Online Horse Betting Overview
You don't hear about horse betting as often as you hear about other gambling types but horse race betting is a hugely popular hobby around the world. Horse betting allows players to place bets on upcoming horse races that take place at real life tracks. Bets can be placed right at the track or from a distance at online horse betting sites or racebooks.
Best Horse Betting Sites
| Rank | Horse Betting Site | US? | Bonus | Get Started | |
| #1 |  |
Bodog |  |
10% Unlimited | Bet Now! |
| #2 |  |
Sportsbook.com | |
10% Unlimited | Bet Now! |
How Horse Race Betting Works
Horse race betting is also called "Parimutuel" betting, which means "between ourselves." It's called that because in horse race betting, you aren't betting against the house. Instead, you are betting against everyone else who is betting on the same race. The house doesn’t set the odds; the number of bettors and their bets set the odds.
Horse betting sounds like a simple activity: a bunch of horses run in a circle and you bet on the winner. But there's actually a lot more to it than that. For one thing, there are tons of different bet types you can make and the strategy behind making winning bets is highly advanced.
Win Bet
The simplest bet in horse racing is just called the "Win" bet. This is the bet in which you pick a horse and bet that he'll be the first place finisher. If you're correct, you'll win a very nice chunk of money. If you're wrong, well, there's always next time.
Show Bet
The "Show" bet is similar to the Win bet except it's a lot easier to win. In the Show bet, you pick a horse and he just has to place in the top 3 spots for your bet to win. You won't make as much money on winning bets but you'll win them a lot more often - especially when you pick strong, fast horses.
Place Bet
The "Place" bet lies right in the middle of the Show and Win bets. This bet requires your horse to take either first or second place. It pays out more than the Show bet but less than the Win bet. If you have a very strong horse in mind but aren't 100% sure on him, the Place bet may be the bet for you.
The "Trifecta" Bet
If you want to get extra adventurous, you can place the "Trifecta" bet. In this one you have to pick the top 3 winners of the race. But that's not all - you have to pick the exact order of the winners. You can pick three horses and they can all take the top 3 places but if they do it in an order different than the one you predicted, your bet won't win. This is a very difficult bet to win but the payout is huge.
Start Horse Betting Online
Getting started in horse betting can be intimidating to new fans but the cool thing is that horse betting sites are generally quite newbie-friendly. The best horse betting sites have sections that explain the different types of bets and horse racing rules.
Once you get the hang of horse betting, the same horse betting sites also offer betting tips, upcoming race analyses and other information for helping you get an edge over the competition. Since you're not betting against the house, the horse betting sites are more than happy to give you everything you need to make informed bets.
Bodog is Our Top Rated Horse Betting Site - Sign Up Here
When you're ready to get started, check out our top horse race betting sites if you would like to get a full list of recommended racebooks. Or, you can visit Bodog.com, our top rated horse betting website to get started right away. New bettors will also receive a 10% bonus when making their first deposit.
If you aren't quite ready or would simply like additional information, then take a look at our horse betting tips section.