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SHANE LOWRY’S fine form continued on the 2025 PGA Tour season at as he bagged a T8 place finish the Valspar Championship.

The 2019 Open’s compatriot, Seamus Power, also ended his tournament in the same position.

Clara native Lowry has five top-20 finishes from six events on the PGA Tour this season.

While Waterford native Power finally found some form after two-straight missed cuts.

The pair netted a whopping $245,775 for their efforts during the final event of the Florida Swing at Copperhead.

Viktor Hovland pulled off a dramatic come-from-behind win at the the Championship on Sunday.

The Norway man overturned a three-shot deficit to Justin Thomas midway through the back nine to claim his seventh PGA Tour title.

The 27-year-old caught fire down the stretch, carding birdies at the 14th, 16th, and 17th holes.

While Thomas faltered with bogeys at 16 and 18 at Innisbrook Golf and Hotel Resort.

Hovland’s closing 67 gave him an 11-under-par total of 273, one clear of Thomas, who posted a 66.

It marked Hovland’s first victory since the 2023 Tour Championship and earned him $1.566 million from the $8.7 million purse – he had missed four of his last five cuts prior to the win.

Two-time major winner Thomas is still seeking his first PGA Tour win since the 2022 PGA Championship.

He took home $948,300 for his runner-up finish.

2025 VALSPAR CHAMPIONSHIP PAYOUTS

Win: Viktor Hovland, -11/273, $1.566 million

2: Justin Thomas, -10/274, $948,300

3: Jacob Bridgeman, -9/275, $600,300

T-4: Bud Cauley, -8/276, $366,125

T-4: Billy Horschel, -8/276, $366,125

T-4: Ryo Hisatsune, -8/276, $366,125

7: Davis Riley, -7/277, $293,625

T-8: Seamus Power, -6/278, $245,775

T-8: Lucas Glover, -6/278, $245,775

T-8: Corey Conners, -6/278, $245,775

T-8: Shane Lowry, -6/278, $245,775

T-12: Xander Schauffele, -5/279, $178,350

T-12: Eric Cole, -5/279, $178,350

T-12: Kevin Yu, -5/279, $178,350

T-12: Ricky Castillo, -5/279, $178,350

T-16: Sam Ryder, -4/280, $128,325

T-16: Tommy Fleetwood, -4/280, $128,325

T-16: Matt McCarty, -4/280, $128,325

T-16: Henrik Norlander, -4/280, $128,325

T-16: Byeong Hun An, -4/280, $128,325

T-16: Nico Echavarria, -4/280, $128,325

T-22: Thomas Detry, -3/281, $81,200

T-22: Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, -3/281, $81,200

T-22: Victor Perez, -3/281, $81,200

T-22: Emiliano Grillo, -3/281, $81,200

T-22: Joe Highsmith, -3/281, $81,200

T-22: Jeremy Paul, -3/281, $81,200

T-28: Sepp Straka, -2/282, $55,843.13

T-28: Mac Meissner, -2/282, $55,843.13

T-28: Michael Kim, -2/282, $55,843.13

T-28: Steven Fisk, -2/282, $55,843.13

T-28: Matti Schmid, -2/282, $55,843.13

T-28: J.T. Poston, -2/282, $55,843.13

T-28: Patrick Fishburn, -2/282, $55,843.13

T-28: Jordan Spieth, -2/282, $55,843.13

T-36: Tom Kim, -1/283, $40,527.50

T-36: Thorbjorn Olesen, -1/283, $40,527.50

T-36: Mackenzie Hughes, -1/283, $40,527.50

T-36: Sami Valimaki, -1/283, $40,527.50

T-36: Sahith Theegala, -1/283, $40,527.50

T-36: Stephan Jaeger, -1/283, $40,527.50

T-42: Luke Clanton, E/284, $0 (amateur)

