Find the best online bookmakers offering top odds, specials, sports markets, bonuses and more. Our comprehensive reviews make you a vet before you bet!
Innovative online sportsbook with the market leading odds
Offers protest payouts
Thousands of pre-match and live sporting events
One Of The Top New Bookies Around
Best Bookie for beginners
Specialises in political & entertainment markets
Top-notch betting odds
Best Tote On All Australian Gallops & Protest Payout
Offers Live streaming of local races
A trusted & local bookie
Superb customer service
Lowest minimum wagers
Designed for Android & iOS
Fast withdrawals
Huge selection of local & global sports
A great place to punt & chat
Specialises in horse racing
Pick your own odds
Extensive live streaming choices
Top Fantasy Sports Bookie
Let’s get straight to the point – you are here because you like to place wagers on sporting events. Safe Betting Sites is a new initiative launched in 2020 that’s designed to help you find the best Australia licensed betting sites, and to make sure your online betting experience is 100 percent secure. It’s our job to keep you protected, and to inform you of the best betting offers, provide with unbiased bookmaker reviews and online betting guides.
When it comes to bookmakers, Australian punters don’t have quite the same level of choice as their pommie pals in the UK. The cupboard isn’t exactly bare, though. There are still plenty of good Australian betting sites out there, and we’ve curated 20 of the very best in the table above. These selections weren’t simply made at random. Like everything else we do at Safe Betting Sites, they were the result of extensive research and fair, balanced analysis. To give you a little more insight, here’s a look at the most important factors we based our rankings on.
You should never have to fight against the interface on a sportsbook. Instead, a good betting platform should be intuitive from the start. You should be able to find whatever you’re looking for quickly and easily, whether it’s the account management section, a specific betting market, or anything else. Pages should also load quickly, and crashes should be kept to a minimum. PlayUp is one online bookie that’s very easy to use.
When your hard-earned money is on the line, you naturally want to know that it’ll be safe. The best Australian betting sites should give you peace of mind in this respect, courtesy of a few security measures. These should include firewalls, encryption, and Know Your Customer checks at the very least. We also like to see some separation between customer and company funds. In terms of security Ladbrokes is the most secure site we’ve encountered.
We’re pleased to say that fees have largely been abolished from sportsbooks in many countries. That applies to deposits, withdrawals, and so on. Australian betting sites with fees haven’t automatically been disqualified from our rankings. After all, even where fees are in place, they’re normally pretty minimal. We’ve certainly given the edge to online bookmakers which have no such annoying charges, though, such as Sportsbet and Betfair.
It doesn’t matter how many features or promotions a bookie has. If their odds are routinely higher than the competition’s, they’re simply not worth using. We’ve compared odds on a range of the most popular sports markets, to ensure the prices on our recommended Australian sports betting sites are competitive. It’s our opinion that Palmerbet is among the sites that offer the best betting odds.
Aussies love sport as much as they love their beer, and they love betting on sport almost as much! True, betting regulations in Oz are stricter than many other jurisdictions – for instance operators cannot advertise welcome bonuses or free bets. But the important thing is that pumping Aussie dollars via your Visa card into any the best betting sites listed here and then placing a punt on the Melbourne Cup or The Big Bash is perfectly legal!And by legal we mean betting at ACT licensed online bookies that are safe and secure. At Safe Betting Sites Australia we’ve unearthed a host of new Australian betting sites with popular payment methods like Poli and Paypal, and great promotions like early pay out and racing refunds. Read on to find out more!
Right-o, so you now know which are the best Australian sports betting apps according to our research, but even a top 100 list is pretty useless if you don’t know why the sites towards the top of our list have been assigned the podium places. What makes them the best, better than all the rest? Why should you wager your dinkum dollars at the online bookies on our say so?
Well, we stand by our selections but just so you know why we think the top sites for betting on sports deserve to be on our list, we are going to go into a little extra depth about what we think makes them special, so very special. Here is a dingo’s whisker of info about the top 10 betting websites that sit proudly atop our list, and some pretty pictures too.
