The Best Greyhound Racing Betting Sites

What to Look for on the Best Greyhound Racing Sites

Primarily, you’ll want to select a betting site with lots of great greyhound betting offers. You’ll notice that these offers take the same form as those for horse racing, such as best odds guaranteed, money back, free bets, and more. To put these promotions to good use, you’ll also want to select a greyhound betting site that offers a wide range of markets.

How we Review Greyhound Racing Sites

Any betting site you find on GamblingDeals must first pass our extensive reviewing process. As punters ourselves, we understand what makes a betting site work well, and we survey a range of different areas before recommending a bookmaker to our readers. Each bettor will have their own priorities, but we lay out all the facts so they can make an informed decision. Here are the key areas we assess below.

Licensing

If a greyhound betting site doesn’t hold a licence from the UK Gambling Commission, our review will immediately stop there. This is a non-negotiable — these licences help protect player safety, commit bookies to standards of data protection, and ensure all betting markets are legal and regulated. You should never place a bet at an unlicensed site. 

Race Coverage

The best greyhound betting site will take bets on all of the sport’s major events — such as the English Greyhound Derby and Australia’s Melbourne Cup — as well as lesser-known races around the UK and Ireland. We like to see as much race coverage as possible and favour sites that can provide this. 

Markets and Odds

Much like horse racing, there are many different markets available to greyhound bettors: forecast/tricast, each-way, inside v outside, winning distance — we expect to see all of these and more. Combining these markets with competitive odds is one of the most effective ways of attracting punters to sign up and wager. 

Live Streaming

Because of the immediacy of the result, greyhound racing is often available to watch through a bookie’s live streaming facilities. This feature is likely only reserved for the biggest races, but it gives those with money on the line the chance to witness the action as it unfolds. It can be tense, exciting, and gutting all the same — just as gambling should be.   

Bonuses and Promotions

Bonuses are perhaps the biggest priority for many of our readers, so we spend a considerable part of our review taking a look at the quality and frequency of these. Truly determining the value of bonuses requires us to peer behind the curtain and evaluate the offer’s terms and conditions too. Keep an eye out for greyhound racing betting offers in the build-up to major races, as bookmakers look to capitalise on the swell of excitement. 

Customer Service

Through a combination of live chat facilities, email and phone support, FAQ pages, and social media use, we want to see friendly, timely and helpful customer support. The best performing sites in this category will offer their live chat service 24 hours a day. 

Mobile Capabilities

All of our recommended greyhound sites will optimise their sites for mobile betting, but the best in this category will also supply their users with a dedicated mobile app. Through these apps, players can experience greater functionality, faster loading times, and the opportunity to make use of every promotion by turning on the push notifications.

How to Bet on a Greyhound Race

If you’re looking to place a bet on the greyhounds, here’s what you need to do:

1. Take a look at our recommended sites
   We’ve already organised a list of the best greyhound betting sites, so you can browse through our recommendations and decide on the best fit according to your own gambling preferences. 
2. Click through and sign up
   When you’ve found a site you like, simply use our links to click through to the registration page. There, you’ll be invited to provide your personal details, such as an email address and a phone number. 
3. Complete ID checks and make your first deposit
   Before you’re able to deposit funds into your new account, the bookie will be required to complete some identity checks. This shouldn’t take longer than 24 hours, but you’ll need to provide some documents to verify that you are who you say you are. 
4. Place your first wager
   When the checks are complete, you’ll be ready to enjoy the site’s range of betting markets and compile your first bet slip.

Popular Betting Markets

Here’s a quick bullet list of greyhound racing’s most popular betting markets:

• Win bet – simply pick the winner of the race in this market
• Each-way – this market is a more conservative variation on a straight-up win, typically paying out if your dog finishes in the top three positions of the race
• Forecast/tricast – forecast bets select the two dogs to finish first and second in the correct order; tricast wagers go one further and select the dog to finish third too
• Inside vs outside – at the starting line in greyhound racing, the dogs are held in metal cages known as traps, which are organised as either inside (traps 1-4) or outside (traps 5-8). In this market, punters wager on whether the winner is in the inside or outside group
• Winning distance – greyhound races typically range from 230–1,200 yards. In this market, you’ll wager on the yards between first and second at the finish line

Welcome Bonuses and Offers to Claim

Signing up to a new betting site qualifies you for a welcome bonus. Below are some of the forms in which these may be offered to you; before you commit to any greyhound racing betting offers, make sure you’ve read the full terms and conditions first. 

