Rugby Union Betting Guide for 2025
The game of rugby union both as regular 15-a-side events and rugby sevens format is on the rise. This is our guide to betting on the sport.
Rugby union betting in Canada reaches its height when the national team contests the World Cup. Here’s what you’ll find in our detailed guide:
- How we review and you sign up to the best rugby union betting sites
- What betting options and rugby union odds are available
- Background to and history of the sport
Top Rugby Union Betting Sites for Canadian Players
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Games: 21,000+
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Win Rate: 98.23%
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Payout Speed: 1-3 days
Coming soon
Pros
Cons
Payments
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Games: 4950
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Win Rate: 98.35%
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Payout Speed: 0-1 days
Pros
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Large collection of 9,500+ games
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Live Casino with Game Shows
Cons
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High minimum deposit amount
Payments



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Games: 4,000+
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Win Rate: 96.10%
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Payout Speed: 1-2 days
Pros
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4000+ games available to play
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$8000 welcome bonus with 500 Free Spins on top
Cons
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Unable to play free demos before registration
Payments



Pros
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Sleek, user-friendly interface with a luxury theme.
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Offers a wide range of games, including slots and live dealer options.
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Provides generous bonuses and promotions for new and existing players.
Cons
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Some users report slower withdrawal processing times.
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Customer support response times could be improved.
Payments



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Games: 15,000+
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Win Rate: 97.19%
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Payout Speed: 1-3 days
Coming soon
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Games: 700+
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Win Rate: 98.46%
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Payout Speed: 0-1 days
Pros
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Variety of payment options
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24-hour withdrawals
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24/7 live chat support
Cons
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High 70x wagering requirement
Payments



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Games: 14000+
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Win Rate: 96.28%
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Payout Speed: 1 day
Pros
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Largest collection of over 14,000 casino games
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Over 1,200 jackpot slots
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Accepts crypto currencies
Cons
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Games lobby not very user friendly
Payments



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Games: 2,245+
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Win Rate: 97,89%
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Payout Speed: 1-3 days
Coming soon
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Games: 5,000+
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Win Rate: 97.61%
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Payout Speed: 1-3 days
Coming soon
Pros
Cons
Payments



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Games: 800+
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Win Rate: 98.65%
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Payout Speed: 0-1 days
Pros
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Wide range of payment methods
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Mobile app for iOS & Android
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24/7 customer support
Cons
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High minimum withdrawal amount
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No bingo options
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How we Review the best Rugby Union Betting Sites
How to Sign Up to a Rugby Union Betting Site
An Introduction to Rugby Union
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A regular game of rugby union involves 15 players on each team with a bench of eight replacements
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The starting 15 are made up of eight forwards – props, a hooker, locks, flankers and a number eight, who are key in scrums. There are also seven backs – a fly half, scrum half, inside and outside centre, left and right wings and a fullback
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Blood subs and replacements are permitted at any time and, once replaced, a player can still come back onto the field if needed
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A sin bin, where players who receive a yellow card go, can temporarily reduce a team to 14 or fewer players for a period of 10 minutes
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Red cards permanently reduce a rugby union team to 14 or fewer players for the rest of the game
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Top level rugby union matches have TMOs (television match officials) reviewing all the action in case the referee on the field misses something
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Points are awarded for tries (five), conversions (two), penalty kicks (three) and drop goals (three) in between the posts
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A penalty try can be awarded if the referee deems foul play to have prevented the scoring of a try
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Unlike soccer, the time a rugby ball is in play counts rather than the clock running regardless. There is thus no stoppage time
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Two halves of at least 40 minutes are played in a rugby union match. The team with the most points when the ball is put into touch at the end of the second period wins
How Rugby Union Odds Work
If you’ve never bet on rugby union before, then you can’t be expected to know how gambling works. To help newbies, we’re going to work through an example of some rugby union odds:
New Zealand, who are widely regarded as one of the best rugby union playing nations on earth, face Canada. The All Blacks are very short price favourites in the betting.
In order to win just $1 betting on New Zealand at these odds, you would need to stake $10 on them. The total return of such a wager is $11.
Canada, meanwhile, are obviously underdogs. If you were brave enough to bet $10 on them, and they defied all expectations and won, you stand to gain $200.
You always get your stake back when betting, so the total return on Canada would be $210. Ties can happen in rugby union but, because multiple points are awarded for scores, they are very rare.
Should the game between New Zealand and Canada finish level, then a $10 stake would return $340. That is $330 of profit.
Decimal odds are a common way of expressing rugby union betting in Canada, but you may also encounter the American moneyline system or fractional prices. Our odds calculator below has more on how these types compare.
Rugby Union Betting Options
What kinds of markets are rugby union odds available for? Here, we take a look at some of the most popular:
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To win
Just like any other sport, placing a bet in its most basic form on rugby union is finding the winner of a match.
Eg:Eg: New Zealand1.10VSEg: Canada -
Spread betting and Handicaps
In such a scenario as above where there are hot betting favourites, spread betting can offer you better value. Sportsbook traders price up brackets within which a fancied team can still win with an imagined deficit.
This is also called handicap betting. Besides the favourites having to overturn the deficit and cover the spread, the underdogs can also be given a pretend lead.
A favourite being handicapped is expressed as a negative number.
This can also be alternatively gambled on as brackets for the margin of victory.Eg:-21 points
2.2021-25 points
2.2521 points
2.10+21 points
4.00 -
Tryscorer betting
Odds are also available on individual players to cross the try line and score. This can be first, last, anytime or even for a hat-trick (three tries).
Eg:DTH van der Merwe5.50 -
First scoring play
What will the first scoring play in a rugby union match be? You’re betting around a penalty kick, try or drop goal here. A conversion can’t be the first scoring play as a try must be awarded first.
Some betting sites offer this in combination with the team who scores it.Eg:New Zealand2.38 -
Halftime/Fulltime
As with soccer, betting is available on what the result is halfway through a rugby union match and then at the final whistle. There are nine possible permutations to consider.
Eg: Tie / Australia -
Outright tournament winner
With many high-profile tournaments like the Six Nations and Rugby World Cup, futures betting on the outright winners exists.
Eg:Ireland3.25 -
Top tryscorer
Another futures market that is popular is picking out who will finish a tournament as the leading scorer of tries.
Eg:Bryan Habana12.00 -
Pool winner
When rugby union tournaments are split into groups, there is often betting on who will win each pool.
Eg:France4.50
Bonuses
Mobile Rugby Union Betting
With smartphone and tablet use now commonplace, mobile rugby union betting has developed as part of the digital revolution. Why should you get involved in gambling through this channel?
- Sportsbooks have designed betting apps compatible with Android and Apple devices which you can download for free
- These offer a simplified betting experience to you
- As we take our phones and tablets everywhere, mobile rugby union betting is literally in your back pocket
