Rugby League Review

Introduction to Rugby League Betting

There are two forms of rugby: Rugby league and Union. They are fundamentally the same sport. However, there are variances which are factors in the scoring and betting. There are 13 players in a rugby league team, but 15 in rugby union. The main objective in both sports is to score tries. Teams win points in rugby league by converting the tries and kicking penalties and drop goals. The sport was invented in the north of England and this area still has most of the major English clubs. Other countries in Europe and the Southern Hemisphere also play. Australia traditionally has the strongest domestic league, and they are the best team in the world.

Betting Events

The most popular competition for betting is the Super League in England. There is relegation and promotion to and from the Championship. There are 12 teams in the top division who play each other on a home and away basis during the regular season. There is also a Magic Weekend and loop fixtures which make up the programme. The top eight teams qualify for the playoffs which culminate in the Grand Final. The Challenge Cup is the major knockout competition in England, and the final takes place at Wembley Stadium. The National Rugby League (NRL) is the major professional league in Australia. The State of Origin series matches Victoria with New South Wales. The rugby league World Cup takes place every four years, and Australia has won eight of the last nine tournaments, from 1975 to 2017. There are also other international fixtures that are popular for betting.

Betting Types

Rugby league is a popular sport for in-play betting. Matches from England and Australia are shown live in pay-for-view television. A small number of major fixtures are broadcast on terrestrial television. Fluctuations in the scoring encourage live betting. However, there are more bets in pre-match markets, and bookmakers offer ante-post odds on the main leagues and Cup competitions.

Rugby League Markets

The most popular rugby league market for betting is the match result after 80 minutes. This is a three-way market with the following options: Home Win, Draw, Away Win. Handicaps encourage two-way betting when there is a clear favourite and underdog. Two-way handicap betting is expressed in half points to eliminate the tie. Customers can bet on bands of total points and over or under a totals line. Selecting the first try scorer is also a popular rugby league betting options.