Updated: 25.08.2025
Like so many things in the world of the Internet, there are almost countless choices when it comes to betting on horse racing online. With so many options available, potential punters are faced with the dilemma of how to choose between them. What makes this even better for horse racing enthusiasts is the huge amount of competition there is between all of these online horse racing betting sites.
At first glance, the options may seem limitless, but don't be intimidated. We have done most of the hard work for you. Having tried and tested the best offers and experiences from the majority of operators in the online betting world, we present here our selection of the very best horse racing sportsbooks.
What makes a horse racing site stand out? It has to tick several boxes; if it does not, we should not consider it worth signing up for, let alone betting on. First and foremost, it should be reliable and secure. This should be enough to protect you from the bad apples.
Security The importance of this cannot be overstated. When you choose to deposit your hard-earned money online, the least you can expect is that your funds will be safe and protected. It's not just your money that needs to be safe, but your personal information as well - should you choose an unscrupulous operator. Fortunately, it's also in the sportsbooks' best interest to provide the safest betting environment possible. Make sure that the bookmaker is licensed and regulated by a recognized body and has received the necessary online security certification. Most of this information can be found at the bottom of a site's home page.
A simple and friendly interface and a straightforward registration and betting process are prerequisites for a good betting site. All the security in the world won't matter if a site is overly complicated and you can't even find where to sign up or place a bet. You should be able to get to what you want quickly and easily, and an intuitive interface is a must. It's just like any other good site on the Internet.
Excellent welcome promotion. Often a key factor that punters consider when choosing an online bookmaker. And it should be! The competition is so fierce, with new horse racing betting sites popping up all the time, that the leading horse betting sites should go all out to win your business. From bonuses on your first deposit to free spins if you want them, there's plenty of variety when it comes to the type of sign up bonus that makes perfect sense for you.
Promising odds for fascinating events. So the site is secure and offers a tempting sign-up bonus. Wonderful! However, we also need to determine whether the bookmaker offers not only decent, but also competitive odds on the events we want to bet on. For example, if you're an avid horse racing fan, it makes little sense to choose an online bookmaker that primarily offers odds on, say, the World Cup. Remember to check how often the bookmaker is outperformed by its competitors. Also, make choices that you can justify in the event of a downturn.
Ongoing promotions that are attractive. While many sites offer great incentives to get you to sign up in the first place, the ones you really want to pay attention to are the ones that continue to take care of their existing customers. These types of regular player offers come in all shapes and sizes, so it's well worth your time to check out the various promotions pages of different sites before you make your call.
Mobile betting options. Betting sites have come a long way in this area, but some operators still do a much better job than others. One of the main attractions of having an online betting account is the ability to place bets on the move. After all, we're not all tied to our desktops or laptops 24/7. And when you're trying to make a quick betting decision, a site's mobile betting experience can make or break your patronage. Bet on a site where you actually want to bet, because it's a smooth experience you'll want to repeat.
When it comes to betting on horse racing, for many people the action is upped several notches simply because watching a horse race can be so darn exciting. And if that is how you feel about the sport, then you will want to find a betting site that offers the option of watching live horse racing in streaming form. That way, you'll also be able to exercise the judgment you'll need if you want to take your chances of nailing a live betting winner while the action unfolds before your very eyes.
There is a wide range of betting options available. While betting on a horse to win a race is still by far the most popular choice, it is by no means the only one. Life is about variety, and so is horse racing, with several other tools at your disposal. If you are looking for a few with some added value, try markets such as win distances, no-favorite bets, or place-only options, to name just three. If these types of bets appeal to you, and they certainly could appeal to many, check to see if they're part of the offering before you commit.
Exceptional betting opportunities on horse racing. One feature that has recently come to the fore and been mentioned by several people is the "Cash Out" feature offered by some of the more innovative online betting companies. This is a fantastic facility that allows you to cash in your bet before it has run its full course. And why would you want to do this? Well, for a couple of reasons, and any one of them would do. One: the bet is going well and you'd like to profit from it now rather than wait for it to expire. Two: The bet has gone bad and you want to cut your losses.
