Best Online Betting Sites for Horse Racing
Horse racing is one of the main, if not the main, sport in Australia. People’s love for horse racing knows no bounds. Enough to mention that the day of The Melbourne Cup is officially a public holiday throughout the state of Victoria.
According to official records, nearly 1 million Australians a year regularly bet on horse and greyhound racing. Statisticians estimate that betting sites for horse racing in Australia generates several billion dollars a year. The bookies have been able to live off this money despite the legal prohibitions that prevent them from attracting new customers.
In this review you will learn about the best racing betting sites in Australia, their advantages, disadvantages and also the place in the world of horse racing.
Horse Racing Betting Sites List
Online Horse Betting in Australia 2024
Australian horse racing is a vital part of sporting culture dating back more than a century and a half. Social change in recent years has led to a gradual decline in public interest in horse racing ‘legends’ such as the Melbourne Cup, but the number of fans remains enormous. Some people just like to watch the races, while others hone their horse racing betting skills with the hope of huge winnings.
Statistics show that the percentage of Australians who bet on horse racing has dropped by 5.6% and now makes up only 16.8% of all local bettors. However, the money turnover for this sport at betting companies, on the contrary, is only increasing.
Over 500 horse races are held in Australia each year. All the races are divided into 4 groups according to prestige, level of competition, venue and prize money. The Grade 1 obviously gets the most attention as it is a high class race where only the best thoroughbreds compete. These include the world famous Melbourne Cup, WS Cox Plate, Victoria Derby, Crown Oaks and the Australian Cup. The top races are held at the country’s two main racecourses, Randwick in Sydney and Flemington in Melbourne.
Advantages Of Betting On Horse Racing Online
Despite technological advances and the widespread availability of the internet, some Australians still prefer traditional horse racing betting – offline. For them, placing a bet is half the battle; it is also important to discuss the race or match with like-minded people, hear their opinions and simply enjoy the company.
However, bookmakers in Australia are actively developing their online betting, encouraging people to place bets on their online horse racing betting sites and mobile apps. This helps them to expand their customer base, become a market leader and reduce the cost of maintaining land-based betting shops.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of online racing betting sites that affect the Australian bettor directly?
Advantages
- Betting in your pocket. With the development of the internet, betting shops have begun to die out gradually. Finding the closest betting shop, carving out the time and visiting it, perhaps waiting in line – all this takes time and effort. Modern people, whose pace of life is much faster than it was 30-40 years ago, find it much easier to take out their phone / turn on their laptop and place a few horse racing bets on different events in a matter of minutes.Moreover, the horse betting site or app is available 24/7, wherever there is internet and electricity. Now you can access the best online horse racing betting opportunities from almost anywhere in the world. On the other hand, the betting shop is not always available.
- Easy withdrawal. The arguments are the same as in the first point – no need to go anywhere, stand in line, etc. Go to the online horse betting site – click on the “Withdraw” button. Yes, you will have to wait a couple of hours for a successful withdrawal, but if it is not urgent, you can carry on with your business and not change your plans.
Disadvantages
- Risk of betting on a fraudulent website. Even if you want to place a bet with a well-known horse racing bookmaker (e.g. Palmerbet), you should always be careful not to get caught up in a fake scam site. This is especially true for inexperienced internet users who get lost in any unusual situation.
- Fake user comments. Often, when choosing the best bookies for horse racing, newcomers read the opinions of other “bettors” on various forums and social networks. Therefore, for the sake of advertising, horse racing bookies may purposely order flattering reviews about themselves, which are often untrue.
We also want to point out that betting can become a bad habit, especially for the overly gambling people. The Australian government has recognised this and is pushing to stop the influx of new betting customers because the internet has made it easier for everyone to bet. You should treat sports betting as a form of entertainment, enjoy your favourite events and only spend a small amount of money that you don’t mind losing. Please, contact the National gambling helpline if you or your relatives feel uncomfortable with your betting practices.
