Horse Racing Betting Sites

Best sites for Horse Racing betting by category

The history of Horse Racing

Betting on horse racing is documented as having started in the United Kingdom during the early 1600s. In its simplest form gamblers simply stake money on which horse will win the race. The odds were originally derived from the money that has been placed on each horse during the day, and once the race begins the money is pooled and at the end of the race shared proportionally among the winners. These days you are still able to bet and take the “Starting Price” odds but increasingly bookmakers are also offering “Early Price” odds which are fixed. It is a big business, with an estimated $100 billion being wagered annually in over 50 countries.

How we Evaluate and Rank Horse Racing Betting Sites?

When we are evaluating betting sites we consider a number of different things, each one important when deciding on who is the best. Because each person has different preferences there is not ever going to be one betting site that is best for everyone, but we hope our research will help you to find the one that is the best for you. We have considered and given weight to the following categories when making our decisions:

• The Welcome Bonus
• The Odds Quality
• The number of races you can bet on
• The number of betting options available
• The quality of the mobile app
• How many existing user promotions there are
• The quality of the customer service
• The speed of the withdrawal times

Our top Horse Racing betting sites

#1. 22Bet Bookmaker

With over 5 years of experience, the 22bet brand has created a product that will impress. They have a Curacao license so they are a safe and secure option, and they offer a large range of payment methods which all have flexible terms. They have recently added horse racing bets to the list of available sports and you can bet on races from all around the world. The odds are competitive and there is live streaming for all funded accounts of all races.

#2. Megapari Bookmaker

#3. 20Bet Bookmaker

#4. 1xBet Bookmaker

#5. Rabona Bookmaker

Is Horse Racing betting legal?

Popular Horse Racing Betting Markets

There are several horse racing bets that are unique to the sport, and they can appear to be quite complicated so we will explain them here and now:

• Each Way - This is a variation on the “to win” bet where your bet stake is split in half. 50% of your stake is placed on the horse winning the race and the other 50% is placed on it finishing in the “places”, which is basically being a runner up. Quite how many horses are awarded runner-up place is dependent on how many horses are in the race and the race type, typically it is the following:

*Handicapped races only

• To win by X lengths - Sometimes you can bet not only on if a horse will win but also how many lengths it will win by. This is usually only available when there is a heavy favourite in the race. The winning distance is measured by “horse lengths” and is decided by the race officials at the end of the race.
• To win without - Sometimes when there is a very heavy favourite to make it more interesting to bet on the other horses, you can bet on who will be the winner disregarding where that horse finishes.

What are the most popular types of Horse Racing bets?

• To win - This is the simplest bet and it is as the name suggests, simply which horse will win the race.
• Straight Exacta - This is a bet on which horses will finish first and second, in that order.
• Combination Exacta - This is also a bet on who will finish first and second but the horses can finish in any order, either can win, just so long as the other one finishes second.
• Straight Trifecta - This is a bet on which horses will finish first, second, and third, in that order.
• Combination Trifecta - This is a bet where you are betting on which three horses will be the first three home, but it can be in any order.
• Straight Accumulator - This is a bet over 2 or more horse races, where you bet on who will win each race and the stake amounts are rolled over each time. If you have just one losing selection, then your whole bet loses.
• Patent - A patent bet is a form of accumulator but it is made up of 7 unique smaller bets. You pick three horses to win their races and then have bets on:

• Horse A to win
• Horse B to win
• Horse C to win
• Horses A & B to win
• Horses A & C to win
• Horses B & C to win
• Horses A, B, & C to win

• Heinz - A Heinz bet is one where you are placing in effect 57 different bets, in various combinations around the same six horses. You end up placing 15 doubles, 20 trebles, 15 four-fold accumulators, 6 five-fold accumulators, and 1 six-fold accumulator. Here you need at least 2 horses to win to have some kind of return. For each extra horse that wins you get more and more win lines and the returns grow exponentially.

