Best Horse Racing Betting Sites (2024)

The best horse racing betting sites offer the slickest software, seamless live streams, and free bet bonuses to keep your card full. We believe an educated punter is a happy punter, which is why we have rated the top horse racing bookmakers that guarantee a great betting experience every time.

In this guide to horse racing betting sites in the UK, our expert team provide a detailed list of the 10 best bookies for horse racing and why. If you’re an experience racing punter, you can view our list of recommended new horse racing betting sites too.

New Horse Racing Betting Sites in the UK

New horse race betting sites are launched every few months. In a crowded market, the newest bookmakers must stand out. That’s why you’ll often find plenty of innovations, added features, and attractive bonuses to pull in the punters.

Some of the features of good new horse racing betting sites for UK gamblers include:

• Live streams and expert tips & analysis
• Download mobile apps for betting on the go
• Innovative features, inc. peer-to-peer betting
• In-running betting markets on selected races
• Full cash-out and partial cash-out options
• Loyalty schemes that reward regular betting
• Larger welcome bonuses for new horse racing punters

Best New Horse Racing Betting Sites

Looking for a list of promising new horse racing betting sites in the UK? Here is our pick of the field for 2024:

1. BetMGM
2. The Pools
3. BetGoodwin

How We Review Horse Racing Betting Sites

Our team reviews every angle of UK horse racing betting sites before making their recommendations. We’ll score a bookmaker on everything from its race coverage to its bonus offers, and everything in between.

Odds & Race Markets

The best bookies for horse racing should offer competitive odds throughout the week on all UK and Irish races. You should also have access to major races overseas, including daily cards in far-flung locations like South America and Australia.

Enhanced Odds & Bonuses

One advantage the best horse betting sites have over the high street is their ability to offer bigger and better bonuses. From enhanced odds and Extra Places Paid to money-back on losing 2nd places, top betting sites for horses have it made.

Live Streams

Why subscribe to Sky Sports or visit your nearest bookmaker to watch the race live? The best horse racing betting sites offer free live streaming on thousands of races each year.

Special Features

The best horse race betting sites will spice things up with innovative features that enhance your experience. We look for special features from previous results and form statistics to in-running betting on live races. You should also have a personal ‘stable’ where you can store your favourite horses for future betting.

Betting Tips & Analysis

Top horse racing betting websites should also feature the latest tips and analysis straight from the horse’s mouth (or, failing that, a leading tipster). Listen to exclusive radio previews and grab early odds before the race starts.

Security & Licensing

We only recommend and rate horse race betting sites that are licensed by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC). Every bookmaker will have a UKGC licence in place that demonstrates it has your interests and safety at heart.

Responsible Gambling

In addition, UK-licensed betting sites for horse racing will offer tools that allow you to set deposit and betting limits. You should also be able to self-exclude or take a brief time-out if you need a break.

How to Choose Horse Betting Sites For You

Choosing the best online horse racing betting sites comes down to personal preferences. We’ve highlighted some of the ways we rate bookmakers based on odds and features, but what should you look out for?

Start by working out your personal preferences. Are you a bonus hunter who only wants to scour bookies for free bets on the big races? You may want to stick to major operators who offer extra places on the biggest races like the Grand National.

Do you want live streams or are you happy waiting until after the race to find out the result? The best mobile bookmakers offer live streaming on selected races. However, it’s a pointless added tool if your mobile phone has a poor connection or you can’t handle the data usage.

And are you a fiend for tips and analysis? Savvy racing bettors should only visit sites that offer previews, tips, and detailed statistics on all races. Not all the best horse racing bookies offer these services, so it pays to do your homework first.

Types of Horse Racing Betting Sites

There is a choice of horse racing betting sites for UK customers. Unlike the high street bookmakers, you can flip between fixed odds, exchange, or pooled betting with ease.

Fixed Odds Sportsbook

A traditional fixed odds betting site offers prices set by the bookmaker. You place win or each-way bets (to come 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc) and get paid out according to the price. Once the bet has been placed, the odds don’t change.

Betting Exchange

The beauty of an online betting exchange is that you can become the bookie and set the price yourself. You either buy bets set by other gamblers, or you lay (back the horse to lose) with someone willing to buy your odds. Exchanges are also good for laying bets that you may have placed at a traditional fixed-odds bookmaker.

Tote

Tote-style betting is now available at many online horse racing sites for UK gamblers. Your race wager goes into a pool. You win a share of the pot if your horse comes in, with the pool shared between all winning customers.

Spread Betting

Horse race spread betting is riskier than traditional fixed-odds betting as you can lose big if you predict wrongly. However, the returns on spread betting for horses can be huge.

For example, you may bet on the Winning Distance of a horse by going lower (sell) or higher (buy) than the bookmaker’s prediction. The more “right” you are, the more you win. The more “wrong” your prediction is, the more you’re out of pocket.

