Horse racing Betting

Horse racing is often called the sport of kings. It is one of the most popular sports in the world to bet on and dates back throughout history across almost every civilization. The elegance of these huge, powerful animals beat every human's heart. There have been many variations since then, including dog racing and even pig racing, but horses reign supreme when it comes to the world of betting.

These days, with online betting so widely available, you would be hard-pressed to find a sports book that does not offer horse racing as a sport to wager on. The best part? There is always a race to wager on at any time of the day in some part of the world!

Horse racing Betting
What is horse racing betting?How to bet on horse racingHorse racing betting odds
What is horse racing betting?

What is horse racing betting?

Betting on horse racing dates back centuries, and is one of the oldest forms of sport and gambling known to man. It is believed that the betting of horse placement in a race started in the 1600s in the United Kingdom, and has been a fixture for gamblers ever since.

Horse racing takes place on every continent in the world, even in some countries where gambling is prohibited. Why is this? It is because some jurisdictions consider wagering on a horse race as a parimutuel bet, which means you are betting on the placement of the top three horses. Today, betting on horse racing is still one of the most popular ways to gamble on sports. With the increased usage of online sports books, horse racing is as accessible as ever.

There are even virtual horse races that are held by online sports books, which consist of a field of computer generated and controlled horses. Although you can now place a wager from your mobile phone or computer, horse racing is always a sport that is best enjoyed in person.

What is horse racing betting?
How to bet on horse racing

How to bet on horse racing

Horse race betting can be as simple or as complicated as you choose. The simplest bet is called a straight bet and is quite literally choosing the winner of the race. The real fun in betting on horse racing comes when you start wagering on exotic bets. An example of an exotic bet is a Trifecta bet, where you choose the top three horses in the order they finish.

There is also an Exacta bet where you choose the top two horses in the order they finish, as well as a Superfecta bet where you choose the top four horses in order. Considering how difficult and rare it is for a bettor to hit these exotic bets, the payouts are much higher than a straight bet.

How to bet on horse racing
Horse racing betting odds

Horse racing betting odds

Online horse racing betting is unique when it comes to the posted odds. Unlike sports like American football and basketball, where bookmakers will provide a point spread, horse racing bets mostly revolve around the winners of the races.

Odds are provided before a race starts and are usually given in the form of a fraction, with the higher the odds the larger the payout. Here is an example: the posted odds for Horse A to win the race is ½ and a bettor places a wager of $5.00. If Horse A wins the race, then the bettor receives a payout of $7.50.

These odds are posted in advance of the race, and do not often change much leading up to the start of the race. Things that can have an effect on the posted odds are mostly things like word of mouth and rumors about a particular horse. There are other factors such as rainy weather at an outdoor track, where some horses handle slippery tracks better than others. The type of track can also factor into a specific horse’s odds, but most of the time these odds do not change on the day of the race!.

Horse racing betting odds