Remember the days of having to walk into your local bookmakers to place a horse racing bet? You’d have to stare at the in-house screen, choose which horse you wanted to back, write your selection down on a paper betting slip, and then hand over the cash.
Things are a lot different in 2020. Forget having to leave your house and deal with cold-hard cash. Instead, there are now heaps of top horse racing betting sites online that allow you to place bets at the click of a button. The best sites also offer a ‘Best Odds Guaranteed’ feature. This means that winning bets are paid at either the SP (starting price) or the price you took – whichever is higher!
However, with hundreds of horse betting websites now in full swing, knowing which platform to join is no easy feat. As such, we at WinnerSports.co.uk would suggest reading our guide on the Best Horse Racing Betting Sites UK of 2020.
What are Horse Racing Betting Sites UK?
As the name suggests, horse racing betting sites are online gambling platforms that allow you to place horse racing bets from the comfort of your own home. In fact, you can even place bets on your mobile phone or tablet device.
Regardless of which horse racing betting site you decide to sign up with, the process works largely the same. For example, you’ll need to open an account and then deposit funds. Once you do, you’ll then be able to access the horse racing betting markets without leaving your home.
Although the best online horse racing betting sites place a strong focus on British and Irish races, a number of platforms also allow you to access foreign markets. This includes the likes of France, India, Germany, Chile, Australia, New Zealand, and of course – the US. This allows you to place horse racing bets whenever you see fit. As we at WinnerSports.co.uk cover in the next section, horse racing bettings sites typically offer betting markets that you won’t be able to access in a traditional bookmaker branch.
What Markets do Horse Betting Sites Offer?
When you visit a high street betting shop to punt on the horses, you will be given a small selection of options. This usually includes the following:
Outright Race Winner
Each Way (E/W) Bet
Multiple Forecasts
With that being said, you will have access to substantially more betting markets when you use an online site. In fact, most horse betting sites UK allow you to tailor your betting slot however you see fit.
This includes the ability to place a bet on a horse finishing in the top 2, 3 or 4 positions (depending on the size of the race), without needing to place an E/W bet.
For example, let’s say that you like the look of a horse that is priced at 7/1 in a 12 horse race. While you don’t think that the horse will win the race, you think it has a very good chance of being placed. As such, rather than wasting your money on the win portion of an E/W bet, you can simply bet on the horse finishing in the top 3. In doing so, you’ll likely get odds of around 2/1.
Here are a couple more features that you’ll typically find at horse betting sites online – and not in a traditional bookmaker shop.
Insurance:
We’ve all been there. You placed a bet on the 3/1 favourite, which has led the race from the start. The jockey is still on the bridle and everything is pointing to a comfortable win. However, upon approaching the final fence, the horse falls! Ordinarily, you bet would be a losing one, so you’d forfeit your entire stake.
With that said, betting sites UK horse racing platforms now offer an ‘insurance’ feature. In a nutshell, by taking slightly less favourable odds, you will get a full refund in the event your selection does not complete the race (for example, it fell at the last fence).
Best Price Guaranteed:
One of the biggest advantages of using online horse racing sites is that you’ll likely be accustomed to a ‘Best Price Guaranteed’ offer on all British and Irish races. This means that you no longer need to worry about whether you should take the current odds, or go with the SP.
Instead, betting sites horse racing platforms will give you the greater of the two. For example, let’s say that you elected to take 6/4 when you placed the bet. Although the horse won, it started the race at 3/1. This would ordinarily be a frustrating outcome, as you could have got 3/1 had you opted for the SP. However, by using a horse racing betting site, you would still get 3/1 even though you took 6/4!
First Past the Post
Another interesting feature offered by horse race betting sites is that of the ‘First Past the Post’ clause. This means that you will still be paid out if your horse finished first, but it was later disqualified because of a Stewards Enquiry. If you were to use a traditional betting shop, you would have lost your bet.
However, online betting sites would still pay you out, even though the jockey was penalized because of interference. This means that the horse racing betting site pays out on two fronts – once to those that backed the eventual winner, and once to those that backed the disqualified horse!
How do Horse Racing Bet Sites Work?
So now that you know why more and more people are making the transition from outdated betting shops to the online gambling space, we are now going to give you a step-by-step overview of how horse racing betting websites work.
Step 1: Choose a Horse Racing Betting Site
You will first need to find a horse racing betting site that meets your personal needs. As of 2020, there are literally hundreds of online horse racing betting UK sites active in the market.
While this includes the best horse racing bookmakers like William Hills, Ladbrokes, Coral, and Bet 365, this also covers heaps of new betting sites.
