HORSE racing is one of the great British pastimes, but finding the best horse race betting sites in the UK can be challenging.
With so many websites trying to sell you a ticket on every horse, you must make sure that you choose from the best online bookies to place your bets securely and without hassle. Our team has done all the hard work for you and given their verdict on the UK's top horse race betting sites.
Top 10 betting sites for horse racing UK
- Tote
- William Hill
- BetUK
- BetVictor
- Betway
- bet365
- 888sport
- Unibet
- Parimatch
- kwiff
A closer look at the best horse racing betting sites
Here are some of the top sports betting sites where you can place your horse racing bets.
Tote
Tote free bets offer
Bet £5, get £20 in free bets
18+ New UK & ROI customers, online only. Place your first bet on racing pools for a minimum of £/€5 and win or lose you will receive £/€20 Tote Credit. £/€20 Tote Credit rewarded as £/€10 redeemable against racing bets only and £/€10 redeemable against UK and Irish placepot bets only. Tote Credit cannot be withdrawn, exchanged, or substituted and expires after 7 days. The qualifying bet is the first racing pool bet added to the bet slip. Ten to Follow, virtual and football bets do not qualify. Totewin will be the qualifying bet when a Totewin and a Toteplace bet are struck at the same time. Full T&Cs apply. BeGambleaware.org.
SIGN UP
Pros
- The first name in horse racing
- The mobile app is available for Android and Apple devices
- Customer service is available 24/7 via chat
- The welcome offer is lucrative
Cons
- Not too many payment methods are offered
William Hill
William Hill
Bet £10, get £30 in free bets*
Pros
- Bet builder is available
- One of the top sites for racing and football betting
- A wide range of markets are covered
Cons
- Not too many payment methods offered
BetUK
BetUK sign up
Bet £10 get £30 in Free Bets
18+ New customers on mobile only | 7 days to claim and stake £10 minimum bet at odds of 1.5 or greater to qualify. Free, void, cashed out or partially cashed out bets do not qualify. Max 3x £10 free bets credited on bet settlement. Free bets must be used on 4 or more selections with selection odds of 1.3 or greater. Free bets are non-withdrawable and stake not returned with winnings. 7-day expiry. BeGambleAware.org. Full T&Cs apply
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Pros
- Big betting market
- The mobile app is reliable and easy to use
- Impressive features, including live streaming, are available
Cons
- The specials could have been better
BetVictor
BetVictor
Bet £10 get £40
18+| Opt-in, bet £10+ at odds 2.00+ within 7 days. No cash-out. Get 3x £10 Free Bets on selected events. Plus a £10 Slot Bonus, selected games, and wager 20x to withdraw a max £250. 7-day expiry. Card payments only. T&Cs apply.
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Pros
- Wide range of horse races available to bet
- The odds offered are competitive
- Bonus is attractive
- Live streaming is available
Cons
- The site is very busy on mobile
Betway Sports
Betway sign up
Deposit £5 at Betway
SIGN UP
Pros
- Vast sports betting markets are available
- Various payment methods are available
- The odds are competitive
Cons
- Customer support is not that great when issues arise
bet365
bet365 sign up
Bet 10 get £50 in free bets
18+ only | New customers only. Bet £10, get £50 in free bets. Minimum deposit requirement. Free bets are paid as bet credits and are available for use upon settlement of qualifying bets. All bets must be settled in 30 days. T&Cs apply
SIGN UP
Pros
- Top rated bookmaker
- Daily customer promotions and bonus codes are available
- The interface is easy to use
- Wide range of betting markets
Cons
- Accumulators limited to fourteen legs
888sport
888sport
Get £30 in free bets + £10 casino bonus with £10 deposit
18+ | New customer offer • Min deposit £10 • A qualifying bet is a ‘real money stake of at least £10 • Min odds 1/2 (1.50) • Free Bets credited upon qualifying bet settlement and expire after 7 days • Free Bet stakes not included in returns • Casino Bonus must be claimed within 7 days and expires after 14 days • To withdraw any winnings from the Casino Bonus, wager the bonus amount 40 times within 14 days • Full T&Cs apply
SIGN UP
Pros
- The registration process is simple
- One of the top-rated bookies in the industry
- Various betting options
Cons
- Bonuses are not available for all locations
Unibet
Unibet sign up
Get money back betting offers at Unibet
SIGN UP
Pros
- The web page and app are easy to use
- The rewards program is impressive
- Competitive offers available for new players
Cons
- The app is basic and lacks a few features
Parimatch
Parimatch sign up
Bet £5, get £30 in bonuses
18+. New Customers. Opt In, bet £5 (odds 2.00+) within 7 days of registration & get 2x £10 Free Bets for set events (odds 2.00+) + £10 Slots Bonus for Gold Blitz, 35x wagering to withdraw max £250. Bonuses expire in 7 days. Card Payments only. T&Cs Apply,
SIGN UP
Pros
- A vast array of sports available to bet
- Live streams are also available
- Withdrawals are processed quickly
- App is efficient
- Competitive odds offered
Cons
- Account verification takes time
- Does not support too many major languages
kwiff
kwiff sign up
Bet £10 get £20
18+ only | New customers only. Min. deposit of £/€10. Qualifying real money bet of £/€10. Min odds greater than or equal to 1.5 required. E/W bets excluded. Offer credited within 48 hours. More T&Cs apply.