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.

• Forecasts
• Tricasts

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.

Best Bookies For Horse Racing Festivals

Big events in horse racing are important for both horse racing betting sites and punters. Major festivals like Aintree and Cheltenham are bread and butter for bookmakers. Plus, it’s the time of year that you can bag the best odds and sports betting bonuses.

Look for tie-ins from UK bookmakers who sponsor the major races. These include Unibet (who have a big tie-in with ITV), bet365, and Betfred, all of whom have their names associated with major races.

Plus, when it comes to the Grand National, sites like William Hill and 10bet will go all out with enhanced odds, money-back deals, and more places paid.

Some names to look out for during the Grand National, Cheltenham Festival, and other big racing events are:

1. Bet365
2. William Hill
3. Betfred
4. BoyleSports
5. Unibet

How To Sign Up To Horse Racing Bookies

Signing up to a new bookmaker is easy. Here’s how to get started at the top horse racing betting sites in 6 easy steps.

1. Read our reviews and choose a bookmaker
2. Hit the ‘Claim Offer’ button
3. Complete the registration form
4. Create a username and password
5. Enter bonus code if necessary
6. Click join button

Placing a bet at Horse Racing Betting Sites

Placing a bet at one of the best horse betting sites couldn’t be simpler. We’ll take you through the process in a few simple steps:

1. Navigate to the horse racing section
2. Select a race to bet on
3. Choose a horse to bet on
4. Enter your stake
5. Choose your bet type e.g. each-way, accumulator, etc.
6. Click the place bet button

Tips For Betting at Horse Racing Sites

Smart horse racing punters live for tips. Here are some great strategies for beating the best horse racing betting sites and coming out a winner.

1. Study The Form

Studying the form is essential if you want to beat the horse betting sites. Bookmakers will display previous results for all horses and jockeys, plus the type of ground they ran on and the distance. By studying past results, you can get a feel for how a horse is going to run that day.

If you want to know what’s going on in horse racing, we’ve got you covered. Our daily racecards show you what’s happening on specific days so you can plan your betting activity.

2. Check The Non-Runners

Horses pull out for all sorts of reasons before a race. It’s important to check non-runners in horse racing to see how that affects the prices.

For example, horses may be a doubt if the ground is too hard (or too soft). If a favourite suddenly withdraws, it could impact your starting price. Luckily, most horse racing bookmakers offer NRNB (Non-Runner No Bet) in this eventuality. You receive a refund if your horse doesn’t run.

3. Shop For The Best Odds

Not all bookies offer the same horse racing odds. Therefore, it pays to shop around. Open accounts with multiple online horse racing betting sites (this is perfectly legal) and compare prices before the race to find value.

4. Listen To The Expert Tipsters

Every good horse racing betting site offers tips for the day’s races. Some online bookmakers also offer podcasts and commentary with exclusive tips straight from the horse’s mouth. Even better, you can make use of the Punters Lounge horse racing tips channel to find the hottest predictions.

5. Track the Results at Punters Lounge

From Grade 3 races to the elite end of the spectrum, our racing results gives you a complete overview of who won what. This is a great tool to combine with our racing betting tips. The reason is that it tells you which runners are in form and which ones are falling behind the pack.

How To Withdraw From Horse Racing Bookmakers

You’ve won big on the National; now you need to access your winnings from a horse racing betting site. Making a cash withdrawal is simple, but you’ll need to follow some simple processes:

1. Log in to your online betting account and open the cashier page
2. Select the preferred method of withdrawal. For the best online horse betting sites, you’ll be able to cash out using the same payment method you used to deposit.
3. Enter the amount you wish to withdraw, up to the maximum limit.
4. Enter your account password and hit the ‘Withdraw’ button.

You must supply some documents if it’s your first withdrawal or a large cashout. This is known as KYC (Know Your Customer) and is a common feature at the top horse betting sites. Simply email a scan of your driving licence, passport, or other ID card and a copy of your card statement.

Final Thoughts on Horse Racing Betting Sites

It’s easy to sign up to the best UK horse racing betting sites and place bets. Don’t do a thing without reading our reviews and deciding what sort of races you want to bet on. We recommend bet365 as a great starting point for horse racing punters in the UK. Claim free bets and find competitive odds on the biggest races taking place around the world.

Best Horse Racing Betting Site For Tips

Though the best horse racing betting sites offer tips and tricks, nothing beats the Punters Lounge app. Download the Punters Lounge app to access our expert horse racing tips before the race begins.

As well as expert racing betting tips from our team, you can see what everyone else is saying. The Punters Lounge racing forum is filled with like-minded individuals passing well-informed betting tips and discussions on the big races.

There’s even better news: you can now download the Punters Lounge forum app for your mobile phone and take it with you to the course. See what your fellow PL punters are saying about the day’s big movers and find the hottest deals online.

Horse Racing Betting Sites FAQ