Betting on horse races is legal in much of the US. In the age of the internet and mobile devices, that often includes online wagering.

Legal horse betting sites and apps for 2021

Here is a look at some of the best online horse betting sites and apps, and how to get your money online. Many of these are PayPal betting sites.

See the latest odds for the Breeders’ Cup here.

1. Betting on horse races is legal in much of the United States. In the age of the internet and mobile devices, that often includes online wagering.
2. Legally bet on horse races online in 2020. Find the top USA online sportsbooks with horse race betting lines covering equestrian races from around the world.
3. New york gambling laws findlaw. New york gambling sites gamble online in ny best new jersey now allows via internet the times. New york poker betting laws ga.
4. New York Gambling Ages - Legal Online Gambling Ages In New York. Horse betting in New York is available to all people 18 years or older.

New York Online Sports Betting Laws as well as Daily fantasy sports, eSports and Sportsbook reviews of the top sites legal for Players in the Empire State.

TVG review

TVG is most famous as the go-to for horse race viewing on television. However, it also offers online horse betting.

• Creating an Account: Creating an account takes just a few minutes. You must give your name, address, phone number and birthdate, while also making a password for your account. You will also need to provide the last four digits of your Social Security number.
• Depositing: Options about for depositing, including PayPal, TVG BetCash (for directly depositing from your bank account), credit or debit cards, TVG prepaid card, MoneyPak, PayNearMe, check or money order and wire transfer.
• Withdrawing: Once you have funded your account using one of the methods above, you can usually get your money back the same way.
• Betting Online: You can bet via the website, or download their app from the App Store. There is currently no app for Android, but the site is optimized for mobile. The full range of straight and exotic bets is available for bettors. You can also do your research right on the site or in the app for almost all races. Because it’s TVG, you can also watch many races online via the TVG website.
• TVG Promo Code: An up to $250 deposit bonus at 50% match is available on your first bet using promo code LSRTVG.
• Rewards Program: Users get points for each bet, with which they can later use for wager credits.

Play now at TVG and get up to $250 deposit bonus!

NYRA Bets

NYRA Bets is a production of the New York Racing Association (NYRA) that is available around the country.

• Creating an Account: Name, address, phone number, birth date and Social Security number are all required. You also need to create a username, password, and a PIN for using at tracks.
• Depositing: Options include Express Funding to link your bank account, credit card, PayNearMe, at some tracks, by mail or by wire transfer.
• Withdrawing: Most of the same options can be used to withdraw, once they have been used for a deposit.
• Betting Online: Bets can only be placed online or via a mobile browser; there is no app. Beyond that, though, NYRA Bets offers the full range of straight and exotic bets any experienced better would expect to find.
• Rewards Program: Users get points for each bet, with which they can later use for wager credits

What are the best horse betting sites in the USA?

Here is a full list of the legal horse betting sites in the US ranked in order. Bettors can learn more about horse racing online to acquire the best chances of being a successful bettor.

Top Horse Race Betting Sites in the USA

How to bet on horse racing?

Once you have signed up and deposited, you’ll be ready to place your first bet. This process will quickly become intuitive.

There are two parts to the process. First, you need to find your selection and the bet type you want to place. Second, you add this to your bet slip and confirm the amount to wager.

Navigating to your race can be done via the track listings or the timeline of races at all three major racing sites. You’ll see the runners for each race, with the odds for win and show, plus a toggle for more options. Adding the bet to your bet slip is as easy as clicking the line you want to bet.

Sites place the bet slip to the right (or via a pop-up message). For singles bets, you can add an amount to bet, then confirm to place this. For multiples bets (trifecta, exacta and superfecta), you need to first add all the selections to your slip.

You’ll then be set to follow the race via live stream, and hopefully collect those winnings.

Horse betting apps

Betting on your phone or tablet is effortless these days. The best horse race betting sites allow for this. The easiest way for most bettors is to access their websites via your mobile device. The display will automatically adjust to your small screen. All the functionality, including live streaming and results/stats, are available. You can deposit and place bets while on the move.

There are dedicated horse racing apps, which can be downloaded from the Apple App Store (for Apple devices). TVG, TwinSpires and BetAmerica offer these. Android users can download an app for TVG, though not the other two sites. This will come directly from TVG (it is not in the Google Play store). To download it, you’ll need to approve an “unknown” source.