SIGN UP
Pros
- The sign-up offer is generous
- Promos offered are competitive
- Live streaming for horse racing is available
Cons
- Banking methods are limited
Horse racing betting UK odds explained
Horse race betting odds are simple odds that state a horse's chances of winning a race. Traditionally, betting odds were posted at the track where races are scheduled to take place.
The odds are available online with the top sportsbooks in today's digital world. Read on to understand more about these odds.
When you see the odds listed, you will see numbers displayed next to a horse. For example, 4-7 or 3-6. In this scenario, the first number is how much you win or your returns, and the second number is the min deposit.
Let's elaborate further with the above example. For every £7 you bet, you win £4, or for every £6 you bet, you win £3. When you wager higher amounts, you need to do the math and figure out your potential winnings.
Some sportsbooks would write these odds as 5/2 and pronounce them as 'five to two'. It still means the same thing. For every £2 you bet, you win £5. The final payout for this bet would be £7 (£2 invested plus the winning £5). Below are the type of odds you will encounter for each race.
Morning Line Odds
Morning line odds are the first odds of the race day. The track's handicapper places these odds. It's not wise to set too much stock by these odds as they are bound to change throughout the day.
Changing odds
These odds change throughout the day, and it usually fluctuates depending on how many people bet on a horse.
Favourites
Every race has a favourite, and their odds will differ from the rest of the horses. If two or more horses are favourites to win a race, a "JF" would appear against their names. This stands for joint-favourite.
Probability
Some races would state probabilities rather than odds. It would be written as 1/1. In this scenario, the first number is the probability of failure, and the second is for success.
1/1 means the horse has a 50% probability of winning. 2/1 means the horse has a 33% chance of success, and so on.
Most Popular Horse Racing UK Bet Types
Below are the most popular horse racing bets.
Standard wagers – Standard wagers are popular horse race bets that are made based on win, place and show. The minimum amount required to place a bet is usually £2, with larger wagers costing more. This wager type is used in horse racing to reduce the chances of foul play or cheating by placing bets on horses with a good chance of winning.
Exacta bet – Exacta bet is a wager on which horses will finish the race first and second, in the correct order. Exactas are typically made by placing a bet on each horse nominated for an exacta wager.
Quinella bet – Quinella bet (Quinnbet) is a popular horse race bet type in which punters select the first and second-place winners in any order. This is a form of betting on a horse race in which the punter bets on selecting the first and second-place winners in any order.
Trifecta bet – Trifecta bet allows bettors to predict the exact order in which three horses will finish in a race. The wager is placed on which horse will finish first, second, and third.
Super High 5 – Super high 5 bet requires the selection of the first five finishers in their exact order.
Horse racing betting offers
The best way to find the top horse racing betting offers is to do your research and look at reviews and ratings for the site.
Another important thing to look for is what type of wagering options they offer. You may want to look at the number of bets you can place on each race event or even how many races you can place a bet on in one day.
Some websites only allow bets on one or two races per day, while others allow bets on as many races as you want per day.
How to choose the best horse racing betting app
When picking horse race betting apps, make sure that the app is available on iOS and Android. That way, you don't have to worry about which device you use or whether your phone is compatible with the app.
Second, make sure that the app has a wide variety of options when it comes to betting. You want to be able to find something that will work best for your tastes, so make sure that there are plenty of options available in terms of how much you can bet and when you can bet.
Thirdly, check out reviews online before downloading an app, so you know what people think about it before deciding whether or not to download it yourself.
Last but not least, remember how important security is when choosing an app! Make sure the app has security protocols in place.
Best UK payment methods for online horse racing betting
Since credit cards are no longer allowed when placing bets, here's a look at the most popular payment methods when betting in the UK.
- Debit Cards
- PayPal
- E-Wallets (Neteller & Skrill)
- Apple Pay
- Pay via telephone bill (used rarely)
- Bank Transfers
How to sign up to a horse racing betting site
Signing up with a horse race betting site is straightforward. Here are some simple steps to follow:
- You start by picking your favourite site from our list
- Most of the sites we've picked only ask for a few basic details
- You'll be asked for your full name, email ID, contact details, permanent address, and a password
- Once the account is created, you'll be asked to email the site operator all copies of important documents. This is done for verification purposes.
How to place a bet on horse racing
Now that you know how to sign up with a horse racing site, here's how you can place a bet.
- Login to your betting account
- Select your preferred payment method
- Make a deposit
- Check the odds and place your bets
A responsible gambler is someone who:
- Establishes time and monetary limits before playing
- Only gambles with money they can afford to lose
- Never chase their losses
- Doesn’t gamble if they’re upset, angry, or depressed
- Gamcare – www.gamcare.org.uk
- Gamble Aware – www.begambleaware.org
For help with a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 or go to www.gamstop.co.uk to be excluded from all UK-regulated gambling websites.
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