Best Horse Racing Betting Sites In Pennsylvania

Live betting in the Granite State could only get more exciting with an increasing number of off-track betting sites for horse bets. We are referring to Pennsylvania Online Sports Betting and the impact that legalized sports have on horse races. Pennsylvania experienced an increase in horse betting with the introduction of Racinos. This increase leads professionals and predictors to believe that legalizing sports will have an even bigger influence on this popular sports wagering. More people are expected to start wagering online.
Published: Oct 21, 2020 Updated: Jan 10, 2022

Best PA Horse Betting Sites

BetAmerica Sportsbook

BetAmerica Sportsbook

$25 no-deposit bonus

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DraftKings Sportsbook

DraftKings Sportsbook

$25 no-deposit bonus

Review
Fox Bet Online Sportsbook

Fox Bet Online Sportsbook

$500 risk-free

Review
Table of Content

    Live betting in the Granite State could only get more exciting with an increasing number of off-track betting sites for horse bets. We are referring to Pennsylvania online sports betting in 2022 and the impact that legalized sports betting has had on horse races. Pennsylvania experienced an increase in horse betting with the introduction of Racinos. This increase leads professionals and predictors to believe that legalized sports betting will have an even bigger influence on this popular sports wagering category. Besides, more people are expected to start wagering online, and horse racing is one of the most popular sports to wager on in the US, especially in Pennsylvania.

    Horse Betting Legislation/Pennsylvania Online Horse Betting Laws

    The Race Horse Industry Reform Act was passed in 1959, starting the state off with six facilities where players can indulge in this coveted sports. The State Horse Racing Commission passed the new legislation after several years of decline in legal horse betting in Pennsylvania. It was the construction and licensing of a new type of online horse racing betting called Racinos. These were a combination of casino and legal sports betting meant to encourage players to reinvest in reliable horse betting sites in Pennsylvania. Racinos grew since then, although it is unknown how the legalization of online betting sportsbooks in 2017 has impacted horse races online.

    All Pennsylvania Online Horse Betting Sites:

    BetAmerica

    Pennsylvania Horse BettingBetAmerica provides access to bettors globally, with over 400 tracks covered. Featuring excellent Android and iPhone apps, BetAmerica focuses on greyhounds, horse racing, and fantasy sports. It is an excellent app for live streaming of races and replays. Players that look for the best Pennsylvania online sports betting in 2022 with excellent horses should absolutely register at BetAmerica for a quality experience.

    TVG

    TVG is a Fanduel subsidiary that launched in 1999 with an extensive betting menu. It offers both local and international racing with high-quality video streams.

    TwinSpires

    Pennsylvania Horse BettingTwinSpires is the Kentucky Derby and Churchill Down’s official wagering service which provides bettors with a quarter, standardbred, and thoroughbred horse races around the globe. It is one of the only online services that allow bettors to view five races at the same time.

    How Does Horse Betting Work?

    Players need to figure out which animal they like and how they want to proceed with placing a wager. There are several different wagering options that you can look at below. However, if you are a novice – try your hand at show, place, or win bets to get your feet wet. After you’ve gained some experience with simple bets, try skilled bets like exotics for nicer pay-outs. One advantage is that you can wager as little as you want even when placing a bet like a trifecta or a combination bet.

    Types of Bets to Place in Pennsylvania Online Horse Betting:

    Straight Bets

    The most basic of all:

    • Win – common and simplest form of betting where your pony must be the first in a race
    • Place – your pony must finish first or second
    • Show – your pony must be first, second, or third

    Combination Straight Bets

    • Across the Board – you place a bet on a single pony that could finish 1st, 2nd, or 3rd. For example, placing a wager of $1 across the board means that you wager $1 for a win, $1 for it to have a place, and $1 to show. When it is 1st, you will collect 3 bets, when it comes 2nd, you get the show and place bets. Finally, you collect the show bet when it comes 3rd.
    • Win/Place – you are placing a double bet for it to be first or second
    • Place/Show – you place a wager that it could be second or third

    Exotic Bets

    • Exacta – you need to decide on which pony will be finishing first followed by the second one in a race
    • Quinella – a quinella is like an exacta, as you also pick two animals for 1st and 2nd place. However, you should place the one that is lower priced as a win
    • Trifecta – here you choose the exact order of horses to complete in the first place, second, followed by animal number 3
    • Superfecta – again, the order must be right when you decide on which four will take up the first four spots in 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place.

