While in the United States, American football is the king of sports betting with the NFL and NCAA dominating the media. But in other parts of the world, there exists a sport that is just as physical and just as athletically demanding that dominates local sporting markets like the NFL does in America. Rugby is widely considered to be the sport that started American football, as well as other variations like Australian rules football.

The origins of the sport date back to the mid-1800s in England; fittingly, in a town called Rugby. Interestingly from its official conception, the sport was then divided into two different branches known as rugby union and rugby league. The rules are mostly the same, with some slight variations in scoring and player personnel numbers. Currently, both Rugby Union and Rugby League are thriving games worldwide, especially in the Commonwealth countries that England had so much influence over.

Another variation of rugby union called rugby sevens has gained popularity recently with its global rugby sevens tournaments and its inclusion as a sport in the Summer Olympic Games. Whether the game is rugby league, rugby union, or rugby sevens, the game is played globally, with amateur and professional organizations operating on nearly every continent.

Interesting Facts About Rugby:

1) Rugby balls were originally plum-shaped and made from the bladders of pigs.

2) Rugby started the tradition of singing the national anthem before the start of the game.

3) Rugby was not considered a professional sport until 1995, long after its derivative American football was made professional.

4) One of the fastest-growing sports globally in terms of popularity and rising participation is women’s Rugby.

Rugby is a tremendously popular sport to bet on outside of North America, and if you enjoy the physicality and athleticism of the sport, why not try your hand at betting on the sport as well?

While we cannot provide actual betting advice in this guide, we have accumulated some of our favorite tips to help you get your online rugby betting career off to a fun and hopefully profitable start!

Tip#1: Set a limit on your bets and stick to it – Set your limits and play within them – When you have just started getting into sports betting, this can be difficult to manage. Set a limit on how much you can afford to lose in a given day, week, or month and stick to that rule as you are starting out.

Incorporate systems like proportional betting to help sustain your bankroll and avoid bets with low odds but higher payouts like parlay bets. Stick to single match bets and, while using proportional betting, wager a specific percentage of your bankroll each time.

Tip#2: Learn What the Odds Mean –A rugby odds board will look very similar to an American football odds board, so there should be some familiarity there if you have bet on American football. Remember, the odds are merely a guideline set by the bookmakers to get the most amount of action on each Rugby match and is not necessarily an indication of how each team is expected to perform.

Tip#3: Learn the Golf game – You will always be a more successful bettor the more you know about the sport you are betting. Take some time before you get started to learn how the game works and what kind of advantages you can develop when betting on Rugby. As already discussed, several different forms of Rugby are played around the world. Always make sure you know which rules you are betting on and incorporate that knowledge into your handicapping.

Tip#4: Get to know which bets you are good at – Like with many sports, Rugby has a fairly unique rule set, and you should develop your betting strategy with that in mind. American gridiron football would be the closest thing to Rugby. Still, the two sports are so different in their current iterations that you shouldn’t rely on a knowledge of American football to help you bet on Rugby.

A majority of online sportsbooks will accept the usual forms of digital payments. Credit cards, direct bank transfers, and PayPal are almost universally accepted now across any e-Commerce platform you use, and we’ll go into a bit more detail about them below.

Other new options have been gaining popularity such as eWallets and Cryptocurrencies, but they are far from being the standard and are less common than the big three options below:

Credit Cards: The most common way that players can deposit right into their online sportsbook accounts. Most of the major companies are accepted, including Visa, Mastercard, and Discover. Remember that some credit card companies do not allow the cardholder to make purchases on sports betting or gambling sites, so be aware of any restrictions before trying to use that card.

Direct Bank Transfer: A bank transfer is a direct debit from your bank account and is just as fast as paying by credit card and generally has a higher success rate for transactions than credit cards as well. You may need to enter your bank account details, so have that information ready before trying to deposit.

PayPal: PayPal is the premier site for transferring money online, but you need to sign up for an account and link it to a bank account before using it at any online sportsbook. It is safe, trustworthy, and easy to use and has become increasingly used at online websites as payment. PayPal is great if you need to use different currencies as well.

If you are just getting started with your online sportsbook and have some questions or concerns, you are not alone!

Nearly every online sportsbook provides their customers with 24-hour around the clock customer service. Because online sportsbooks and online casinos are open 24 hours a day and seven days per week, there is always some form of customer service available via email, telephone, or an instant chat function.

These customer service representatives can assist you with anything from deposit or withdrawal issues to questions about specific rugby-related bets.

