Betting on Rugby League - Full Guide

Rugby League is quickly becoming one of the most popular sports to bet on with bookies and sportsbooks across the globe. The rise of rugby league betting world has many individuals trying to better understand the sport, and how to bet on it. This guide will cover all things on the topic of betting on Rugby League, and is easy to skip through to find exactly what you need to know.

Betting on Rugby League is simple and easy. Most reputable sportsbooks will offer Rugby League Odds, and there are plenty of Rugby League competitions to bet on throughout the year.

The first important step to take when betting on Rugby League is to understand the odds and what they mean. Much like other sports, such as football, there are three main ways that bets are made, which is a win market bet, handicap bet, and a total bet. Each of these three betting options are further explained individually in this guide.

When it comes to understanding Rugby League odds, it is very simple. Each of these three main bets will have odds attached to them, which is an expression of the likeliness of an outcome, as well as the rate of which your money will be returned if you win.

For example, a matchup between the Penrith Panthers and the Melbourne Storm would have options that would read:

Penrith Panthers Moneyline (1.52) Penrith Panthers Handicap -5.5 (1.95)

Melbourne Storm Moneyline (2.65) Melbourne Storm Handicap +5.5 (1.88)

Total : 41- Over 41 (1.9) Under 41 (1.9)

This betting line tells the bettor that the Penrith Panthers are expected to win and are five-point favourites, while the total over/under betting line is at 41 points. Each betting options’ odds explain what kind of return a bettor would make. Once the odds are understood, it is time to look deeper into the win market, handicap, and total and place a bet.

The most common bet made on Rugby League is the win market bet. Moneyline bets are simply bets made on the winner of the fixture. Each fixture will have a favourite and an underdog. The favourite is the team that the bookies think will win the match. The underdog is not expected to win, but will payout much better than the favourite if they do pull off a win. Using our example above, the win market odds between the Penrith Panthers (1.52) and the Melbourne Storm (2.65) would have the Panthers coming in as fairly significant favourites.

Rugby League handicap betting is betting on the difference in points between two teams in a match. Sometimes referred to as spread betting, handicap betting allows bettors to bet that a team stays within a certain amount of points or better. Referring back to our previous example, the Storm was handicapped at +5.5 for (1.88) odds. This means that if they stay within five points or better, that they would cover the handicap and would result in a winning bet. If they lost the match by six points or more, the Storm +5.5 bet would be a losing bet.

Rugby League total bets are bets made on the number of points that will be scored in a Rugby League match. This total is taken after the game by adding up the two teams’ totals. Referring to our example above one more time, the total of the example match was 41. This means that under bettors are predicting that the match will end in a total that is under 41, while over bettors are predicting a high scoring game that has more than 41 points scored. If the match ended 33-22, then the total of 55 points would result in an Over bet win, while a game that ended 22-12 with a total of 34 would result in an Under bet win.

If the match ended with exactly 41 points scored, a push would occur, resulting in neither a win nor a loss for the bettor, with the funds being returned.

When it comes to betting, your knowledge of each team is essential before placing a bet down. It is important to not simply take others' predictions, but to have your own understanding and reasoning for making a bet. With this article, you will have the tools to be able to use the predictions of others combined with your own growing knowledge of betting on Rugby League.

With that being said, there are a few variables that Rugby League matches will have that should be checked before putting down money on a team to win or a total bet. Coaching matchups, playing style matchups, previous games played, and team form are all among important variables that should be considered when betting on the win market, handicap, or total. Many times, betting on Rugby League is not as simple as picking the team who has won more games to that point.

Stylistic matchups are influential on the outcome of a match, and each team matches up with each other in different ways. For example, there are teams in Rugby League who depend on physicality and size, while other teams prioritize fast pace players who stretch the field and bring pace to the game. These stylistic matchups can be very influential on how many points are scored during a game, or which team is more likely to win a game.

Team form is always important to consider before making a bet. If a team is playing at a high level for a significant amount of time, this should be a positive indication to try to get some betting value out of their next matchup. Adversely, if a team is trending in a negative direction with a number of bad results in recent weeks, it would probably be a good idea to avoid placing too much money on that team. Always look into team form prior to betting.