Pros and cons
- Bet from the comfort of your own home.
- Huge choice of greyhound races available.
- Bonuses and promotions.
- Live streaming at some betting sites.
- No socialising at the track.
An introduction to greyhound racing
Horse racing is known as ‘the sport of kings’, but greyhound racing used to be considered ‘the sport of queens’ as Elizabeth I was said to be fond of coursing, in which a pair of sight hounds chased down a living hare. That all changed in 1910, when Owen P Smith from Memphis, Tennessee came up with the idea of an ‘Inanimate Hare Conveyor’, which was whisked along a rail to give the dogs something to pursue.
The first official greyhound race in the UK was held at the Belle Vue Stadium in Manchester back in 1926, attracting a crowd of over 1700 people. The following year saw the first greyhound race in Ireland take place at Shelbourne Park in Dublin. Since then the sport has seen a steady rise in popularity, as six dogs race around a 550 yard oval track in around 30 seconds at speeds of up to 45 mph.
The Greyhound Derby
The English Greyhound Derby is the biggest dog race in the world, but the Irish Greyhound Derby is easily the most popular dog race in Ireland. Over it’s 90+ year history it’s played host to some of the best greyhounds from the UK and Ireland, with a huge prize pool worth around €300,000, of which just under half is awarded to the winner.
Not surprisingly, there’s a huge amount of interest in this race with greyhound betting sites regularly offering special deals as the tension mounts for the final. But this is only one of the greyhound races in a packed calendar, so there are opportunities to place a wager throughout the year.
What do
greyhound betting sites
have to offer?
As we’ve seen, greyhound racing has been popular for around a hundred years, with an impressive collection of stadiums across Ireland and the UK. Many races are held in the evenings, so that people can attend in person when they’ve finished work for the day, although modern lifestyles have made that less important in recent times.
These days bettors like to be able to enjoy all their favourite sports without having to leave home, and greyhound betting sites are more than willing to accommodate them. Whilst it’s true that you won’t be able to enjoy a pie and a pint at the track between races, the ability to bet on events taking place across Ireland, or in the UK and Australia more than makes up for that - and with a few potential bonus offers to help things along too!
Aside from the social aspect - which you could easily replicate by inviting a few friends over - there are very few downsides to taking part in greyhound betting online. You get to choose the races you like, spend time over your betting selections and you can even watch live streamed races too, depending on which betting site you decide to register with.
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Types of bets available at
greyhound racing betting sites
If you haven’t experienced greyhound betting before, you’ll find there a number of different types of bets available. It’s best to start out with a simple bet to begin with, such as a straightforward Win bet, in which you aim to predict the first dog to finish in the race. Get it right and you could be celebrating - and even more so if you’ve taken advantage of one of the
best free bet offers, which are often available for new customers.
Even more betting opportunities
But there are far more ways to wager than by simply trying to pick the outright winner. There’s also an option for a Place bet, in which you hope your selected dog will finish in either first or second place. Expand that to a Show bet and you’ll receive a payout if your chosen dog finishes in first, second or third place.
Other bet types include the Quinella,
in which you select the two dogs you predict will come first and second, although you don’t have to specify which position each will take. You could enhance that further with an Exacta bet, which is almost the same, except you state which dogs you believe will take first and second place.
Once you’ve mastered how these bets work you could consider trying an accumulator bet, which becomes a little more complicated. As the following table highlights, there are all sorts of options available to you. The more selections you include, the greater the potential returns, but by the same token there’s much more scope for unexpected race outcomes, making it harder to achieve a winning result overall.
Table of bet accumulators
| Treble | Combine 3 selections from different races |
| Win Accumulator | Choose 3 or more dogs on a race card for a combined bet. |
| Each Way Accumulator | Bet to win or to place |
| Trixie | 3 selections of 3x doubles and 1x treble |
| Yankee | 4 selections of doubles, trebles and an acca, resulting in 11 bets |
| Lucky 15 | 4 dogs including singles, doubles, trebles and fourfold for a total of 15 bets |
How to choose a safe and reputable
greyhound betting site
Much as we’d love to be able to suggest one bookmaker that will provide greyhound racing fans with an outstanding online wagering experience, that’s simply not possible. We all have our own tastes in terms of site design, and everything from the font to the colours and graphics can all have an impact on a bettor’s overall enjoyment.
There are other factors that also need to be taken into consideration too. For example, you might be seeking a site offering PayPal deposits and withdrawals, or you might be more interested in tracking down
betting sites with cash out
options, or live streaming. We aim to cater for everyone here at betting.co.uk, so we provide you with a list of options, all of which have been tried, tested, reviewed and rated by our team to ensure nothing - other than race outcomes - are left to chance.
A valid industry licence is non-negotiable
Every safe and reputable betting site comes with a licence issued by one of the top regulatory bodies that oversee the industry, such as the UKGC, or the MGA. The relevant information is always displayed somewhere on the betting platform, usually on the main page, but we never accept anything at face value! So we also check on the regulator’s website to make sure the licence is valid - and if we don’t like what we find, that betting site won’t make it onto these pages.
Top-level security is another must have
Hackers and scammers are always on the lookout for personal information, which is why it’s so important to keep it safe and secure. Once we’ve checked that a betting platform’s licence is in place we take a look at the security protocols to make sure they’re robust and up to the job. SSL security is the standard, but that’s not the end of the story. We also check to make sure customer funds are held in separate accounts away from the platform’s other financial affairs as an extra layer of safety.