Ultimately, on top of ensuring that the betting site is regulated by the Gambling Commission, you also need to look at payment methods, withdrawal times, odds, betting features, customer service, and more.
Step 2: Quickly Open an Account
Once you have chosen your preferred horse racing betting site, you will then need to open an account. The process takes less than two minutes and simply requires you to enter some personal information. Make sure the information is entered correctly, as you’ll need to verify it in the next step.
Step 3: Verify Your Identity
As per UK anti-money laundering laws – as well as the Gambling Commission’s codes of practice, all of the best betting site for horse racing platforms are required to verify the identity of its players. Don’t worry, this is super-easy to do, and merely requires you to upload a couple of documents.
This includes your:
ID: Passport of Driver’s License
Proof of Address: Bank Statement, Utility Bill, Tax Statement, etc.
In some cases, you might be asked to upload a copy of the front and back of your debit card – with the middle 10 numbers and CVV covered for security.
Step 4: Deposit Funds
So now that you have verified your account – which you will need to do before you can make a withdrawal, you can now deposit some funds. The specific payment methods available to you will depend on the platform you sign up with.
The best betting sites horse racing support a debit/credit card, bank transfer, and e-wallet. Apart from a bank transfer, all deposits are instant.
And that’s it! You’ve successfully opened a horse racing betting account, so you’re now ready to place your first online bet.
How do I Place a Horse Racing bet Online?
Horse racing websites make the betting process a seamless one, so prior experience is not needed. With that said, let’s explore how the betting process works when using horse racing bookmaker sites.
Choose Your Race
You will first need to choose your horse racing betting market. For example, are you looking to access the UK and Irish markets, or races hosted overseas?
If you don’t have a specific event in mind, online horse betting UK sites will list the next races that are about to start.
For example, if its 2 pm, you might see the following:
2:10: Market Rasen
2:20: Ascot
2.25: Newcastle
Choose Your Selection
Once you click on the respective horse race, you will then be shown the full race card. This includes key metrics such as the name and number of the horse, its current odds, and its recent form. Moreover, you can also see the colours and stall number of the horse, which is perfect if you’re looking to watch the race online!
Add Horse to Betting Slip
Once you have clicked on the horse that you wish to back, the selection will be added to your virtual betting slip. That’s right, never again will you need to get a paper betting slip and pen, and hand it to the betting shop assistance!
Instead, you simply need to enter the amount you want to stake, and whether you want to opt for the SP or market price. Don’t forget, if you’re using a horse racing betting site that offers Best Odds Guaranteed – and your selection is a winner, you’ll always get the higher of the two!
Watch the Race Online
Not only do sports betting sites allow you to place bets from the comfort of your own home, but you can also watch the race online! Most racing betting sites allow you to watch the race via live streaming (At the Races and Racing UK), as long as you have placed a minimum bet of 50p.
Collect Your Winnings
If you’re in a betting shop and have a winning ticket in your hand, you’d need to then exchange it for cash with the shop assistant. This isn’t a requirement when using online bookmakers horse racing sites, as winnings are automatically applied to your betting balance. As such, you can withdraw them straight out!
Bonuses at Racing Betting Sites
The online gambling industry is now super-competitive, with hundreds of operators fighting for your business. As such, platforms offer a range of bonuses and promotions to new players.
If you’re new to online betting, this means that you can claim heaps of bonuses with each site. Take note, welcome packages are for new customers only, and conditions CS apply.
In the vast majority of cases, free bets will be offered as a matched deposit bonus. This means that your initial deposit will be boosted by the horse racing betting site. This is usually at an amount of 100%, so a £100 deposit would get you a starting balance of £200.
In other cases, you might need to place an initial qualifying bet to get the bonus. Once you have, you can then use your free bet on any race of your choosing.
FAQ`s
What is the best horse racing betting site?
There are heaps of online horse betting sites to choose from, so there’s not really a stand out platform. With that said, the likes of Skybet, Betfair, and Paddy Power are hugely popular with horse racing fans. Regardless of the you choose to join, just make sure it offers responsible gambling controls (such as begambleaware org)
What is the best betting site?
If you’re looking for the best horse racing account providers, it might be worth considering new horse racing bookmakers. This is because new horse racing betting websites offer huge welcome bonuses as a means to entice you to their platform.
How do you win at horse racing?
You win at horse racing by selecting a horse that wins the race, or a horse that is placed (E/W bets).
What is the best bet for horse racing?
Horse racing online betting sites give you heaps of betting markets to choose from. Therefore, you need to choose a bet that meets your personal requirements.
Best online betting sites horse racing tips?
If you’re looking for horse racing tips at your chosen horse racing bookmakers UK site, you’ll be pleased to know that most offer a racing post publication on each race card.
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