Horse Racing Betting in the UK

Horse racing is the second most attended sport in the UK, which features fans from all generations. But it also attracts a lot of punters who regularly wager on horse racing events. Most of them prefer placing online bets due to simplicity and convenience.

To accommodate horse racing bettors even more, top UK online bookmakers also include competitive odds, numerous betting markets, bonuses, and much more. If you’re looking for such betting platforms, then you’re on the right page.

Best Horse Racing Betting Sites in the UK

Horse racing events are available at almost every UK betting site. But that doesn’t mean that you should join any platform. You must look for UKGC-licensed operators that offer numerous horse racing events, plenty of bonuses, various payment methods, and more. To save you some time and energy, we've decided to find, review, and list the finest horse racing sites in the UK.

The Popularity of Horse Racing in the UK

Around 6 million Brits attend horse racing events, making it the second most-spectated sport in the UK. Interestingly, 40% of all attendees are women.

In terms of income, the UK horse racing industry generates over £3.7 billion each year. This makes it a leading force in this sport on a global scale. Here are the most followed horse racing events in the UK:

  • The Grand National
  • Cheltenham Festival
  • Royal Ascot
  • Epsom Derby
  • Glorious Goodwood

Know that between 7 million and 9 million UK fans and around 500 million global fans follow the Grand National annually. As for betting, UK horse racing events accumulate over £9 billion in wagers each year.

Types of Horse Racing Betting Markets You Can Use

At UK online bookmakers, you’ll come across many different types of horse racing bets. But there are a couple of betting options that attract the most attention. We’ll cover and explain these markets below this segment, so you know what to expect from them.

Win, Place, and Show Bets

With the win bet, you get to choose only one horse that you believe will win the race. The place bet requires your horse to finish 1st or 2nd for you to get a payout. For the show bet, the horse that you pick needs to end the race as 1st, 2nd, or 3rd.

Each-Way Bet

This betting market consists of two bets. One is for the horse to win the race, and the other is for it to get a place. If the horse manages to win, then you'll collect both payouts. But if it just gets a place, you’ll only receive the second part of the wager.

Exacta and Quinella Bets

The exacta bet requires you to correctly guess the horses that will end in the 1st and 2nd spots. With the quinella bet, you also pick the 2 finishers, but their order is irrelevant. It's a somewhat safer bet compared to exacta.

Trifecta, Superfecta, and Super Hi-5 Bets

A trifecta bet allows you to gamble on the first 3 finishers of the horse racing event. The superfecta bet requires correctly guessing the first 4 race finishers. As for super hi-5, you must pick the first 5 finishers to collect a payout.

Multi-Race Exotic Bets

Here, you can choose a daily double bet, which requires picking the winner of 2 consecutive races. The same type of betting market comes with options such as pick 3, 4, 5, or 6 bets. Know that the risk increases with every consecutive-race win you include.

Useful Horse Racing Betting Tips

Horse racing betting can be tricky for punters who are just starting out. As such, we've decided to provide a couple of useful tips. Here’s what you need to know:

  • Stick to simple bets – you should start off with win, place, and show bets and work your way up. Once you gain some experience, you can carefully experiment with other markets.
  • Analyse the horse racing events – this is crucial as it will give you an insight into what to expect. Check the horses' and jockeys' form, the terrain and condition, the course distance, etc.
  • Don’t bet on too many races – it’s hard to keep up with multiple races at a time. As such, you should focus more on quality than quantity.

Horse Racing Betting – One of the Most Attractive Betting Forms in the UK

The UK is one of the few places in the world where locals massively and traditionally bet on horse racing events. The entire process is very simple, as you join a UKGC-licensed betting site, fund your account, and start wagering. To find the best UK horse racing bookmakers, we recommend checking the list we provided on his page.