Most of the big online gambling sites are still operated by the bookmakers

Two of the most important objectives of gambling.ie is to provide advice on which online gambling sites have the necessary management software to operate a safe and secure environment for us to enjoy our leisure time, and to compare the gambling options offered by those sites so that prospective customers are better able to make the right decisions for them. When it comes to the first point there is no room for error in providing appropriate and effective security for our financial information and we have done all in our power to ensure that all the online gambling sites on our recommended list pass that requirement with flying colours. The second objective is not quite so easy to define because comparing and commenting on the gambling options on each site is very subjective and depends on what each customer is looking for in a site. When it comes to sports gambling some would say that there is very little difference between the big online sports gambling sites operated by the big bookmakers. The odds may vary slightly and there will be different bonus offers and incentives from time to time, but they all offer a huge range of sports and sporting events to attract our gambling instincts. Where one online gambling site is likely to differ most from another is in the online casino gambling options they offer. Almost all the first online casino gambling options were introduced by the big bookmakers as part of their online sports gambling sites, and customers who enjoy both sports gambling and playing casino games are probably still best served by being able to access both options on the same site. Certainly many of the online casino gambling sites on our recommended list are still those which are operated by the big bookmakers as part of their total online gambling facility. We would still recommend that even people who prefer to do all their gambling from the one site consider registering with more than one of these big online gambling sites so that they can access a wider range of casino games. To do this it is probably best to pick two sites which use different software companies to provide their content.

In Ireland the most likely first choices for online gambling sites would probably be the Paddy Power site and/or the Ladbrokes site. These two bookmakers undoubtedly have the biggest high street presence in Ireland and both have a large number of betting shops spread across the country. This gives them a very big advantage when it comes to brand awareness among the gambling community in Ireland. Paddy Power also benefit from the fact that they are the only major bookmaker on our list of recommended sites which is actually based in Ireland. As far as their marketing methods are concerned there have been stunts which did not win universal approval, but their customer service has a good reputation and they regularly offer to pay out on bets before the event has even finished. Their sports gambling site is easy to navigate and covers a huge range of sports, including our GAA sports and their odds also compare favourably with their competitors. The casino gambling element of the site again offers a good range of casino gambling games for their customers to enjoy. Most of these games are supplied by Wagerworks which is not the biggest software supplier but is well respected within the industry and makes Paddy Power a good choice if deciding to register with two bookmaker’s sites.

The other major bookmaker with a substantial high street presence as we have already said is Ladbrokes. There is of course the possibility that this may change in the light of their merger with Coral, but we shall have to wait and see how that goes as the dust settles on the deal. Meanwhile the Ladbrokes sports gambling site again offers as many sporting options as most, including the GAA sports. The casino gambling section of the site is being improved by the influence of their new software partner Playtech, and Ladbrokes also offer an excellent poker site and a twenty four hour bingo option, both of which are very popular.

The only other bookmaker with a high street presence and a good online gambling facility is Betfred. Again their online sports gambling site is very comprehensive, and their online casino site is certainly worth a visit.

Most of the other online gambling sites operated by bookmakers and featured on our recommended list do not have a high street presence and have established their reputations based solely on their online services. Party Gaming for example do not have a single betting shop, but they do have a variety of very successful online brands. Party Poker is now one of the biggest online poker forums in the world, and if you also register with Party casino you can then access their sports gambling site under the brand name of Party Bets. Although Party Bets is not the best known sports gambling site available in Ireland it certainly covers most sporting options you are likely to want.

Irish sports gambling fans with a particular interest in Irish greyhound racing may want to take a look at the sports gambling site operated by Bet365, which also covers the GAA sports very well. Bet365 is of course the only major bookmaker which remains a private family owned business. They promote their brand through a number of high profile sponsorship deals and pride themselves on their customer relations which they claim is better because they are a relatively small business.

There is another bookmaker with an online gambling site on our recommended list and a marketing strategy based on sports sponsorship, and that is the Austrian registered company Bwin. Football fans will certainly recognise the brand name of Bwin because it appears on the shirts of two of the most successful teams in Europe, namely Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. Some observers of the online gambling scene however think that it is their online casino gambling facility which is their best asset, particularly their low stakes poker tables and their inclusion of games such as Yatzy and Mahjong among their casino games.