Australians are so keen on rugby, they play three different versions of the game: Aussie Rules, Rugby League and Rugby Union, and the nation has an enviable reputation in all three. The National Rugby League, known usually as the NRL, is the body that governs Rugby League in Australia, and thanks to the magic of 24-hour sports channels, NRL is now accessible to people all over the world.
Online and mobile betting sites add another possibility to the mix. Whether they are seated at work in front of a desktop, surfing with a laptop from bed, using a tablet on a dull commute or whiling away time on their smartphone in between appointments, keen punters can now bet on the NRL whenever they feel like it.
A Quick Look at the NRL Background
Rugby League started in Australia in 1908, pioneered by the New South Wales Rugby League. The NSWRL premiership expanded over time to include teams in other states and territories. However, only in 1995 was the Australian Rugby League born, which in short order became the NRL. For the first time, all the richest and most well-supported clubs in Australia were part of one league.
There are now 16 clubs that compete in the NRL, eight of them based in the greater Sydney area. Monday Night Football has proved to be a perennial NRL attraction on TV, and there are two games televised every Friday night as well. The annual Grand Final is the most important game of the season, as it establishes the top team in the league beyond argument.
Getting Started Betting on the NRL
Newcomers to online betting NZ may be apprehensive about the experience, but if they pick a reputable site, NRL betting online is just as safe as doing so in a land-based betting shop. In fact, most of the large multi-national land-based sports betting franchises also offer online and mobile sites, with reputations for fair treatment that have been won over long experience.
The big brands can also generally be relied upon to have ironclad security protecting punters’ bank accounts, but it should be standard practice for a punter to check a site’s security certifications before they place any NRL bets to begin with. The online sports betting fraternity is quite vocal, so chat forums and review sites are a great place to find the online betting sites with the best reputations. Conversely, of course, these are also good places to learn which sites have bad reputations, so punters can avoid them.
Live Streaming Adds Even More Options
Sports betting sites online compete fiercely for punters, and live streaming of specific contests is one of the weapons in their arsenal. At the right site, a punter can bet on the NRL while watching the game in real time, on the same screen.
This is good news for experienced sports betting enthusiasts, naturally. Like most big sports, NRL games offer a variety of bets over and above simply picking the winning team. Payout odds and the chances of a win on certain wagers will shift throughout the game, so live streaming helps dedicated punters work out which bets they should be placing at what time.