T-42: Chandler Phillips, E/284, $31,755

T-42: Noah Goodwin, E/284, $31,755

T-42: Kaito Onishi, E/284, $31,755

T-42: Andrew Novak, E/284, $31,755

T-47: Ryan Fox, +1/285, $23,701.29

T-47: Neal Shipley, +1/285, $23,701.29

T-47: Danny Willett, +1/285, $23,701.29

T-47: Will Zalatoris, +1/285, $23,701.29

T-47: Mark Hubbard, +1/285, $23,701.29

T-47: Matthieu Pavon, +1/285, $23,701.29

T-47: Gary Woodland, +1/285, $23,701.29

T-54: Keith Mitchell, +2/286, $20,677

T-54: Harry Hall, +2/286, $20,677

T-54: Max McGreevy, +2/286, $20,677

T-57: C.T. Pan, +3/287, $19,749

T-57: David Lipsky, +3/287, $19,749

T-57: Adam Scott, +3/287, $19,749

T-57: Dough Ghim, +3/287, $19,749

T-57: Brandt Snedeker, +3/287, $19,749

T-57: Ryan Gerard, +3/287, $19,749

T-57: Kevin Velo, +3/287, $19,749

T-64: Nate Lashley, +4/288, $18,705

T-64: Jesper Svensson, +4/288, $18,705

T-64: John Pak, +4/288, $18,705

T-64: Sam Stevens, +4/288, $18,705

T-64: Luke List, +4/288, $18,705

69: Will Chandler, +5/289, $18,183

T-70: Mason Andersen, +6/290, $17,574

T-70: Kevin Kisner, +6/290, $17,574

T-70: Beau Hossler, +6/290, $17,574

T-70: Camilo Villegas, +6/290, $17,574

T-70: Braden Thornberry, +6/290, $17,574

T-70: Rafael Campos, +6/290, $17,574

76: Antoine Rozner, +7/293, $16,965

77: Kris Ventura, +8/292, $16,791

78: Aaron Baddeley, +10/294, $16,617

RTE’s Director General is being urged to give an explanation over the station’s huge €250,000 annual spend on clothing.

The broadcaster has spent hundreds of thousands on wardrobe items across various shows from high-end retailers, it’s emerged.

It has been revealed that they spent a whopping €58,000 in Louis Copeland and €71,000 in Brown Thomas since 2021.

Other clothing items included €119 on cowboy boots from a luxury tailor in London, as well as dress hire for the Rose of Tralee.

The database of costs shows expenditure of more than €800,000 from October 2021 until January this year with a wide variety of retailers, from top-of-the-range to bargain stores.

RTE also spent just over €22,500 on last year’s Eurovision, which saw Bambie Thug make it to sixth place.

Much of the clothing was bought from the online market Vinted and around €2,500 was paid to the London-based Triple Six Jewels.

Speaking on Newstalk, Fine Gael TD Micheal Carrigy said Kevin Bakhurst needs to answer burning questions over how taxpayer money which funds RTE is being spent.

He said: “With anything that’s being purchased by an organisation that’s being funded by the taxpayer, there has to be value for money and I don’t believe there’s been value for money has been given to the taxpayer in this case.

“The book stops with the Director General. He gave commitments to a new era that was published last year.

“Commitments were given by government to give taxpayers money on the basis that we were entering a new era of the organisation but it doesn’t seem to be the case that we are.”

According to the report, not all expenditure was for TV programmes; around €6,900 was spent on Morning Ireland between September 2023 and January 2025.

RADIO WEAR

The programme is Ireland’s most listened to radio show but can also be watched live from the studio.

RTE said that some staff who appear on air were entitled to a clothing payment or wardrobe allowance.

Others were entitled to an outdoor clothing allowance, according to RTE.

When it comes to Dancing With The Stars, last year RTE spent around €6,500 on clothing, mostly from Arnotts, River Island and Next.

TOP SHOW

For the Late Late Show from May 2023 to January 2025, the bill came to just under €21,000.

That included a spend of around €6,400 with luxury bespoke tailors Thom Sweeney in London and an €18.47 bill from Carroll’s Irish Gifts.

Elsewhere on the Late Late was €246 spent on costumes from an online Halloween shop.

The last two Late Late Toy Shows saw €43,000 being spent on clothing, including €438 for Ralph Lauren outfits.

RTE’s popular and long-running soap Fair City also benefited from the spending with around €56,000 spent on clothing costs for the cast.

RECYCLED AND REUSED

The Irish Sun has contacted RTE for a comment.

A spokesperson yesterday confirmed that all clothing is reused or recycled when possible.

She said RTE’s ­costume department had built a ­collection of outfits over 60 years that are of historical importance.

And she added: “Many of these original ­costumes are stored in RTE’s archive, including bespoke stock of pre-20th century period costume.”

Reuters

CONTESTANTS who appear on the BBC’s much-loved Bargain Hunt might get a lot more than they bargained for behind-the-scenes.

For over two decades, the show has been bringing the thrills of antique hunting to viewers – but behind the speedy shopping trips and fast-paced auctions, the show appears to be quite different.

BBC

Bargain Hunt contestants and presenters[/caption]

BBC

Time has to be paused for retakes while filming the show[/caption]

The long-running BBC show, which has had its fair share of controversy over the years, is not quite so off-the-cuff as it seems, reveals an insider.

While up-against-the-clock contestants battle to bag the best deals in hope of selling them on for a profit at auction, backstage has to be a little less impromptu.

A volunteer on the show told Mail Online: “We had an hour that a runner has a stop watch to keep track of.

“Time was paused for retakes and interactions with the crew.”

They continued: “Bartering actually happened but a lot of time was the crew interacting with vendors that did or did not want to be on camera. 

“Some of them didn’t want their stuff on camera too so we couldn’t buy it.”

