Top Greyhound Betting Sites

How to Bet on Greyhound Racing

You can bet on greyhound racing throughout the year, and it’s never been easier to place bets on dog races online. Follow these steps to get started at the best greyhound betting sites.

1. Compare greyhound betting sites
   Our experts have listed the best greyhound betting sites in Ireland available right now. Just browse our reviews, weigh up the welcome bonuses, and you’ll find the right site for you.
2. Sign up
   Follow our link to the greyhound bookmaker sign up page. Enter your details when prompted, and you’ll be set up in no time. If there’s a no deposit welcome bonus, you can claim that right away.
3. Make your first deposit
   Transfer over funds using your preferred payment method, and you’ll unlock any matched deposit bonus offered by the bookmaker.
4. Bet!
   Navigate over to the site’s greyhound section, where you’ll be able to place all kinds of bets on races at a wide variety of tracks. Good luck!

The Various Greyhound Events

While it might not attract the same kind of media attention as horse racing, greyhound racing is a big deal — especially for online bookies. Here are some of the top greyhound racing events for bettors to consider.

Irish Greyhound Derby

The first Irish Greyhound Derby took place in 1928; however, the race wasn’t made official until 1932. Alongside the English Greyhound Derby, this is one of the biggest races on calendar. Since 1970, the race has been held solely at Shelbourne Park, having previously shared the event with Harold’s Cross. Spanish Battleship, with three wins from (1953, 1954, and 1955), is the most successful dog in the history of the Irish Greyhound Derby.

English Greyhound Derby

Founded in 1927 and held at famed locations such as Wimbledon Stadium and Towcaster Greyhound Stadium, the English Greyhound Derby is among the most prestigious greyhound racing events in the world. Usually held between May and July, its top prize — reaching £175,000 in 2021 — makes it a major draw.

Easter Cup

Also held at Shelbourne Park, this is one of the featured greyhound races in Ireland, and the €25,000 certainly manages to attract the top dogs in training. Like the Derby, the first running of the Easter Cup was in 1928, and yet again, Spanish Battleship is among the most successful winners of the event.

Irish Oaks

Dublin’s Shelbourne Park is the venue once more for the Irish Oaks. Its purse of €25,000 matches the Easter Cup, so punters are assured the best greyhounds in Ireland will be racing. 3/1 shot Susie Sapphire claimed victory in 2021 in a time of 28.15 seconds, which is one of the fastest runs in the race’s history.

The Melbourne Cup

Ask any fan what the biggest greyhound racing event on the calendar is, and they may well say November’s Melbourne Cup. Not to be confused with the horse racing event of the same name, the Aussie spectacle dates back to 1956 and draws in competitors with its enormous cash prize which is typically hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Association Cup

The Association Cup is held at Wentworth Park Stadium in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1965, the event is exclusively for Group 1 greyhounds and is part of the celebrated Golden Easter Egg Carnival. Another big money dog event, the carnival boasts a total prize purse of $1 million.

Sandown Cup

Another major Australia greyhound racing event, the Sandown Cup dates back to 1963, when it was known as the Woolamai Cup. Always a cause for excitement among punters, it has a hefty prize purse of $250,000.

Irish Greyhound Racing Venues

There are 17 tracks in Ireland (two of which are in Northern Ireland). Nine tracks are operated by Rásaíocht Con Éireann (Greyhound Racing Ireland), with the other six being privately own but still licensed by GRI.

Available Greyhound Betting Markets

There’s not a great deal of betting markets for greyhound races, but the upside of that is that it keeps things simple. Let’s take a look at some of the popular bets you can place.

Win

As the name suggests, you bet on the dog you think will win. If the dog comes first, you win. If it doesn’t, you don’t. An example of this would be if you put €10 on Fred the Flash at 6/1. If it wins, you’ll receive €70, including the €10 stake that’s returned.

Each Way

The easy way to think of an each way bet is to actually think of it as two wagers in one. Your stake is divided between a ‘win’ bet and a ‘place’ bet, with the number of paid places depending on how many dogs are running (see table below). If your greyhound comes first, you win both parts of the bet. But if it comes in 2nd or 3rd, you only collect on the place bet.

Say you place a €10 each way on Romeo’s Rocket at 10/1, with six runners. A win will get you a total return of €145 (€10 x 10/1 = €110 including stake, plus €10 x 2.5/1 on the place bet = €35 including stake).

On the other hand, if Romeo’s Rocket doesn’t win but does place, your return will be €35 including stake.

While betting each way provides a little insurance, it’s only worth placing this bet if the odds on the dog you’re backing are long enough. For instance, many punters wouldn’t back a dog each way if the price is only 2/1, because you will only profit on the win bet and not on the place, which only sees you receive a payout at ¼ or ⅕ the odds. For a breakdown on how each way odds are affected by the number of dogs in a race, check out our table below.