How we Evaluate and Choose Horse Racing Betting Sites
If you are searching for the best horse racing betting site, you should not just be looking for competitive odds, but for the best horse racing odds possible. It is a fact that the best odds vary from horse to horse and race to race, but the sites we listed below are the very best and will all be there or thereabouts. Is there anything else you can do to differentiate them?
Bonuses and promotions
To maximise your horse racing betting profits, you’ll want to make sure you take advantage of all available online bookmakers promotions.
Selection of horse racing tournaments
It is important that the markets’ line up includes both Australian racing (e.g. Tamworth, Gatton, Broome) and world-class events like Royal Ascot, Dubai World Cup, Kentucky Derby, etc.
Range of horse racing markets
It is important to have as many options as possible for online wagering on horse racing. There will be bets on whether horse wins and each way bets, but will they have ‘Each Way Edge’ so you can set your own places? Is there a chance to bet on the winning distance? Will they offer proposition bets such as Horse A and B to finish first and second? Will they accept AvB bets and exotic accumulators like Patent and Heinz? The best horse racing betting site provide all of this.
Odds and margin
One of the best horse racing betting sites’ main advantages is the high odds. When selecting the best horse racing betting site in Australia, Match.Center experts compared the horse racing odds of different online horse betting sites for the same meeting.
As a rule, the level of odds online bookmakers provide depends on the prestige of the race. The more popular the event, the lower the margin and the higher the betting odds become. Sometimes the online bookmaker, as part of the Enhanced Odds promotion, can waive the commission and set the best odds on the market. Then the aussie punters will get the best odds possible.
Convenience of payment methods
The speed and convenience of transactions is an important advantage of horse betting companies. The more diverse the choice of payment systems, the easier it is for customers to deposit money and make withdrawals.
Customer support
The customer support is the face of the bookmaker. When analysing the support quality, Match.Center experts pay attention to the opening hours, what methods of communication are supported and how long you have to wait for a specialist to respond. This is even more important for new betting sites.
Availability and quality of live streaming
It is important to be able to watch a race and bet on it at the same time. You watch your horse win because it is fun and exciting, but you also learn a lot about your horse and also others in the race so you can prepare better for next time. Live streaming is typically available on most Australian horse racing betting sites if you have placed a bet on the race. Whether or not a customer has placed a bet on the particular meeting or not, all races during the day are displayed on the site.
Mobile Apps
More and more customers prefer to bet from their phones, and many horse racing bookies no longer restrict themselves to mobile versions of horse betting sites, but instead offer separate horse betting apps. As experts, we are primarily interested in the quality of the horse betting app.
Technology and functionality
The availability of Cash Out, Bet Builder, Click to Call for In Play betting and other options significantly influences your preferences when choosing a best betting site.
Reviews from real customers
It is important to understand that customers who lose often blame the company and those who win usually praise it. The task of Match.Center experts is to highlight the relevant comments and present an overall view of what really attracts and outrages clients.
Security and reputation
When assessing a bookmaker, we consider factors such as the existence of a valid licence, the use of modern data protection protocol, compliance with verification of online betting accounts and customer payment details.
Top 3 Horse Racing Betting Sites With The Best Odds
The market of horse racing betting in Australia is active and diverse. Almost all of the local betting sites for horse racing offers a wide range of betting markets. Amongst the variety, it can be difficult to find the online bookmaker with the best horse racing betting odds. In order to find one, it is important that the bettor selects the company with the highest odds. Top 3 Horse Racing Betting Sites in Australia with The Best Odds according to Match.Center:
Horse racing betting site of the month
The bookmaker of the month for horse racing betting is Unibet. It is one of the best online betting sites for horse racing with excellent odds and a regular Best Odds Guaranteed promotion. There is a big selection of meetings and types of bets to choose from. It is also one of the very few bookmakers in Australia to offer horse racing streaming. Unibet is always at the top of the online horse betting sites reviews, and this company has almost no shortcomings when it comes to horse racing betting.