When it comes to sports betting in Australia, there is no site quite like PowBet. On first impressions, PowBet is easily the best looking site that sports betting has to offer. As you delve deeper into the site, you’ll find that quality is found through the sportsbook. In terms of actual betting, PowBet is again a class above most other sportsbooks. There’s an incredible range of markets, sports and in play betting options. If Virtual Sports are your type of thing, then there is also a dedicated virtual betting section, with 11 different games to choose from
There’s also a big focus on horse racing at PowBet, with a dedicated section on the site. Along with traditional horse racing, there’s also harness racing and greyhound racing, showing PowBet are dedicated to racing betting. Live betting is also another clear priority for PowBet. Live betting is one of the first things that PowBet shows on their homepage, and with a range of betting markets and even live streaming on offer, it’s easy to see why.
What we like:
What we don’t:
One of the best online bookmakers Australia provides to the world is BlueBet. Billing themselves as the “true blue Aussie bookie” on the homepage is far from an idle boast. With weekly promotions aplenty once you log in, the key sporting events have pride of place atop the main menu on the left-hand side. BlueBet have developed a reputation as one of the leading sports betting agencies in the region, because they have their fingers on the pulse. Racing and general sports tabs let you toggle between the horses and other popular events Down Under like AFL and NRL.
BlueBet are a big deal and took their public profile to new heights in 2021 when they began sponsoring NRL franchise Penrith Panthers and leant the brand name to their stadium. Few online betting agencies around the world can boast such a partnership. As online bookmakers Australia has to offer go, this brand is publicly listed. The Rapid Multi function allows you to place such bets quickly and easily. With all they have to offer, BlueBet give any of the new betting sites Australia has seen launched in the region recently a run for their money.
The new kid on the block among online betting agencies in Australia, Sportaza has a really international flavour. This sportsbook makes great use of white space, so there is little if any cluttering to it. One big edge Sportaza can boast over some of its rivals in the region is live streaming of popular betting sports. That sits alongside a terrific range of betting odds both for events inside Australia and worldwide.
Although laws prohibit them from advertising it up front, Sportaza can also offer you an attractive welcome bonus when new customers sign up. You can see which bets are trending with their Popular Bets function on the right-hand side of the page. This tells you where the money is going. You can also search for a team or league, so you can bet on your favourite or fancied franchise or club. Sportaza really is one of the sports betting agencies in Australia on the rise.
Australian legislation around gambling and sports betting can be complex and many companies are put off by some unique rules, such as the ban on advertising welcome bonuses and free bets, plus the complete ban on online live betting. Lots of offshore companies offers the sports betting experience, more than Oz-based brands. One successful Aussie-based brand though is PlayUp, created by entrepreneur Daniel Simic.
PlayUp was formed in 2019 by the merger of two other sportsbooks, ClassicBet and Mad Bookie, and in 2020 absorbed another online bookie – TopBetta. As well as being a successful Australian-based sports book, PlayUp is the ideal online bookie to use if you are new to sports betting. This is mainly because of the minimalist interface and the concentration upon the major sports markets of the sports betting universe.
Betfair is a sports betting global leader when it comes to a betting exchange. Exchange betting is where your successful betting profits come from the people who were betting on the opposite outcome of the event you were betting on. As Betfair relies upon commission as opposed to punters making losing bets, you often get more the best betting odds when compared to fixed odds betting.
As Betfair is a global company it offers a staggering range of markets. If you find a sporting contest happening anywhere in the world and no matter how obtuse, there’s the chance that you will be able to wager upon it at Betfair. One thing to note – if you are not sure about the concept of exchange betting and want to stick to traditional fixed odds betting, the Betfair offers fixed odds betting too.
Bet365 is one of the world’s best-known bookmakers and launched in Australia in 2012. It offers one of the greatest selection of sports and markets, combined with several features such as in-play stats and live streaming. Ever since it was founded, horse racing has always featured prominently and continues to do so to this day. In addition, punters in Australia can benefit from access to AFL and NRL betting markets and live events.
One area where Bet365 stands out from other online bookmakers Australia has operating in the region is with its range of live stat tracking and live streaming availability. This feature complements the user-friendly website which is accessible via computer and portable digital devices. However, if you enjoy betting on the go, then the Bet365 mobile apps provide the convenience and functionality you seek.
People who have never before bet online in Australia can feel themselves a little overwhelmed by sports betting sites. Some of the most established sites available in the country are tailored for experienced sports bettors, so the learning curve can be a little steep for any sports betting newcomers.