Tributes have poured in for a Bargain Hunt star who died just hours after filming for the BBC show.

Stuart Withers appeared in an episode of the hit antiques programme broadcast on Friday, March 21.

Stuart appeared alongside presenter Charlie Ross and experts Tim Weeks and Philip Serrell in the recent episode – filmed in Shepton Mallet.

However, the BBC show later confirmed that Stuart had sadly died shortly after the recording.

Stuart appeared in the episode to assist the Blue Team as they looked to spend their last £75 on a hidden gem.

First airing on BBC One in 2000, Bargain Hunt sees two pairs of contestants tasked with buying antiques from a shop or fair and then try to make a profit at auction.

It has become one of the BBC’s longest-running programmes.

BBC

BH has become one of the BBC’s longest-running programmes[/caption]

BBC

While it seems that the clocking is ticking, retakes are necessary[/caption]

BBC

Bargain Hunters have a different experience of the fast and furious show[/caption]

A Midsommar actor has been cats as the lead in Blumhouse’s new The Mummy reboot, with a new report revealing when the movie is set to start filming.

FANS have called for Peter Crouch to come out of retirement after a shocking stat emerged.

The 44-year-old rolled back the years, scoring both goals in a legend’s game between Liverpool and Chelsea on Saturday.

Alamy

Peter Crouch scored two in the legend’s game for Liverpool[/caption]

EPA

Crouch found the back of the net with a towering header and then did his classic robot celebration before chipping in a second.

His two strikes at Anfield mean he has as many home goals as Liverpool forwards Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota have in 2025.

Taking away Jota’s singular effort in an FA Cup tie against League Two strugglers Accrington Stanley, Crouch has more than both of them.

It has led to calls for the ex-England man to get his boots back on, with one saying: “He could play alongside Mo Salah and Cody Gakpo.”

Another added: “Bring him back he is better than Nunez.”

A third wrote: “I have seen the light, Give me Crouch for the run in.”

The stats are also grim reading for Luis Diaz as he has just one goal at home this calendar year.

In comparison, Salah has been carrying the scoring burden with seven Anfield goals in all competitions in 2025.

BEST ONLINE CASINOS – TOP SITES IN THE UK

At the legend’s game on Saturday, Liverpool icons like Steven Gerrard and Dirk Kuyt formed the Reds’ side.

Meanwhile, Chelsea heroes Claude Makelele and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink pulled on the blue shirt again.

Dennis Wise squared up to Jay Spearing as tempers flared late in the game.

THE best sports betting sites Ireland has to offer have to shine bright because the market is hot right now. With online betting projected to generate over €1.7 billion by the end of 2025, you’ve got more ways to wager money on sports than ever before. 

Because of this, we wanted to help you make smart choices. We’ll also use our expert insights to find Ireland’s top betting sites, condensed into our “Sun Factor” ranking, and show you how to extract more value from the markets. It doesn’t matter if you’re a newbie or a seasoned bettor, scroll down now, and you’ll learn something new.

Best Irish betting sites

A closer look at sport betting sites in Ireland

Welcome bonuses are great, but you can’t judge a betting site’s value on these offers alone. That’s why we combine hours of research and first-hand testing with years of industry experience to find sportsbooks that offer more than eye-catching welcome bonuses. Here’s what we found: 

1. bet365

• Sign-up offer: Bet €10, get €30 in free bets
• Payment methods: Nine, including Maestro, PaysafeCard, PayPal and Apple Pay
• Withdrawal speed: Instant to three days 
• Minimum withdrawal: €5
• Sports selection: 42 sports, including football, horse racing, tennis and lotteries
• Mobile app: iOS and Android

bet365 is the best online sports betting site in Ireland right now. The welcome bonus is decent but doesn’t set the world alight. That’s not a problem though, because bet365 has better odds than almost all of its peers. 

It also offers some of the best bonuses for football and horse racing, including daily boosts and cashback. Our favourite promotion is the early payout for football matches when a team goes two goals ahead. 

That offer stands out because it applies to accas as well as singles. Finally, when it comes to safety, reputation and reliability,  bet365 is a cut above the rest. 

Highlights:

• Plenty of in-play betting stats
• Loads of free-to-enter promotions
• Lottery betting odds

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2. BetVictor

• Sign-up offer: Free matched bet up to €50
• Payment methods: 10, including Skrill, Trustly, credit and debit cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay
• Withdrawal speed: one to 10 days 
• Minimum withdrawal: €5
• Sports selection: 30 sports, including football, horse racing, Formula 1 and golf
• Mobile app: iOS and Android

Being a veteran in the business means BetVictor is more than capable of giving you generous odds for every major sport, including football, horse racing and greyhounds. It also has some interesting pre-game and live betting markets for non-sporting events, such as TV shows and political matters. 