Unibet
Fantastic Horse racing odds
Types Of Online Horse Betting Australia
Like any other sport, there are many different bet types for horse racing. Let’s take a look at the most common ones.
To Win (Ante Post)
The most common and simplest type of horse racing bet is a bet on the winner. You can bet on a horse to win, regardless of whether he lines up at the start or not. If the horse does not win, you lose.
To Win (No Runner No Bet)
A second way to bet on a horse to win is by betting NRNB (No Runner No Bet), which will be available a few days before a race. If a horse does not go under starters orders, it is considered to be a non-runner in the race and your stake amount is refunded.
Each Way
“Each Way” is one of the most popular markets on the horse racing sites in Australia, which is actually two bets placed on one race. Half of your stake goes on the horse to win. The other half of the bet is on whether the horse will finish in a certain amount of places. The number of places paid out as a winner varies according to the number of horses in the race, but usually it is as follows:
- 1-4 Horses = Win Only
- 5-7 Horses = 1/4 of the odds for the first two places
- 8-15 Horses = 1/5 of the odds for the first three places
- 16+ Horses = 1/4 of the odds for the first four places
In addition to these payouts, each online bookmaker is entitled to their own place terms, and many run promotions offering extra places or higher payouts. This is only a guide.
It is possible to receive your stake amount along with 1/4 or 1/5 of the winnings if your horse finishes in the places relevant to that race.
As an example, if you bet £5 Each Way (£10 total stake) on Horse A to win at odds of 12/1:
- If Horse A wins your profit is £5 x 12 = £60 (for the win bet) and also £60 / 5 = £12 for the place bet. So £72 profit in total (Plus your £10 stake back)
- If Horse A finishes second then you will lose the win bet so that is -£5 but the place bet wins £60/5 = £12 plus (Plus the £5 stake back)
Head To Head
One of the simplest horse racing bet types. Out of two horses, you choose the one who ends up with the higher place. Over the course of the race, you will only be interested in that duel.
Distance
In races where one horse dominates and so certain of winning that it could be 1/8 on or shorter, horse betting sites in Australia may find it hard to attract bettors. People who wager £10 a time will not see the sense in betting to win a dollar, and everybody will avoid betting on the other horses because, well, they will lose. Normally betting odds on horse racing need to be at least even money, so Australian online betting sites will in effect give the favourite horse a handicap, and you can bet on whether the favourite will win by “over 2 lengths”, “over 6 lengths” or any distance up to the bookmakers, but they usually pick a distance that makes the odds somewhere between Evens and 2/1 to attract as many bets as possible.
Specials
In addition to the main types of horse racing betting, there are also many special individual events. For example, in Australia you can find bets on whether a horse will fall in the race, exactly what place it will take, etc.
In-Play Betting
Unlike in many other countries, Australia completely bans live betting on aussie horse racing betting sites and apps. This restriction is legislated in the Gambling Act 2001.
However, online betting sites have not given up and have found various loopholes. The most common one is the Click-to-call option: the bettor can call the operator and place a bet.
How the Click-to-call option works: a step-by-step guide
- Log in to the betting site or app.
- Go to the Live section.
- Select the event and the market.
- In the opened window, the phone number you need to call and the betting code will appear.
- Tell the operator your code, bet type and bet amount.
- Confirm the decision.
A bet can only be made if the client confirms the bet placement. Technically this does not happen on the horse race betting sites or in their app, so the legal requirements are met. But, of course, it is clear to everyone that this is simply replacing the Place a Bet button with a regular phone call.
Since 2016, local authorities have been actively fighting the methods of circumventing this law. However, they have had little success so far, and in 2023 ‘telephone betting’ still exists. Another issue is that for live betting, this is not a very quick method.
Horse Racing Bookmakers – Detailed Overview
Let’s take a closer look at the Top 7 Horse Racing Betting Sites in Australia.
