Details

How we review horse betting sites Our first job as reviewers is to ensure punters have a smooth, safe, and, most importantly, legal betting experience. Before we dig into odds, markets, or promotions, we make sure we’re sending you to legitimate, high-quality bookies. Here’s how we can quickly tell if a horse racing betting site is on the level. Licensing All online betting is a risk, but wagering on unlicensed horse racing betting sites is just plain reckless. Punters who use unlicensed sites have no legal protection if they become involved in a dispute. That’s why we don’t recommend them. Thankfully, in the UK, all forms of online gambling are regulated by the United Kingdom Gambling Commission. We cross-reference the license number found on a bookie’s website with the UKGC’s official record. This way, we know somebody is holding them accountable, and that bettors have protection. Security For security, we believe that online bookmakers should have 128-bit SSL encryption at a minimum. We check that this is the case before recommending any horse racing betting site. These days, most platforms will actually use 256-bit encryption. Either way, encryption technology scrambles the data being sent between users and the website itself, ensuring valuable personal and financial data can’t be hijacked. Customer support Customer support is a vital part of any betting operation. If you have an issue, you want to know it can be resolved fast. But sadly, the quality and competence of customer service can vary wildly between sites. For any site that we recommend, we first check that customer support is easily contactable. Live chat should be available, with human agents responsive 24/7. Sites that palm off customer service responsibilities on bots don’t impress us, and probably never will. Mobile experience Mobile Experience There wouldn’t be much point in recommending horse racing betting sites that didn’t run well on mobile. Whether you’re busy at work, at the pub, or would just rather reach into your pocket than boot up a PC, you’re much more likely to have a flutter on your phone. We don’t mind if a platform has a mobile app or not; all we care about is that it runs well. Responsible gambling tools The UKGC requires all bookies to implement responsible gambling tools. Not every platform provides them all, though, and when they don’t, we mention it in our reviews. Ideally, we would like to see a combination of deposit limits, loss limits, session limits, reality check notifications, and profit and loss calculators provided before time-outs and self-exclusion. How to choose the best betting sites for horse racing All of the horse racing betting sites on our list are established bookies with deep sportsbooks. However, the racing offerings vary, and which one you’ll want to use depends on your personal preferences. Below, we’ll break down some things you’ll want to shop around for before placing a bet. Bookie Offer Best Odds Guaranteed? Live Streaming? Coral Bet £10, Get £40 Yes Yes Ladbrokes Bet £5, Get £30 Yes Yes Betfred Bet £10, Get £50 Yes Yes Virgin Bet Bet £10, Get £30 Yes Yes Sky Bet Bet any amount, get £30 Yes Yes Bwin Money Back Guarantee No No Paddy Power Bet £5, Get £30 Yes Yes Betfair Bet £10, Get £50 No Yes Unibet Bet £20, Get £40 Yes Yes Betway Matched deposit up to £30 Yes Yes Best Odds Guaranteed Best Odds Guaranteed, or ‘BOG’, is prevalent on horse racing betting sites, but these days, it’s not as common as it used to be. A BOG bookie guarantees that you’ll get the best odds on a race, even if the odds are updated during the day. Usually, BOG is available from the morning of a race, but the times can differ between platforms. Punters don’t want to place a bet on a horse at 5/1 only to see the odds change to 8/1 during the day. Using this example, a bookie will pay out at 8/1 even if your qualifying bet was made with 5/1 odds. Live streaming Betting on horse racing live is the ultimate thrill. There’s no feeling like cheering your horse on in real time, watching the action unfold before your eyes. is watching the race to see how your horse does and finding out if you’ve won in real time. Many horse races are broadcast on TV, but not all, and not everybody pays for a traditional TV subscription anymore. That’s why the best betting sites let you stream events on their platform; it only makes sense, really. If you don’t want to miss the start of the race, look into how the live streaming works. Some sites require you to place a bet on the specific race, have funds in your account, or have placed a bet within the last 24 hours before giving you access to the live stream. Competitive horse racing betting odds It’s a good time to bet on horse racing because the huge amount of options you have means that bookies have to compete with each other. It’s a good idea to open accounts on multiple sites so that you can shop around for the best odds. If you have a particular horse