We can’t criticise BetVictor’s betting markets, but, in the same breath, they’re not necessarily any different to what you’ll find at other top-rated Irish sportsbooks. The good news is that there are a few unique features:

The first is Lucky Dip. This feature uses a prize wheel to determine the odds for selected events. The other innovative feature is Run for Your Money. This promotion refunds horse racing bets if your pick doesn’t make it out of the stalls or turns around after a few paces. 

Highlights:

• Instant customer support via Facebook, X, and live chat
• The interface is a bit dated but reliable
• Free BetVictor Predictor game with €50,000 cash prize

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3. Spreadex

• Sign-up offer: Wager €10 and get €60 in free bet bonuses
• Payment methods: Five, including debit cards, direct debit, bank transfer and cheque
• Withdrawal speed: Two to five business days 
• Minimum withdrawal: €50
• Sports selection: 25 sports, including football, horse racing, cricket and virtual sports
• Mobile app: iOS and Android

Spreadex is one of the best online betting sites Ireland has to offer when it comes to options. That’s because it has a fixed-odds sportsbook and an exchange. If we’re being critical, the sportsbook doesn’t quite match other online bookies when it comes to odds. 

That’s not a problem in this case because you can switch to the sports betting exchange as long as you’re comfortable with the art of backing and laying bets. If you are, there are always competitive betting lines for 25 sports, including football and racing.

In fact, one thing we noticed during our Spreadex review is that it was also surprisingly good for cricket betting odds. 

Highlights:

• Excellent cricket coverage, including T20, Women’s Premier League, Asian Legends League
• Also offers casino games and financial trading
• Live streams for dozens of sports, including horse racing, greyhounds, cricket and tennis

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4. Novibet

• Sign-up offer: Bet €30 get €100 in free bets
• Payment methods: 10, including Maestro, PayPal, Apple Pay and cryptos
• Withdrawal speed: Instant to three business days 
• Minimum withdrawal: €10
• Sports selection: 31 sports, including football, racing, tennis, snooker, golf and politics
• Mobile app: iOS and Android

Novibet might not be able to match some of the best sports betting sites in Ireland when it comes to market presence, but don’t let that put you off. What this bookmaker lacks in brand recognition, it makes up for with added value. 

For starters, Novibet covers a lot of sports, but horse racing is definitely its speciality. You’ll also find competitive odds for major festivals, including Cheltenham, Grand National and Royal Ascot. These odds are backed by free bet offers and extra places paid promotions (up to seven places paid in some races). 

Novibet also has an interesting football promo called Golden Sub. This promotion rolls over a bet if your chosen player gets substituted. For example, if you bet on Erling Haaland to score, but he was subbed off after 60 minutes, your bet would roll over to the player who replaced him. We’ve not seen an offer like this at any of the other top betting sites in Ireland. 

Highlights

• Bet request feature
• Super Price Boosts
• In-house stats and betting tips blog

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5. TonyBet

• Sign-up offer: 100% free bet match up to €100
• Payment methods: 10, including Visa, PayPal, Neteller and Neosurf
• Withdrawal speed: 12 hours to seven days 
• Minimum withdrawal: €10
• Sports selection: 39 sports, including football, bandy, rugby and stock car racing
• Mobile app: iOS and Android

TonyBet is one of the most innovative sportsbooks and casinos in Ireland. For example, unlike most Irish betting sites that have a single loyalty program that covers casino gaming and sports, TonyBet has one for each. 

In addition to offering €5,000 in added value every month through the sports betting loyalty program, TonyBet runs two picking competitions. These competitions are free for bettors who reach specific wagering targets. 

The daily competition has a €1,000 prizepool, while the weekly one gives you a shot at winning €100,000. All of these innovative promotions are backed by strong odds on a wide variety of sports. The only downside in terms of coverage is that TonyBet doesn’t offer horse racing odds.

Highlights:

• Tournaments with €1,000 bonuses for the top bettors
• Quick-bet function and in-play cashouts
• Window-in-window casino games feature 

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6. NetBet

• Sign-up offer: €20 first bet match
• Payment methods: Eight, including debit cards, Google Pay, Neteller and PaysafeCard
• Withdrawal speed: Instant to five days 
• Minimum withdrawal: €10
• Sports selection: 49 sports, including football, horse racing, darts, cycling and boxing
• Mobile app: iOS and Android

A lot of Irish bookmakers embrace new technology, but few do it like NetBet. The company’s latest innovation is BetAI. The artificial intelligence (AI) betting assistant helps you find fixtures and tips based on your betting preferences. BetAI can also show you results, stats and more.

BetAI is ideal for novices who need some guidance, as well as pros who want to find small edges in niche betting markets. It really is a unique feature, and we wouldn’t be surprised if the other Irish betting sites copy it in the future. 