PlayUp is one of the new horse betting sites in Australia. The bookmaker stands out from its competitors by offering higher odds on Esports and horse racing. In the PlayBook section, customers can find free betting tips and predictions on a diverse list of events.
Palmerbet is one of the most reliable and reputable online bookmakers for horse racing in Australia. There are over 25 sports to choose from, including soccer, Baseball, Horse racing, Golf and Esports. There are also bets on political and entertainment events. Compared to its competitors, the bookmaker tries to stand out with a variety of daily and seasonal promotions dedicated to specific sporting events. For example, enhanced odds on greyhound racing. Ladbrokes is one of the biggest bookmakers in the global betting market and has recently also started operating in Australia. The company offers local punters a choice of almost 40 sports and thousands of daily bets. A Click to Call option is available on the betting website – any customer can place a bet almost instantly on an event that is already underway (cricket, basketball, tennis, Esports etc.). There is a separate section of Unibet’s site dedicated to horse racing betting. They list all the best horse racing betting markets of the day on the homepage, along with the enhanced odds available. It is possible to watch live streaming of horse racing and even place bets during the race. A bonus for new customers is paid as a cash bet, whereas at most places a Free bet stakes is credited to your account. The Betfair betting Exchange revolutionised horse racing betting in Australia. Horse racing betting was forever changed by the ability to lay bets (bets that a horse won’t win) and back bets (bets that a horse will win). While the Exchange has the best odds, there are some areas where it falls behind, such as bonus offers. You can also find Best Odds Guaranteed, enhanced odds on selected horses, cashback offers, and extra place races in their fixed odds Sportsbook. Neds are one of the best horse racing bookmakers with a huge variety of markets to bet on. This Australian betting site is easy to navigate, it has an attractive design, and offers a loyalty programme with various bonuses and promotions to active customers. Winnersbet is an Australian bookmaker with a wide range of markets for horse racing, great choice of deposit methods and 24/7 customer support. Live streaming is a great feature for many sports fans. And for bookmakers, live streaming helps to attract new customers and increase the profits through the growth of live betting. Which, let us remind you, is strictly forbidden in Australia. Totally. Really. Live events are usually marked with a “TV” icon. However, you won’t always be able to just go on the site and watch a match or race. Most horse betting sites impose restrictions for users. Usually, live streaming of races can only be watched by those who have placed a bet on the race. Not every bookmaker can afford to stream live sporting events: you have to buy the streaming rights and rent powerful servers to make it work. Among the horse racing betting sites featured in this review, live streaming of horse racing is available at Ladbrokes and Unibet. In the gambling industry, including betting, new companies are generally considered to be those that have not been on the market more than 5 years. It is not uncommon for them to begin seriously pushing up the old-timers of the betting world. As of winter 2023, the newcomers among Australian horse racing betting sites are: Open any of the betting sites for horse racing and you can see that horse races of varying levels take place all over the world every day. However, among the hundreds of races are the real ‘cream of the crop’, the elite races that attract the most attention from professional jockeys, ordinary fans and betting enthusiasts. A luxurious grass-covered race in Australia that attracts the best racehorses from around the world. The Everest is a 1.2km race at Randwick Racecourse in Sydney. The prize money for the event is $15 million. Another Australian thoroughbred racing event. The race was first held in 2019 and immediately ranked 4th in the world in terms of prize money. The size of the prize fund is $7.5 million. And 10% of the prize money is donated to charity.. The famous races at the Flemington racetrack in a suburb of Melbourne. Unofficially the Melbourne Cup is Australia’s number one horse race with the unofficial motto of ‘The race that stops the nation’. The race is held on the first Tuesday in November. It is 3.2 km long and has a prize fund of $8 million.As well as the Australian races, the famous international races are also worth a mention. They are watched by millions of people around the world. Betting on horse racing is also available on Australian betting sites. About one in three people bet on this race in some form or another, making