Here are the best bookmakers offering all online gambling options

Even though there are now more and more small specialist online casino gambling operators the online gambling sector is still dominated by the big bookmakers. It was of course the big bookmakers who first introduced online sports gambling, and it was the same operators who then went on to add the option of casino gambling for their online customers. For the purpose of this article and to try to provide good advice to our readers in Ireland who may be considering gambling online, we at gambling.ie have decided to concentrate on the bookmakers who provide the most comprehensive gambling options. By that we mean that the bookmakers we highlight will be those who not only provide a good sports gambling facility on their sites, but also offer their customers a good range of casino gambling games which can be accessed through the same site without the need to re-register. Having said that we should also point out that we firmly believe that online gambling enthusiasts should always register with more than one online gambling site, so that they can not only compare the odds being offered on sporting events, but they can also access a bigger range of casino gambling games.

When discussing bookmakers and gambling in Ireland, we really have to start with Paddy Power. There is no doubt that Paddy Power is the best known bookmaker in Ireland, operating over two hundred high street betting shops as well as their online gambling sites. Paddy Power have also proved highly successful at marketing themselves, often with somewhat dubious stunts, but they are a highly professional company which has developed into a major player in Ireland and the UK. Their online sports gambling site often has unique special bets to keep us interested, and the casino gambling section of their site is easy to access and has all the traditional casino gambling games plus a huge range of slots games available in download and instant formats. It will also be interesting to see what effect their recent merger with Betfair may have on the online gambling site.

Next up is Ladbrokes, the second biggest bookmaker in Ireland and now possibly the biggest in the UK since their merger with Coral. Again Ladbrokes have a big presence on the high street in Ireland, although no one knows at this stage how this will be affected by the forced sale of a significant number of shops operated by Ladbrokes and Coral to satisfy the competition authorities. The Ladbrokes sports gambling site is easy to access and significantly includes GAA sports gambling for Irish sports gambling fans. The casino gambling section is also excellent, again with games accessible in both download and instant mode. Ladbrokes also has an excellent poker site and offers 24 hour access to bingo games which can be played for a variety of stakes and often come with rolling jackpots and other prizes. Ladbrokes offers as good a range of gambling options as anyone.

Next we come to the specialist online gambling operators who do not have the high street presence in Ireland of Paddy Power and Ladbrokes, but do offer excellent online gambling options. Bwin for instance is a big online gambling operator listed on the Austrian stock exchange, but licensed by Gibraltar along with many other online gambling operators. Irish football fans will undoubtedly recognise Bwin as the shirt sponsors of both Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, two of the biggest and most successful football clubs in Europe. The Bwin sports gambling site is very good but their casino gambling section is also worth a mention, with poker for beginners and experienced players alike plus games requiring a little more thought than most such as backgammon and even Mahjong.

Another bookmaker which caters for poker beginners is BetFred, and although Betfred is probably better known for their sports gambling, particularly in-play gambling the Betfred casino is also highly rated. All the usual traditional casino gambling games are there in both instant and download format, and there is a vast array of slots games for those who enjoy the speed and ease of playing slots games. BetFred also offers something for bingo fans with 75 ball and 90 ball games and a special free bingo room. BetFred is a growing company with an expanding high street presence and the ability to offer both casino gambling and sports gambling on the same site.

The primary objective of this article was to identify bookmakers with good online sports gambling facilities coupled with access to a comprehensive range of casino gambling games on the same site, and as we have seen with Bwin that does not necessarily mean that they need a high street presence. The 888 online gambling site also satisfies all the criteria we are looking for with an excellent sports gambling site which also incorporates the 888 casino. Another bookmaker with a seriously good online gambling site but with no high street presence 888 is as good as any in the online gambling sector and well worth its place on our recommended list.

Last but not least on our list of bookmakers satisfying the criteria we have set is Bet365. In this day and age Bet365 is unusual in that it has remained a family owned business in spite of rapid expansion over the years. Many Irish gambling enthusiasts may never have come across the name Beet365, but they will find that the Bet365 sports gambling site not only covers all the GAA sports but also Irish greyhound racing on almost a daily basis. Equally impressive is the Bet365 casino section of their online gambling site, which again offers an excellent range of casino games, including poker and bingo.

We have now given a very brief introduction to our list of recommended bookmakers who operate excellent online sports and casino gambling sites, but there is one other gambling company we should mention and that is Party Gaming. Party Gaming operate a number of online gambling sites including Party Poker, Party Casino and Party Bets. At first glance you would assume that they did not offer sports gambling, but register with Party Casino and you will have access to all their online gambling options including sports gambling.