Highlights:

• Nice selection of sports, including sumo and 3×3 basketball
• One-touch access to responsible gambling tools
• Mobile apps and mobile-specific payment methods

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7. Betway

• Sign-up offer: €50 cashback if you lose + 50 bonus spins
• Payment methods: Six, including Visa, MasterCard, Skrill and PayPal 
• Withdrawal speed: 24 hours to four days
• Minimum withdrawal: €5
• Sports selection: 30 sports, including football, racing, Gaelic games and eSports
• Mobile app: iOS and Android

Betway has been a big name in sports betting for more than a decade due, in part, to its commitment to customer service. As well as 24/7 customer support, Betway offers some of the fastest non-crypto withdrawals in Ireland. 

These user-friendly conditions are complemented by in-play cashouts, push notifications and a low withdrawal limit of €5. One other aspect of Betway that’s worth noting is its commitment to eSports. 

All the top Irish online sports betting sites offer eSports odds, but Betway has more than most. The dedicated eSports odds hub includes a weekly €10 free bet promotion.

Highlights:

• Weekly bet builder insurance 
• Free-play prize wheel with prizes topping €50 
• Generous odds on major sports, including Gaelic sports

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8. kwiff

• Sign-up offer: Bet €10, get €50 surprise bet
• Payment methods: Debit cards, PayPal, and Payz
• Withdrawal speed: Instant to three days 
• Minimum withdrawal: €10
• Sports selection: 21 sports, including football, racing, ice hockey, F1 and eSports
• Mobile app: iOS and Android

kwiff is the self-titled home of “supercharged sports betting”. In general terms, the daily odds for 19 sports are competitive. Other sports betting sites in Ireland cover more markets, so kwiff could improve in this regard. However, when it comes to value, it’s arguably the top bookmaker right now. 

That’s because kwiff uses an algorithm called Super Charged to boost its odds randomly. Basically, once you’ve placed a bet, the smart software gets to work. If certain metrics are detected within the market, your odds get boosted automatically. 

This unique feature is supported by safe payment options and a betting slip that’s refreshingly large and easy to see. 

Highlights:

• Window-in-window instant casino games
• Surprise free bet rewards and bet builder insurance 
• Instant withdrawals

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9. 10bet

• Sign-up offer: €50 first deposit match with promo code SPORT
• Payment methods: Nine, including PayPal, Visa, Skrill and Apple Pay
• Withdrawal speed: One to three days 
• Minimum withdrawal: €5
• Sports selection: 29 sports, including racing, football, MMA, snooker and rugby
• Mobile app: iOS and Android

All our top picks are suitable for sports betting newbies and pros. However, of all the sports betting sites Ireland has to offer, 10bet is one of the best for novices. This is mainly due to the fact that everything is clearly explained. 

There are betting guides, as well as instructions on how to use the website and mobile app. 10bet also has a low minimum withdrawal limit and bonuses you can unlock by wagering as little as €10. 

10bet’s oddsmakers could add more sports to the daily pre-event and live betting lobbies. However, of all of the sports covered, football is particularly well-represented thanks, in part, to 10bet’s early payout offer when your pick goes ahead by two goals.

Highlights: 

• 100% profit boosts on certain accas
• Accepts Apple Pay and Google Pay deposits 
• Free €10 bet when you wager €50+ via the 10bet mobile app

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10. bet-at-home

• Sign-up offer: Three deposit bonuses worth up to €100 each
• Payment methods: Seven, including Visa, PayPal, bank transfer and Apple Pay
• Withdrawal speed: Instant to three days 
• Minimum withdrawal: €30
• Sports selection: 37 sports, including football, e-soccer, hurling and TV/culture
• Mobile app: iOS and Android

bet-at-home is a slightly misleading name because you can access this sportsbook’s 40 betting markets from any device and any location. The optimised website is backed by native apps for iOS and Android devices, both of which contain a variety of extra features, including Skrill 1-Tap payments, push notifications and Touch ID logins. 

In terms of criticisms, bet-at-home isn’t particularly unique. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, though, because it matches what the best sports betting sites in Ireland offer in terms of market coverage, odds, and promotions. Our promo pick is Combi+ because it gives you a chance to win 70% more on accumulator bets. 

Finally, even though the minimum withdrawal is 5x higher than the industry average, transactions are processed swiftly and safely. 

Highlights: 

• German-focused operator, so you get excellent Bundesliga odds
• Nice recreational-friendly betting markets, including TV and culture
• Interface has a simple design that’s easy to navigate

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11. Luckster

• Sign-up offer: Bet €10 get €10
• Payment methods: Eight, including Mastercard, PayPal, MuchBetter and Trustly
• Withdrawal speed: Instant to six days
• Minimum withdrawal: €10
• Sports selection: 39 sports, including racing, football, eSports, darts and Aussie rules
• Mobile app: Android app

This Irish-themed online sportsbook is perfect for those who want instant access to generous odds on more than 35 sports, as well as fast payments. Debit card withdrawals are a bit slower than usual, but you’ll receive your winnings within an hour or so with Neteller, Skrill and PayPal. 