This is one thing that you simply cannot accuse Winners Bet of. This sportsbook, one of the new betting sites Australia provides today, has been designed to thoroughly enhance the user experience, no matter if you have placed hundreds of bets in your lifetime, or you are still waiting to jump over that ‘place first time bet online’ hurdle. With its easy-to-use interface, placing bets doesn’t get any easier than it does at Winners Bet.
Even if the ‘simple looking’ nature of this site leaves you cold we are still going to recommend Winners Bet to you as all sports receive bonser levels of coverage, especially horse racing and greyhounds. Soccer, cricket, tennis, basketball and volleyball are the main alternative sports covered, but they are just five of the thirty-three sporting markets available at the site. Live sports betting (of course) does not play an important role in Winners Bet’s coverage, but the site does have numerous payment methods available and promises super-swift payment processing times.
Horse racing is the third-most attended sport in Australia, behind Aussie rules and rugby league. As many as two million people per annum attend races at one of the country’s 300+ official racecourse every year. Betting on horses is extremely popular too, generating AU$7 million in revenue. Plenty of Australian sports books have dedicated horse racing sections, and we consider Sportsbet to be the best.
Just head to the Sportsbet site whenever you need to place a horse racing bet and you’ll immediately find the meeting you want to bet on. As an added betting sites bonus, the site will tell you where the leading meetings are being televised. It’s not just horse racing at Sportsbet though, and there are plenty of other sports from Aussie rules to US sports that have countless market options available.
Australians have a ‘vegemite’ feeling about multibetting – they either love it or they don’t have anything to do with it. The positive factor of multibets (or accumulators or parlay bets as they are also known) is that potential winnings are much bigger than with straight-up betting. The negative factor is that all legs of a multibet have to be winning ones, or else the entire bet becomes a loser.
If your love affair with multibets is one you feel positive about, then you really ought to head to PalmerBets. This Aussie-owned site will enhance your multibet life with multiple promotions and countless other benefits. The focus is on horse racing but most other sports can be wagered upon and therefore linked to create multibet mayhem. You might also appreciate the minimalist design concept too.
Customer support can be something of a thorny issue even at the best online sports books in Australia. There are too many tales of punter protests falling upon deaf ears, and help simply just not being at hand. That is not an issue you are likely to encounter at Ladbrokes, as this site has plaudits coming out of its ears in terms of the levels of customer support available, and at all hours of the day.
To say that Ladbrokes is a reasonably established company is like saying Uluru or Ayers Rock is quite big. They aren’t one of the new betting sites Australia has to offer, but their reputation means they just had to feature. As a business, they have been around since 1886 in the UK but really blossomed in the 1960s when off-course bookmaking was legalised by the British government. Ladbrokes have been at the forefront of UK bookmaking ever since and have international concerns all over the gambling globe, including, of course, Australia.
Horse racing is so popular in Australia that it is no surprise that two sites in our Aussie top ten list are horse racing specialists. We’ve already recommended Sportsbet as a top site in Oz for all your racetrack wagering, and now we are going to recommend to you a newer site – Neds. This site has all the leading information about every horse and greyhound race available all over the world. The site also updates itself automatically every thirty seconds or so, which is very impressive!
Neds has been around since 2017, created by the former boss of Ladbrokes in Australia, Dean Shannon. This Aussie-based and Aussie-owned company is licensed in the Northern Territory and South Australia, and offers the best dedicated coverage of Australian horse racing. It also has global horse racing coverage. It’s not just for the horses though – other sports available include Aussie Rules, rugby, soccer, basketball and eSports. It also has a live events section but as is the norm with live betting in Australia, you have to telephone the site to place any live bets.
Thanks to our mini reviews you now know about the key aspects available at new betting sites Australia has to offer, but which sites have such features, and which do not? Below you’ll find a list of the top sites available to sports bettors in Australia and some key features, and an indication of each as to whether that particular site offers that feature. This should help you with your best online betting sites comparison of Australian online betting sites.
*in-play betting in Australia can only be done via phone, not over the internet. This is different to sports betting online in other countries. Some sites offer in-play betting but only on the final outcome of in-play matches, not on live elements such as the next goalscorer.
