The National Rugby League competition is Australia’s no.1 winter sport in Queensland and New South Wales.

The NRL attracts millions of dollars in punting money each year with all of the big corporate bookies covering it extensively.

The NRL has teams in New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory with franchises in other AFL-dominated states coming and going over the years.

Such is the demand for markets in the NRL, sports betting companies often have futures markets for a coming season available, just minutes after a Grand Final has been won.

This article will run you through the main markets to look for prior to the commencement of the 2019 season, where to find the best places to bet and next year’s premiership odds.

Rugby League has long been one of the most popular national pastimes in Australia with some of the rugby league greats becoming national heroes; so it makes perfect sense that online Australian sports betting sites would offer great wagering options for the game.

The guidelines we provide here are a great way to begin your own sojourn into the exciting world of NRL bets.

Almost all Australian online betting sites allow you to place NRL bets and sorting the more desirable from the less advantageous sites can be quite challenging.

Each site uses its own odds-making system, so the odds at different sites can vary considerably. The most reputable sites guarantee to pay the best odds for specific bets and matches when compared to other sites, and it is these ones you should play at.

Many sites also promote NRL betting with bonus bets or other promotions, so be on the lookout for these as well.

Betting options do vary among sites, but most offer the full range of standard NRL wagers. These include the basic single match win, the performance of a specific player in a match and live betting options such as Asian handicaps.

Top NRL Premiership Betting Sites

• BetEasy.com.au
• Neds.com.au
• Sportsbet.com.au
• Ladbrokes.com.au
• Bet365.com.au

In the biannual tournaments, NRL bets is taken to the limits of its thrills and the options become very complex. Bracketed bets are commonplace, allowing you to bet on which team will win the tournament as well as who will take each match. These exotic bets tend to feature long odds, but correspondingly impressive payouts for a successful bracket pick. As you play and bet more, you will come to know which bets you do best with, and which you should avoid.

Best Australian NRL Betting Sites

Rugby League is very close to the hearts of most Australians, and emotions often play a part when deciding who to back.

However, it is highly recommended that you reserve most of your NRL betting funds for decisions that are made more prudently and less emotionally.

Check the odds of each team with a national betting company, whether online or offline. This will give you an idea of the country’s averaged odds for the team, whereas local bookmakers have to give odds according to local NRL bets. You should always check the winning statistics of all players and teams, their recent playing history and which teams are actually going up against each other.

All of the major Australian bookies have already framed markets for the important rugby league events of 2016. There are a number of great betting sites to place wagers with on the Australian competition with both bookies on our shores and ones based overseas covering it extensively.

Ausbet.com.au endorses BetEasy as the no.1 bookie in Australia for betting on the NRL. They have extensive odds available on different markets and are known for being able to take a bet. Having said this there are plenty of bookies that are worth being a member at.

Sportsbet, the UK owned betting giant who bought out Iasbet, serve a huge number of markets around the world and have extensive betting options on many major rugby league competitions around the globe, including (the best one) the NRL.

NRL Bets Online

For some rugby enthusiasts, visiting the online sports betting sites of Australia and placing bets on League game and tourney outcomes is an enjoyable way to formalise and possibly benefit from the wagers they would be discussing and making with their friends anyway. Others take their NRL betting more seriously and spend much of their time researching and deciding how to punt. Whatever the case, placing NRL bets is always guaranteed to make the national pastime of watching this sport even more exhilarating.

Other major rugby league competitions to bet on

• Super Rugby: The English equivalent to the NRL is the best comp in Europe, featuring 11 English teams and one team from France. Plenty of Australians have played in England including champions like Alfie Langer and Andrew Johns. Aussie bookies will frame markets on this competition during the home and away season.
• Rugby League World Cup: While it doesn’t draw as much attention as the Rugby Union version, it does pit the best players from each country in the world against each other. Australia has dominated this tournament with 10 victories, England has won twice while the Kiwis have also tasted success in the 14 times it has been held since 1954.
• Rugby League Four Nations: Replaced the Tri-Nations tournament in 2009. Powerhouses Australia, England and New Zealand always play while the fourth ranked team in the world is also invited to the party, with France becoming the first outside the big three to play in the inaugural event last decade.

Premiership odds for the 2019 NRL season

Th 2018 NRL grand finalists – the Sydney Roosters and Melbourne Storm – are leading the betting for the 2019 premiership, but it’s the Roosters who are at the top of the tree.

Punters have backed the champs into break an NRL back-to-back drought, backing them in to as short as $4.50 to do it all again, while the Storm and Broncos sit in behind them at $9.

Future odds on the 2019 NRL premiership:

* Updated February 18, 2019

Dally M betting in 2019

The Dally M medal – which is awarded to the best player in the regular season of the NRL – is always one of the hottest nights on the rugby league calendar in Australia.

Introduced in 1980 by News Limited, the award is voted on with a 3, 2 and 1 system by journalists who work for the publication.

In 2018 New Zealand Warrior Roger Tuivasa-Sheck won the prestigious award, becoming the first player from his franchise to do so.

Will Tuivasa-Sheck be able to replicate his 2018 form? Will a new player emerge from the pack or will it be an old war horse like Cameron Smith, Mitchell Pearce or Daly Cherry-Evans turn back the clock?

The Dally M medal is awarded on the weekend before the NRL Grand Final.

State of Origin 2019 series betting

While the NRL season draws plenty of attention from the league-loving public, the entire country tunes into the State of Origin.

New South Wales and Queensland’s annual tussle for state supremacy is one of Australia’s most hotly anticipated sporting events, and due to this fact, online bookies put up markets as early as possible for punters looking to invest.

The State of Origin is played over three enthralling games throughout the home and away season.

State of Origin games are played mid-week, creating a selection nightmare for clubs that lose players for the weekend’s games or ask them to play through fatigue.

In 2019 Game 1 of the State of Origin series will be held on Wednesday, June 5 in Brisbane. Game 2 on Sunday, June 23 in Perth and Game 3 will held in Sydney on Wednesday, July 10.

Players are selected for the state squads based on the state in which they first played senior (or registered) rugby league.

After a decade of Queensland dominance where the maroons won 11 of 12 series, New South Wales finally broke through to win in 2018 and signalled a new era of success for the Blues.

The odds for the 2019 signal another blue wave — how will NSW fare with the favourite tag?

Queensland vs. NSW State of Origin odds

• New South Wales – $1.45
• Queensland – $2.75