Customer support. would be ideal if everything ran perfectly all the time. And indeed, at the top betting sites, it usually does. However, it is comforting to know that if you ever have a question, you will get a prompt answer. Responsive support is key. This is where a site's customer support comes into play.
Licensed in eight European countries, Betway is fully accredited and secure. The bookmaker has begun to make a name for itself among horse racing betting sites in the UK, offering customers great value and sponsoring prominent sporting events. Their latest promotion is an excellent matched free bet offer of up to £30. This is a very solid way to get the ball rolling. Another feature worth mentioning is Betway's daily horse race prediction contest. This is free to enter and could be worth up to a grand for some lucky punters.
There's a reason Ladbrokes isn't one of the most recognizable names in horse racing. It was founded - that's past tense, because it's an 1886 company - before the British royal family adopted horse racing as a national pastime. Going back a long way, it's now part of a huge conglomerate (LadbrokesCoral), and trust and reliability are hardly in short supply at either company. When we look at the UK betting market, we see a lot of familiar players, but none as reliable and long lasting as Ladbrokes. Plus, there's a lot of value to be had when you sign up. They offer a free matched bet up to a very nice £50 to get you started. Then there's this: best odds guaranteed, odds boosts, extra place races and more on offer to keep the online horse racing punter very happy.
One of the more recent additions to our list, 10Bet, was founded in 2003 but has quickly established itself as one of the top names in the business. Now the official sponsor of Blackburn Rovers, 10Bet covers all the bases when it comes to legislation and security, and is a company that seems to be on the rise. We also particularly like their horse racing offers, which include refunding your stake (up to a maximum of £10) if your selection is beaten by a head or less, or is beaten by the SP favorite.
The other half of gambling giant LadbrokesCoral, Coral bookmakers have been operating since 1926 and are one of the traditional cornerstones of the UK betting market. There's a reason you don't reach Coral's 2016 market position in betting without being a smooth operator, and while this is true in many betting scenarios, it's particularly true when looking at their horse racing operation. Live streaming, attractive sign-up offers, money back on seconds, improved each way conditions, best price guarantees; all this and more is on offer to Coral's horse racing punters.
This offer generally applies to ante-post horse racing betting markets. When you place a bet on a horse to win an upcoming race in the ante-post market, there is a chance that the horse won't make the final field and you will lose your bet. This is frustrating because you don't even get a run for your money under these circumstances. If you find yourself betting ante-post, you should look for a non-runner money back promise. As the title suggests, if your horse doesn't finish, you will get your money back. This is a promotion you can usually find at Coral and Ladbrokes.
Bookmakers such as Unibet and 888Sport offer improved odds on certain horses in the biggest events of the year. For example, they may increase the price of the favorite to entice you to place your horse racing bets with them. It won't be a massive increase, but you might see a favorite go from 2/1 to 3/1 for a period of time. Get it right and it will result in more cash in your winnings. 🎁CHECK OUT THE ENHANCED ODDS OFFERS >>
There are various forms of this promotion, but the essence remains the same. If you bet on a horse to win a race and it doesn't, you will get your money back. However, refunded money is sometimes given back in the form of a free bet, so be sure to read the terms and conditions carefully before confirming your bet. Usually the small print will state that the promotion will be triggered if your selection loses to the opening price favorite, falls in a heap or is beaten by a head or less. Paddy Power and Betfair are two bookmakers that tend to run these types of promotions.
One of the most widely offered and sought after types of betting associated with horse racing is called Best Odds Guaranteed. Although we have several levels of potentially profitable betting opportunities, the Best Odds Guaranteed level is quite appetizing to many horseplayers. With this type of offer, if you place a bet at a certain price and the starting price (SP) ends up being higher than what you originally bet, you will be paid at the SP level (i.e. the higher amount). Conversely, if you place a bet at a certain price and the SP is lower than your initial bet, you will again be paid the higher amount. Betfred and William Hill are two of the best online horse racing betting sites and they both offer Best Odds Guaranteed.
When choosing a bookmaker to sign up with, it is naturally tempting to choose one that is a more established brand. We would suggest that you also consider a newer sportsbook, and here are the reasons why.
When choosing among new sportsbooks, the first aspect to consider is good, unbiased, knowledgeable reviews. Make a shortlist of supposedly highly rated brands, test each platform for yourself, and then consider the value each offers in terms of the welcome offer.
Bets can be placed at the odds agreed with the bookmaker of your choice. You can either use the apps of the major online bookmakers or the websites of these same bookmakers. Alternatively, you can use the betting system known as tote.
Tote bets can usually be found on a separate tab dedicated to them. However, in order to find your way around, it is important to first understand how exactly the system works.
Betting on the Tote often offers customers the chance to win more on their bets. The Tote works in a different way to fixed odds betting. Instead of the guaranteed price offered by your bookmaker, when you place a bet with Tote you are essentially betting with a pool of other customers - with the winnings being shared much like a lottery. The number of winners in a given race is a direct function of how many times the pot is split. If a favorite wins, the pot may be split multiple times. When an underdog wins, you'll notice that there are fewer contenders.
The Tote also offers a variety of bet types to choose from. The most popular of these are the Jackpot and Placepot. A Jackpot win can change your life in an instant, as you stand to win a sum of money that can only be described as staggering. To win a Placepot, you must pick a horse to finish in each of the races at a meeting. The two bets couldn't be more different, so naturally they require different types of strategies to win. Tote bets are offered by various bookmakers, such as bet365 and Paddy Power.
Horse racing, by its very nature, presents online bookmakers with one of the most difficult problems to solve when it comes to live betting. Take a 90-minute soccer match and condense it down to an action that can sometimes be completed in less than a minute. That's not a lot of time to work with if you're trying to offer the kind of bets that are only possible when the action is more or less unfolding in front of you.
The betting exchanges are perfectly set up to deal with these fast-moving events, and if you are into betting on horse racing as it happens, then they are absolutely top of the pops. It is worth noting, however, that traditional bookmakers - including some on our list - now offer a pretty excellent in-play service for many other sports, and it would certainly not be surprising to see them make a push into the live horse racing betting market sometime soon.
When it comes to exchanges, Betfair is certainly at the top of the tree, but another exchange that in-play players may want to consider is the Ladbrokes Betting Exchange. Ladbrokes purchased Betdaq, a betting exchange, in 2012 and now hosts an exchange for players who want to bet against other players. They also host some quite generous and enticing sign up offers that would appeal to any player looking to bet against the other. One of the more compelling offers I found while researching this guide was a £10 lay bet, off the exchange, that you could win or lose at the end.
When betting on horse racing, the thrill and excitement of the event is heightened when you can actually see it unfold. Here are the main ways to do just that.
Trust is always our first consideration when evaluating a horse racing bookmaker. A betting site that can't guarantee secure payments or responsible handling of player data has no business being on our list, and it certainly doesn't deserve my business. Here's what I look for in a trustworthy horse racing bookmaker.
In this way, punters know that they are placing their bets on a secure platform and are not risking their money with an operator of dubious reputation. For example, companies such as Ladbrokes and Betway openly display their licensing details and submit to independent audits, thereby fostering an atmosphere of trust.
Security is just the foundation. The next thing we look at is how easy and enjoyable it is to actually place a bet. A fully licensed bookmaker can still lose players if the site is slow, clunky or confusing. That's why our review team tests:
A company that gets these elements right makes betting seem effortless. Take 888Sport as an example. Their app is known for its clean navigation and quick bet management - both of which are crucial for live betting.
Finally, we look at the long-term value offered by each site. It's one thing to attract players with an eye-popping welcome bonus, but players also want to know that they'll have a steady stream of fair odds and rewarding promotions to keep them coming back. With that in mind, we did a little sleuthing and came up with the following reviews.