• Goliath - The largest bet type that we know of is a Goliath bet which consists of a staggering 247 bets. You need to choose eight horses to win their races, and then your bet is distributed as 28 doubles, 56 trebles, 70 four-fold accumulators, 56 five-fold accumulators, 28 six-fold accumulators, eight seven-fold accumulators, and one eight-fold accumulator.

Horse Racing Bonuses and Promotions

You can find specific horse racing promotions but these are usually time critical and for a specific race or meeting. It is more common to find general bonus offers that are compatible with horse racing bets.

What are the best Horse Racing Welcome Offers?

Welcome bonuses are one of the main things people look for when joining a new betting site. All bookmakers will attach Terms and Conditions to their bonuses and these will vary from one site to the next. It is these T&C’s that will actually decide which bonus is the best so it is very important to always read and understand these.

Some of the main “types” of Welcome bonus that you will come across are:

• Deposit Bonuses - These are bonus funds that are added to your account as an incentive to deposit, the minimum and maximum amounts that you can claim will vary but you make sure that you deposit within these limits an amount that you are comfortable with. Sometimes the bonus funds will be available to use instantly, but you can not withdraw anything until you have wagered a certain amount at above a certain odds level. Other times it will be given to you after you have wagered a certain amount above certain odds and then the money can usually just be withdrawn at that stage if you wish.
• No Deposit Bonus - These can be quite rare but when you see one it means exactly as it says, you get given a bonus to use at the betting site without having to deposit any of your own funds. You will still have to register an account and you will almost always need to send in ID documents to verify your identity, but after that the bonus will be added to your account for you to bet with.
• Profit Boost - To encourage new accounts to gamble some sites offer to add extra winnings (known as a “boost”) to whatever is won on either the first bet, first day, first week or first month. The boost can be anything from 5% to 100% and will possibly be cash but sometimes will be added as a Free bet credit.
• Free Bets - Free bets are usually given after your first bet has been either placed or if it has been settled. These bets are just like placing a normal bet but you often have to tick a box or similar on the bet slip to indicate that you are using these credits and not your actual account balance. Once the bet has settled if you are a winner then the winnings will be added to your account balance but not the Free bet stake.
• Refunded losses- This is a form of insurance that some betting sites will offer to new customers. If certain criteria are met then any losses on that day (or any other period of time they choose) are refunded, sometimes 100%, but the amount of the refund can vary.

What are the best Horse Racing existing user bonuses?

Specific bonuses for horse racing that you may encounter are:

• Extra Place Offers - As we discussed above when betting on horse racing it is quite common to place a bet “Each Way”. This usually has a standard number of places that will be paid as a winner but some bookmakers for some races might add “extra places” where, for example, instead of only paying the first three horses to finish you win even if your horse is fourth.
• Refund if 2nd - Sometimes on certain races a bookmaker might offer to refund your stake if your bet does not win but does manage to come second. Sometimes this refund will be cash but more commonly it would be a Free bet credit.
• First Past the Post - Sometimes in horse racing a horse may initially win but there is a “stewards inquiry” which is where the race officials check to see if any horse and jockey did something against the rules to impede any other horse and prevent them from winning. In the event that they are deemed to have broken the rules then the stewards can alter the official placings, and the bookmakers will pay out based on that. As a promotion some bookmakers offer to pay people on both horses, the one that won the race and the one that the stewards promote to first place after the race has finished.
• Refund if beaten by a head - Some betting sites will refund you if your horse is beaten into second but only by a very small amount. It is often by the length of a horse's head but can vary from bookmaker to bookmaker. If your horse is second but within the length of the promotion then you will be given a Free bet credit to use equal to your stake.

Are there any Horse Racing betting Apps?

There are no specific Horse Racing betting Apps but any betting site that has an App and also allows you to wager on horse racing will have the ability to place your horse racing bets on the App. Depending on the betting site and where you are located you may be able to also watch a live stream of the race as it is run. The majority of betting Apps have all of the features of a desktop site the display is just optimised for use on a Smartphone screen.

What are the major Horse Racing events or tournaments for betting on?

The UK Grand National

The Australian Melbourne Cup

The American Kentucky Derby

The French Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe

The French Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe