Horse Racing Betting Sites 2025: Best UK Bookmakers

Online betting has changed dramatically over the years. One thing that’s remained the same, however, is the popularity of horse racing.

The thrill of watching a race you’ve placed a bet on is unmatched, and it’s why betting and horse racing are so unshakeably linked. The evolution of online gambling has only made this bond even stronger, allowing bookies to build more extensive coverage and deeper markets.

However, with so many bookies available, choosing the right site to bet on can feel overwhelming. That’s why we’ve reviewed ten of the best horse racing betting sites, so you don’t have to go searching. Our guide investigates the available odds, welcome bonuses, racing-specific promotions, live streaming options, and more, to help you narrow it down.

Best horse racing betting sites UK in 2025

• Coral Casino: A vastly experienced bookie with great odds, loads of promotions, and live streaming.
• Ladbrokes Casino: Ladbrokes covers domestic and international horse racing and has unique racing specials.
• Betfred: A streamlined betting site with multiple racing promotions and seamless live streaming.
• Virgin Bet: A reputable operator offering fast withdrawals, live streaming, and daily odds boosts.
• Bwin: Bwin’s user-friendly site offers flexible horse racing specials and fast withdrawals.
• Paddy Power: Paddy Power is a comprehensive racing bookie with regular jackpots up for grabs.
• Betfair: A responsible operator offering live streaming and favourable odds via the betting exchange.
• Unibet Casino: Unibet offers live streaming of domestic and international events, as well as numerous horse racing specials.
• Betway: A mobile-optimised bookie with competitive odds on major events and HD live streaming.

UK Horse Racing Betting Sites – Compared and Analysed

Coral Casino

It’s no exaggeration to say that Coral is one of the best horse racing betting sites you can join. Coral has markets on every event in the British racing calendar, including the Grand National, Cheltenham, the Royal Ascot festival, and more. Coral also has markets on Irish racing, as well as options to bet on races in Spain, France, India, Australia, and the USA. You can even bet on virtual racing.

Coral’s horse racing platform is packed with features. You can bet on live events, build your own racecard, and take advantage of odds boosters. The bookie promises the best odds guaranteed, meaning if your qualifying bet wins, and the starting price is bigger, Coral will pay out at the bigger odds. It might sound counterintuitive, but there might actually be too many features. We noticed some glitches on the website with various menus popping in and disappearing again.

New users can pick up a couple of welcome offers. In return for your first £5 sports bet, you’ll get £20 in free bets. Then, if you make a £10 bet, you’ll get £40 in free bets. That’s before we even get into the horse racing promotions, which are plentiful. Our favourite is the ‘Too Close To Call’ offer, which will pay you as a winner if your horse finishes second by a head or less. You can also get 10 free casino spins if you make a £20 racing bet.

Coral accepts debit cards like Visa and e-wallets like Neteller. Fast withdrawals are possible via instant banking, instant cards, and e-wallets.

Pros

• Wide range of markets.
• A huge amount of horse racing bonuses.
• Best odds guaranteed.
• In-play betting.

Cons

• Payment information is hard to find.
• The site could be tidied up.

Ladbrokes Casino

It’s hard not to think of horse racing when you think of Ladbrokes. The Entain-backed giant offers in-play betting, accumulators, futures, daily odds boosts, and more. You’ll easily find markets on UK and Irish racing, but scroll down, and you’ll find a whole range of international markets as well, including races in the USA and India.

We’re big fans of the horse racing specials at Ladbrokes. Just click on the tab to see the available bets. Ladbrokes guarantees the best odds on UK and Irish horse racing, and you can add up to ten races in events from all over the world to your racecard. If you like tote betting, Ladbrokes has guaranteed place pots of £ 50,000. The bookie even offers extra places on selected races.

If you opt into the ‘Race Day Rewards’, you can get 10 free spins to use on the casino when you make a £20 racing bet. Punters can also take advantage of daily racing odds boosts.

You can bet using debit cards like Mastercard, bank transfers, and e-wallets like PayPal. Instant withdrawals are possible via instant debit cards and instant bank transfers.

If you tend to get carried away, you can set a deposit limit on your account to help you stay within your budget. However, other responsible gambling tools were conspicuously absent. Plenty of other horse racing betting sites let you set reality check notifications and loss limits, for example.

Pros

• Huge guaranteed placepots.
• Unique specials.
• Futures on Ascot and more.
• Multiple racing bonuses.

Cons

• Some safer gambling tools are absent.
• Payment information is buried beneath menus.

Betfred

Betfred isn’t as laser-focused on the sport of kings as the Entain brands, but we still rate it as one of the best horse racing betting sites on the market. That’s because it provides everything a racing fan needs, including live streaming and in-play betting. You can even listen to radio commentary while browsing the website.

We like the simple filter between UK, Irish racing and international racing, allowing you to view both in the same panel rather than scrolling down. Plus, if you’re seeking horse betting tips, the ‘Betfred Insights’ page has a handy blog full of tips and insights. You can also see tips and course information while viewing specific races.

The Betfred welcome offer includes £50 in free sports bets in return for a £10 bet. It’s an excellent entry point for less experienced horse racing fans. Betfred also offers best odds guaranteed daily from 8 am, as well as extra place races. You can receive a 10% cash bonus on winning tricast bets, as well as multiplied odds on Lucky 15, Lucky 31, and Lucky 63 bets that settle with a single winner.

You’re unlikely to find better payments and withdrawal speeds on other horse racing betting sites. While the payment options are limited, Betfred still accepts Visa, Mastercard, Skrill, and PayPal. Withdrawals won’t take longer than 6 hours for any method, unless you use standard bank transfers.

Betfred offers a range of responsible gambling tools, but we believe horse betting sites should provide all of them. Deposit limits, time-outs, reality check notifications and self-exclusion are all present. The addition of loss limits and session limits would round this off nicely.

Pros

• Best odds guaranteed.
• Live streaming.
• Uncluttered platform.
• Variety of racing promotions.

Cons

• More payment options would be welcome.
• More budgeting & exclusion tools could be added.

Virgin Bet

Virgin Bet offers favourable odds on UK and Irish horse racing, as well as several international markets, including France and Chile. You can bet on popular events like the Grand National or the Kentucky Derby with the help of tips and insights you’ll find onsite. Check out form guides, track conditions, jockey performance and trainer performance to make the most informed bet. Live streaming and in-play betting are available on the website or via the mobile app.

Horse racing fans can place win bets, each-way bets, tricasts, and futures. The daily specials are also worth checking out for some more niche markets, like how many winners a jockey will ride.

The promotions page feels a bit outdated. Virgin could implement a side-scrolling bar or directional buttons to improve navigation. The bonuses you’ll find are, at least, decent, without being incredibly numerous. New punters can claim £30 in free bets for betting £10 on any sport. Our favourite horse racing promotion is the money-back guarantee, which will pay you back with a free bet of up to £10 if your bet loses in selected ITV races. Virgin does have best odds guaranteed, but only from 10 am, so it’s a little more difficult to beat the market.

Virgin will process all withdrawals to PayPal, Visa & Mastercard debit cards, and bank accounts within 24 hours. For the fastest withdrawals, opt for one of the accepted e-wallets. Expect a 3-day wait for withdrawals with other methods.

The bookie has a comprehensive responsible gambling section with helpful resources. If you want to, you can enable deposit limits, reality checks, or take a time-out.

Pros

• Dedicated mobile app.
• Horse racing tips onsite.
• Money-back guarantee offer.
• Daily specials.

Cons

• Some elements are outdated.
• Fewer racing promotions than other bookies.

Sky Bet

Thanks to Sky’s unrivalled horse racing coverage, the sport of kings takes pride and place on Sky Bet’s platform. Punters can bet live, stream events, build accumulators, and more on the website or the app. In addition to the live streaming, expert tips are available for UK and Irish races. Sky Bet also has markets for international events in Japan and Australia.

Punters can place win bets, each-way bets, multiples, triples, or futures. You can also bet on jockey and trainer specials in a variety of markets. Sky Bet offers boosted horse racing odds every day, as well as extra place races.

New bettors will receive £30 in free bets after making their first bet. Afterwards, you’ll discover that Sky’s racing promotions are more extravagant than most horse racing betting sites. Our favourite is the racing predictor game. If you select seven winners, you could win a huge jackpot. There’s also the Sky Bet Prize Drops, which offer the chance to win massive prizes after opting in. If you join the Sky Bet Club, you’ll get to choose a reward, like free bets or price boosts, every week.

Sky Bet could stand to accept a few more payment methods, but fast withdrawals are available at least. All Visa debit cards, participating Mastercard cards, and instant bank transfers can be used for withdrawals, which take up to 4 hours. Apple Pay is also an accepted option for deposits only.

The platform’s responsibility tools include a profit and loss tracker, deposit limits, cool-offs, and self-exclusion. There are also links to external sources of support.

Pros

• Established bookie.
• Fast withdrawals are available.
• Live streaming.
• Daily odds boosts.

Cons

• More payment methods wouldn’t go amiss.
• Lack of accessible horse racing bonuses.

Bwin

Bwin offers competitive odds on a number of UK and Irish horse racing markets. It also has odds on international events in France, Japan and Qatar. The site is easy to use, allowing punters to easily filter between domestic and international events. You’ll find ‘Timeform Tips’ towards the top of the page for every event, providing valuable insight before you make your bet.

Unfortunately, Bwin doesn’t have the live streaming and in-play betting facilities of other horse racing sites. It excels in other ways, though, particularly with the unique and flexible bets you can place. In addition to win bets and each way bets, you can bet on the winning distance, or place ‘win by X length’ bets. Bwin also offers futures on a variety of major events, including the Balmoral Handicap, the Lexus Melbourne Cup, and the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.

There’s a decent money-back guaranteed option, where you can bet on a selection to win the race. If your bet doesn’t win but still finishes in the money back positions, your horse racing stake will be returned to you. Bwin also offers intriguing daily specials, like the ability to combine a distance win bet with a bet on a particular horse to finish in the top 3.

Bwin accepts debit cards, e-wallets (such as PayPal), and bank transfers. If you use instant banking or a fast debit card like Visa Fast Funds, instant withdrawals are possible. E-wallets take 8 hours, and all other methods take around 3 days.

The platform could expand its responsible gambling tools, with only deposit limits, cool-offs or full-blown exclusion available.

Pros

• User-friendly platform.
• Markets on a wide variety of events.
• Money-back guarantee offers.
• Fast withdrawals are available.

Cons

• No live streaming.
• Lack of safer gambling tools.

Paddy Power

Paddy Power is renowned for its humorous marketing campaigns, but its horse racing platform is no joke. The Irish bookie has a huge amount of markets on UK and Irish racing, as well as events from France, North America, South Africa, and more. We’d like to see some filtering added to the events page to eliminate the need for scrolling, but otherwise, we can’t fault the site. Paddy Power has seamless live streaming and lets you easily add the most popular accumulators to your bet slip.

The horse racing tab brings you directly to the specials page, and it’s easy to see why. Paddy Power has a deeper selection of trainer specials and jockey specials than the competition. It also has daily extra places and futures for a wide range of popular events like Aintree and Newmarket.

New punters can get £30 in free sports bets when they make their first bet worth £5. You could use this on any of the best odds guaranteed events, which are open from 8 am, giving you the chance to place your stake early. If you fancy yourself a horse racing expert, you could give ‘The Eliminator’ a try. In this game, you select multiple horses, and if you pick six winners, you’ll win a £10,000 jackpot.

PayPal, Skrill, and the like will process withdrawals within 24 hours. Strangely, e-wallet users are excluded from claiming most of the bonuses, which is bound to be annoying for plenty of punters. As well as bonuses, debit card users also enjoy instant withdrawals with fast-transfer cards. Withdrawals are also instant using instant banking.

Pros

• BOG from 8 am.
• Live streaming.
• Convenient features.
• Regular £10K jackpot game.

Cons

• Filtering options would improve the site.
• E-wallet users cannot claim bonuses.

Betfair

Betfair is one of the most popular horse racing betting sites thanks to the betting flexibility it offers and its outstanding commitment to responsible gambling. It offers decent odds on UK and Irish racing, and you can easily filter to find markets from races in Italy, the USA, Canada, and more. Betfair lets you stream races live, and aids your betting with expert insight on form and course conditions.

