Best Online Horse Betting Sites: Where to Bet On Horse Racing

Online Horse Betting Sites Checklist

When we evaluate racebooks – aka sportsbooks for online horse betting– we look at everything from how they display on mobile devices to their free bet offerings. The betting sites that we recommend have everything on our list.

Deposits and Withdrawals

Before you rein in your bets, you’ll need to fund your account. This is easily done with credit cards (AMEX, MasterCard, Visa), e-wallets (Neteller, PayPal, Skrill), debit, and cryptocurrency (Bitcoin, Litecoin).

When you win big like Seabiscuit, you can withdraw your funds or leave them in your account to bet with in the future. Some sites let you collect your money using the same method you used for deposit. Others will mail you a paper check or e-transfer your loot. The time it takes to get your money can range from a few hours to a few business days, unless you use Bitcoin, which is instantaneous.

Bonuses and Customer Service

There’s no such thing as a risk-free bet, but there are free bets. The racebooks we recommend like to reward their bettors with a stable of extras. When you sign up for these sites, you’ll be offered a welcome bonus. This will match your initial deposit up to a certain percentage. For example, if you were to add $300 to your account and got a bonus of 50 percent, you’d get an additional $150 to play with. Rewards like this will help you grow your bankroll and help enhance your overall online gambling experience.

We believe you should look a gift horse in the mouth and take advantage of the rewards offered. However, you should read the terms and conditions associated with each offer. There may be certain requirements that must be met before you can claim your bonus.

In terms of customer service, the racebooks we recommend provide their clients with contact options available 24-7, like email, phone and live chat. Should something go wrong with your account, you want to get it resolved quickly.

Online Horse Betting: Triple Crown Odds and More

The horse racing betting online sites we mention here are studs providing action on all the big races like the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes. You’ll also see odds for the Breeders’ Cup, events at Santa Anita and pretty much any other competitions on the schedule throughout the year. The first Triple Crown race every year is the Kentucky Derby held at Churchill Downs, where you can begin a long season of wagering on legal horse betting sites. The Preakness Stakes follows, and the Belmont, held at Belmont Park, is the final race of the Triple Crown.

Smartphones, Tablets and Compatibility

Unless you have the luxury of attending the Derby or have an OTB in your neck of the woods, you’ll likely be betting from your mobile phone. Our favorite racebooks are easy to use on any device. They are compatible with Apple and Android products and you get the same betting experience whether you’re using your laptop, desktop or hand-held device.

Online Horse Betting Options

When it comes to horse racing betting online, there are many betting types you can make. Each one offers an exciting chance to win big bucks at the horse racing betting sites of your choice.

Win, Place, Show

Similar to the moneyline in other sports, win, place, show bets let you pick one horse over the others. The difference between a straight-up bet in racing vs one for football is you can choose a charger to win, come in second (place) or third (show). In the NFL you can’t pick a team to finish second – although, it would be nice.

Horse Matchup

With so many horses to choose from, it can be hard to pick one to bet on. A matchup bet narrows down the field, giving you the chance to choose between two horses instead of every single one in the race. To make this kind of bet, you need to decide which of the two stallions will finish ahead of the other. It doesn’t matter if either horse wins the race, it only matters if they beat the other one.

Future Wagering

A futures bet requires you to pick a winner weeks or even months before the race takes place. This is akin to betting on a potential Super Bowl champion in October and having that squad actually win the big game in February. If you can correctly forecast which horse will take a Triple Crown event before it happens, you could see yourself the proud owner of a huge payout.

Pick 3, Pick 4, Pick 6

In the same vein as a parlay, this is a group of racing bets. A Pick 3 requires you to select the winner of three races in a row, while a Pick 4 requires you to predict four successive winners. A Pick 6 is for the more advanced bettor because you need to guess the outcome of six consecutive races.

For novices, we suggest making a daily double bet. The stakes aren’t as high with this kind of wager since you only need to pick the winner in two sequential races. Once you get more familiar with online horse betting, you can move on to harder bets.

Exacta Bets

To place an exacta bet, you will need to predict the top two finishers in a race in the correct order. A more sophisticated version of this bet is a trifecta in which you’ll need to guess the first-, second- and third-place horses in the right order.

You can also make a quinella bet which requires you to select two horses to finish first and second. Unlike the exotic bets mentioned above, you don’t need the horses to finish in the precise order, thus lowering the stakes.

With so many websites for online horse betting jockeying for your business, it can be hard to determine which one to choose. If you select any of the best horse betting sites from our list, you’re getting a thoroughbred.