Free bets, sign-up bonuses

Each of the major online racing sites offers free bets or bonuses. How these are given varies. Note that these will come with playthrough requirements and other terms and conditions. Check out our detailed horse race betting site reviews for more on the fine print.

TVG: New accounts who sign up using the bonus code LSRTVG will receive an up to $250 deposit bonus at 50% match.

Where can I watch the races?

You’ll have a lot of different options when it comes to watching horse racing as it happens. Options range from heading to your local track, to using your mobile phone to view a live stream. Here are the main choices:

• At the Track: With hundreds of racetracks nationwide, many people now have a venue within driving distance. You’ll find many tracks have entertainment complexes, and some offer casino games too.
• On TV: Major events are screened on the big networks; you can also watch TVG for smaller, daily races.
• Via Simulcast: Racetracks are linked together, with many offering big screens for races at other venues – as well as the ability to place bets on them.
• OTB Venues: Some states let you bet and view races/check results at dedicated off-track betting venues which don’t host live races.
• Streaming Live: The most popular racing sites (TGV, TwinSpires and BetAmerica) all offer live streaming via their websites and betting apps. If you are an active bettor, you’ll be able to view the races in real-time via your web browser.

If you miss a race, you’ll find the online horse racing betting sites offer replays to active bettors – as well as a comprehensive results service.

Horse racing odds and picks

In each race, the amount of money bet on the individual horses determined the odds. These can be expressed as positive or negatives.

For example, if you see 4:1, you’ll win $4 for every $1 you stake (plus your initial stake back). If you instead see 1:4, this means you’ll need to stake $4 to win each $1 of return.

These “odds-on” selections are found when a race has a strong favorite, which is widely expected to win.

Odds for place and show selections are naturally smaller than for win bets. You have multiple chances of being paid.

Horse racing has a skill element, involving finding value from the field. Picking a potential winner or finding a selection whose price is better than their true winning chances will make you money over time.

Online horse racing betting sites help you pick winners by providing statistics detailing the results of previous races. These range from simple form guides and raw results to detailed past performance databases.

Many databases are paid services, with the racebooks offering them as a perk for bettors who wager on a specific meeting.

Understanding the payouts

All racing bets are pooled. The total bet around the country on a race is divided among the selections. For example, if a million dollars is bet on win in a race, 50% of this is on a single horse. The winners (should this horse win) are paid 1:1. The prizes for place, show and trifecta bets are determined in the same way.

To calculate how much you’ll win based on the current odds, simply multiply your stake by the odds shown, then add that stake back in.

For example, if you see a selection at 6:1 and bet $10. Your payout would be 6 x $10 + $10 = $70.

Biggest horse races across the US

There are prestigious events for all types of horse racing, which range from harness through to Arabian horses. When it comes to events that catch the public’s imagination, the Triple Crown takes center stage.

This involves three races for thoroughbreds, each of which has qualifiers to ensure that only the best horses get to take part. Here are the races in date order. To complete the Triple Crown, a horse needs to win all three in the same year.

• Kentucky Derby: Held at Churchill Downs racetrack in Louisville, KY, this race is known as “the most exciting two minutes in sport.” The Kentucky Derby has been run every year since 1875 and caps a two weeklong festival featuring many races. A number of traditions go alongside this race. These include mint julep cocktails and a blanket of roses which is placed on the winning horse.
• Preakness Stakes: The second leg of the Triple Crown is held at the Pimlico Racetrack in Baltimore, MA. It is held two weeks after the Kentucky Derby on the thirdSaturday in May. This race is 1900 meters and on a dirt track. A blanket of flowers is placed on the winner of this race too – in this case, black-eyed Susans.
• Belmont Stakes: If a horse has won both of the preceding races, all eyes will be on it for the final leg of the Triple Crown. The Belmont Stakes takes place in Elmont, NY, on either the first or second Saturday in June. This 1.5-mile race started in 1867. It attracts huge TV audiences when the Triple Crown is at stake. Flowers have once again become a tradition. This time the winner is decked in a blanket covered in white carnations.

