Gaelic football is one of the oldest Irish sports known as ‘GAA football‘. The roots of this game are traced to the middle ages. Recently, GAA football betting has gained many fans in Ireland and beyond. Now, many bookmakers offer punters the chance to wager on Gaelic football with just a few clicks on a desktop or mobile phone. However, because of the game’s uniqueness, it is not as popular as basketball betting, football betting or tennis betting.
So, if you are a newbie and want to learn how to bet on this game and learn some tips and tricks to improve your winning chances, we have got you covered. This guide will provide you with the ABCs of this sport and how to wager on it.
Latest update 17 February 2023
Many Irish bookmakers offer GAA football betting options to interested punters. However, the main issue comes to the surface when you do not know which one to choose and what benefits you should look for while deciding on a betting site. So, make some effort to consider the main factors of a betting site and create a list of the best bookmakers in Ireland.
We only list the online bookmakers that offer the many Gaelic betting markets.
Punters always want bookmakers that offer various tournaments and championships. So, we select to name those sites that offer a variety of tournaments.
The sites on our recommended list are licensed and regulated by a reputable gambling commission. We advise the bettors to bet on the sites approved by the United Kingdom Gambling Commission and Malta Gaming Authority. To know if they are licensed, they can be checked by their licence number presented on their website.
We recommend the bookmakers that come with the best bonuses and promotions.
We consider the bookmakers that provide the best or at least competitive odds.
For many punters outside Ireland, it might seem Gaelic games is a strange sport. But it is not new for the Irish players. GAA football is believed to date as far back as the middle ages. During those times, various rough and tumble sports were usually played in Ireland. However, the precise history remains a debate among the punters. It was during the 17th century that Gaelic football gained a lot of popularity. After that, it became a common game in many places in Ireland.
The Gaelic football match was reported to have occurred at Slane, Co.Meath. Meath played it against Co. Louth in 1712. The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) was founded in Ireland in 1884 in response to the Rugby Football Union in England. The GAA body aimed to promote and develop the sports that originated in Ireland. Thus, Gaelic football became the of the four games the GAA governed. It was after that the sport gained a lot of fans from different countries apart from Ireland, making it the most popular sport.
GAA football betting enthusiasts can understand the game’s workings clearly, whereas the newbies might find it very tough. But we have done extensive research on this subject and will provide you with the knowledge of how the game works:
Gaelic games is played with two teams consisting of 15 players each. It has H-shaped goalposts on a rectangular pitch at the two ends. It has a crossbar and a netting similar to the soccer net located below the crossbar.
When the game starts, the player can carry the ball in hand only for up to four steps when he has to either hand-pass or kick it. After that, the rule is to pass the ball after every four steps to their teammate or solo pass the ball by bouncing. This can also be dropped on the ground and kicked back to the hand. But the players cannot bounce the ball twice simultaneously.
The players can score a goal in two ways in gaelic games. At first, the player can send the ball over the crossbar to get one point between the uprights. Next, the player can send the ball under the crossbars into the goalpost, earning them three points. It is natural to know that the team that has scored the highest number of points wins the game. Therefore, the game must be replayed when their score matches and ends in a draw.
The players can only tackle the ball but will be considered illegal when they roughly pull, push, drag, trip, punch, or attack other players. Besides, it isn’t considered legal to contact full-body with their opponent as long as they are in the match. The players can block the ball when it leaves the opponent and knock it out of the opponent’s hand with their hand.
In the match betting market, the players can make two sub-points:
To draw: This bet is placed when the punter predicts the outcome will be a draw. Remember that ties do not usually occur since both teams have the chance to score higher points. Thus the odds value for these bets is usually much higher than that of a home or away win.
To win: This is generally made when the team is thought to win the game. This is also called an away win or home win and depends greatly on the circumstance of the match. The punters have a higher chance of winning when they can select the one that will win, or else they might lose.
Goal scoring also gives a betting market to the punters. For instance, the punters can wager on which team will score a goal at first. Alternatively, you can also bet on which team will bet at last before the game ends.
This sport is generally played in two halves: the first and the second half. Therefore, if one team wins in the first half might not win in the second half. This betting capitalises on these circumstances of the game. The punters have to choose the team that will lead the halftime and the team that might win the game.
In-play betting is one of the best betting features in GAA Football betting. In this betting, the players must wager on the result before the game starts. When the game starts, the punters cannot bet it anymore.
Live betting is the changed status quo that allows the punters to place a bet while the game continues. Thus they can analyse the games and place a bet based on the conclusion. Thus in live betting options, the players can bet according to the action on the pitch.
This betting market allows bookmakers to provide longer betting odds on the punter’s favourite team with extra terms and conditions. The handicap market assigns a handicap that should be overcome to win. For example, when you wish to wager on a handicap between Dublin and Cork. You might see it like this.
Dublin (-5)
Cork (5)
So, when you support Dublin, you will win the wager if Dublin is the winner after subtracting 5 points from their final points. On the other hand, if you wish to support Cork, you will win the wager when its final score with 5 points added to it is higher than the Dublin team.
It suggests that the punters have to wager on the number the teams will score. So, Over/Under Total points are the bets that should be wagered on the number of points the teams will score. For instance, if you predict the team will score more than 15 will be over-bet, while the prediction of 14 will be under-bet.
The final result of a bet in a GAA football match is either a home win or away win, a draw or a defeat. When you place a winning wager, you will only win when they defeat the opponent, while if the team you have bet on loses or ends up in a tie, you lose your stake.
But this market betting negates the tie or draw from your result. That means even if they end up making a tie, you will not lose your stake. But it will become void, and they will return your stake.
Outright market betting is betting on a tournament, championship competition or league. That means you have to wager on which team will win the game. As the game progresses, they are updated. So the earlier the bets are placed, you have the chance to receive generous betting odds.
You cannot jump to the betting when unfamiliar with how the GAA betting odds work. Regarding GAA betting sports, Like other sports betting, different betting sites offer different formats, such as American, Fractional and Decimal.
The Fractional format is highly used by bettors to bet on GAA football. Its prices are 9/2, 100/1, 2/1, 1/1, 1/2 and so on. The fractional format expressed the bettor’s potential profit against their stake. For instance, the bettor bets a 100 Euro stake on prediction with a 7/1 price. When a punter predicts the accurate outcome of the sport, he will earn a profit of 700 euros (100 Euro x 7).
When you bet on the Gaelic through online bookmakers, these calculations are made automatically and displayed on the players’ bet slips. Thus, the longer the odds are, the less they occur. And the ones with the shorter odds have a better chance of winning.
It is challenging to predict the outcome of the game given how competitive the game is when played between top-level teams. So, the betters must be very observant and creative while making wagers on Gaelic football events that are played between clubs, countries and other tournament teams. Nevertheless, we have found some effective betting tips that help you out while betting on GAA football. However, remember that these tips do not guarantee you a win, but they can improve your chances of winning:
Yes, the bettors are allowed tackling in GAA football. But, they are allowed only to tackle the ball, and it is considered illegal to pull, push, tackle, punch or drag others while playing the game.
It generally lasts for 60 minutes and is divided into 30 minutes. But some Gaelic football lasts 70 minutes.
Yes, bettors get the opportunity for live betting in GAA football.
GAA football is a locally played sport, especially in Ireland. However, many other countries other than Ireland play Gaelic football. We witness it being strongly present in Australia, North America, Great Britain, Europe, the Middle East and many parts of Africa and Asia.
The odds and the staked amount determines the GAA football betting payouts. The payout can be calculated by multiplying the odds by the bet amount.
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