While we’re concerned with the best new betting sites Australia has to offer here, you may have also heard bookmakers referred to as online betting agencies in the region. This may confuse some newbies who are looking to gamble for the first time. Should you use sports betting agencies or one of the leading online bookmakers Australia has operating within it? Worry not. The fact is they are just different terms for the same thing. Both the betting agencies Australia has in the region and online bookmakers provide identical services. They are two sides of the same coin. There is more below on the best new betting sites Australia has for you, but first there’s a comprehensive list of all Australian betting agencies so you know about the whole picture:
Thanks to a slight relaxing in some Australian gambling regulations, the number of new betting sites available to sports bettors in Australia is increasing month-on-month. Such new betting sites – like PlayUp and Neds – may offer interesting features so that they can get themselves noticed above the more established sites. They may also have an alluring deal or two to add a little extra benefit, so make sure you check out any new betting sites Australia has to offer that we alert you to and give them a thorough going over.
All Aussies love betting tips – not so much the inside info on individual events, but betting tips likely to improve the betting experience and the chance of making a steady return. Below we share some of the best betting tips that you can put into practice at sites such as SportsBet and any other of the best betting sites in Australia.
As the saying goes, an expert is someone who knows more and more about less and less. If you can concentrate your sports betting on one particular element that you really like and know plenty about, then you’re more likely to make a success of it. Keep away from sports you know little about – for example, there’s no point betting on baseball if you’ve no idea what abbreviations like ERA, RISP and RBI mean.
Many sports bettors come unstuck because they have zero bankroll management skills. They simply place bets as they feel. Often, a run of losing bets means they increase the size of their bets – known as ‘chasing losses’.
Your bankroll is the amount of available cash you have to bet, per month, and the golden rule is your bets should never be greater than 2 percent of that. So, if you are managing a AU$200 bankroll, that means you cannot place a bet bigger than AU$4.
Another major downfall with failed sports bettors is that they bet with their hearts, and not their heads. You should never bet because you have a ‘gut feeling’ – it might just be indigestion after eating too may ribs at last night’s barbie, after all.
Do your homework, analyse in depth and only make bets that make logical sense. Remember, no matter the odds, the better team wins a sporting match-up around 70 percent of the time.
Sports betting is not for everyone. You may find the idea of winning bucks via your love of rugby enticing, but if you maintain a steady loss over a period of weeks, then you’re going to have to face facts that you just ain’t got what it takes. It’s better to walk away than to have to explain to the missus that you’ve spent that month’s mortgage payment on North Melbourne winning the AFL.
The sports betting odds are what make any bet. The odds determine the ratio between risk and return. If a side is 1/100 to win, is there any point wagering AU$100 to win a single buck, especially if an upset could be on the cards?
Here’s how to determine whether you’re getting decent sport betting odds for your wagers.
Fixed odds are sports betting odds available on most existing and new betting sites Australia has to offer, and determined by the bookmaker. They are what the bookie is willing to risk to pay out if punters want to take a punt. Odds may change as an event draws close, but you retain the odds at which you placed your bet. PalmerBet has some of the fairest fixed odds available in Australia.
Exchange betting is different to fixed odds betting as the odds are determined by the punters, and not the sports book. The odds are the ratio of punters backing each competitor. For example, if seven people think Team A will win, and four think team B will win, then the odds are 11/7 for Team A and 11/4 for Team B (although in reality it’s a little more complicated than that). Betfair is Australia’s number one exchange betting platform.
In the dim past horse racing odds were not set by online bookmakers, but actually at the course where the races were being run. Now, risk analysis experts set the odds, and with little variation across different bookies. You can still get favourable thoroughbred, harness and greyhound racing odds at many sites, such as Sportsbet.
The AFL is the most popular team participation sporting competition for sporting betting in Oz, and if you are interested in betting on the AFL, then we recommend that you get the best odds available. We’d like to recommend Winners Bet to you for the best AFL betting odds.
In terms of oddly-shaped balls, the NRL is the second most popular ‘bet upon’ league in Australia, even though more people play and watch rugby league than football. Again, getting the best odds for your NRL bets is important, and we suggest you head to PlayUp for decent NRL betting odds.
Aussies won’t admit it, but the dominance of the Australian cricket team over the cricketing world is definitely a thing of the past. That doesn’t stop punters from placing bets on the jaffer-tossing game, and we think BetPat is a decent site for good cricket odds.
Once you have opened your sportsbook account at one of our recommended new betting sites Australia has, it’s time for you to place your first bet. Just in case this process is new to you, we’re going to be bonzer and walk you through it. Here – as an example – is how to place your first sports betting wager at Winners Bet.
