GAA Betting

A Complete Guide to GAA Betting Options in Ireland

It might be something of a mystery to many people living outside of Ireland, but GAA is a way of life for Irish sports fans - and betting on GAA matches is very popular as well.

Most betting sites that allow people from Ireland to sign up offer GAA betting to some extent - such as Paddy Power, Boylesports and Bet365, Betway and Betfair - although some naturally are stronger in this department than some of their rival operators.

Some Irish sports fans might be completely new to betting on GAA and unsure where to get started, with questions such as which are the top bookmakers for GAA in Ireland and what GAA sports and events are available to bet on throughout the year.

As the profile of the GAA continues to build, it is expected that GAA betting is going to become more and more popular - so now is a great time to learn about it all and get up and running. Our complete guide to GAA betting options in Ireland will provide all of the necessary knowledge and information to start up, so read on for all the details that you need to know about betting on GAA.

Introduction to GAA Betting

Ireland is exceptionally proud of what makes the country unique - and rightly so - with its sports and pastimes part of what makes Ireland so great. The GAA - which stands for the Gaelic Athletic Association - includes a wide array of popular Gaelic games and pastimes including sports such as football, hurling, handball and rounders.

Founded more than 135 years ago, the GAA now has more than half a million members with Gaelic football and hurling the most popular sports to go and watch being played live in Ireland. GAA clubs can also be found around the world, having been set up by Irish people who are now living in locations such as in the United States, Australia, China and continental Europe.

As rule 4 of the GAA's official guide states: "The Association shall actively support the Irish language, traditional Irish dancing, music, song, and other aspects of Irish culture. It shall foster an awareness and love of the national ideals in the people of Ireland, and assist in promoting a community spirit through its clubs."

Competitions in GAA sports are played at a range of levels: divisional, county, inter-county, provincial, inter-provincial and All-Ireland. Large GAA venues can be found across Ireland, but Croke Park in Dublin - which has a capacity in excess of 80,000 - hosts the biggest GAA sporting events on the calendar. Other major GAA venues include Semple Stadium in Thurles, County Tipperary, the Gaelic Grounds in Limerick, and Páirc Uí Chaoimh, which is in County Cork. They all hold over 45,000 people and other venues of note include Fitzgerald Stadium, in Killarney, MacHale Park in Castlebar and St Tiernach's Park in Clones, County Monaghan.

Naturally, major annual finals in Gaelic football and hurling are the most popular matches to bet on at GAA betting sites in Ireland, with an increasing number of bookmakers now making these markets available to their customers. At some sites, only major events such as the All-Ireland football final are available to bet on, but the number of GAA betting markets at bookmakers in Ireland is generally trending upwards. This is good news for fans of GAA sports who want to be able to bet on the big game as they now have more and more options to do so.

GAA Sports and Events Available To Bet On in Ireland

Various GAA sports are available to bet at Ireland's top bookmakers, including the following:

• Gaelic football
• Ladies football
• Hurling
• Camogie
• Gaelic handball
• Rounders

Gaelic football, which is quite similar to Australian rules football, is the most popular of the GAA sports in Ireland. Croke Park draws a capacity crowd of more than 80,000 people for the final of the All-Ireland Senior Championship, which is the biggest game of the year in Gaelic football. Markets at GAA betting sites can also be found for the National Football League and the All-Ireland Senior Championship, as well as the All-Ireland Club Championship.

Though not actually run by the GAA itself, ladies' football is also popular for betting in Ireland. Instead, it is organised by the Ladies' Gaelic Football Association and has been played since 1926. The All-Ireland Senior Ladies Football Championship is the top ladies Gaelic football betting option, while the Ladies' National Football League may be available on some sites as well.

Just behind Gaelic football when it comes to the list of the most popular sports in Ireland is hurling. The final of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship is one of the biggest days of the year on the country's sporting calendar. Irish sports fans also love to watch National Hurling League matches and place bets on the action, with other top events for this GAA sport including the Nicky Rackard Cup, the Christy Ring Cup, Féile na nGael and Poc Fada.

A variant of hurling played by women across Ireland, camogie has even been listed as an element of Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO. Camogie events of note include the annual All Ireland Camogie Championship, which was attended by more than 33,000 people one year. The All Ireland Club Championship is also popular among camogie fans all over the country.

Gaelic handball, which is similar to American handball, is another of the main GAA sports. Confusingly for those new to Gaelic handball, there are four main types of handball as the sport can be played in a range of settings. Top Gaelic handball events that are available to bet on in Ireland include the Gaelic Senior Hardball Singles and the Gaelic Senior Softball Singles.

Rounding off the list of the main GAA Sports is rounders, which has some specific rules in Ireland that means it is broadly comparable to the sport of softball. Senior and minor rounders championships are played across Ireland with markets offered at leading GAA bookmakers.

GAA betting markets are available throughout the year, with betting sites running ante-post markets on the top events even during the off-season. Top GAA bookmakers in Ireland allow sports fans to bet on events such as the All-Ireland Senior Football, Hurling and Camogie Championships. Additionally, markets on GAA competitions such as the Allianz Leagues and the All-Ireland Club Championships are offered by a lot of the best GAA betting sites as well.

How To Bet On GAA Events in Ireland

Anyone who wants to bet on GAA events in Ireland will have to sign up for one of the growing numbers of bookmakers that run these markets on their sportsbooks.

The good news is that GAA betting markets are becoming a lot more common, whereas not that long ago it was very hard to find bets on even the biggest events in top GAA sports.

Paddy Power, Boylesports, Bet365, Betway and Betfair are widely considered to be some of the best GAA betting sites in Ireland, but other sites of note include Betfred, QuinnBet and 888Sport.

Live in-play betting is available for major GAA matches such as the All-Ireland Senior Championship on the above sites, which might also have live streaming available as well.

When betting live in-play, the best GAA betting sites in Ireland have a good range of markets to pick from, which ensures users have flexibility when they are trying to pick winning wagers.

As with other sports, there is a range of markets available as well as obvious ones where users can pick the winner of the All-Ireland Senior Championship in advance. Footballer of the Year is one of the common betting markets in Gaelic football as well, while markets for individual GAA matches are likely to include player of the match, winning margin and the first goalscorer. Handicap betting markets are particularly popular in hurling and Gaelic football due to the fact matches tend to be quite high-scoring, which creates plenty of opportunities to make a profit.

When deciding what to bet on GAA events in Ireland, it might help to read bookmaker betting blogs, which often feature GAA betting tips ahead of top events in sports like hurling. Plenty of other GAA betting tipsters can also be found across the internet, for anyone interested in them.

As with any other sport, it is possible to place a range of wagers on GAA sports. Accumulators are popular with a lot of Irish sports fans who are hoping to land a big win from a small stake. The actual process for having a bet on GAA events in Ireland is exactly the same as placing any other wager - simply make a selection, deciding how big the bet should be and confirm it.

Bonuses and promotions such as free bets are also offered by some of the leading GAA betting sites in Ireland while acca insurance is widely available as well. These leading GAA betting operators in Ireland typically have generous welcome bonuses that can also be used to place wagers on the big game of the day. It is always worth ensuring a welcome bonus boost or promotion is applied when signing up for a new account to bet on GAA events in Ireland.