Betting on Rugby at Live Casino NZ Sites

Rugby is hugely popular in New Zealand, where it’s an important part of sporting and local culture. Not only is playing and watching rugby popular throughout the country, but fans of the sport also enjoy betting on games. Many live casino NZ sites now offer players the chance to watch and bet on rugby alongside a wide range of games. 

The rise of Asian rugby has seen NZ sports fans increasingly watching and betting on Asian rugby games, which are more convenient compared to European rugby competitions thanks to the time zones. Asian rugby has grown significantly in recent years as competitions such as the Asian Rugby Championship have helped increase the profile of the sport throughout the continent. 

The Rise of Asian Rugby

Rugby is considered a popular European sport, though countries such as Australia, South Africa and New Zealand, Argentina have also had a major influence on the sport, and in the men’s and women’s game, the southern hemisphere has won a majority of the 15s Rugby World Cups. Until recently, rugby wasn’t seen as a mainstream sport in Asia, even though it was first introduced in the late 19th century in the region and some of the national unions are among the oldest in the world! 

In the late 1960s, the Asian Rugby Football Union (ARFU) was founded, and the Asian Rugby Football Tournament began in 1969. This was open to teams across Asia, including Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea and Malaysia. In 205 the ARFU was rebranded as Asia Rugby and the Japanese men had been the strongest rugby-playing nation in Asia, winning 25 Asian Rugby Championships since the tournament first started. They stopped playing in 2017 and the tournament has been dominated by Hong Kong China since.

On the Women’s side, the Asia Rugby Women’s Championship was introduced in 2006 and Japan has been the recent dominant force winning the championship since 2015 and competing with Kazakhstan and Hong Kong China for more than a decade.

The success of Japan Brave Blossoms at the Men’s Rugby World Cup, which included reaching the quarterfinals in 2019 in Japan, has helped increase the profile of the sport in Japan and across Asia. It’s also brought more attention to Asian rugby from live casino NZ players, who often watch and bet on games. 

Image credit – Rugby World Cup

Live Casino NZ Sites with Rugby Betting

While live casino NZ platforms focus more on live dealer games such as blackjack, roulette and baccarat, most also offer sports betting to players. Sports betting is hugely popular in New Zealand, with around 1 in 10 NZ residents placing a bet during 2021. Soccer is the most frequently bet on sport, although many players also enjoy betting on rugby. 

Rugby is popular to bet on thanks to the fast-paced nature of the sport, along with the wide range of betting markets offered on each game. Users can place real money wagers on a variety of outcomes, including the outcome of the match, the number of points scored and try scorers. 

Bets can be placed on all major Asian rugby matches, including the Asian Rugby Championship, the Hong Kong Premier Division, Japan Rugby League One and Korea Super Rugby League. It’s possible to bet on most matches during the season, and many sites also offer free live streams so users can enjoy the match as they place bets.

The availability of live streaming has made online casinos more immersive while also allowing sportsbooks to stream matches to users. In addition, users can sign up and make deposits using their preferred currency, including crypto. This has made betting on sports easier and more engaging, driving interest in Asian rugby among live casino NZ users.

The Future of Asian Rugby and Betting Trends 

Sponsorship deals between casino sites and rugby teams are common, but the growing popularity of Asian rugby in NZ is likely to see increased partnerships between NZ sites and Asian rugby clubs. This can only help grow the sport further, increasing professionalisation and the talent level of clubs. 

As audiences for Asian rugby grow, the sport can also potentially grow and attract more sponsorship revenue and more talent. Over time, Asian rugby teams could even reach the level of other leading club teams. The success of Japan has shown that it’s possible, and more Asian teams could play a part in future Men’s and Women’s Rugby World Cups in Australia and the USA in the coming years.

This is an invited post not written by Rugby Asia 247.