Betting developed alongside horse racing from in-person betting to telephonic betting to online betting. Betting on horse racing is one of the only ways to gamble that is legal in most parts of the world. Read ahead to learn about the top UK horse racing betting websites we have reviewed.
The Different Types of Bets
Bookmakers in the UK generally operate using two options for bettors: starting price and taking the price. Starting price, or SP for short, refers to choosing the odds stated by the bookmaker at the start of the race. Unlike other countries, starting price bets will be returned in the UK if a horse drops out of a race. “Taking the price” refers to the fixed odds offered at the time of making a bet. Therefore, placing an SP bet means you risk getting shorter odds than you may have had with a “taking the price” wager.There are also many different betting options to choose from, depending on which of the UK horse racing betting sites you are visiting. You can make bets on which horse will win or make bets on how a specific horse will place. People also place double, treble, and accumulator bets on horses, which offer a greater return.
Top UK Horse Racing Betting Sites
Now that you know a little about how horse racing betting works, you can see which site fits your betting habits best from our following list.
Paddy Power
Paddy Power, hosted in Ireland but popular in the UK, has been operating as a bookmaker since 1988. While many people know Paddy Power from their retail locations across the UK, they are ranked amongst the best UK horse racing betting sites offering many types of betting.You can bet on both significant events and smaller races on Paddy Power. There are even daily “Power Prices”, which fix better starting odds for you to choose from. Like most of the sites on this list, all you need to do is create an account then you are able to place a bet. You can even watch British and Irish horse races online for free.
Benefits:
Intuitive search mechanics.
You can watch horse races online.
Downsides:
Website can be a bit overwhelming for beginners.
Rules are on a separate webpage.
Bet365
Bet365, headquartered in Stoke-on-Trent in central England, is a globally popular betting site that offers live betting, sports betting and casino betting. This platform is well-known for releasing its odds before other horse racing betting sites UK, drawing in many speculators as a result. Users often research races ahead of time due to this and try to best calculate which horse will likely win.Bet365 also offers mobile compatibility. From your home or on the go, you can place bets and watch live or archived horse races as long as you have created a profile.
Benefits:
Great offers.
You can watch horse races online.
Downsides:
Difficult to access the horse racing betting section.
You need an account to access benefits and to bet.
William Hill
William Hill is one of the longest-running businesses in the bookmaking industry for a good reason. As a provider of many different types of sports betting, William Hill is one of the most diverse options to choose from.William Hill offers many types of betting options, from daily specials to flash odds, which allows for spur of the moment bets at good odds. You can also choose from four different betting options: race winner, match bets, place markets and betting without (where the favourite is “removed” from the race.) These options allow you to select a horse and pick it to place within multiple spots to cover your bet. The most notable of William Hill’s services is their comprehensive live radio updates; Racing Radio offers commentaries and race analysis before and after races. William Hill also offers live viewing on Betting TV.
Benefits:
Great radio service.
Multiple types of betting options.
Downsides:
Not as many riskier options.
Tote
Tote is one of the oldest horse racing betting businesses available to choose from. With origins as a government-run operator, Tote has strong ties to the British culture of collectivity.Tote operates their horse betting on a system of pool bets. Therefore, all of the money you put down on a bet is spread out per race between the winners. Pool betting is much safer, and you can choose from multi-leg, placepot, quadpot, and jackpot betting to fit in with your betting style. Tote even offers a £10 welcome offer to any new users creating a profile.
Benefits:
Pool betting.
£10 welcome offer.
Downsides:
Not great if you don’t like Pool Betting.
Betfair
Don’t be fooled by seeing Betfair as the last website on this list of UK horse caring betting sites. Betfair ranks amongst the most incredible sites to place your bets on. Betfair focuses on setting fixed prices for races. Betfair is a site well-known for offering deals to gamblers, which draws in new players. However, Betfair has also gained a reputation as a top site for experienced punters who are already familiar with the ins and outs of horse racing.
Benefits:
Good odds.
Good for experienced players.
Downsides:
Their site can be confusing to navigate.
More Horse Racing Facts
Horse racing has been around since 4,500 BC when nomadic tribesmen started to domesticate horses. As soon as horse racing became popularised, betting and gambling were popularised along with it. It became an organized sport across most civilizations across the world and was a part of several sports in the ancient Olympic Games held in Rome. From the early 17th century, during the days of and King James I, horse racing betting has been ingrained into British culture and became a professional sport. The Jockey Club was formed and still regulates English racing today.
Final Thoughts
With annual horse racing events globally, it seems unlikely that the demand for horse racing will ever slow down. Nonetheless, check out all of the above UK horse racing betting sites we’ve covered for more information about how to bet on your favourite horses.
Betting developed alongside horse racing from in-person betting to telephonic betting to online betting. Betting on horse racing is one of the only ways to gamble that is legal in most parts of the world. Read ahead to learn about the top UK horse racing betting websites we have reviewed.
