Horse racing betting sites

Most bookies wouldn’t even be around today if it wasn’t for horse racing. It has been the bread-and-butter of UK bookmakers even before betting shops were legalised in 1960.

With so many betting sites having various betting offers, features and perks for racing punters, it can be difficult to determine which to use.

That’s why here at My Betting Sites we have put together this guide which details all of the things you need to look out for, as well as all the best sign up offers plus promotions for existing customers.

The UK online betting scene is extremely competitive, and that makes it difficult for new entrants to gain a foothold in the market. Many new online bookies choose to focus on other major draws such as football, but the following recently launched sites have ensured that their horse racing offering also stands up to scrutiny:

In general, the same important factors apply to horse racing betting as they do any other sport. The household names among UK betting sites have pretty much got it sussed when it comes to offering all of the best features that punters want.

A handful of top bookmakers have pulled away from the rest of the pack.

There are various important factors to consider, and while one bettor’s preferences will differ slightly from the next, the criteria on this page should be the starting point.

Due to the speed and regularity of virtual horse racing, it's imperative to give yourself all the necessary tools before placing a single bet on a race.

Here are five essential tips when betting on virtual horse racing in the UK.

Start Small and Build 📈

Virtual races are fast and unpredictable. Begin with small bets to get a feel for the game before increasing your stakes. Patience is key to long-term success.

Track Patterns in Odds 📊

Watch for consistent patterns in the odds. While virtual races are random, some horses tend to perform better consistently, giving you an edge on future bets.

Place Multiple Bets ✖️

Diversify your bets across several races to increase your chances of winning. The more opportunities you have, the better your chances of hitting a winner.

Don't Chase Losses ❌

As with all betting, it’s important not to chase your losses. Virtual races can be enticing due to their fast nature, but placing rash bets to recover previous losses is a surefire way to go over budget.

Explore Different Virtual Races 🐎

Most sites offer different types of virtual races (e.g., flat racing, hurdle racing, etc.). Try them all to find which ones you feel most comfortable betting on, as certain types might suit your strategy better.

Horse racing is one of the most bet on sports in the UK and every bookie wants a slice of that pie. There’s lots of choice for punters, which is great in the sense that it forces bookmakers to try and outdo each other by offering attractive offers and promotions on racing bets. A couple of the most popular horse racing betting promotions are explored below:

This is where online betting sites really provide value compared with land-based shops. Best Odds Guaranteed is offered by many leading UK bookmakers on the day of the race with all British and Irish racing.

Best Odds Guaranteed eliminates the risk of placing a bet only to see your horse’s price drift and you end up wishing you took the bigger price.

Instead, if you back a horse at a certain price and it starts the race with longer odds, you will be paid out at those bigger odds. On the flip side, if the price shortens after you back the horse, you get to keep those original better odds.

There may be time restrictions on these promotions, such as Best Odds Guaranteed only applying to bets placed after 9am on race day, so it is always worth checking the T&Cs. Here's a nifty table to help you out:

⏰ From 08:00 on day of the race:

• Betfair
• Bet365
• BoyleSports
• Coral
• Ladbrokes
• Betfred
• Bwin
• Paddy Power
• Unibet
• William Hill

⏰ From 09:00:

• Betway
• BetVictor
• Parimatch
• talkSPORT BET

⏰ From 10:00 onwards:

• Virgin Bet
• LiveScore Bet
• The Pools

Paddy Power is one of the top UK online bookies for horse racing. In addition to best price guaranteed on all UK and Irish racing, odds boosts and other fun promos, Paddy Power regularly pays out on extra places. Check the Paddy Power website to see which of the day’s races have been selected.

Free bets

Free bet offers are a staple of most horse racing bettings sites’ customer attraction and retention tactics.

These offers generally require either a deposit or a qualifying bet to be placed in order to access them.

There are plenty of different opportunities to grab free bets to use on racing, including welcome offers, loyalty clubs, and free bet if 2nd:

We like BetVictor, Betfred and Betway for free horse racing bets.

Enhanced odds

Enhanced odds offers for horse racing are available at all the top online bookies.

Sometimes, they’re called something different (for example, Paddy Power refers to them as ‘Power Prices’) but they are essentially the same across all sites - you’re being offered a special price that’s often excellent value compared to what you can find elsewhere.

Enhanced odds are offered on a range of different racing markets - such as each way (Bet365) and specials (Paddy Power).

Keep an eye out for these enhanced odds offers - we think they are some of the most useful horse racing offers for existing customers.

Double result & First past the post

Double result and first past the post are essentially two variations of the same horse racing betting offer.

With double result, the bookie is saying that if you back a horse which isn’t first past the post but is subsequently promoted to first place following a Stewards Enquiry (which happens when there is a suspected breach in the race rules), your bet will get paid out as a winner.

With first past the post, it’s the other way round - if your horse finishes first but is subsequently demoted following a Stewards enquiry, your bet will still get paid out as a winner.

Money back

Money back offers are a great little insurance for your bet if, for example, your horse is a total let down, just misses out to the favourite, or if you back a long shot which loses in a feature race.

Some bookies will give you money back in the form of a free bet but the best money back offers will refund your stake in cash.

Examples of money back offers include:

• BetVictor - Run for your money
• Bet365 - 4/1 ITV offer (T&C apply)
• Bet365 - Feature Race 4/1 offer
• Boylesports - Money back if 2nd to fav
• Kwiff - Money back if 2nd to fav

The Grand National is perhaps the most well-known UK horse racing fixture of the year.

From seasoned punters to fresh first-timers, the Grand National seems to attract interest from all corners.

Given the huge appeal of this race, it is of course an important time for online bookies. This means that they are often falling over each other to offer the best betting offers on the Grand National, some of which will be much more attractive than their typical horse racing promotions.

Keep your eye out for free bets and other special promotions in the run-up to the race.

Cheltenham Festival is the highlight of the jump racing season. The event attracts upwards of 65,000 spectators on each of the four days of competition.

It also attracts plenty of punters, so UK online bookies are generous in the run up to the Festival and while the event is ongoing in their attempts to attract new customers. That means it can be an excellent time to snap up free bets, deposit bonuses, and many more betting offers and promotions. Check out our dedicated Cheltenham Betting Offers page for more info.

Tote betting is a popular alternative to fixed odds betting.

Rather than the bookie offering you odds, your stake goes into a prize pool which is shared between all winning bets (or ‘tickets’).

Up until 2011 a state-owned bookmaker, The Tote, was the only place offering parimutual (tote/pools) betting in the UK. The government sold The Tote in 2011 and numerous competitors now offer pool bets on racing.

There are numerous different types of racing pools bet, including:

• Win - select one horse from the field to win
• Place - select one horse from the field to place
• Each-way - combine win and place in a single bet
• Exacta - pick the horses finishing first and second (in the right order)
• Trifecta - pick the horses finishing first, second and third (in the right order)
• Quadpot - pick a horse to place in races 3, 4, 5 and 6 in that meeting’s card
• Placepot - pick a horse to place in the first 6 races of the meeting’s card
• Jackpot - pick the winning horse from 6 selected races

In addition to the now privately owned and rebranded Tote, several top bookies offer some or all of the above racing pools products on their online platforms:

• Betfair - Win/place, Exacta, Trifecta
• Betfred - Placepot, Jackpot, Quadpot, Win/place, Exacta, Trifecta
• William Hill - Win/place, Exacta, Trifecta, Swinger, Quadpot, Placepot

The majority of UK punters place bets using a mobile device these days, so it's absolutely no good for a top-tier bookie not to cater for this huge - and growing - segment of customers by providing a dedicated mobile app. The My Betting Sites Team considers the following bookies to have the best apps for betting on horse racing:

• Ladbrokes - price boosts and other promos
• Betfair - undisputed best exchange app
• Casumo - high quality app from a new bookie
• BetVictor - BetFinder is a great tool
• Bet365 - world’s biggest bookie

Offering win, each way and place markets is one thing, but lots of people want bookmakers that go the extra mile and offer a wide variety of other bets such as match bets between two horses, betting without the favourite, and a horse to win by a certain number of lengths.

Forecasts and tricasts are a feature on all top betting sites, allowing users to get big odds.

You should also be able to find specials and request a bet markets that combine a number of races within one meeting or several meetings throughout a racing day.

Some new bookmakers don’t always offer such an array of markets, whereas the more experienced, classic British bookies tend to have a top-notch selection.

You can find a quick summary of the most popular horse racing bets below: