Online gambling sites operated by the big bookmakers are still very popular

When the first online gambling sites became available in Ireland they were all set up and operated by the bookmakers we recognised from their betting shops on our high streets, but the number of online gambling sites has continued to increase over the years so that it is becoming more difficult to know who to trust when deciding where to do your sports gambling and even more difficult if you enjoy casino gambling. Here at gambling.ie we do our best to check and monitor as many of the different online gambling sites which are accessible in Ireland as we can, and this enables us to compile the list of recommended sites published on our home page. When it comes to online sports gambling many people would naturally choose to register with one of the leading bookmakers who also manage a chain of high street betting shops, because they recognise and trust the brand, but the rise of online gambling has attracted a number of other major companies to the sector so that we now have a choice between using the online sports gambling sites operated by one of our well-known high street bookmakers, or choosing one of the newer specialist online only bookmakers. The situation is further complicated when it comes to choosing where to play gambling games online, because there are far more online casino gambling sites to choose from including many specialist casino gambling sites which do not offer a sports gambling option. Many online gambling enthusiasts in Ireland clearly enjoy playing gambling games online as well as gambling on a range of sports and sporting events, so the obvious solution for them in terms of which online gambling site to select is to choose a site which offers both gambling options. Even then we would recommend registering with at least two different bookmakers so that you can take advantage of better odds if they are available. As we said at the beginning of this article the first online gambling sites were all established by the big high street bookmakers, and they were all initially focused on sports gambling. It wasn’t long however before the site operators began to add a few gambling games to their online sports gambling sites, beginning what we now know as online casino gambling. All the online gambling sites operated by the big high street bookmakers still offer their customers the option to play online gambling games and do their sports gambling on the one site, which of course is also an advantage when it comes to being able to manage just one online gambling account from which to fund all your online gambling activities. In Ireland the major bookmakers with a significant high street presence are of course Paddy Power and Ladbrokes, both of which also operate excellent online gambling sites offering a full range of sports gambling options and well over a hundred different online gambling games.

Paddy Power is of course the only one of the major bookmakers to be based in Ireland and is therefore probably more popular among online gambling fans in Ireland than any of the other big bookmakers, although that is not the only reason. Paddy Power are also well known for unusual bets as well as some innovative marketing gambits, both of which tend to increase their appeal. Many of the gambling games featured on the paddy Power site are also exclusive because they have chosen to use a different casino software company to supply most of their games. The Ladbrokes online gambling site is also popular in Ireland, again primarily because of their high street presence. It is however also one of the biggest online gambling sites and offers a huge range of sports gambling options including all the GAA sports games, plus a massive choice of gambling games. The Ladbrokes specialist poker and bingo platforms are particularly popular among online casino gambling fans in Ireland. There is one other bookmaker on our recommended list of online gambling sites with a number of betting shops in Ireland, and that is Betfred. Betfred are also known for offering their customers some unusual bets, and they also pride themselves on the regular bonus deals they offer. The Betfred online sports gambling site is particularly popular among fans of in-play sports gambling, but casino gambling enthusiasts are also well served with poker and bingo platforms together with a full range of lotteries from around the world.

Most of the other bookmakers on our recommended list do not have any high street betting shops and concentrate totally on the online gambling sector. Party Gaming for example is one of the biggest online bookmakers, and although they are probably known primarily for their excellent online casino gambling sites such as Party Casino and Party Poker, they also cater for online sports gambling fans through their Party Bets platform. We have already commented that one of the most effective ways for the bookmakers to market their online gambling sites is to maintain a high street presence, but another of the big online only bookmakers Bwin has chosen an alternative approach. Football fans around the world will recognise the Bwin brand from their shirt sponsorship deals with two of the biggest clubs in the world, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. The Bwin online gambling site again covers a wide range of gambling options, including most sports and sporting events, but their casino gambling site is probably one of the best sites operated by one of the major bookmakers. The excellent graphics are particularly worth a mention, as are the poker tables which cater for serious poker players as well as for beginners with very low table stakes. The other two online gambling sites operated by one of the big bookmakers and featured on our recommended list are the 888 site and the Bet365 site. The 888 online sports gambling site is particularly popular in Ireland because they specifically focus on both Irish horse racing and the Gaelic sports as well as the all the other sporting events from across the world.