it the most popular horse racing event in the UK. An annual race takes place at Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool called the Grand National. Since the first race was run in 1839, the jumps have changed considerably and the modern race is no longer anything like as dangerous as it once was. Although the distance has not changed, it remains the longest race in the world with an official distance of 4 miles and 212 furlongs, which is just under 7 kilometres. The horses jump 30 fences over two laps of the racecourse. This four-day festival is also known as Cheltmas by some because of the excitement it generates. The event usually occurs around the beginning of March, and in 2023 it took place from March 15th to March 18th. Horses, jockeys, and trainers can spend their whole careers trying to win a Cheltenham race. It is the largest horse racing event of the year. During the week, there are over 30 races including the Cheltenham Gold Cup, Queen Mother Champion Chase and Champion Hurdle. An annual horse race that was founded by Queen Anne Stuart in 1711. The races are held every June at Ascot Racecourse, 30 miles from London. It is one of the most colourful sporting events in the UK, attended by the royal family too. The prize fund of Royal Ascot is £4 million. Every year on the first Saturday in May, the best horses in the world compete at the Kentucky racetrack. The first races in this place were organised in 1875. Since then, the Kentucky Derby has been the most important race in the so-called “Triple Crown”. The races are held over a distance of just over 2 kilometres. The prize money for the event is $2 million. Gambling advertising, including sports betting, bonus offers from horse betting sites and other inducements to sign up with bookmakers, is legally restricted across Australia from 2019. The bill was initiated by the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC), which is actively fighting against gambling addiction in the country. The ban on bonus advertising does not mean that you cannot take advantage of such bookmakers’ offers. In other words, as long as you are not a customer of a betting company, you will not be able to get information about specific promotions and, accordingly, to participate in them. However, if you have an account, go to the Promotions section of the betting website and use it. Examples of banned promotions: Terms and conditions for horse betting in Australia: It takes up to 14 days to verify your account and confirm your identity, but usually it is much quicker. Special mention should be made of the two most important Australian states for betting – New South Wales and Victoria. Local laws in these states allow advertising enhanced odds. Even reload bonuses can be advertised in Victoria. Despite the marketing bans, the situation with online bookies’ advertising tricks is not particularly improving. According to The Sydney Morning Herald, many betting companies are not taking federal and local bans seriously. They continue to promote sports betting on the streets, on social media, at stadiums or through newsletters, even to inactive bettors. One of the reasons is the low fines for breaking the law. It is cheaper for companies to pay fines than to give up such a promising method of attracting new customers. While it is illegal to advertise specific bonuses in Australia, we can tell you what types of promotions are available at Australian bookmakers. If you choose a ‘best price’, you’re guaranteed to get odds at least as good as those offered by rival betting sites. It is common for “price promises” to match odds from the top three online brands Ladbrokes, Betfair and Winnersbet, although there is no rule that says this has to be done. We have already mentioned that the Best Odds Guaranteed does not guarantee the best odds, but rather that the EP odds will definitely be at least as good as the SP odds if the horse drifts before the race begins. Bets placed on the day of the race are most commonly covered by this rule, but there are exceptions. If you are betting with a bookmaker, make sure to read their terms and conditions carefully. Several online betting sites treat their customers well by making sure that they get a fair shake when betting. If you back a horse to win and it does not finish amongst the leaders, the bookmaker will refund your stake amount as a Free bet. The number of Each Way places in each horse race will depend on how many horses are running (and the type of race). Some betting sites will pay out for horses that finish outside the official places as winning place bets. Horse races such as the Grand National have offered up to six or even seven places. Check the places being offered Each Way on Horse Racing bets and make sure you bet with the betting sites that offer the most. Not having a chance to win is always frustrating! Some betting sites offer