Clicking the price will add the bet to your betslip. You can then set the amount you wish to wager. You can repeat the process for as many bets as you want to place, or you can just confirm the bet then and there. Once you’ve completed what you want to do, click ‘Place Bet’. This will confirm your wager – be careful because once your bet is accepted, you cannot withdraw it if you change your mind.
Of all the many innovations in online sports betting over the past couple of decades, live betting might be the most important of the bunch. It has been an absolute game-changer, giving punters an unprecedented range of new betting options.
We’re pleased to say that Australian punters can also benefit from this excellent feature – in a certain way. Live betting over the internet is actually illegal in the country, much to the annoyance of both sports betting fans and the Australian sports betting sites themselves. If you are in Oz and you want to enjoy the kind of live betting experience you’ve encountered in other jurisdictions, then … tough …
Some sites, such as PlayUp, do offer a way around the legislation, and a perfectly legal one too. You can place live bets in Australia, but not over the internet – you can do it over the phone. Head to any site that offers live betting and you’ll see the relevant phone number. Give them a call with your live bet information to place your in-play punt.
While Australian betting sites lag behind their global counterparts in certain areas, we’re pleased to say that the typical number of markets available isn’t one of them. The selection of betting markets might be slightly smaller, but all the big hitters tend to be present and correct.
At our top Australian betting sites – like Ladbrokes, Winners Bet, and Unibet – these include:
Most, if not all of these will also be available at our lesser-known recommended betting websites. Not only are these sports present, but both the breadth and depth of their markets tend to be excellent too.
In addition to the most prestigious competitions – the Champions League (UCL) and Premier League (EPL) for soccer, the Big Bash for cricket, and so on – you’ll also find a good selection of ‘lower league’ markets. Just as importantly, the range of betting types also tends to be impressive. Rarely will you be limited to simply ‘1X2’ wagers on these sportsbooks. Instead, you should be able to make pretty specific predictions, whether they’re score bets, player props, and so on.
Last, but by no means least, we have horse racing. Australian betting sites tend to be massively geared towards racing (thoroughbred racing, harness racing and greyhounds). Some – like SportsBet – even seem to be horse racing online betting sites Australia, rather than general sportsbooks! Racing will tend to be the focus of both promotions and special features, with ‘Same-Race Multi’ being a common example. The top bookies will cover not just every race in Australia and New Zealand, but also the major contests from countries like the UK, France, the US, and South Africa.
When betting on sports in Australia and indeed worldwide, there are few pastimes more popular than horse racing. They call it the sport of kings with a thriving global industry supporting it. Top betting sites know this, so need to provide a service to match. In Australia, it’s not just fixed odds bookmakers either. The horse racing sports betting online includes access to the state supported Tote – a kind of parimutuel betting where the prices are determined by the popularity of certain horses from the pool of people gambling. Whether you wager on the Tote and/or betting companies with a fixed odds service, these are our top five recommended bookies:
Betting agencies in Australia naturally do all they can to promote Australian Rules football. After all, this particular sport was invented in the country. That explains its huge popularity even compared to betting on sports with wider international interest. Aussie Rules has its own premier competition, the AFL, where the best players compete with the ultimate aim of Grand Final glory. It’s an integral part of the annual Australian sports calendar. The top player receives the Brownlow Medal, but Aussie Rules is very much a team game. When it comes to AFL betting websites, these are five of the best out there:
Rugby in general could hardly be more popular in the sports mad nation of Australia, but the NRL takes that passion to new heights. Full coverage of this rugby league competition is a must for any betting sites that want to be the best. Climbing the ladder as the regular season progresses is the only way for teams to book their place in the NRL Grand Final. That is a real highlight of the year in Australia. Betting on sports around this date in springtime is generally a busy period. The NRL winners even test themselves against the victors of the Northern Hemisphere equivalent, the Super League, in the World Club Challenge, on an annual basis. Any sports betting online of rugby league in Australia must provide futures betting and odds for every single top level game. These are the five best NRL betting sites that our experts recommend:
The best and safest bookmakers in Australia all have one thing in common – they provide amazing top betting apps for phones powered by Apple’s iOS or Google’s Android. These convenient Australian betting apps allow you to place bets when you want, and wherever you may happen to be.