Betfair's Each Way Edge is a good example. This product allows punters to add or remove spots to control their risk and reward. It is an example of a truly innovative offer, as opposed to a rehash of the proudly recycled free bet promotion.
One of the main features that a good betting site should have, as mentioned above, is a huge selection of betting options. Some of the most common types of horse racing bets include the following
Of course, there are countless other bets to choose from, ranging from simple place bets to complex super goliaths. One of the most popular, and arguably one of the simplest, is the Lucky 15 bet, which turns four selections into four singles, six doubles, four trebles, and a fourfold. What the Lucky 15 does is set up a situation where just one selection coming through is enough to guarantee a return, but if all four win, the scenario gets to a point where it could almost be called a jackpot.
Mobile technology has transformed the gambling industry, and mobile betting apps for horse racing have become a natural consequence. But how do you choose an app from the many available today? For UK punters, there are some clear criteria that define a "best" horse racing app and render some others of no value. Here are five basic things to consider: EASE OF USE: When you're betting via mobile, time is often of the essence. The app needs to be not only intuitive, but also fast (both in terms of UI and WiFi) to give you a fighting chance of placing your bet before the event starts.
Ease of use The best horse racing apps are almost universally easy to use. This is a clear requirement for this type of app. The top horse racing apps used by UK punters are streamlined and efficient. They make it incredibly easy to place a bet when you're on the go - whether that's during your daily commute or at the track itself. If you're looking to place a horse racing bet on the app, these are the ones you'll want to use.
Horse Racing Promotions It is vital that both new and existing customers have access to app offers and bonuses for horse racing betting. Promotional offers such as extra place races and guaranteed best odds should be prominently and clearly displayed.
Security A safe gambling setting is crucial for horse racing apps, as the user may be betting over WiFi on networks that are not secure. The best horse racing app will use SSL encrypted technology for firewalls and servers, allowing you to navigate with the confidence that your personal information is safe.
Coverage - Expect to find the same horse racing markets and specials on the app as you would if you were accessing the sportsbook on your laptop or PC. The best horse racing app should allow you to watch live streams of the races you're betting on on your mobile device.
Having established the criteria for evaluating them, which are the leading horse racing apps used by punters in the UK and for what reasons? We present a concise list of three apps here:
Coral's new customer offer is to wager £5 and receive £20 in free bets. This is available through their mobile platforms which are designed in a blue brand color with buttons in yellow, green and white. The app has just featured horse racing very prominently in the top menu, which I think is a pretty big indicator that Coral takes this particular sport very seriously.
When you enter the Coral Horse Racing app, there are daily ante post races posted right across the screen, under the submenu. You can easily move back and forth from the outstanding races they have today and the ones about to take place, to the more unusual ante post betting markets in the Future tab and the Specials. Visit Coral >>
Because of #YourCall, you can request horse racing bets through the app and they will be priced quickly by the dealers. For example, if you use the app to place a bet on a horse that was beaten by a small margin, the app may interpret that horse as having lost in a manner similar to a horse that was beaten by a nose. In this case, you may receive a free bet like the one offered by Coral if the first horse to cross the finish line is approximately one or two lengths ahead of the second horse.
Another of their offers for betting on horse racing is Best Odds Guaranteed (BOG) on all meetings in the UK and Ireland. This offer starts from the moment such races are priced after their final declarations.
The Coral horse racing app can be downloaded for free on both Android and Apple sports betting platforms. It's so popular that there are well over half a million installs through Google Play alone, making it one of the most popular horse racing betting apps out there.
Horse Racing is one of the mainstays of Betfred's sports betting app. You can take advantage of their welcome offer of betting £10 to receive £30 in free bets on any mobile platform.
Horse Racing has its own button in the Betfred app. You can quickly find the races where this bookmaker is offering extra places as they are marked with a prominent green banner just above the race time.
Today, tomorrow and even further in advance you can access Betfred's horse racing markets. They're easy to navigate thanks to the app's clever use of boxes and white space, and you can get a quick and clear overview of today's and tomorrow's events by looking at the race cards. They even include the Racing Post's handicapping and have a tab for additional markets.