Android owners can download the Luckster app, but iOS users have to use the mobile site. Both platforms are slick, thanks in part to one-touch search filters, instant bets and Skrill 1-Tap payments. However, if we put them head to head, the app is slightly slicker than the mobile site. 

Highlights:

• Loyalty club with perks, including faster withdrawals and personalised promos
• Simple interface that’s easy to use
• Better-than-average selection of live betting markets

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12. LeoVegas

• Sign-up offer: Stake €10, get 3x €10 bets
• Payment methods: 11, including debit cards, PayPal, bank transfer and Apple Pay
• Withdrawal speed: Three to five days 
• Minimum withdrawal: €10
• Sports selection: 37 sports, including football, racing, F1, bandy and basketball
• Mobile app: iOS and Android

LeoVegas has won countless awards, including the 2023 Gaming Awards Mobile Operator of the Year title and EGR’s Operator of the Year. Much of the critical acclaim is due to LeoVegas’s software. 

The website has a mobile-first design, which means there’s plenty of white space and resizable page elements, as well as search filters you can toggle on/off. LeoVegas also has a native mobile app for iOS and Android devices that takes everything from the mobile-focused website and adds to it. Two noteworthy additions to the app are Apple Pay and Touch ID/Face ID logins. 

Finally, LeoVegas is known for offering good odds on all major sports. What you might not know, however, is that it also has competitive betting lines for niche sports, including bandy and the indoor wall-based game, Jai Alai.

Highlights:

• Trending bet builder tools
• LeoVegas special markets offer enhanced odds
• Reliable and reputable online betting operator

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13. Bethard

• Sign-up offer: Double first deposit up to €50
• Payment methods: Nine, including Visa, MuchBetter, AstroPay and Siru
• Withdrawal speed: Instant to five days 
• Minimum withdrawal: €20
• Sports selection: 37 sports, including football, bandy, Gaelic sports and basketball
• Mobile app: Optimised mobile site

Bethard is one of the most usable sportsbooks we’ve tried. The black and yellow colour scheme gives the website a bold and lively look. This style is supported by plenty of substance in the form of useful features, such as the ability to save your favourite betting markets. 

Other features that allow you to get maximum value from Bethard’s 37 sports betting markets are the in-house statistics hub, a light or dark theme and the ability to auto-accept odds changes.

Finally, despite not having a mobile app, Bethard gives you the ability to charge deposits to your phone bill, so you don’t have to provide any banking details. 

Highlights:

• Instant access to your betting history
• Covers a variety of niche markets, including padel, floorball and music
• Siru for mobile payments 

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14. BetBeast

• Sign-up offer: €1,000 risk-free welcome package
• Payment methods: 10, including Visa, Skrill, eZeeWallet and crypto
• Withdrawal speed: Instant to seven days
• Minimum withdrawal: €30
• Sports selection: 68 sports, including football, rugby, bandy, weightlifting, and bowling
• Mobile app: Optimised mobile site

BetBeast has plenty to offer bettors of all persuasions, but it’s best suited to high rollers. Everything starts with a unique welcome bonus that favours those who can afford to wager a little bit more than most:

• First Deposit Bonus: 20% risk-free bet up to €100
• Second Deposit Bonus: 10% risk-free bet up to €250
• Third Deposit Bonus: 15% risk-free bet up to €150
• Fourth Deposit Bonus: 5% risk-free bet up to €500

In addition to the welcome bonus, BetBeast’s loyalty and VIP programs give you access to all manner of promotions, including odds boosts and cashback. Another perk to reaching the top ranks of the loyalty program is higher withdrawal limits than the standard €2,500 cap. 

Finally, BetBeast covers plenty of betting markets, including niche sports such as wrestling, WWE, and figure skating. The only downside is the fact that it doesn’t offer horse racing odds. 

Highlights

• Crypto payments, including guides
• Save betting markets at favourites
• Odds in all formats, including fractional, decimal, American, and Asian

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How to choose the best Irish betting sites

We didn’t throw darts at a board and chose bookmakers at random. Each bookie on our list of recommendations has come through a rigorous review process and was ranked according to our ranking system, The Sun Factor. To rank highly, bookmaker has to score well in these six areas:

Security and licensing

Safety is our number one priority. Every betting site we recommend is licensed by a reputable regulator, such as the Malta Gaming Authority. For us, an official gambling license is more than a sign that the operator runs a legal service. A licence is a mark of quality that certifies that an operator offers safe, high-quality products. 