customers a refund if the horse loses all chances before the race even starts. In that case, you will be furious that you did not place a bet with the bookmaker who is covering you. In addition, it is upsetting to see a winner not receive payment because of a Stewards inquiry after the race has finished. When your eyes see your horse finish first, it is always reassuring to know that you have bet at a bookmaker who pays ‘First past the post’ along with the official results. It is common for bookies to boost the odds of certain horses in certain feature races and advertise that on their homepage in order to draw the customers to that area. Because of the good value of these bets, maximum stake amounts are usually set. If a horse does not win but comes close, some betting sites refund stakes as free bet credits or cash. In most cases, your horse should finish 2nd, but it will vary from betting site to betting site. It is possible to get refunded if your horse finishes 2nd or 3rd, or even 2nd, 3rd, or 4th, at some specialist horse racing sites. Like any other sport, horse racing also has its own terms and phrases that every horse betting enthusiast should know. How to watch horse racing live in Australia? To be able to watch a race live on the betting site, it is usually sufficient to create an account. It is not uncommon for bookmakers to have additional requirements, such as making a deposit or placing a bet. Of the Australian online betting sites in our review, Ladbrokes and Unibet provide live streaming of horse racing. How to bet online on horse racing in Australia? Before placing a bet with Horse Racing bookies, the bettor has to create an account on the betting site and fund it with one of the available deposit methods. The main requirements for bettors are that they must be at least 18 years old and have Australian citizenship. Occasionally, the bookmaker will allow users from New Zealand to place bets. Is Online Horse Racing Betting Legal in Australia? Absolutely. Online sports betting is officially allowed in Australia. In fact, all of the betting companies in this review are licensed. They are supervised by the Australian Bookmakers Association (ABA) and regulated by the Gambling Act. What Are The Most Popular Australian Horse Racing Tournaments? Some of the best known and biggest Horse Racing Tournaments are The Everest, The Golden Eagle, The Melbourne Cup, which are all held in Australia, and the world famous Royal Ascot, The Grand National, The Cheltenham Festival and the Kentucky Derby. What is the safest online betting site? Every company we have reviewed in this article has a valid gambling licence and can rightly be considered a reliable bookmaker. The one advice we can give to all betting enthusiasts is to bet only with trusted bookmakers. To find out whether a betting company has a gambling licence, visit the Australian government’s website. What is the best horse racing betting site? The best bookmaker is a subjective definition. You can choose the betting site with the best odds, the widest range of horse racing betting markets or the availability of live streaming of your favourite race. In the Australian betting market, we would classify PlayUp, PalmerBet, Ladbrokes, Unibet, Betfair, Neds and WinnersBet as the best betting sites. Why don’t betting sites have sign up bonus offers anymore? The main purpose of bookmaker sign-up bonuses is to attract the attention of new customers and encourage them to create an account with that particular bookmaker. Since 2001, Australia has officially banned the promotion of various bonus offers in order to fight against gambling addiction. Eventually, bookmakers decided to drop this type of bonus as it was no longer useful for them. Can International readers sign up at Australian betting sites? Only Australian citizens are officially allowed to create an account at licensed betting companies. However, in some cases bookmakers will also allow New Zealanders to register. The bookmaker will ask you to verify your account by sending a copy of your Australian passport and proof of residency in the country. This could be a bank statement or utility bill in your name with your address on it. Therefore it makes no sense for foreigners to register on Australian betting sites.
PlayUp
PalmerBet
Ladbrokes
Unibet
Betfair
Neds
Winners Bet
Best online bookies for horse racing with Live Streams
New Horse Racing Betting Sites
Popular Horse Racing Events to Bet on
The Everest
The Golden Eagle
Melbourne Cup
The Grand National
The Cheltenham Festival
Royal Ascot
Kentucky Derby
Promotions and Bonus Offers of Betting Sites for Horse Racing
Best Price Promise
Best Odds Guaranteed
Money back if your horse doesn’t win or place
Extra Place Offers
Run for your money refund
First Past the Post (Double result)
Boosted Odds
Refund if 2nd, 3rd, or 4th
Horse Racing Betting Terms Explained
Horse Racing Betting Sites FAQ