The mobile betting apps provided by betting sites such as BlueBet, Unibet and PalmerBet will really super-charge your gambling experience. With options such as POLi and ApplePay available, it’s never been so easy to get your Aussie dollars on your favoured teams and competitors. We’ve selected our ten best and safest betting apps, so read on to learn more.
Leading AFL odds
Top Australia-based option
Exceptionally fast payouts
Excellent coverage of eSports
Excellent stats and info
Ongoing promotions
For a quick snapshot of the best betting apps Australia has to offer including some new betting apps, here is a complete list of our recommended options:
You may be wondering what we consider to be the key aspects of the top free sports betting apps for Android and iOS for folk in Australia? If you would care to take a gander at the table below, we’ve picked out four essential attributes of the best Australian betting apps so you can get the instant info about them.
With new betting apps launching all the time in Australia, it is useful to know what the best are. Following on from our handy table, here are the top betting apps Australia has to offer for Android and iOS devices. We also have the best Australian betting apps for two of the region’s most popular sports, horse racing and cricket.
Live streaming of sports events is something that many Aussie bettors enjoy. Even though this is the case, not all bookmakers provide this service to their players. Live betting and live streaming are therefore highly sought out. This is even more so the case when it comes to a mobile app. If such an app has live streaming, bettors are more likely to use it. Our favoured bookmaker for providing live streams of events is the Unibet brand.
Not only does it provide high-definition streaming of these events, but it allows you to have access to around 30,000 of them every year. That is a massive number of sports to be able to watch, with football, tennis, basketball, American football, eSports, ice hockey and darts all being covered by such. Live streaming is outrightly accessible from your desktop computer or through the Unibet app. All you need to do is be sure that your account holds a balance of at least $1 or that you have placed a bet within the past 24 hours to access live streams.
Regardless of whether you are looking at horse racing betting apps, online betting apps, sports betting apps Android users can download or anything else, in-play betting is much appreciated by many Aussies. This allows you to partake in placing wagers on events that are currently in action. Despite the fact that some Australian apps are restricted from providing live betting, there are a few that stand out for their inclusion of this. Our top recommended one of these is BlueBet.
This brand is well-known throughout Australia already anyway, but the fact that it provides such intriguing in-play betting options makes it even better. Then again, it is the country’s largest bookmaker, so why would it not stand out in this area? And the fact that it is available on both Android and iOS devices helps, too. With sports betting and racing markets aplenty, you will definitely enjoy live betting at BlueBet. Where the best sports betting apps for Android and iOS are concerned, this is a winner.
As noted above, you do have a respectable range of options when it comes to choosing between Australian betting sites. The hard part, of course, is actually picking one. We’ve already made life a little easier for you here, by narrowing your options down for betting on sports to 20, but that’s as far as we can go. Only you can decide on which Australian bookmakers are best-suited to your own personal needs.
That said, we can offer you a little more advice on getting to this stage. These are four of the most important things you should look at when making your choice.
Any respectable sportsbook review will touch on that pbeslatform’s interface. It’s impossible to know whether that interface will actually be right for you, however, without trying it yourself. The same goes for online betting apps and desktop browsing.
Fortunately, doing so is extremely easy. You can head to a sportsbook’s website and browse the layout for yourself whenever you like, without needing to actually register with that brand. Try PalmerBet for a simple, easy-to-use layout.
It’s all well and good for a bookie to have thousands of markets on offer. If they don’t include the markets you actually want to bet on, though, then what’s the point?!
There are two things you should check here. Firstly, are the sports and specific competitions you want to bet on in place? Secondly, does the sportsbook support the bet types you like to use?
If you prefer on-the-go betting to using a computer, mobile betting apps and features will obviously be crucially important for you. Most Australian betting sites will let you try both their app and the mobile device version of the main website without needing to register.
You should test not only the interface, but also gauge the general speed and reliability of sports betting apps or mobile sites. Betfair is an excellent example of a site with one of Australia’s best betting apps of 2021 for iOS and Android phones and tablets.
As with betting markets, it doesn’t necessarily matter how many payment methods a bookmaker has. What matters is that they have the methods you want to use.
If you’re content to simply use a debit card, this shouldn’t be a problem. If you want to use something like PayPal though, be sure to find a site which supports eWallets too.