Selected races every day at Betfred come with a delightful little extra. If you place a bet on these races just before the start and your horse finishes second, Betfred will give you a free bet of the same value as your original bet. There is a small catch. Betfred only does this for a few races each day. So while you can have a lot of fun betting on the old man on his lucky day, the potential for this offer to land on a race you're really keen on could be a little touch and go.
More bonuses are paid on system bets. When you place a system bet, it's likely that you'll receive some bonuses on top of your payouts. Lucky 15s and Yankees: 10% bonuses Lucky 31s and Canadians: 20% bonuses Lucky 63s and Heinz: 25% bonuses And if you happen to have only one winner in a big system bet, you get a one-winner bonus to protect you.
The Betfred app can be downloaded for free from the app stores on Apple and Android devices. Google Play shows over 100,000 downloads of this sports betting app, making it a fairly popular option.
For bet365, horse racing is one of the fastest markets to price up, which means their traders are really on the ball. This bodes well for any punter using the bet365 mobile app looking to get their early bets in. Horse Racing takes pride of place in the main menu, making clever use of the brand's green, white and yellow colors.
When you make a qualifying deposit at bet365, you can take advantage of the new customer offer of up to £100 in betting credits. You can also use these bet credits to bet on horse racing. Once you have made your deposit, tap on the site to get to the mobile friendly part of the site and you will see the next 3 live races taking place around the world. And if you place any bets on these races, you can watch them right on your mobile device.
Racing meetings with extended markets can be easily identified by the golden arrow next to the time. These are meetings where you can use each-way betting to get more places. Ante-post betting on future bet365 horse racing events can be found in the sub-menu.
The bet also guarantees the best conditions on any horse race in the UK, Ireland, USA or France once the event has been confirmed and the final runners have been announced. This way you won't lose out on a higher starting price.
Another noteworthy offer from bet365 for horse racing betting is that they offer free bets to punters who back a winner at odds of 4/1 or better in certain daily races.
The bet365 mobile app is free to download for Apple and Android devices. With over 1,000,000 installs on Google Play, it is one of the top contenders.
Digital horse racing is a virtual replica of the real sport. Although real horse names are used, all competitors and their mounts are made up. The competitors are all made up names for the digital version. To make betting interesting, the virtual competitors (horses and riders) are given real-life weights to create the same kinds of favorites, outsiders, and competitive situations that exist in real races.
For a long time, virtual racing was a niche market. However, with the impact of Covid-19, which caused racetracks across the country to temporarily close, it has reached levels of popularity that were previously unheard of. If you want to get in on the action and place some of your own virtual horse racing bets, we suggest you check out Bet365, 888sport or Coral.
How to bet on horse racing? There are many ways to bet on horse racing at bookmakers such as Betfred and Ladbrokes. You can back a runner to win the race, to finish first or with an each-way bet. It's important to remember that an each-way bet requires you to double your original stake, so make sure you're aware of this to avoid any surprises when it comes to actually placing your bet. Half of your bet will be on the winner of the race and the other half will be on the runner-up.
If your horse wins the race, you'll receive your winnings in two parts - a win and a place. If, on the other hand, your horse does not win but finishes in the money, you will receive the place winnings, but you will have lost the win portion of the bet. The odds on place bets vary, of course, depending on the race and the number of runners in it. Generally they range from 1-2 (and you get half the odds) to 1-2-3-4 (and you get a quarter of the odds). It is always a good idea to check the odds before placing your each way bet. It helps to ensure that you know what to expect come payout time.
Among the best bookmakers for horse racing are Betfred and Ladbrokes, and both of these companies offer special deals to those who bet any way. These offers usually take the form of improved odds. For example, if the majority of companies offer the standard 1/4 odds 1-2-3, what Betfred and Ladbrokes may do is increase that number.
Although horse racing in the UK is almost a 365-day-a-year sport, certain events stand out. Here are some of our favorites.