You can make win bets and each way bets, as well as place bets and tricasts. On certain races, you’ll get your money back as a free bet if your horse finishes second. If you want to get more specific, you can do so with bets on win distance, the number of lengths races are won by.

New users can make a £10 bet and receive £50 to use on bet builders, accumulators, and multiples. It’s a generous and flexible welcome offer, but we must note the lack of ongoing promotions that follow it. Betfair used to offer best odds guaranteed, but it no longer does. We’re unsure why, but if you want sharper odds, you can always try the Exchange, where you’ll be betting against other punters rather than the bookie.

When it comes to responsible gambling, Betfair is faultless. Links to the safer gambling tools are at the top of the homepage, which you don’t often see on horse racing betting sites. The bookie has everything you might need, including deposit limits, loss limits, a profit and loss calculator, reality checks, and time-outs.

Pros

• Live streaming.
• Flexible horse racing betting.
• Generous welcome offer.
• Excellent responsible gambling approach.

Cons

• The bonuses could be expanded.
• No BOG for online horse betting.

Unibet Casino

If you need proof that Unibet takes racing seriously, look at the homepage. Racing has its own dedicated section, separate from the sportsbook. If you’re still wondering, have a glance at the staggering amount of racing promotions available to punters.

As a Swedish operator, Unibet is one of the few sites UK players can use to bet on events in Sweden or Norway. But options aren’t limited to Scandinavia; Unibet has markets on UK & Irish racing as well as a number of international events in Turkey and the USA, all with live streaming. Its all-encompassing nature makes Unibet one of the best online horse racing betting sites.

The racing bonuses are almost too plentiful to count. To start, new punters can get £40 in bonuses in return for a £10 bet. The racing welcome includes two £10 bets in return for a £20 racing stake. Bettors can get their odds boosted three times daily with Uniboost, and they can also get their accumulators boosted three times a day. You can create flexible, layered bets with the Bundle Bets and the Same Day Multis. The bookie also offers the best odds guaranteed, extra places, and money-back specials for eligible races. The sheer amount offered to players firmly cements Unibet as one of the best UK horse racing betting sites.

Unibet accepts Apple Pay, Visa, Mastercard, bank transfers and Trustly. While a few more payment options wouldn’t go amiss, fast withdrawals are available via instant bank transfers and debit cards.

Pros

• An incredible amount of bonuses.
• Huge betting flexibility.
• Live streaming.
• Best odds guaranteed.

Cons

• The payment options could be expanded.
• The welcome bonus is slightly misleading.

Betway

Betway is highly regarded among punters for its competitive horse betting odds, particularly for major UK and Irish races, like Cheltenham or the Irish Grand National. Generally, Betway offers broad racing markets, and you can also find odds for events in the USA, France, Japan, and more. The Betway mobile app is only available for download on the Apple App Store so far, which is a pity for Android users. Fortunately, the site is also optimised for use on mobile browsers.

Unfortunately, there aren’t any horse racing-specific bonuses, but there are a couple of interesting welcome offers you can easily use for horse betting online. Upon registration, Betway will give you a free bet equal to the amount of your first deposit, capped at £30. You can also get a refund of up to £50 in free bets if your first sports bet loses.

While Betway doesn’t have as many bonuses as other bookies, its platform is up there with the best. It’s easy to find the events you’re looking for, and you can live-stream races from the UK and Ireland. You’ll see Timeform Tips before you bet, which will help you make the most informed decisions. Bettors can take a punt on tricast bets, bets without the favourite, or even insure bets on eligible races, where you will still be paid as a winner if your horse finishes second.

Betway payment methods, for some reason that we cannot fathom, are not listed anywhere on the site. So, for those who need to know, debit cards, bank transfers, PayPal, and Trustly are all accepted.

Pros

• Competitive odds.
• Live streaming.
• Two welcome offers.
• Smooth mobile performance.

Cons

• Lack of horse racing bonuses.
• Vague on payment options.