Other races you can bet on in the United States

• The Arlington International Festival of Racing – Arlington Park
• Stars and Stripes Racing Festival – Belmont Park
• Haskell Invitational Stakes – Monmouth Park
• Travers Stakes – Saratoga Race Course
• Dubai World Cup – Meydan Racecourse, Dubai
• Santa Anita Derby – Santa Anita, Calif.

Where can you bet on horse races online in the US?

Betting on horse racing online or via a mobile device is not legal in every state.

• Alabama
• Arkansas
• California
• Connecticut
• Delaware
• Florida
• Illinois
• Iowa
• Kansas
• Kentucky
• Louisiana
• Maryland
• Massachusetts
• Montana
• New Hampshire
• New York
• North Dakota
• Ohio
• Oklahoma
• Oregon
• Pennsylvania
• Rhode Island
• South Dakota
• Tennessee
• Vermont
• Virginia
• Washington
• West Virginia
• Wisconsin
• Wyoming

Where and how you can bet can vary by state, but some apps serve all of these.

Apps and websites operating in these states often allow wagering on races across the country and even internationally.

How is it legal?

The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) has a carveout for horse racing. That leaves it up to the states whether they want to legalize online wagering on horse races.

Anywhere the platforms above offer wagering, state laws have been enacted to allow for online wagering and horse race betting apps.

Virtual horse race betting

If no real races are going on, you can also wager on virtual horse races. These are races simulated by a computer program, and bettors can still wager on the outcome. More on virtual sports betting.

Unfortunately, this is not offered in the US, although land-based and online casinos may offer this in the near future. Wagering on virtual horse races is more common in Europe and other regulated markets internationally.

Horse racing breeds

To the majority of people, racehorses look similar. Behind the variations in color and height, you’ll find several distinctive breeds in different races.

Thoroughbred Horses: The big races are for thoroughbred horses. While there is a big mix of heritage, they can all be traced back to just three fathers born in the 1700s. Those sires were then imported to England, where they established blood-lines that were later imported to the US.

Standardbred Horses: Harness racing uses a different breed known as standardbred. These horses can have thoroughbred ancestors, with mixed heritage. This breed is considered easier to handle than the highly-strung thoroughbreds. Standardbred horses are used for showjumping as well as harness/trotting racing.

Arabian Horses: While many of today’s races are over short distances, there are longer endurance-type races scheduled. A different breed, known as Arabian horses takes part in these contests. Arabian horses are perfect for long distances racing, though not for short bursts of speed. As the name implies, these horses (recorded as a subsection of thoroughbreds) were first bred in the Middle East.

Quarter Horses: Quarter Horses is a name given to the mixed-breeds which come from Spanish colonial stock. The name comes from the quarter-mile racetrack which was popular in the early days of horse racing.

Horse race betting terms

There are a lot of slang terms, acronyms and unique terms associated with betting on horses. The list below includes the key definitions to get you started.

Blinkers: Also known as “blinders,” these cup-shaped devices cover the eyes of horses, narrowing their field of vision to the track ahead.

Colt: A male horse.

Daily Double: A bet which involves picking the winners of two highlighted races (usually consecutive races).

Furlong: This is a distance measure, e.g., a race might be listed at 10 furlongs. Each one is one-eighth of a mile.

Exacta: This is a bet on the first- and second-place finisher (in the right order).

Filly: A female horse.

Gelding: This term refers to a male horse that has been sterilized, which a common practice which can make unruly horses focus on racing.

Grade: Races are graded on the quality of the horses involved (and purse). Grade 1 races have the best competitors.

Handicap: Many races add weight to the better horses (based on past performance) to level the playing field.

Harness Racing: These races involve jockeys in small carts behind the horses.

OTB: This acronym stands for off-track betting. In some states, you can place bets at venues which do not have racing of their own.

Post Position: The placement of a horse in the starting stalls, which is in relation to the position of the rail.

Pari-Mutuel: Bets are pooled, with the payout based on the number of bettors who chose a winner (or other bet types). This betting format is called pari-mutuel betting.

Place: A bet on a horse to finish either first or second.

Pick 6: A bet covering the entire race card. Pick bets can sometimes be found for three or more races. If this is not won, the prize pool is rolled over onto the next racing fixture.