Let’s make something clear up front. As in other countries, there is significant variety in the number of payment methods you’ll be offered between different Australian online betting sites. The biggest names around will offer you plenty of choice, for both depositing and withdrawing. Below we outline some of the most commonly accepted payment methods for sports betting online in Australia.
Most sites will accept payments by debit and credit cards … at the moment. Many other jurisdictions have now banned the use of credit cards at gambling sites, and it’s likely that Australia will eventually follow suit. You can use your plastic freely for the moment, and it’s unlikely that payment by debit card will ever be outlawed.
Most Aussies will be familiar with POLi, as it’s used in most walks of life in the online realm. POLi is of course a simple interface that links your banking acccount to an online merchant. There are similiar services – Trustly, iDeal and Sofort for example – available in other countries across the globe.
As an alternative to POLi, some banks will allow you to make direct payments from your account to the sportsbook you are wagering at. This varies from site to site, but the banks that allow you to do this via SportsBet include ANZ, Commonwealth Bank, Westpac, NAB, BankSA, BankWest, Bank of Queensland, Bendigo Bank, CUA, People’s Choice Credit Union, St. George Bank, Suncorp Bank, Newcastle Permanent, Bank of Melbourne, IMB, Citibank and ME Bank.
The use of eWallets at Aussie sports books is a little lacking when compared to other jurisdictions, but Oz online bookies are catching up. PayPal is the number one accepted eWallet across the betting board, with Skrill and Neteller also available at a reasonable number of sites.
If security and privacy are primary concerns when it comes to your sports betting then you ought to consider operating an cryptocurrency account. Sadly, at the moment hardly any existing or new betting sites Australia has accept cryptocurrencies right now.
In most countries where betting is legal, welcome offers are incredibly important. They’re one of the main reasons why punters pick one bookie over another, and form the foundation of several popular wagering strategies, including risk-free matched betting.
Unfortunately, Australian punters are dealt a bad hand here. In 2019, the government actually banned sportsbooks from providing welcome offers for new customers. The intentions behind this policy were admirable. It was done to avoid tempting those with potential gambling problems. For those without such issues though, it’s obviously a major blow.
Aside from that, there aren’t too many legal restrictions on sports betting. Naturally the sector is regulated – in this case by the Australian Communications and Media Authority – but wagering is allowed to carry on as normal. This also includes fantasy sports betting (the type which you find on sites like DraftKings, or – in Australia – Draftstars).
Australia actually has much tougher laws on other forms of gambling than those that apply to betting websites today. Online casino games like roulette and video slots, have been outlawed since 2001. In fact, even online poker is currently banned, although this may change in the near future.
Online gambling in New South Wales is overseen by the Office of Liquor, Gaming and Racing (OLGR), and the Electronic Betting Agency (EBA). Sites that wish to operate in NSW must apply for a separate Racing NSW licence for all forms of horse racing. Just like all of Australia, sports books in NSW are banned from advertising welcome bonuses and other sign-up incentives.
In Victoria online gambling is controlled by the Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation. Online casinos, casino-style games, pokies (slots), in-play sports betting, scratch cards (scratchies) and lottery betting are all banned in Victoria. Legal sports betting sites Aus in Victoria must have a recognised Australian licence.
Even the best Australian sports betting sites aren’t able to create welcome offers for legal reasons. This doesn’t mean that they’re completely unable to provide any deals whatsoever, though. In fact, there are quite a few ongoing promotions available for existing customers, particularly from the bigger brands. Do note, however, that you won’t be able to see these when simply browsing online sports betting sites in Australia. You’ll only be able to do so after you’ve registered and logged in to your account.
Legal restrictions also limit the types of betting sites Aus bonus you can get in the country, with bookies’ hands being tied in this respect. There are still a few you can take advantage of though, with these being some of the most common forms.
As noted, horse racing is the most popular sport among the top betting sites in Australia. It’s no surprise, therefore, that racing also gets the most special offers.
Perhaps the most common is ‘Racing Refund’, sometimes referred to as ‘Money Back’, ‘Bonus Back’, or similar. To qualify for these offers, you must place a winner bet on an eligible horse race. If your chosen runner fails to win the race, but finishes within a certain range (usually second or third), your entire stake will be refunded, typically as a free bet. SportsBet often offers racing refund promos.
Here we have another example of a common horse racing offer on top existing and new betting sites Australia has to offer. Again, it will only apply to certain meets, with this particular promotion usually reserved for prestigious races at courses like Randwick and Flemington.