There are a few different variations of Rugby, which have slightly varying rules in each game. For the most part, all of them include the same ball, and similar scoring methods called tries, although the number of points you receive may differ. We will go over each variation of Rugby below:

Rugby Union consists of two teams of 15 players on each side that play an 80-minute game with two 40 minute halves. Scoring is completed when the team grounds the ball in the opposing team’s end for a try, worth five points in Rugby Union. We can see American football’s influence here when after a try is scored, a conversion can also be made by kicking the ball through the uprights. Teams make their way down the field by passing it backwards to each other, while the defending team attempts to tackle them. If the offensive team falls to the ground from a tackle, a ruck is made. This is where players use their feet to try and gain control of the ball. Of course, the winning team has the most points at the end of the game.

Rugby League is the faster-paced cousin of Rugby Union, even though it still takes the same amount of time to play a game. In League, there are 13 players on each side, which of course, makes for more room out on the pitch. Trys are only worth four points in rugby league, but the two-point conversion still happens after every score. Unlike in Union, there are no rucks or mauls when a player is tackled, which can also account for the speedier game. In Union, there is no time limit for a team to advance across the pitch, but in League, if the offensive team is tackled six times, the ball changes possession to the other team. There is also a drop goal or field goal after a try, which is worth one point in League, as opposed to three in Union.

Rugby sevens use most of the rugby union rules, except that it is only seven players aside and each half is only seven minutes long, making for a very fast game. Sevens is growing in popularity worldwide, and the famous World Rugby Sevens Series has grown into a massive event each year.

Rugby is similar to other team sports in that you are mostly betting on the outcome of the game and which team is victorious. The betting options are very similar to American football and European football so let’s go over a few of the more basic types of bets and then a few more that are a little bit more fun and unique:

MONEYLINE/OUTRIGHT WINNER
Exactly what it sounds like, you are placing a bet on the team that you think will win the game outright. Of course, these odds will fluctuate depending on the perceived difference between the two teams in the matchup. The Moneyline bet is the simplest and most straightforward bet you can make on a game in any team sport.

POINT SPREAD
Just like in American football, you are able to bet on the point spread in Rugby, just remember to take into account the different scoring variations across each of the types of Rugby:

England Vs. New Zealand (-5.5)

The (-5.5) indicates that you bet on New Zealand to win by 5.5 points or more for the final score. Alternatively, if you want to bet on England, they would be read as (+5.5), which means England need to finish the game within 5.5 points of New Zealand, or they can win the game outright, and it would still be considered covering their spread.

WINNING MARGINS
These are similar to point spreads, but you are betting on the range between the two teams’ scores in the game’s final score. Here is an example using the match above:

The winning margin for the England Vs. New Zealand game is 1-12 points. If teams are less than 12 points apart at the end of the match, the bettor will win the bet.

TOTAL POINTS or OVER/UNDER
Similar to sports like American football or basketball, the total points are a number offered by the sportsbook, which bettors can bet on if they think the total points in the final score will be over or under that number. If the total offered for a game is 50, a bettor will bet whether or not both teams will combine for over or under that 50 points number.

Which Odds Do You Prefer?
There are a few different types of betting odds that players can use, and it is completely up to personal preference and has no effect on the bets or the outcome of the bets.

• Decimal odds: These are easy to understand and make complete mathematical sense as they are directly proportionate to the amount you wager. If you bet $100 at 1.50 odds, you will win $150.
• American odds: These are slightly less clear to read, but once you learn how the numbers work, it makes sense. You will notice American odds use (-) or (+) symbols before their numbers with the (-) indicating a favorite and the (+) the underdog in the matchup.
• Fractional odds: Again, similar to decimal odds mathematically but using fractions instead of decimals.

These can all be used depending on the bettor’s preference. Keep in mind that they are not interchangeable as 2.00 in Decimal odds does not equal +200 in American odds and vice versa.

Given the different rule variations of Rugby, there are organized professional and amateur organizations around the world. Nearly every country has some sort of organized rugby league, but few stand out as the elite and premier leagues.

Rugby union has several high-end professional leagues in countries all over the world. Some of the more well known and prominent rugby union leagues are Premiership Rugby, the National Rugby League, and the Rugby Super League. Some of the more famous International Rugby tournaments are for rugby union, including the Rugby Sevens, the Rugby World Cup, and the Six Nations Championship. The official governing body of rugby union is the Rugby Football Union based in England.

Rugby League has some other leagues that are equally as followed as the Rugby Union leagues. Some of them overlap, but others, including the Australian Rugby League and the Pennine League. Some of the major tournaments for Rugby League include the Queensland Cup, the Rugby World Cup, and the Four Nations Cup. The official governing body of rugby league is the International Rugby League.

Pick the Sport you want to bet on, learn the dynamics of the games, and tap into the best betting strategies developed over the years. Can you build that elusive hot streak? There’s only one way to find out. Always remember, Bet Responsibly, Bet Greatly:

Wondering how the different U.S. States approach sports betting? the KGB team has provided in-depth guides on how various State or County laws stack up on sports betting. Check out the guides below, where we’ll investigate each state and help you in your quest to start Sports Betting: