Sarah | November 14, 2023 | Updated on: January 11th, 2024
Horse racing betting is one of the oldest forms of sports gambling. However, horse racing betting online seems fairly unexplored by US gamblers. This is mainly because for the last hundred years and more, gamblers have had to physically go to the horse racing tracks to bet. The rise of TV and internet technology means American’s betting on horse races do not have to be physically present at the tracks to be part of the action. Especially, since the advent of online betting sites.
Horse racing is an adrenaline filled quick-paced sport and betting on the races is equally exhilarating. US betting fans aren’t necessarily equipped or interested in the tedious admin of filtering through loads of US online gambling sites to find a safe trustworthy site to bet on. That is why we have compiled a list of the top horse betting sites in America. In addition to our list of trustworthy horse racing betting site, we have put together a how to horse race betting guide which includes the types of bets and tips on how to use racing odds. We even take a quick look at horse racing betting strategies!
Best Horse Racing Betting Sites 2024
These are the top-rated racebooks in the United States. Some even offer a compatible horse racing betting app to help you bet on all the most anticipated races from anywhere you are. We truly believe that they provide you with the best way to bet on horse racing. So, be sure to check them out!
What You’ll Find In Our Online Horse Racing Betting Guide
- How to Bet on Horse Racing Properly
- How to Bet on Horses and Win
- Horse Racing Odds
- Top 3 Horse Racing Betting Tips
How to Bet on Horse Racing Properly
So many Americans have pondered the thought, “how do you bet on horses?” So, in the first part of our horse racing guide, we explain how the most basic bets in the sport work. The best bet in horse racing is one of the most basic bets, the Win bet. It might not be highest paying bet but it’s like the smartest bet in horse racing because of how the odds are set up. However, there are plenty of other types of bets players can make when betting on horses that will reward them well. The types of bets can be subdivided into four categories – Basic or straight bets; exotic bets, multi-race exotic bets etc.
Basic Horse Racing Betting Explained
There are three basic horse racing betting types at the best sports betting sites: Win, Show and Place. These are the easiest and most rewarding bets betting beginners can choose when it comes to horse racing.
- Win is placing a bet on the horse you project to win the race. This is the simplest bet for beginner bettors. You win if your horse wins and if it doesn’t, you don’t either, simple. Traditionally the minimum bet on this bet has been $2 but some betting sites and tracks have been known to offer lower minimum bets.
- Place is a bet you place on a horse you think will be in the top two. You win if your horse come first or second. The payout on this type of bet is lower because the wins have to be split amongst more outcomes i.e the horse that wins from the Win bets placed by other bettors and the one that came second.
- A Show bet is a bet on a horse you expect to be in any of the top three positions. If your horse is not in the top three it’s referred to as off the board and you lose.
Exotic Bets
There are five types of exotic bets available at horse racing racebooks. The bets under exotic bets have specific horse racing betting terms – Exacta; Quinella; Trifecta; Superfecta and the less exotic, Hi-5.
- Exacta – this is like a Place bet except you actually have to correctly project which horse wins first place and the runner up as well.
- Quinella – is a bet on two horses that you believe it’ll be in the top two positions . Not to be confused with a place bet which is just a bet on one horse that you believe will be in either position one or two.
- Trifecta – pick three horse to bet on that you believe will be in the top three in the accurate order and get a major windfall
- Superfecta – this is a bet on the top four finishers in a horse race in the correct order. Naturally, the odds of winning in this type off bet are not as high as the other bets. However, the payout will be big money should you be correct.
- Hi-5 – is a bet on the first five horses to finish first. As the number of outcomes you have to predict increase, the odds become tougher but the payout potential increases dramatically.
Multi-Race Exotic bets
As with exotic bets there are 5 different types in the multi race category- Daily double, pick 3, pick 4, pick 5 and pick 6. Multi-race horse racing bets naturally include more than one race. The following bets are available on
- Daily double this bet is a wager on which horse or horse will win two consecutive races
- Pick 3-6 – predict the winning horses of three to six successive races to win big
Check Out Our Horse Racing Event Guides
How to Bet on Horses and Win
Depending on what type of bet you are playing, there are different ways to bet. As we advised earlier, beginners should start with basic bets. The more experienced you become with our guide, you can move on to exotic bets, then multi-race exotic bets.
- If the site has a variety of racetracks, choose the track you want to bet on.
- When you have chosen your race track, you have to select the exact race you’re betting on.
- Set your bet amount.
- State your type of bet (if it’s one of the basic, exotic or multi race bets).
- Select the number of horses you’re betting.
- Check all the information on your ticket is what you intend before signing out
Check Out Our Horse Racing Track Guides
Horse Racing Odds
| Type of Bet | Ease of Betting | Explanation and Expectation | Influencing |
| Show | Very good | Your horse must finish 1st, 2nd, or 3rd | modest payout |
| Place | Good | Your horse must finish 1st or 2nd | Payout better than a Show bet |
| Win | Average | Your horse must finish 1st | The payout depends on the horse’s odds of winning |
| Quinella | Average | Your horses must be in the top 2 in any order; | The payout depends on the horse’s odds of winning |
| Exacta | Hard | Your horses must finish in the top 2 in exact order | The payout depends on the horse’s odds of winning |
| Trifecta | Very hard | Your horses must finish in the top 3 in exact order | The payout depends on the horse’s odds of winning |
| Superfecta | Extremely hard | Your horses must finish in the top 4 hard to bet | Bettors need a big bankroll, large payoput potential here |
| Daily Double | Hard | Your horses must win the two consecutive races | Bet on mid-level price horses for balance and there will be potential for a decent payout |
| Pick 3 | Very hard | Your horses must win three consecutive races | Stick to minimum bets for good payout potential |
| Pick 4 | Extremely hard | Your horses must win four consecutive races | Bettors need a big bankroll, large payoput potential here |
| Pick 6 | Harder than pick 4 | Your horses must win six consecutive races | Bettors need a big bankroll, large payoput potential here |
How to Calculate Horse Racing Betting Payout Odds
Take your minimum bet and multiply it by the odds of the horse then divide it by the odds of the horse and add your minimum bet to that figure = expected payout!
Check out our other popular betting guides:
Top 3 Horse Racing Betting Tips
Horse race betting can be very technical and complex. However, if you follow the horse racing channels keep your ears on what the expert pundits project you will have better outcomes. (We also provide free betting tips horse racing in our blog from time to time.)
Being an avid horse racing fan will help tremendously because all the information you get from following horse racing news will not feel like a chore. If you are still developing your horse racing betting strategy, below are the top three tips to help you bet better:
- Watch the commentary on the horse racing channels you will pick up helpful insights on which horses and jockeys have better odds
- Learn who are your top 10 jockeys are because they always have 90% odds of winning races
- Horses that often win have a 33% edge