Purse: This describes the prize money awarded for a race.

Show: A bet where you win if your selection finishes either first, second or third.

Simulcast: Live races shown on screens at racetracks around the country. You can bet on these races and watch them as they happen.

Superfecta: Bet on the first four finishers in the right order; this bet has the potential for huge prizes.

Trotting: This form of racing does not allow the horses to break into a gallop.

Triple Crown: To win the Triple Crown a horse needs to win the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes in the same year.

Trifecta: A bet where you need to predict the first-, second and third-place finisher of a race in the correct order.

Win: The basic horse racing bet, you pick a winner of the race.

Race News: The 2020 Breeders' Cup – the most prestigious non-Triple Crown race in American Thoroughbred racing – will be held this weekend (Saturday, November 7), and you can bet on the major event at the best online sportsbooks featuring international racebooks. Sign up ASAP to get your picks in before the big day!

Legitimate horse racing betting may be older than you think. Long before mankind kicked a leather ball or tossed one around a dirt diamond, people were riding on horseback for sport. As soon as horses became domesticated, man realized he could ride these fleet-footed animals. With the riding, of course, came the racing. And with the racing – you guessed it! – came the betting.

Today, the Sport of Kings is still going strong, and most states have active racetracks and legal horse betting opportunities for avid gamblers. Interstate horse racing betting is even allowed federally, but not everyone can easily participate, especially online.

However, our legal USA online horse betting guide explains how you can be a horseplayer without any of the associated legal shenanigans, no matter where you live in the country. To do this, simply join any offshore betting site listed here, all of which have robust international racebooks with round-the-clock action.

Is Online Horse Betting Legal In The United States?

Horse racing betting is the 'most legal' form of gambling in the US, and it is governed by the Interstate Horse Racing Act of 1978. This allows the sport to be wagered on across state lines, which is something that the Federal Wire Act of 1961 previously barred. As a result, OTB (off-track betting) facilities let bettors wager on live races from other state's tracks, and domestic online horse racing is legal in over 40 states.

While the UIGEA banking law threatened to derail interstate horse racing by preventing banks from processing gambling-related wagers, the pastime was eventually exempt from the law.

Most states allow for horse racing betting, and many US states offer legal gambling of various other kinds, but not all do. When it comes to the ponies, you might have more local options available than other forms of gaming, but for real convenience, placing your wagers at the legitimate offshore racebooks listed on this page is going to be the real inside track. Also, these books have one major edge: They all support international races from tracks in Canada, Japan, Mexico, the Middle East, the UK, Ireland, and more!

Horse betting is just one of the many features available to players who open up a sportsbook account at Bovada. They are one of the most trusted names in online betting and come highly recommended by our team.

Bovada's racebook is second to none (except maybe Secretariat, but who isn't?), and the site offers dozens of daily races from tracks around the world, all via an easy-to-use mobile interface so your bookie is always in your pocket, and you're always at the starting gate.

Pros

• US Friendly - most states accepted
• Operates under the international Bodog brand
• Generous 50% bonus up to $250 for sports wagering and horse betting
• 5% rebate for racebook wagers
• Easy deposits via credit cards and Bitcoin/Bitcoin Cash
• Most Trusted - They've never missed a payout!

Cons

• They only accept U.S. players - no other countries allowed
• Excluded States: NV, NJ, DE, MD

Most Popular Horse Races To Bet On

Every country that embraces legal horse racing has popular races that turn a big betting handle, but the United States remains the gold standard for the Sport of Kings. The US Triple Crown races are the most bet-on horse racing events worldwide, as are a number of American originals, like the Breeders’ Cup. You can wager on all the best horse races at the international racebooks listed here.

Major Horse Races And Events For 2020

2020 Triple Crown Races

• 2020 Belmont Stakes - June 20, 2020
• 2020 Kentucky Derby - Sept 5, 2020
• 2020 Preakness Stakes - Oct 3, 2020

Other Notable Races

• 2020 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe – Saturday Oct. 3, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2020
• The Everest 2020 – Saturday, Oct. 17, 2020
• 2020 Breeders Cup – Friday, Nov. 6 - Saturday, Nov. 7, 2020
• 2020 Japan Cup – Sunday, Nov. 29, 2020
• 2021 Pegasus World Cup – January 2021
• 2021 Saudi Cup – February 2021
• 2021 Dubai World Cup – March 2021

How To Bet On Horse Racing 101

If you want horse racing bets explained, this is where we break it down. As stated above, these types of wagers are largely pool wagers, or pari-mutuel in nature. Whenever you place a bet on a horse, the odds you see aren't necessarily going to be the odds you get once all the betting is in. As the lines change, your payout potential does, too. This is the main distinction of the pari-mutuel system from typical sports wagering.

While the American moneyline is used for most sports bets, horse racing usually uses fractional odds at state-based tracks. Offshore betting sites, however, use the moneyline, as it's easier to understand. Here, we will give an example of both, using some famous horses from history in a fictional race:

• Secretariat 1/3 (-300)
• Citation 3/2 (+150)
• Seattle Slew 2/1 (+200)
• Justify 5/2 (+250)
• Count Fleet 3/1 (+300)

Here, Secretariat is a heavy favorite at 1/3 or -300. As such, a $300 wager would pay out $100 if the greatest racehorse of all time wins. Behind him, Citation is at 3/2 odds, or +150, meaning a $100 wager pays out $150 for a win. These are the basics of how to read fractional and moneyline odds. Note: Horse odds may also be written as 1:3 instead of 1/3, for example, but these mean the same thing.

Remember: The odds reflect the money in the pool at the time you place your bet, and these will change as more wagers come in and more people place the same bet you do. Some tracks used to offer 'insurance' on horse wagers where your odds were locked in, but this is an old practice that has largely fallen out of fashion and disrupts the pari-mutuel status of the wagering.

Types of Horse Racing Bets

There are only two basic categories of horse racing wagers: straights and exotics. However, there is also a lot of potential modification and minutiae within these bet types to be aware of, and veteran horseplayers make use of complex parlays when chasing the biggest payouts. You don't need to read some nonsense like Betting on Horse Racing for Dummies – just study this quick primer and you'll know all you need to in order to get started.

1: The Straight Bet

With a straight bet, to give it to you simply, you are betting on a given horse to either take 1st, 2nd or 3rd place. Betting on a horse to take 1st is called a 'Win' bet. Betting on a horse to take 1st or 2nd place is called a 'Place' bet. And betting on a horse to take 1st, 2nd, or 3rd is a 'Show' bet. In horse racing parlance, you may hear straights referred to WPS (Win/Place/Show) wagers. Betting on a horse to win outright pays more than the others wager types, as Place and Show wagers give you much better odds of hitting.

2: The Exotic Bet

More complex than straight bets, exotic bets are parlays where you have to guess the exact order placement of multiple horses in one or more races. The most common types are listed below:

• Exacta – Pick the 1st and 2nd place winners of a single race in order
• Trifecta – Pick the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners of a single race in order
• Superfecta – Pick the 1st, 2nd, 4rd, and 4th place winners of a single race in order
• Quinella – Pick two horses to take 1st and 2nd in no particular order
• Daily Double – Pick the correct winners of two races
• Pick 3 – Pick the correct winners of three races
• Pick 4 – Pick the correct winners of four races
• Pick 6 – Pick the correct winners of six races

3: The Boxing Bet

Boxing is simply a horse racing betting strategy where you place your chosen ponies in a 'box' and bet on all the various outcomes of a given exotic bet when you're not confident about the order in which the horses will finish. For example, in a trifecta box, you can 'box' three or more horses into one wager, and they can finish in any order and you'll still get paid out. A quinella bet is technically a two-horse 'boxed' exacta.

All boxing your bet does is allow you to easily wager on all possible outcomes for a given wager type. You can box a trifecta among four horses, five horses, or even more. For example, In the case of a five horse boxed trifecta, if any three of those horses finish 1-2-3, you are paid out. You can also box superfectas.

Of course, boxing your bets is expensive, because you have to put up the initial money for each possible result. There is a threshold after which boxed bets experience a point of diminishing returns, so make sure to crunch the numbers when boxing horse racing bets.