in mind, you can compare the odds on different platforms to find the best value for money, which is, after all, what we’re all looking for. Free bets and price boosts You shouldn’t decide where to bet based purely on what you can get for free, but the different offers available can enhance your experience and boost your winnings. Most bookies will offer you a free bet for signing up. Afterwards, you might get your money back as a free bet on eligible races, which is a common offer for major events, like Ascot. Similarly, price boosts allow you to get enhanced odds on low-stakes races. New customers are offered big boosts, like a 2/1 horse being boosted to 5/1. Existing customers will be offered smaller boosts, like Evens to 2/1, but the advantage with these is that they’re offered daily. Payment options Payment Options The available payment options are another area in which horse racing betting platforms can vary. Make sure the site you want to bet with accepts your preferred method of payment, and that you understand the withdrawal timescales and associated fees. Reputation It’s important to research the legality and security features of a horse racing bookie. However, the best way to find out if it’s actually good is to ask fellow players. When it comes to the established brands on our list, it won’t be difficult to read about real punters’ experiences with a quick Google search. This way, you’ll find out if a bookie will treat you well or not. Different types of horse racing and terminology Unlike other sports, notably football, horse racing is not exactly the same template played in different competitions. There are multiple different iterations of racing, and some are almost a different sport entirely. First, let’s break down the different kinds of races. Flat Racing: Flat racing involves horses galloping between a start and finish line around a circular (sometimes straight) track. Jump Racing: This is probably the image most people have in their heads when they think of horse racing. It involves horses jumping over obstacles, like fences or ditches, to navigate the track. Harness Racing: In harness racing, the horses trot or pace, with a driver behind them in a sulky, or cart. It’s known as National Hunt racing in the UK and Ireland. Endurance Racing: These are races where the horses traverse incredible distances across the country. Racing Jargon Busted We’ll break down the various betting markets in more detail below, but first, you’ll need to understand some of the horse racing terminology that you might see. On the nose: A bet on a horse to win the race by finishing first. Place: To ‘place’ means the horse in question finishes either first or second. Show: A show bet means you’re betting on your horse to finish first, second, or third. Across the Board: A bet on one horse to win, place, and show. Daily Double: A potentially lucrative bet on two different horses to finish first in consecutive races. If you win, your odds are multiplied. Quinella: A bet on two or more horses to finish first or second in either order. Exacta: A bet on two horses to finish first or second in the exact order you picked. Trifecta: A bet on three horses to finish first, second or third in that exact order. Superfecta: A bet on four horses to finish first, second, third, and fourth. Horse racing betting online markets explained There are a variety of different markets available when you place a bet on horse racing. Let us explain. Win betting Just like any sporting event, the simplest bet to make is to back your selection to win, and it’s the same with horse racing. It’s as straightforward as it sounds. If your horse finishes first, you win, and if it doesn’t, you lose. How much you win will depend on the odds of the horse when you place your bet, although you can be paid at more favourable odds with BOG. Each-way betting Each-way betting is popular because its flexibility minimises risk. It involves two bets. One on a horse to win, and one on a different horse to place. As we explained earlier, ‘place’ means to finish first or second, but with bookies who offer extra place bets, this could be extended to third or fourth. If the horse you backed to win does win, then both your bets win, and if your other horse places, you’ll win one bet out of two. Betting without the favourite Sometimes, the favourite to win a race is odds on to win (the strong favourite), making it difficult to find value. That’s why betting without the favourite is becoming more prevalent. This bet disregards the favourite, meaning you’ll win if your horse either wins or finishes second behind the favourite. Multiple bets Multiples are the most potentially profitable horse racing bets. However, while they offer the best chance to win big, they can be pretty convoluted. The most basic form of multiple betting is called ‘Lucky 15’, which is 15 bets on four horses. The 15 bets cover every possibility between all four horses. The