The user experience is extremely important
You might want to keep up to speed with greyhound racing on your laptop or desktop computer or on your mobile, so we take a look at the options and report back on our findings. We’ll let you know whether there are any app downloads required, or whether a platform has been created to be fully mobile responsive. We tell you about the site’s main features, including its ease of use in terms of navigation, and assess whether it’s suitable for beginners, experienced bettors or all types of users.
How to access help when you need it
We expect every betting platform we recommend to offer a useful FAQ section, making it easy to find answers to the questions you’re most likely to ask. But we also expect to see one-to-one support options too, ideally in the form of a 24-hour live chat service. From contact forms and support tickets to email addresses and telephone numbers, we provide you with the essential facts.
Payment options and expected timeframes
When you’re ready to place a bet on the greyhounds, you’ll want the process to be as quick and easy as possible. We check out payment methods and let you know about associated fees attached to deposits or withdrawals. We also make a point of checking out withdrawal approval times, so you have the complete picture.
Claim your
greyhound betting site
bonus
When you first register with your betting site, you can expect to receive some sort of introductory bonus. These vary, but you’ll usually be offered one or more of the following:
- Deposit match bonus.
- No deposit bonus.
- Risk-free first bet.
We don’t just cover the bonus offers in a few sentences - we provide you with a detailed review of every introductory offer, having taken each one for a test drive ourselves. That enables us to give you insights into every aspect of the offer, including any potential pitfalls to watch out for. We tell you whether promo codes are required - and sometimes have a few exclusive deals for you too, to help you get even more out of your greyhound betting experience.
Check out the best greyhound betting sites in October
Happy with all that greyhound sports betting has to offer? Great. Then let us take some time to help find you an online betting site that is perfectly suited to the races.
Boylesports
Boylesports: Pros & Cons
- Excellent Greyhound coverage
- Inclusive limits
- Competitive welcome bonus
- Limited withdrawal methods
You’ll find one of the most complete Greyhound sports betting sites over at Boylesports. To get your experience on the right track, you’ll find that a total of €25 in bonus bets can be added to your account. Minimum deposits begin at just €5, and you can choose to fund your session using Visa, Mastercard, Skrill, and various other alternative methods.
From here, you can head straight over to the sportsbook and begin scrolling through upcoming competitions and races. The current form is always highlighted, and you’ll find that live betting opportunities are also available. It is here that you’ll find if any streams are available to watch, and it is nice to know that all of these great perks can be enjoyed through the mobile app, too.
Bet 10 Get 30 in Free Bets
+ 10€
BoyleSports Highlights
- Wide range of sports markets available
- Competitive odds
- Special deals on big-name sports fixtures
Bet365
Bet365: Pros & Cons
- Simple sign-up bonus
- Great greyhound coverage
- Intuitive mobile app
- Maximum deposit limits imposed
Bet365 is another top choice for Greyhound sports betting enthusiasts. You’ll find a great selection of races are covered, including the option of following all the action through dedicated live streams. You can kickstart your time online with a bonus of up to €100; however, you can get things rolling for as little as €10.
Once you’ve loaded your account, you’ll find that you can easily begin filtering through upcoming races and competitions. The great usability also transfers over to the mobile app, allowing you to bet on your favourites on the go. Should you run into any issues, support is on hand around the clock, too.
Bet365 Highlights
- Up to €100 welcome bonus (T&Cs apply)
- Zero deposit fees
- €5 minimum deposit to qualify
Ladbrokes
Ladbrokes: Pros & Cons
- Solid welcome bonus
- Full coverage of greyhound racing
- Live streaming
Ladbrokes is another great alternative for those of you who like to bet on the dogs. Greyhound racing has been around for years, and you’ll find that Ladbroks has all of the major race tracks covered. You’ll even find that you can build accumulators and make use of sports betting promotions on specific markets.
Odds remain competitive throughout, and you’ll have complete access to recent form. Certain races will even have dedicated live streams, allowing you to watch in HD. To get you started, you can also bet €5 and get €25 in bonus bets to use across the site. Support is available around the clock, and you can even watch the action unfold through a mobile app.
Ladbrokes Highlights
- Generous €20 free bets offer
- Instant free bet credits
- Use your bonus bets wherever you please
Get ready to discover the
best online greyhound betting sites
We’re constantly on the go here at betting.co.uk, reviewing and rating all the latest new betting sites, as well as revisiting old favourites to check that everything is still up to speed. We’ve grouped together all the top sites offering the chance to bet on the dogs, so you can easily pick out the options that could be right for you, and check out the full details. We’ve got full information about every welcome bonus offer too, as well as a few special promo codes just for our site visitors, so you can settle back and make the most of your greyhound betting experience.
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Greyhound betting sites
FAQ
🐕 Which is the best greyhound betting site?
Only you can decide which is the right betting site for you, but here at betting.co.uk we’ve picked out all the top options, with insightful reviews and bonus guides to ensure you make fully informed decisions. Whether it's top sites for betting on greyhounds or our pick of the
best betting apps, your new sports betting site is waiting to be discovered.
🎁 Do greyhound betting sites offer welcome bonuses?
Most betting sites offer some sort of introductory bonus, and you can depend on us to have the full details right here at betting.co.uk. We rate and review every betting platform, checking out all the info you need to know - including welcome bonus offers. We even have a few exclusive offers to share with you, so don’t miss out!
📝 Where can I find a guide to the best greyhound betting sites?
Right here at betting.co.uk we’ve got the complete lowdown on all the top sportsbooks offering the chance to wager on greyhound racing. From advice about choosing the platform that’s right for you, to some special deals you won’t find anywhere else, we’re your one-stop greyhound betting shop!