Reliable software

The best online sports betting sites in Ireland aren’t just safe; they’re also reliable. Sports betting, unlike casino gaming, relies on real-time data. This is most obvious when you bet on live sports. Because small events can have a big impact on the odds, a sportsbook’s software needs to be reliable and capable of processing real-time data in microseconds. 

Betting options

The top online sports betting sites Ireland has to offer don’t focus on the majors alone. Yes, we want bookmakers to offer odds and bonuses for popular mainstream sports such as football, racing, boxing, tennis, golf and rugby. However, we expect everyone’s interests to be taken into account. That’s why we value bookmakers who cover niche sports, including bandy, hurling, wrestling, and eSports. 

Competitive odds

Generous odds go hand-in-hand with covering a wide variety of betting markets. Every Irish bookmaker is fighting to offer the best odds on sports like football and horse racing. However, the real battles are won in the markets fewer people bet on. If odds for a sport such as darts are competitive, it tells us the oddsmakers want to give you maximum value. 

Offers & free bets

Everyone loves a freebie, but sports betting bonuses are more than random perks. The unpredictable nature of gambling makes bonuses a fundamental requirement. The best sports betting sites Ireland has to offer are packed with promotions. 

From free bets and cashback to acca boosts, enhanced odds and insurance, there are plenty of ways to get extra credits. These credits are guaranteed if you comply with the terms and conditions, which is important because very few things in gambling are guaranteed. 

Live streams

Live streams make sports betting more exciting because you get to see the action unfold in real-time. Live streams are also useful tools for anyone who makes in-play bets because you can study the action and, if your analysis is on point, lock in potentially profitable bets before the odds change.  

Popular betting sports in Ireland

Go back through our list of recommended Irish betting sites, and you’ll see that all of them offer odds for dozens of sports. Some sports are more popular than others, which is why bookmakers put more focus on them. 

More focus often means better odds and more promotions. Therefore, if you want to extract maximum value from Irish betting sites and mobile apps, here are the sports you should focus on:

• Football
• Horse racing
• Golf
• Gaelic Football
• Darts
• Greyhounds
• MMA
• Golf
• Rugby
• Boxing
• Baseball
• Snooker
• Cricket

Which sports betting markets are available in Ireland?

You’ll be able to speculate on all manner of outcomes at Ireland’s top betting sites. Those of you who prefer low-risk bets can make general predictions, while those of you with higher-risk betting strategies can make specific picks. 

The following list isn’t exhaustive, but it does contain some of the most popular ways to bet on sporting events:

• Straight bets (win bets): also known as outrights, these bets simply require you to pick the winner of a contest. 
• Over/under (totals): these bets are perfect if you’ve got an idea of what the score might be but don’t want to make a specific scoreline prediction. Instead, you have to predict whether a result will finish over or under a predefined total.
• Proposition bets: proposition bets, aka props, focus on specific outcomes related to a player or team. Popular prop bets are X player to score first in football or Y team to score Z number of tries in rugby.
• Accumulators: commonly known as accas, these parlay bets require you to bet on multiple outcomes at once. These picks are lumped together as a single wager, and each one has to be correct for the bet to be declared a winner. That’s why acca bets are hard to win but offer huge ROIs.
• Futures: betting on the outcome of a future event, such as the winner of the Premier League, is known as a futures bet. 
• Asian Handicaps: originally devised in Asia but now popular with bettors around the world, including Ireland, Asian handicaps are all about levelling the playfield. They do that by giving the underdog a point advantage. Draws are also void in Asian handicaps, so either X or Y wins. 

Sports betting features

Making bets is all well and good, but we want more from the best Irish online sports betting sites. We’ll talk about bonuses in a moment. Before that, let’s look at the other ways you can get from your online betting experience with these handy features:

In-play betting

You can bet on sporting events before they start (pre-event) or during (in-play). In-play betting is popular because the odds are constantly changing, which gives you opportunities to get better prices. Why? Because bookmakers have less time to analyse situations and update their odds than they do before events start. 

In-play cashouts

The most popular online betting feature in Ireland over the last decade has been in-play cashouts. This feature allows you to end bets before their natural conclusion in exchange for an immediate payout. Smart punters often use cashouts for acca bets. 

Bet builder

You can stack multiple picks on top of each other to create a custom-made wager. The stacked nature of your picks means that the odds are often longer (i.e. you can win more) than standard single bets. 

Live streams

We told you earlier that the best Irish online betting sites give you access to live streams. These streams are free if you bet on the event being shown. What’s more, they’re often combined with real-time statistics and animated updates, so you’ve got a complete overview of the action. 

Request a Bet

If you can’t find what you’re looking for inside a sportsbook’s daily markets, many of them allow you to request a bet. You can do this by contacting the customer support team in most cases. Some Irish sports betting sites get you to request a bet via social media. Not all requests are accepted, but most of the sensible ones are. 