4: The Keying Bet

Let's say you've been following the ponies for a bit and you have a very strong feeling about how a particular horse will run on a dry track vs. its competition, but you're less sure which horse will finish 2nd, 3rd, and so on. This is where you can make a keying bet. This is done by placing the bet on the horse you have 'keyed' to win and then selecting all other possible horses to finish in the top, though in no exact order.

Are Online Horse Betting Sites Legit?

There are two main types of online horse betting: domestic and offshore. Domestic racebooks are licensed and operated by US-based companies on US soil, and all betting laws apply to them. Offshore sites are simply racebooks that are located outside of US jurisdiction where America has no legal influence. Both of these avenues are legitimate, though you will get more bang for your buck (or oof for your hoof!) by using offshore racebook sites.

If you use an online racebook from a reputable offshore operator like those listed here, not only is the service a legitimate one, but it's also much more robust. Offshore books set their odds and lines based largely on the current odds at the tracks for the races on offer. However, since they have many more bettors in general than an average racetrack, that line will move, and the pool-based payouts are going to be different than at land-based tracks by the time the betting is closed and the gates are open.

That said, despite operating on a different (and larger) pool of wagers, the wagering itself – and the straights and exotics available to choose from – are identical to what you'd find locally. An added benefit of offshore sites is that they also have futures on the biggest races (like the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes), as well as Triple Crown winner futures and other props that US-based race betting operators can't offer.

Why Does Horse Race Betting Earn Legal Status in America?

Horse racing betting has a storied legacy in the United States, and while it hasn't always been legal, pari-mutuel wagering was first legalized in America in 1908. Most state lawbooks actually consider this type of betting to be different from traditional gambling or sports wagering, because as its name implies, it is pool-based. That's what pari-mutuel means: 'mutual betting.'

Casinos and sportsbooks employ house-banked gambling, whereas pari-mutuel betting (as used in horse racing, greyhound racing, and jai alai) does not have any entity acting as a bank or lender. Players are paid out according to the amount of money in the pool after the racebook takes its cut, and all payouts are split equally according to the final odds at the start of the race.

This is the legal distinction that has allowed horse betting to remain legal even while sports betting was banned for much of the 20th century in the US. Also, as the chief sport for the aristocracy since America's founding, the pastime's dignified reputation allowed it to maintain a more respected status among lawmakers in general.

How Many Horse Races Are Covered Each Day At Offshore Racebooks?

A domestic racetrack operates most days of the week during the racing season, and there are generally two seasons per year. Horse racing is mostly year-round. Each racing day, you can find 4-8 races at any given track, and thanks to interstate horse racing, that really adds up. Horse bettors rarely have much downtime if they access to domestic online racebooks.

However, offshore racebooks offer all these races plus full daily racing slates from tracks in multiple other countries, including Canada, Mexico, Japan, England, Ireland, and even various Middle Eastern nations. Additionally, the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, Belmont Stakes, and other popular races like the Pegasus Cup and Breeder's Cup can all be found at reputable racebooks online such as the ones listed above. When you use an offshore betting site to play the ponies, you can basically play all day, every day, year-round.

What is the State of the Horse Racing Industry Online?

Since horse racing is exempt from most gambling laws, you may think that online racing is the largest American legal gambling industry right now. However, betting on racing is actually on the decline and has been since the 1970s. This decline can be attributed to many things, but the number one reason is that there are so many other betting options now that better suit the younger generations.

Horse racing may be older than other sports, but horse racing betting cannot compete with the NFL betting, NBA betting, NCAA betting, and other major sports wagering markets. Then, of course, there are other gambling options like poker, casino games, bingo, and more. Adding it all up, horse racing becomes a niche sport, and that niche has actually grown smaller, not larger, since becoming accessible online. That is starting to change finally, however.

What has been getting more people over to racebooks recently has been a two-punch combo. For starters, quality offshore betting sites offer so many other gaming options to entice players in other markets (like sports bettors or blackjack players) to test the horse racing waters. Secondly, with legalized sports betting taking root in dozens of states, more people are becoming familiar with wagering in general, and they're starting to take interest in the ponies again.

