Sports betting is incredibly popular in Ireland. Most gamblers go to online betting sites in Ireland like BoyleSports to place bets on latest sporting events. You’ll be wrong to think that Irish people only bet on popular mainstream sports like football. They also enjoy and bet on their native sports including Gaelic and hurling, which are the most popular sporting activities in the country. Let’s take a look at the five most popular sports selected by Irish betting fans at their best sportsbooks.
- Boxing and MMA
Boxing and MMA have a huge fanbase in Ireland. The popularity of this physical sport may be attributed to the fact that one of the biggest MMA superstars of all time, Conor McGregor comes from Dublin. On every tournament occasion, this Irish man always displays his country’s flag, perhaps to make a proud show of his origin and up-bringing. McGregor first made his heritage known in the UFC scene and this brought a great amount of attention to his country. His performance also gave Ireland a good reputation.
- Football
This shouldn’t come as a surprise. Football is definitely the most popular sport Irish people like to bet on. This game is also the most popular sport around the world with over a billion fans following and supporting Premier league and other popular leagues. So it is not only Irish people that love the sport. Some of the biggest football events expected this year are the UEFA Nations League. The Irish national squad will be playing in this league competing with other league groups from Armenia, Scotland and Ukraine. This will definitely be a huge betting event for most Irish football fans.
- Gaelic football
In case you are wondering how this is different from normal football, Gaelic football is a 15-a-side team game that borrows a lot from rugby and normal football. The aim of this game is to score by either kicking or punching the ball into the goal of the opposite team.
- Rugby
After the Gaelic sports, the first sport that comes to mind is Rugby. Most Irish people bet on ruby. The national team is popular all over the world, they hold the 5th position in the World Rugby Ranking, and have defeated big teams like All Blacks more than once and won titles between 2014 and 2015. Ireland is definitely a country to watch out for when it comes to rugby union.
- Hurling
Hurling is a popular ancient game of Gaelic origin. It is a team game that shares a lot with Gaelic football. To win, players use the ash wood stick also known as hurley, to hit a ball into the opponent’s goal. This game can only be found in Ireland, South Africa and Australia.
Final thoughts
Even though football is the most popular sport in Ireland and with a huge following, Gaelic football, rugby and hurling have also drawn significant attention. Bettors can find these sports and many others in the betting markets at BoyleSports and other popular bookies accessible in Ireland.