This offer is pretty simple, and its value is equally clear. You simply bet on a horse to win at fixed odds, and – if it does so – your original winnings will automatically be doubled. These extra winnings will sometimes come as a free bet token, rather than cash. Still, with no additional effort or money required on your part to enter, this is a very attractive promotion either way. Ladbrokes is a great site for double your winnings deals.
This promotion type is a little more flexible, in terms of the sports it applies to. Technically it could be offered on any sport in which you bet on a player or team to win, but in Australia it’s commonly reserved for football or rugby. Lookout for these on new betting apps in Australia, as well as established sportsbooks you can access on your computer.
To kick things off, you wager on one side as normal. There are actually two ways to win your bet, though. The first is obviously for that side to win the matchup. The second is for them to take a lead of a certain size. In soccer, this might be two goals. In rugby, it might be 30pts at the high end, or as low as 14pts. If your chosen team hits this checkmark, your bet will automatically pay out as a winner, regardless of what happens in the rest of the match. PointsBet is our recommended site for early payout offers.
These are an extremely popular form of betting sites bonus in the UK, and some Australian betting sites have made the smart choice to implement them too. In Australia they might be called ‘Price Boosts’ or even ‘Power Plays’, but they work in the same way. You simply find a bet you like, and add it to your betslip. If you have an Odds Boost available, you then activate it and watch the price increase accordingly.
Different bookies give out Odds Boosts in different ways. In the best cases, you simply get one each day, without needing to fulfill other requirements. Sometimes though, they’ll be given out as rewards for activating other promotions instead. Sportsbet (again) is a good site to check out for odds boosts.
Sports betting sites aren’t as dominant in Australia as it is in other jurisdictions, with stricter regulations being a big reason for this. With that said, it’s certainly an increasingly successful industry, and – if you’re looking to start betting in Australia yourself – you’ve got a solid selection of options. These are headlined by well-known international brands like Betfair, but also include plenty of home-grown choices and new betting sites Australia has to offer today.
The only real drawback with betting sites Aus is the lack of welcome offers. Obviously that’s not the fault of the bookies, who are simply obeying the government’s laws, but it’s still frustrating for the bettor. Aside from that though, you’ll find a thoroughly modern betting experience from the Australian betting sites we’ve recommended. There are thousands of live and pre-match betting opportunities waiting for you, housed within thoroughly professional desktop and mobile platforms such as sports betting apps available in Australia.
We hope our online betting sites comparison features have introduced you to the best betting sites in Australia. The best sports betting sites Aus are ready for your wagers!
Yes - Australian online betting sites are completely legal, including fantasy sports top betting sites (as offered by DraftKings in other countries). The likes of online poker, casino games, and online slots are currently banned, however.
Winners Bet, Ladbrokes and Unibet all have excellent track records elsewhere, and their Australian betting sites are also outstanding. Native brands like Palmerbet, Neds, and Sportsbet are also very good, Draftstars are one of the best sports betting sites for fantasy sports betting, and new Australian betting sites are being launched with some regularity.
The min deposit amount varies, depending on both the sportsbook and the payment method. For the likes of credit card, debit card, and PayPal though, it should be $10 or $20. For bank transfers, it will often be significantly higher.
Horse racing is clearly the dominant betting market among the top Australian betting sites. You’ll also find excellent coverage of cricket, rugby, tennis, and both types of football (Aussie rules and soccer).
There’s a lot of variety from bookie to bookie. That said, the likes of credit or debit cards (like Visa and Mastercard) should always be available. PayPal and bank transfer are other common alternatives, and some of the best sports betting sites let you use prepaid cards - like Paysafecard - to fund your betting account.
For legal reasons both established and new Australian betting sites cannot offer Welcome bonuses to its customers. However the existing customers are spoilt for choice of enticing player promotions such as Odds Boosts, Racing Refunds, Early Payouts and more.
Yes, it is just a matter of how they are referred to. Online betting agencies is just another way of saying bookies. When referring to betting agencies Australia has to offer, what people mean is the online bookmakers in the region.
Peter is an experienced iGaming wordsmith who has been working in the industry since 2013. He has written more words on all aspects of iGaming than he cares to remember, and has provided content for many big industry names. When not writing Peter can be found out running or gaming on his Xbox.
