New Customer Offers
The best horse racing betting sites offer a range of exciting offers and bonuses. Horse bookmakers actually reward loyal customers more than new players, so it pays to stick around and reap weekly rewards.
Welcome Bonus
A sign-up bonus, aka a welcome bonus, is a reward given to new customers. The value of the bonus will vary between horse racing sites. In most cases, you’ll receive money back on losing bets or free horse racing bets directly into your account.
Our expert team has reviewed the top horse racing betting sites to see what promotions they’ve got on offer. What’s more, we’re able to use our industry contacts to broker exclusive deals. When you use our sports betting promo codes, you can get even more added value at the best horse racing betting sites in the UK.
Free Bets
Imagine a bookie is offering new customers a £50 free bet. That’s great. However, when you look further into it, you have to deposit £1,000 to release the free credits. Suddenly it’s gone from a great deal to one you should avoid.
Money Back
A common welcome bonus is a cashback deal on your first losing race. You must make a first deposit and qualifying bet. If it loses, you receive money back into your account, usually in the form of a free bet. You may need to clear a wagering requirement first before accessing your money.
Existing Customer Promotions
Retention bonuses are a common feature of all the best online horse racing betting sites. From free bets on big races to enhanced odds and loyalty perks, UK bookmakers have you covered.
Best Odds Guaranteed
Horse racing bookmakers are always competing for your attention. As a result, many of the biggest brands offer “best odds guaranteed”. Sites that offer the best odds guaranteed will match the best available odds for any race, even if the SP (Starting Price) is lower.
Money-Back Specials
The money-back bonus is great insurance if your horse lets you down. The most popular form of this promotion is the Beaten-By-The-Head deal. You are refunded in the form of a free bet (usually up to a maximum of £10) if your horse is beaten by a head or length. Similarly, you may receive a free bet if your horse finishes second, regardless of the distance.
Non-Runner No-Bet (NRNB)
In high-street bookmakers, you usually lose your stake if your horse doesn’t turn up at the tape. (However, some bookies on the UK high streets are altering this rule). With Non-Runner Non-Bet, you receive a refund if your horse doesn’t race. We recommend top UK bookmakers with a solid high-street presence like Betfred for this type of bonus.
Price Boosts
Enhanced odds and price boosts are offered at all the best horse racing betting sites. Selected runners and riders are given a brief odds boost for a short time only. Price boosts are a good way to grab some extra value if you want to back the favourite.
Acca Bonus
The acca bonus is a feature of all the best horse racing betting sites in the UK that rewards winning multiple bets. You Heinz, Lucky 15, or Yankee is boosted by 10% or more, depending on how many legs your betting slip contains.
Extra Places Paid
The ‘Extra Places Paid’ bonus is a feature at the best bookmakers in the UK. It’s a way to attract customers to bet on unpredictable races with large fields, such as the Grand National. For example, Bet365 will pay up to five or six places for the Grand National and Cheltenham Gold Cup.
Look for Each-Way specials at horse racing bookies like bet365. This feature allows you to choose how many each-way places the race will pay out. The more places you choose to pay out, the shorter the odds.
Betting Markets
The best horse racing betting sites offer a range of markets for each race. You can bet on a single winner (something you weren’t able to do in the dark days of UK betting), or combine multiple horses in one wager.
The each-way bet has two parts: half your stake goes on the horse to win, with the other half backing the nag to place second, third, or maybe fourth too.
- Win (Win only)
- Each-Way (Place: 2nd-6th)
In addition, some horse racing betting websites adopt the Tote model and let you back forecasts. These are special bets where you must correctly predict the first 2-3 horses to come in.
Accumulators
Accas are a common and popular option at the best online horse betting sites. You combine multiple selections on one betting slip. The more correct predictions you make, the more you win. However, accas are great for hedging your bets if one or two horses lose.
- Doubles (two correct wins)
- Trebles (three correct wins)
- Yankees (11 individual bets)
- Lucky 15 (15 individual bets)
- Heinz (6 selections, 57 bets, inc. 15 doubles, 20 trebles, 15 four-folds, 6 five-folds, 1 six-fold)
Special Features
The best horse racing sites need to stand out, and they achieve this with a raft of special features.
Cashout/Partial Cashout
The cashout is a great way to secure an early payout without seeing the race through. More commonly associated with football betting, cashouts are sometimes possible in horse race betting.
The bookmaker will offer you a cash sum to settle your bet early before the race ends. It can be good to settle early if your horse has a 5-length lead, especially if you’re worried about the rider getting tired.
Cashouts have become so popular in recent years that many of the biggest horse racing betting sites now offer partial cashouts. This option allows you settle a portion of your bet early and let the rest ride.
In-Running Betting
In-play betting, also known as live betting, isn’t as popular for horse racing events as it is with football betting sites. However, most modern UK online betting sites will let you make picks once a race is underway. Naturally, there is a cut-off point i.e. you can’t make a bet when a horse is a nose from the finishing line. However, you can make in-play bets once a race has started.
Competitive Odds
The best horse racing betting sites offer competitive odds for all major races. Even if you bet at small stakes, missing out on a 6/1 price with one bookmaker by taking the 5/1 with a rival means you’re losing out long-term.
However, it can still pay to shop around. Enhanced odds and profit boosts can come and go, and you need to be on your toes to grab value wherever you find it.
Live Streaming
Live streaming has become a cornerstone of the horse racing world in recent years. The ability to watch races in real-time online or through a horse betting apps is now standard. Every major racing bookmaker will offer live streams and even exclusive radio commentary. You can even view past races to catch up on a horse’s form.
Mobile App
The best horse racing betting sites now provide a full mobile option for customers. You can install a downloadable app for your Android or Apple device, then stream races live or make instant payments. You can even use Apple Pay or Google Pay to transfer cash.
Good mobile apps should be perfectly tailored to your smartphone. The horse racing lobby should be easy to navigate, and there shouldn’t be any loss of usability when you’re hunting out form, stats, and live streams.
Payment Options
The best horse racing bookies allow instant payments via debit card, e-Wallet, or bank transfer. Licenced and regulated betting sites will protect your funds and encrypt every transaction. Plus, you’ll have access to an independent resolution provider if you want to complain about slow withdrawals. By and large, the top horse racing betting websites won’t charge a penny for making deposits or withdrawals.
Debit cards like VISA and MasterCard are safe, secure ways to transfer cash from your current account. The minimum deposits are low (around £5-10) and you can make withdrawals that are processed within a few days.
The best PayPal betting sites also let you move GBP from a secure online wallet to your gambling account. Some fees may apply, but withdrawals are usually processed within a day or two.
Easy Site Navigation
Usability is an essential part of any of the best bookies for horse racing. The site design has a massive impact on how quickly you can find your favourite horses and trainers, and how fast you can place bets.
Quick Customer Support
The final thing to look for when you’re sizing up horse racing betting sites in the UK is customer service. Good betting sites for horse racing must offer a detailed FAQ or How-To page as a first port of call.
For more serious issues, you must have access to 24-hour support, or at least customer service that’s open during UK racing hours. A friendly and helpful live chat service is a must too.
