Best Horse Racing Betting Sites & Apps: [May 2024]

Horse racing betting is a long-time sports bettor favorite, as it has long been one of the most accessible forms of gambling across the US. Horse racing gambling is legal in 41 states and had been legal in most states even before PASPA was overturned in 2018.

The providers are trusted and have been around much longer many of the typical big-name sportsbooks you may be familiar with in the sports betting or online casino landscape..

Where to Bet on Horse Racing Online

Our horse racing experts have two sportsbooks that they use themselves often and recommend to our users. TVG and TwinSpires are the industry's best horse racing sites for betting on every race, from the Kentucky Derby to the Breeders Cup.

TwinSpires

Owned by Churchill Downs company and the official online horse racebook for the Kentucky Derby, TwinSpires is an excellent horse betting sportsbook. Make sure when you sign up to take advantage of their $200 betting credit bonus offer. The offer is really that easy; just sign up and complete the registration process, and you will get $200 in TwinSpires betting credits.

TVG

Powered by FanDuel, TVG is another industry-best horse racing betting platform. New users get a welcome promo of $200 when signing up. That $200 comes in the form of a protected first bet, where if your first single horse bet loses, you will be refunded up to $200 in TVG bonus betting credits.

Where Is It Legal to Bet on Horse Racing

Horse racing bettors can bet in the majority of the country, with 41 states having legal horse racing betting. Here are the states that allow horse racing gambling:

• Alabama

• Arizona

• Arkansas

• California

• Colorado

• Connecticut

• Delaware

• Florida

• Idaho

• Illinois

• Indiana

• Iowa

• Kansas

• Kentucky

• Louisiana

• Maryland

• Massachusetts

• Michigan

• Minnesota

• Missouri

• Montana

• Nebraska

• New Hampshire

• New Jersey

• New York

• North Dakota

• Ohio

• Oklahoma

• Oregon

• Pennsylvania

• Rhode Island

• South Dakota

• Tennessee

• Vermont

• Virginia

• Washington

• West Virginia

• Wisconsin

• Wyoming

How to Bet on Horse Racing

While horse racing betting differs from most sports, a bettor may be used to wagering on. There are some really neat types of available bets, and horse racing betting often has higher odds than many sports, and that comes with higher potential winnings. Listed are just a few of the most popular horse racing bet types.

Win Bet

Similar to a money line bet seen in most team sports, this is a single-part bet where a bettor chooses which horse wins the race. Now, with horse racing fields often being as many as 20 horses at times, odds for even the favorite are longer than in team sports situations. Which, as mentioned, gives a gambler a good chance for higher potential winnings. 

Place Bet

In a place bet, the horse you pick needs to come in either 1st or 2nd place in the race for your wager to win.

Show Bet

Similar to a place bet but gives a third option for a chance to win, meaning the horse you wager on needs to come in either 1st, 2nd, or 3rd for your bet to win.

Exacta

In an exacta bet, a gambler has to correctly select the horse that comes in first and second place. While this may be difficult, it can come with very high odds for the chance of a big profit if your wager wins.

Trifecta

A trifecta is a little expansion on an exacta; basically, it is a three-leg parlay. A bettor has to correctly pick the horse that comes in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd to win. Again this type of bet has even higher odds than an exacta making the bet's profit potential very high.

More Bet Types

While these are the most popular types of horse racing bets, they are not the only types of wagers one can place in horse racing betting. To see a more comprehensive selection of horse racing betting types, check the WSN horse racing page.

Horse Racing Calculator

You may be thinking to yourself, with these different types of bets and all the talk of higher potential profit, just exactly how much can I win? Well, that can vary greatly, but we have you covered with our industry-leading WSN Horse Racing Calculator. It will give you the opportunity to insert odds, bet types, and everything else you might be looking for to give you a look at what you can win based on various odds.

Triple Crown Horse Racing

The Triple Crown is the most famous series of races in all of horse racing. It is made up of three races, the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs Race Track, the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Park Race Track, and the Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park Race Track. 

The first-ever horse to win the Triple Crown was Sir Barton in 1919. The last horse to win the Triple Crown was American Pharaoh in 2015 when he broke a 30-year triple crown drought.

Kentucky Derby

Mage won the 2023 Kentucky Derby, being ridden by Javier Castellano. Winning by a full length in a time of 2:01.57, that's only two seconds off the fastest Kentucky Derby time ever. 

Preakness Stakes

The Preakness Stakes are Saturday, May 20th, and Mage is the favorite to win the second leg of the Triple Crown races. Here are all the horses and their odds at Pimlico this Saturday. Check out our betting experts Preakness Stakes Preview and the Fastest Preakness Stakes Times in History!

How to Watch Preakness Stakes Information

When: 1 PM ET, Saturday, May 20

Where: Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland
TV: NBC, CNBC

Stream: Peacock, NBCSports.com, NBC Sports app, TVG, TwinSpires

How to Sign up For Horse Racing Betting Sites or Apps

Signing up for an account at either of our top-rated horse racing sportsbooks, TVG and Twinspires, is similar. Follow our simple step-by-step guide to ensure you get signed up correctly and qualify for the best possible welcome promotions.

1. Follow our exclusive sign-up links for TVG and TwinSpires to ensure you get the best promo offer automatically applied at sign-up.

2. Enter all the required account information, like your legal name, physical address, email, phone number, and any other required info.

3. Make your first deposit using your preferred payment method.

4. Start betting on your favorite horse racing events at your favorite horse racing tracks!

Horse Racing Betting FAQ

How do I choose a horse racing betting site or app?

Through a variety of key factors, including user's safety and security, a horse betting site's odds and lines, bonuses available, etc. Check out our TwinSpires review and our TVG review to see why both are excellent choices for a horse racing betting site.

How do I know if a horse racing betting site or app is legit?

If the site or app is legal and licensed in the state in which you are using it, that's a good first sign. If they are licensed, it means that they are trustworthy. Also, we recommend TwinSpires and TVG as our top two horse racebooks. 

How do I place a bet on a horse racing betting site?

Once you are signed up at a horse racing sportsbook, choose the race you want to bet on, choose your type of bet and the horses, open your bet slip, enter your bet amount, and submit your wager.