more winners you pick, the higher your winnings will be. You’ll also see ‘Lucky 31’, which covers five horses, and ‘Lucky 63’, which covers six horses. Horse racing betting tips: How to pick a winner Trying to pick a winning horse is more involved than picking a winner in most other sports. Thanks to this guide, you don’t have to be an expert to make an informed bet. Below, we’ll explain how you can best predict if your runner will succeed. Study the Form Studying the form of various horses is something anybody can do, even total novices. Take a look at previous horse racing results to see which horses have been winning or placing recently. This will give you a good indication of which horses are likely to run well in upcoming races. Check the Going ‘The Going’ simply means the type of track and the conditions. Some tracks have hard ground, while others have soft ground. Similarly, horse racing is held in all sorts of weather conditions that a horse may or may not like. You can check what sort of ground a horse has run well on previously, and what sort of weather conditions it tends to excel or struggle in. Match this data with the conditions for the upcoming race, and make your decision. Check distances Horses compete in races over a variety of distances. Some may be better suited to short distances, while some may come into their own over a longer distance. Try to bet on a horse that’s suitable for the distance of a race. Research trainers and jockeys This isn’t a guaranteed strategy by any means, but the biggest trainers tend to have the best horses, and the best jockeys get to take their pick of the best horses to ride on. You won’t win by picking horses trained by the biggest trainers all the time, but you’ll win some of the time. To narrow it down further, you can study which trainers and jockeys tend to do well at certain horse racing events. They might target a major festival, like Cheltenham, for example, meaning there’s a better chance they’ll perform well there. What payment methods can I use for betting on horse racing? As we explained earlier, the accepted payment methods can vary from bookie to bookie, as can the associated terms and conditions. Take a look at our table to get an idea of the most widely accepted methods, and then we’ll break down the pros and cons of each. Payment method Average withdrawal speed Acceptance rate Bank transfers 3-5 days Highly common Debit cards 2-3 days Universal Skrill Instant – 2 days Common Neteller Instant – 2 days Common PayPal Instant – 2 days Common Apple Pay/Google Pay Instant – 3 days Common Trustly Instant – 2 days Somewhat common Cryptocurrencies Instant Banned in the UK Bank transfers Bank Transfers Bank transfers are both popular and unpopular, depending on the needs of the punter. They’re by far the most secure method, so high-rollers like them, but they take the longest to process withdrawals. Debit cards Debit cards are universally accepted, and like bank transfers, they’re benefiting from the instant transaction facilities increasingly available with major banks. Non-instant cards will take around 3 days to process withdrawals. Some bookies charge you a fee for debit card withdrawals. E-wallets E-wallets, such as Neteller, offer faster withdrawals than debit cards. On top of that, they’re more private, because you don’t need to provide many documents to start using them. Acceptance of e-wallets by online bookies is more mixed, mostly because there are so many e-wallets, but most sites accept at least one. Another downside for e-wallet users is that e-wallet deposits are often ineligible for claiming bonuses. Cryptocurrency Bitcoin, Tether, etc, aren’t just fads. In fact, they’re becoming a vital part of many online betting sites. Transactions are generally instant, and they’re even more private than e-wallets. Unfortunately, crypto is not yet a legal payment method for gambling on UKGC-licensed bookies. If you want to use cryptocurrency, you’ll need to use an offshore site. If you do take the leap and explore abroad from crypto-friendly bookies, make sure you tread carefully. Only bet on licensed sites, and keep an eye out for withdrawal fees, which are common for crypto transactions. Conclusion We think any of these sites is worth a punt, but unlike some neck-and-neck horse races, there’s a clear winner here, and that’s Unibet. The sheer amount of bonuses, boosts, specials, and different kinds of bets you can place makes Unibet stand out among all the others. That said, if you want to stick with trusted and experienced UK bookies, you can’t go wrong with Ladbrokes or Coral, which both have extensive bonuses as well. The same can be said for Paddy Power, where you’ll also find more specials than you can count, with excellent live streaming. Whichever of these excellent horse racing bookies takes your bet, remember to wager in moderation. Use the responsible gambling tools provided to stay aware, on budget, and safe.