New Jersey racebooks, for example, are doing much better since the overturn of the PASPA sports betting ban. But most states don't offer online casinos, so for gamblers who want to play the slots, hit the felts, and bet on the horses, offshore is the best, most comprehensive solution.

Legal Virtual Horse Racing

One of the betting markets gaining popularity quickly – particularly due to various 2020 races being rescheduled or canceled due to the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic – is legal virtual horse racing. All the most reputable betting sites in the industry offer virtual sports betting, and simulated horse racing has long been a core part of that.

While the betting structures are the same (straights, exotics, etc.), virtual racing doesn't involve real horses and isn't based on the historical performances of past or present ponies. Instead, this market uses certified and audited random number generation (RNG) technology to present 'fictional' horse races that gamblers can wager on. Races are run every few minutes, and at the close of betting, you can actually view entire videos of the simulations. These races are available 24/7, and you will find them in the sportsbook section of your chosen site rather than the live racebook section.

As there is no history to draw from for virtual horse racing, it cannot be handicapped in the traditional sense, and the only clue you have to the strength of each horse is in the odds themselves. Still, for fans of video poker, slots, and other RNG casino games, virtual horse racing is an easy way to learn about the sport and makes it a breeze to transition to live horse racing betting.

List Of US States That Have Legal Horse Betting

Is Online Horse Betting Legal

While horse betting is legal in the following states, even if you don't reside in one of those states you can still legally bet with an offshore site as long as it's licensed in a jurisdiction that offers legalized gambling. The gambling laws in America don't actually make the act of betting illegal, they merely make it illegal for domestic operators to accept wagers.

In other words, placing a bet with your local unlicensed bookie isn't illegal, but that bookie is breaking the law to accept it. Check out our legal gambling states in the U.S. section for a more comprehensive overview of each state's laws.

A Brief History Of Horse Racing Betting

Horse racing is the Sport of Kings for a reason and thought it started at least as far back as 1000 BC, its charm and intrigue persist to this day. In the US, while horse racing was organized as early 1665 when the first track was built in Long Island, the sport as we know it today started only after the Civil War (1868) upon the development of the American Stud Book. The book is now owned by The Jockey Club, which continues to compile a complete bloodline lineage of every Thoroughbred racehorse in American competitive history.

Most racehorses today are, in some part, the offspring of Man o' War, the 1920 Preakness and Belmont winner and Blood-Horse Magazine's GOAT. He didn't win the Triple Crown, as his owner held him out of the 1920 Kentucky Derby. However, the reason Man o' War gets the nod over Triple Crown champion and record-holder Secretariat (Blood-Horse's number-two horse of all time) is simply due to the fact that as a stud, Man o' War is the direct ancestor of so many champions of the 1900s and 2000s.

Today, with the sport finally experiencing an upswing thanks to legalized sports betting and expanded gambling in the US (though there are ironically still no racetracks in Nevada, the gambling capitol of the world), we are looking forward to a historic revival. The purses for major races are bigger than ever, and betting interest is growing. If you want to play the ponies, now is the best time to learn about the world's oldest sport.

Online horse racing betting is also largely legal in the US, as it is governed by a different set of rules than traditional gambling or sports wagering. Domestic operators are also not restricted by the Federal Wire Act, and they are able to combine their betting pools across multiple states (much like the Powerball lottery system). However, some states still don't have horse racing or online betting, which is why offshore sportsbooks all offer comprehensive international racebooks.

While there is nuance to the horseplaying hobby, it is straightforward enough for beginners and deep enough for veterans. Online access to horse racing betting at offshore sites has opened the entire world to American bettors, and though wagering over the Internet can never replace sitting on Millionaire's Row at the Kentucky Derby while sipping mint juleps and flailing your fancy hat, it is a great way to stay connected to the pastime and make real money enjoying the world's greatest athletes.

Other Legal Betting Options

Is Online Horse Betting Legal In New York

Horse betting is not the only exciting sport to bet on. Learn how wide the scope really is when it comes to legal online sports betting.

Here are some additional online gambling sports betting markets to get in on:

And for some non-sports related online gambling action, the following markets are also available at all the best online racebook sites:

Legal US Friendly Casinos - We only list the most reputable casinos listed here.

Legal US Friendly Poker Sites - There are only a couple but they are gems.