365 is the sheer weight of options they have. The American, United Kingdom, New Zealand, and Australian races are all catered for alongside a huge range of sports.

The live-betting market is where Bet365 excels. No other bookmaker in Australia offers the same amount of options when it comes to live betting, which leaves all their competitors in the dust.

One deterrent of the site is the fact that users cannot utilise their live streaming service without funds in their account, but overall the Bet365 experience is a positive one.

What sets Bet365 apart: A wide range of sports are available to be streamed online, with a great emphasis on live-betting

The BettingSite verdict on best bookie for Australians

All the bookmakers offer their own unique take on sports betting in Australia and have plenty to offer in terms of rewarding their loyal customers.

All our recommended sites are featured here for a reason, and you cannot go wrong with any of them, but if we were to elect a preference, it would have to be Neds.com.au. They have unrivalled markets on both sports and racing, an incredibly easy site to navigate, a more than competent app and promotions that stretch across sports and racing every day of the week.

Neds has made it their business to be the best in Australia, and their persistence is displayed by the quality of their product. They are simply the best bookmaker currently operating in Australia.