Fortunately for individuals who enjoy betting on equine competitions, not only does the caliber of racing improve during these premier affairs, but so does the value offered by online bookmakers. Expect an avalanche of cash-back promotions, increased prizes, free bets and more as the virtual rivalry attempts to outshine one another.
Although you may not find as many different types of bets on horse racing as you would on football, for example, there are still plenty to choose from.
It's pretty hard to label one as "the best" over all the others, simply because different people prefer different tactics. As with all forms of betting, it comes down to your personal taste in risk and reward. If you are looking for the highest return, then you should consider a straight up race winner bet. If you are brave enough to back a long shot in these conditions, you may indeed win big. But between not backing an obvious choice and having at least eight runners in the race, these situations are also quite difficult to win.
With all that said,Race Winner remains the most popular bet type in horse racing.
Three events dominate the British horseracing calendar and take place in the spring and summer. They are the: - Cheltenham Festival (held in March) - Grand National (held in April) - Royal Ascot (held in June) Each of these events lasts several days, offers huge purses, and attracts a staggering amount of national and international attention. They have become the trifecta of must-see horse racing spectacles. The Grand National is the most popular of the three, with an estimated global audience of 500-600 million people watching each year. It has a prize fund of £1 million, making it the richest jumps race in Europe. If you're completely new to horse racing, betting on the Grand National is as good a place to start as any.
Technically, the answer is yes: you can bet on any horse in a race. But the sportsbooks make sure that it's not nearly as profitable as it sounds. In fact, they rarely allow it to become a winning angle for the bettor.
When you convert the odds of each prospect in a given betting market into percentages and add them up, they never add up to 100%. That's because bookmakers add a "vig" or "overround" to the odds to ensure a long-term profit.
The same goes for horse racing. If you add up the odds of all the runners, you would be hard pressed to get anything close to 100% value. So even if you bet on all the horses, you wouldn't make a profit from the winner's circle. The exception? A massive long shot with extremely high odds that wins too few races. But that's not a rule for betting.
It goes without saying that there is no such thing as a "safe" bet. In the long run, the house always wins. Betting is not a sustainable way to make money. However, in the moment, it can feel like certain choices are better than others. In the realm of sports betting, what are those "better options"?
The Each Way is what most people consider to be the safer bet, and should be preferred over the Win bet if you are in any way concerned about losing. An Each Way is actually made up of two separate bets; Win and Place. The Win part works like a regular race winner bet. The Place part gives you a return if your horse finishes within a certain range; usually the top three to five spots. This is often not a bad bet to make; in fact, if you have an opinion on a horse for the top three spots, I would encourage it.
Indeed it is. The Gambling Act 2005 makes it perfectly legal to place a bet on the outcome of a horse race. Bookmakers accepting such bets must be licensed and regulated by the UK Gambling Commission.
Numerous betting sites today offer a considerable amount of horse racing markets and features. However, in our opinion, three of them stand out above the rest. Based on our experience and that of our experts, 888Sport, William Hill and Betfair are the top three sites for horse racing betting. Not only do they offer a large number of markets from UK and international meetings, they also offer live streaming and promote horse racing in a way that makes us think they actually want our business.
Horse racing bookmakers are popping up with astonishing regularity, looking to grab their share of the competitive market. Of the new platforms in the UK that take bets on horses, we think Gatobet is the best. They also offer a decent welcome offer of £30 in free bets.
Keeping it simple is a great way to start when you're new to horse racing betting. Each-way bets are generally considered the best bets for beginners. They allow for a little more room for error than straight money line bets. If you place an each-way bet on a horse and it finishes anywhere up to second, you'll get a return in two parts.
One of the most common terms used in horse racing betting is nap. Simply put, it means the best bet of the day from a particular tipster.
We hope this article has shed some light on the qualities you should be looking for in the best horse racing bookmakers. You don't have to rush into the first site you come across; as with many things in life, it pays to research your options. But we can assure you that online betting has never been more exciting, and should you decide to sign up with one of the sites we've mentioned, we're sure you won't be disappointed.