Ex: €10 each way (€20 total stake) on Jumping Jack @ 2/1 (6 runners)
If placed = €10 x 0.5/1 on the place bet = €15 (incl. stake).

Forecast and Tricast

A forecast bet is when you place a bet on two dogs, and they have to finish 1st and 2nd in the order you selected. A tricast bet is exactly the same thing, but with three dogs, which must finish 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the correct order. Needless to say, this is no easy task, even with only six dogs running. However, for punters in the know, the payouts are quite handsome on winning forecast bets. Several online bookies also offer exacta and trifecta bets. These are exactly the same as forecasts and tricasts, except the payout is based on the totepool at the time.

Reverse Forecast and Tricast

While the straight forecast and tricast bets require an accurate pick in the correct order, the reverse forecast and tricast bet allow punters to win by correctly predicting the dogs to finish in any order. So, if you place a reverse forecast bet, you’ll be betting on the top two greyhounds in a race, regardless of which actually wins and which comes 2nd.

Boost Your Odds with an Accumulator

A popular way of betting on greyhounds is to build an accumulator with 4 or more selections on it. All your selections must win, but you can reap vast rewards for very small stakes if you get lucky. The best greyhound betting sites will offer accumulator insurance which will give you back your stake as a free bet should one leg of your selection fail.

Bet on the Action as it Happens

Betting online doesn’t have to mean you miss out on the thrill of going to a live greyhound race. Some online bookmakers allow you to bet live in-play on races while they’re happening. You may even be able to enjoy live streams through the betting site, which can really ramp up the excitement. Since greyhound races are often very short, these features might not be available everywhere, and odds can get volatile very quickly.

Claim a Greyhound Racing Betting Bonus

Welcome bonuses are a standard fixture on all of the best greyhound betting sites, allowing new customers to boost their betting balance, or even test the waters, without making a financial commitment. So if you’re a brand new customer, bonuses are something you should consider when picking a new betting site. Just make sure you check the terms and conditions so you’re aware of time limits and wagering requirements.

Here’s a quick overview of the most common welcome offers available to bettors.

Matched Deposit

The matched deposit bonus is pretty self-explanatory. If a sportsbook is offering a ‘50% up to €100’ bonus, and you credit your account with €100 when you sign up, then you’ll get 50% on top of that to bet with, which in this case would be €50.

No Deposit

As the name suggests, you don’t have to make an initial payment when claiming a no deposit bonus. Instead, just sign up, claim the bonus and you’ll have the no deposit bonus funds in your greyhound bookmaker account.

Free Bets

Free bets come in different shapes and sizes. Some websites will reward you with free bet credits if you make a qualifying first bet, while others will offer them to customers with no deposit required at all.

Existing Player Promotions

While welcome bonuses are a welcome addition when you’re a new player, it’s the promos that really matter if you intend to stick around. A website that offers plentiful promotions, like Paddy Power, should be at the top of your priorities. The most common promotions in online greyhound racing betting include:

Best Odds Guaranteed

With this promotion, a bookie pays the higher price between the odds you took when you placed your bet and the starting price. This way, you’ll know you’ll always have the best odds when you place your wager.

Risk-Free Bets

Some bookies will offer risk-free promotions to customers. These offers see punters claim a qualifying bet, but if it doesn’t come in, then the bookie will give you your money back in the form of free bets up to a certain amount.

Bet on the Greyhounds on the Move

Many players like to gamble on the go, or at the very least keep tabs on all their bets while they’re out and about. So it’s important that greyhound bookmakers deliver a top-notch mobile betting experience. Fortunately, all of the websites on our list feature either an app or a fully optimised mobile website.

If you can download a native app, we highly recommend it. It’ll let you access markets and place bets with a few taps, without having to go through your browser. Plus, you’ll be kept up to date with the latest promos and bonuses thanks to push notifications.

Try Out a New Greyhound Betting Site

While there’s no shortage of online betting sites out there, new ones often pop up on the scene. Which ones are worth a bettor’s time? This is where our experts come in, as we’re always vetting the latest sites and seeing what’s on offer for punters. Some perks you can often find at new greyhound betting sites include:

• More generous welcome bonuses, often with player-friendly wagering requirements attached
• Innovative and exciting user interfaces

Our list of the top betting sites in Ireland will include the best new online bookmakers. This means you’ll always have the top options at your fingertips — whether you’re looking to bet on Irish greyhound derbies, UK dog racing, or virtual greyhound events.

How to Deposit and Withdraw your Betting Funds

How you pay your deposits and cash out your winnings is an important factor when weighing up the best greyhound betting sites in Ireland. Here’s a quick rundown of the most common payment methods at the best online greyhound betting sites.

Bet on Greyhound Racing

That’s all you need to know to begin online greyhound betting. Now all you’ll need to do is find a top online greyhound bookie to place your bets with. We can’t help with the former but we’ve got you covered with the latter. Check out our list of the best dog racing bookies, pick a favourite and start betting, today!