How we review horse betting sites

Our first job as reviewers is to ensure punters have a smooth, safe, and, most importantly, legal betting experience. Before we dig into odds, markets, or promotions, we make sure we’re sending you to legitimate, high-quality bookies. Here’s how we can quickly tell if a horse racing betting site is on the level.

Licensing

All online betting is a risk, but wagering on unlicensed horse racing betting sites is just plain reckless. Punters who use unlicensed sites have no legal protection if they become involved in a dispute. That’s why we don’t recommend them. Thankfully, in the UK, all forms of online gambling are regulated by the United Kingdom Gambling Commission. We cross-reference the license number found on a bookie’s website with the UKGC’s official record. This way, we know somebody is holding them accountable, and that bettors have protection.

Security

For security, we believe that online bookmakers should have 128-bit SSL encryption at a minimum. We check that this is the case before recommending any horse racing betting site. These days, most platforms will actually use 256-bit encryption. Either way, encryption technology scrambles the data being sent between users and the website itself, ensuring valuable personal and financial data can’t be hijacked.

Customer support

Customer support is a vital part of any betting operation. If you have an issue, you want to know it can be resolved fast. But sadly, the quality and competence of customer service can vary wildly between sites. For any site that we recommend, we first check that customer support is easily contactable. Live chat should be available, with human agents responsive 24/7. Sites that palm off customer service responsibilities on bots don’t impress us, and probably never will.

Mobile experience

There wouldn’t be much point in recommending horse racing betting sites that didn’t run well on mobile. Whether you’re busy at work, at the pub, or would just rather reach into your pocket than boot up a PC, you’re much more likely to have a flutter on your phone. We don’t mind if a platform has a mobile app or not; all we care about is that it runs well.

Responsible gambling tools

The UKGC requires all bookies to implement responsible gambling tools. Not every platform provides them all, though, and when they don’t, we mention it in our reviews. Ideally, we would like to see a combination of deposit limits, loss limits, session limits, reality check notifications, and profit and loss calculators provided before time-outs and self-exclusion.

How to choose the best betting sites for horse racing

All of the horse racing betting sites on our list are established bookies with deep sportsbooks. However, the racing offerings vary, and which one you’ll want to use depends on your personal preferences. Below, we’ll break down some things you’ll want to shop around for before placing a bet.

Bookie	Offer	Best Odds Guaranteed?	Live Streaming?
Coral	Bet £10, Get £40	Yes	Yes
Ladbrokes	Bet £5, Get £30	Yes	Yes
Betfred	Bet £10, Get £50	Yes	Yes
Virgin Bet	Bet £10, Get £30	Yes	Yes
Sky Bet	Bet any amount, get £30	Yes	Yes
Bwin	Money Back Guarantee	No	No
Paddy Power	Bet £5, Get £30	Yes	Yes
Betfair	Bet £10, Get £50	No	Yes
Unibet	Bet £20, Get £40	Yes	Yes
Betway	Matched deposit up to £30	Yes	Yes

Best Odds Guaranteed

Best Odds Guaranteed, or ‘BOG’, is prevalent on horse racing betting sites, but these days, it’s not as common as it used to be. A BOG bookie guarantees that you’ll get the best odds on a race, even if the odds are updated during the day. Usually, BOG is available from the morning of a race, but the times can differ between platforms. Punters don’t want to place a bet on a horse at 5/1 only to see the odds change to 8/1 during the day. Using this example, a bookie will pay out at 8/1 even if your qualifying bet was made with 5/1 odds.

Live streaming

Betting on horse racing live is the ultimate thrill. There’s no feeling like cheering your horse on in real time, watching the action unfold before your eyes. is watching the race to see how your horse does and finding out if you’ve won in real time. Many horse races are broadcast on TV, but not all, and not everybody pays for a traditional TV subscription anymore. That’s why the best betting sites let you stream events on their platform; it only makes sense, really. If you don’t want to miss the start of the race, look into how the live streaming works. Some sites require you to place a bet on the specific race, have funds in your account, or have placed a bet within the last 24 hours before giving you access to the live stream.

Competitive horse racing betting odds

It’s a good time to bet on horse racing because the huge amount of options you have means that bookies have to compete with each other. It’s a good idea to open accounts on multiple sites so that you can shop around for the best odds. If you have a particular horse in mind, you can compare the odds on different platforms to find the best value for money, which is, after all, what we’re all looking for.

Free bets and price boosts

You shouldn’t decide where to bet based purely on what you can get for free, but the different offers available can enhance your experience and boost your winnings. Most bookies will offer you a free bet for signing up. Afterwards, you might get your money back as a free bet on eligible races, which is a common offer for major events, like Ascot. Similarly, price boosts allow you to get enhanced odds on low-stakes races. New customers are offered big boosts, like a 2/1 horse being boosted to 5/1. Existing customers will be offered smaller boosts, like Evens to 2/1, but the advantage with these is that they’re offered daily.

Payment options

The available payment options are another area in which horse racing betting platforms can vary. Make sure the site you want to bet with accepts your preferred method of payment, and that you understand the withdrawal timescales and associated fees.

Reputation

It’s important to research the legality and security features of a horse racing bookie. However, the best way to find out if it’s actually good is to ask fellow players. When it comes to the established brands on our list, it won’t be difficult to read about real punters’ experiences with a quick Google search. This way, you’ll find out if a bookie will treat you well or not.

Different types of horse racing and terminology

Unlike other sports, notably football, horse racing is not exactly the same template played in different competitions. There are multiple different iterations of racing, and some are almost a different sport entirely. First, let’s break down the different kinds of races.

• Flat Racing: Flat racing involves horses galloping between a start and finish line around a circular (sometimes straight) track.
• Jump Racing: This is probably the image most people have in their heads when they think of horse racing. It involves horses jumping over obstacles, like fences or ditches, to navigate the track.
• Harness Racing: In harness racing, the horses trot or pace, with a driver behind them in a sulky, or cart. It’s known as National Hunt racing in the UK and Ireland.
• Endurance Racing: These are races where the horses traverse incredible distances across the country.

Racing Jargon Busted

We’ll break down the various betting markets in more detail below, but first, you’ll need to understand some of the horse racing terminology that you might see.

• On the nose: A bet on a horse to win the race by finishing first.
• Place: To ‘place’ means the horse in question finishes either first or second.
• Show: A show bet means you’re betting on your horse to finish first, second, or third.
• Across the Board: A bet on one horse to win, place, and show.
• Daily Double: A potentially lucrative bet on two different horses to finish first in consecutive races. If you win, your odds are multiplied.
• Quinella: A bet on two or more horses to finish first or second in either order.
• Exacta: A bet on two horses to finish first or second in the exact order you picked.
• Trifecta: A bet on three horses to finish first, second or third in that exact order.
• Superfecta: A bet on four horses to finish first, second, third, and fourth.

Horse racing betting online markets explained

There are a variety of different markets available when you place a bet on horse racing. Let us explain.

Win betting

Just like any sporting event, the simplest bet to make is to back your selection to win, and it’s the same with horse racing. It’s as straightforward as it sounds. If your horse finishes first, you win, and if it doesn’t, you lose. How much you win will depend on the odds of the horse when you place your bet, although you can be paid at more favourable odds with BOG.

Each-way betting

Each-way betting is popular because its flexibility minimises risk. It involves two bets. One on a horse to win, and one on a different horse to place. As we explained earlier, ‘place’ means to finish first or second, but with bookies who offer extra place bets, this could be extended to third or fourth. If the horse you backed to win does win, then both your bets win, and if your other horse places, you’ll win one bet out of two.

Betting without the favourite

Sometimes, the favourite to win a race is odds on to win (the strong favourite), making it difficult to find value. That’s why betting without the favourite is becoming more prevalent. This bet disregards the favourite, meaning you’ll win if your horse either wins or finishes second behind the favourite.

Multiple bets

Multiples are the most potentially profitable horse racing bets. However, while they offer the best chance to win big, they can be pretty convoluted. The most basic form of multiple betting is called ‘Lucky 15’, which is 15 bets on four horses. The 15 bets cover every possibility between all four horses. The more winners you pick, the higher your winnings will be. You’ll also see ‘Lucky 31’, which covers five horses, and ‘Lucky 63’, which covers six horses.

Horse racing betting tips: How to pick a winner

Trying to pick a winning horse is more involved than picking a winner in most other sports. Thanks to this guide, you don’t have to be an expert to make an informed bet. Below, we’ll explain how you can best predict if your runner will succeed.

Study the Form

Studying the form of various horses is something anybody can do, even total novices. Take a look at previous horse racing results to see which horses have been winning or placing recently. This will give you a good indication of which horses are likely to run well in upcoming races.

Check the Going

‘The Going’ simply means the type of track and the conditions. Some tracks have hard ground, while others have soft ground. Similarly, horse racing is held in all sorts of weather conditions that a horse may or may not like. You can check what sort of ground a horse has run well on previously, and what sort of weather conditions it tends to excel or struggle in. Match this data with the conditions for the upcoming race, and make your decision.

Check distances

Horses compete in races over a variety of distances. Some may be better suited to short distances, while some may come into their own over a longer distance. Try to bet on a horse that’s suitable for the distance of a race.

Research trainers and jockeys

This isn’t a guaranteed strategy by any means, but the biggest trainers tend to have the best horses, and the best jockeys get to take their pick of the best horses to ride on. You won’t win by picking horses trained by the biggest trainers all the time, but you’ll win some of the time. To narrow it down further, you can study which trainers and jockeys tend to do well at certain horse racing events. They might target a major festival, like Cheltenham, for example, meaning there’s a better chance they’ll perform well there.

What payment methods can I use for betting on horse racing?

As we explained earlier, the accepted payment methods can vary from bookie to bookie, as can the associated terms and conditions. Take a look at our table to get an idea of the most widely accepted methods, and then we’ll break down the pros and cons of each.

Payment method	Average withdrawal speed	Acceptance rate
Bank transfers	3-5 days	Highly common
Debit cards	2-3 days	Universal
Skrill	Instant – 2 days	Common
Neteller	Instant – 2 days	Common
PayPal	Instant – 2 days	Common
Apple Pay/Google Pay	Instant – 3 days	Common
Trustly	Instant – 2 days	Somewhat common
Cryptocurrencies	Instant	Banned in the UK

Bank transfers

Bank transfers are both popular and unpopular, depending on the needs of the punter. They’re by far the most secure method, so high-rollers like them, but they take the longest to process withdrawals.

Debit cards

Debit cards are universally accepted, and like bank transfers, they’re benefiting from the instant transaction facilities increasingly available with major banks. Non-instant cards will take around 3 days to process withdrawals. Some bookies charge you a fee for debit card withdrawals.

E-wallets

E-wallets, such as Neteller, offer faster withdrawals than debit cards. On top of that, they’re more private, because you don’t need to provide many documents to start using them. Acceptance of e-wallets by online bookies is more mixed, mostly because there are so many e-wallets, but most sites accept at least one. Another downside for e-wallet users is that e-wallet deposits are often ineligible for claiming bonuses.

Cryptocurrency

Bitcoin, Tether, etc, aren’t just fads. In fact, they’re becoming a vital part of many online betting sites. Transactions are generally instant, and they’re even more private than e-wallets. Unfortunately, crypto is not yet a legal payment method for gambling on UKGC-licensed bookies. If you want to use cryptocurrency, you’ll need to use an offshore site. If you do take the leap and explore abroad from crypto-friendly bookies,  make sure you tread carefully. Only bet on licensed sites, and keep an eye out for withdrawal fees, which are common for crypto transactions.

Conclusion

We think any of these sites is worth a punt, but unlike some neck-and-neck horse races, there’s a clear winner here, and that’s Unibet. The sheer amount of bonuses, boosts, specials, and different kinds of bets you can place makes Unibet stand out among all the others.

That said, if you want to stick with trusted and experienced UK bookies, you can’t go wrong with Ladbrokes or Coral, which both have extensive bonuses as well. The same can be said for Paddy Power, where you’ll also find more specials than you can count, with excellent live streaming.

Whichever of these excellent horse racing bookies takes your bet, remember to wager in moderation. Use the responsible gambling tools provided to stay aware, on budget, and safe.

Frequently asked questions