Matched Deposits

With a matched deposit bonus, the bookmaker will equal a portion of your deposit with additional bonus credit. As a new customer, offers tend to be as generous as 100% up to £100 on your first deposit, which would double your funds with a bonus of £100 if you deposited the maximum amount.

Free Bets

The most common welcome bonus at sportsbooks, free bets give punters a wager on the races entirely at the bookie’s expense. It’s likely that you’ll first need to wager some money of your own to unlock the bonus, such as an offer of £30 in free bets when you bet £10.    

No Deposit Bonuses

No deposit bonuses are ideal for those who want to sample a new sportsbook without fronting their own money. With these offers, you’ll receive a small amount of bet credits without having to make any deposit yourself.

Greyhound Racing Betting Tips

Much of the research that takes place before a greyhound race crosses over with horse racing. Here are some questions to consider before backing a dog:

• Form – how has the dog performed in recent races? Are you able to deduce how it might perform given its current form?
• Draw – which other dogs is your selection competing against? Are there any clear favourites or underdogs?
• Trainer – is the trainer experienced? Have they had success with greyhound racing at similar events? And is the trainer beginning a new relationship with a dog or are they part of an established partnership?
• Distance – is this your selection’s preferred distance?
• Grading – there are six grades in greyhound racing, marked as A, B, C, D, J, and M, which stands for maiden. If a dog wins a grade M race, they’ll progress into the next grade, where they’ll compete in grade J, and so on. Is your dog too good for its grade, or punching above its weight?

The Top Greyhound Racing Events to Bet On

The biggest greyhound racing events take place in the UK and Australia. Leading up to these races, bookmakers will generate a host of promotional offers. Here are some of these countries’ most famous events. 

English Greyhound Derby

First run in Wimbledon in 1927, the English Greyhound Derby has since moved to Towcester in Northamptonshire. It takes place in June or July every year on a course that’s 500m in length, and there’s a grand prize of £175,000 up for grabs. 

East Anglian Derby

Taking place in Yarmouth stadium as a licensed event since 1975, the East Anglian Derby is run on a 462m track with a top prize of £15,000. All of the races clock in at under 30 seconds, making it one of the fastest events in the sport. 

The Melbourne Cup

With a prize pool of A$350,000, the Melbourne Cup has one of the biggest prize pools of any greyhound event in the world. First run in 1956, it takes place at Sandown Park over a 515m track. 

Association Cup

The Association Cup held its first event in 1965 and moved to its current location at Wentworth Park, Sydney in 1988, where the tracks range between 275m and 715m. The main event pays out A$75,000 to the winner.

The Best Payment Methods for Greyhound Betting

You’ll have plenty of options at the cashier page when it comes to funding your betting account. Here are some of the most common payment methods. 

Debit Cards

Always on the payment method menu at UK betting sites, and always eligible to pick up bonus offers, the availability and familiarity of debit cards is this option’s biggest strength. If you don’t mind hanging around for your withdrawals — which can take between 2-5 working days — then there’s nothing wrong with this method. 

e-Wallets

Closely followed by debit cards as the most popular option are e-wallets such as PayPal, Skrill and Neteller. These methods all offer similar perks, including fast transactions on both the deposit and withdrawal ends. Look out for bonus eligibility here, as e-wallets are often on the list of exclusions in the T&Cs. 

Prepaid Cards

Payment providers like Paysafecard fall into this category, where users buy vouchers before loading them onto their betting accounts. It means that only preloaded funds can be spent, which is great for those on tight budgets, but deposit limits are strict and most sites don’t allow for withdrawals. 

Trustly

Transfer services like Trustly directly link one bank account to another. This allows deposits and withdrawals to happen at speed, and there’s no need to share your bank details with the casino. Just look out for fees here, which may be levied by your bank.

Betting on the Go

Mobile bettors have two options: make use of their bookie’s optimised mobile site, or download its native app if available. We recommend doing the latter if it’s possible, but have broken down the pros and cons of both options below.