Betting offers by type

Bonuses, as we’ve said, provide guaranteed returns in a world of uncertainty. The most common online betting offers in Ireland are:

• Free bets: complete a task, such as depositing money or speculating on a specific event, and you’ll receive a free bet. The free bet credit isn’t returned in the event of a winning wager, but the profit is paid in cash. 
• Deposit match-up bonus: as the name suggests, you’ll receive a bonus (usually a free betting credit) that matches the value of your deposit. 
• Cashback promo: the term cashback covers a variety of sports betting offers, including rebates on losing bets and money-back for completing tasks, such as earning loyalty points. 
• ACCA booster: make a winning acca bet with a minimum number of legs (i.e. predictions), and you’ll get a prize boost. Most top-rated Irish bookies will boost accas with four or more legs. Some of the biggest acca boosts can increase your returns by up to 100%. 
• Bet builder insurance: we said earlier that the stacked nature of bet builders makes them potentially lucrative. That’s because multiple things have to happen in order for the bet to be declared a winner. Insurance offers allow you to receive a payout if all but one of your predictions are correct. 
• Loyalty programs: you can earn points each time you make real-money bets. These points can be used to unlock cashback and exclusive bonuses, or they can be converted to cash. 

Don’t ignore the terms!

A sports betting offer’s terms and conditions determine its true value. The rewards you receive are important, of course. However, you need to know how these rewards are unlocked. The less restrictive the terms are, the better an offer is. 

The most important terms to consider are the minimum deposit/bet, the minimum odds, and the playthrough (i.e. what you have to wager to convert bonuses to cash). Ideally, all of these limits will be low enough for everyone to hit. 

How do odds work at Irish betting sites?

Before we bring this guide to a conclusion, let’s quickly talk about odds. We’ve said that competitive odds are attractive, but why is that the case? It’s simple: the odds determine how much you stand to win. 

More specifically, the odds and your stake determine your potential payout. For context, Irish bookmakers use the fractional odds system, but there are other formats, including decimal (used in Europe) and American (used in North America). 

Now that’s clear, here’s an example of how betting odds work:

The Irish rugby team are tipped at 1/1 (even-money) to beat Scotland in the Six Nations. In contrast, Scotland are tipped at 3/1 for the win. Let’s look at how much you’d win if you wagered €10 on Ireland and Scotland:

€10 on Ireland to win at 1/1

1 /1 = 1 x 10 = €10 profit + your €10 stake back for a €20 return

€10 on Scotland to win at 3/1

3 /1 = 3 x 10 = €30 profit + your €10 stake back for a €40 return

So, what you do is divide the first number in the fraction by the second. You then multiply the result by your stake to get the profit. Finally, because you always get your stake back on winning bets (unless you used a free bonus bet), that gets added on to give you a total return.

Q&A about the best sports betting sites in Ireland

Let’s tie everything together by answering a few final questions about online betting in Ireland and how to get the most out of your experience:

1. What payment method is the fastest to use at betting sites?

The best online betting sites Ireland has to offer are capable of processing payments instantly via eWallets and cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin. In most cases, all deposits are processed instantly, regardless of the method you use. For withdrawals, only eWallet and crypto transactions are processed instantly. 

2. How safe is online sports betting?

Online sports betting in Ireland is incredibly safe if you use licensed and regulated platforms. Licensed betting sites in Ireland are not only legal but comply with regulations designed to protect you and your money. All of our recommended Irish betting sites are licensed, safe and offer guaranteed returns on winnings bets. 

3. What is a free bet offer?

A free bet offer gives you credits that can be used to speculate on sporting events. These credits aren’t deducted from your real money balance, which means they’re risk-free. Profit from winning bonus bets is paid in cash, but the value of the free credits isn’t returned.

4. What is the minimum deposit required for betting?

All of the best sports betting sites and apps in Ireland have a minimum deposit limit of €10 or less. This means that almost everyone can start betting on sports for an amount of money they can afford. 

5. Which betting site has the best betting app?

bet365 has an exceptional mobile betting app for iOS and Android devices, as do LeoVegas, and Betway. Of all the best mobile sports betting apps in Ireland, bet365 stands out because it provides a comprehensive service that includes instant customer support, generous odds and plenty of promotions. 

Responsible gambling

A responsible gambler is someone who:

• Establishes time and monetary limits before playing
• Only gambles with money they can afford to lose
• Never chase their losses
• Doesn’t gamble if they’re upset, angry, or depressed
• Problem gambling – problemgambling.ie
• Gamble Aware – gambleaware.org

Help with gambling addiction

If you have a problem with gambling, or you know someone who does, help is out there. Extern Problem Gambling is the leading provider of information, treatment, advice, and support for anyone affected by gambling harms across Ireland.

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