    Exotic Bets on Multiple Races

    Exotics are a profitable way to win. Even though these are tricky, seasoned players still make their money off of them. A wager is placed on more than one potential outcome where the aim is to have several instances on a ticket. You win when your picks have been predicted correctly, and if a single one is out, you lose. Exotics do not allow for a partial winning ticket. Two common wagers that are placed in exotics are wheeling and boxing.

    Boxing, for example, gives the bettor an option to choose more horses than needed. Instead of two horses, players can choose three or more, and pick more potential outcomes. However, it is a more expensive bet as you will be paying for all potential predictions. Wheel bets are similar to Box, except it offers a higher potential payout with a specific pony chosen to finish in a place.

    Pennsylvania Derby

    Every year in September, the Pennsylvania Derby thoroughbred contest is held at Parx. This race, with its budget of more than $1 million, started back in 1979. Since then, it’s been the biggest race on this track each year.

    What is the Triple Crown?

    An animal that wins three races – Belmont Stakes, Preakness Stakes, as well as Kentucky Derby, gets the Triple Crown. These races are run over six weeks, and Churchill Downs Inc., the owner of both TwinSpires and BetAmerica, hosts this prestigious Kentucky Derby in Louisville every year in May. Jockeys covet this race, and it is one of the most wagered on and well-known horse racing events. For over four decades, this field has been a 1.25-mile race, limited to 20 entrants. Kentucky Derby betting is the first to run, followed by Preakness 2 weeks later, which only hosts 14 jockeys. Three weeks after that is the Belmont Stakes, Breeder’s Cup, which is the longest of these 3 races with a distance of 1.5 miles.

    How to Bet on Horses

    Novices really don’t need to feel intimidated by Pennsylvania Online Horse Betting. There are multiple ways to wager, either on mobile, online, at standalone machines, off-track betting sites, or a live teller, neither of which are complicated. Follow these simple instructions to place your wagers:

    • Decide where the track is
    • Choose a race
    • Decide on the bet amount
    • Choose a type of wager
    • Choose a horse or horse depending on the race type by using their number.
    • For example, your bet can sound along the lines of Pimlico racing, Race 3, $10 to win on number 3

    How to Read a Program

    A horse racing program might look confusing when you see it at first. This is because a lot of data is inserted in the tables. Namely, how the horse has performed over specific distances, previous races won, how often it worked out, who its trainer and jockey were, where the specific race was run, etc.

    Read a program easier:

    • Race dates show bettors when and how well the horses have run during races.
    • Race number plus abbreviations only sound or look confusing. Read it as the racehorse number, and the tracks it has competed at.
    • Race restrictions are advanced words for what the race conditions are.
    • Post position tells a player where the animal is starting from the gate in line.
    • Final time tells a bettor how long it took the horse to get from beginning to finish line.
    • Fractional time is specific periods during a race that shows where a horse was at that stage compared to others in a race.

    History of Horse Racing in Pennsylvania

    In the US, horse racing is and always has been big. It goes back centuries, even though modern-day wagering was only established at the start of the 20th century. Kentucky was the first state where pari-mutuel betting was legalized. New York and Maryland followed suit, with more states following throughout 1900. With the Interstate Horseracing Act in 1959, Pennsylvania received three licenses for harness racing.

    In 1963, the state opened its first track, Meadows racetrack, where punters could begin placing wagers. When thoroughbred legislation passed in 1968, dual meets were conducted at its 3 tracks, and the first PA track to concentrate on thoroughbred leading races was Penn National. Commodore Downs and Keystone followed shortly after that. In 1983 the first online wagering was operational which was called Call-A-Bet. It continues until today, albeit modernized and called Xpressbet.

    Written by:

    Author, Contributor, Law Expert at Luckypennsylvania.com. Karen is our writer and contributor who tells you the latest news and trends in gambling industry that take place in the United States.

    FAQ About Pennsylvania Horse Betting

    What’s the age requirement?

    To place sports wagers on horses, a player must be 18 years old and above. However, playing casino games for real money requires that a player be no younger than 21 years old.

    Will a credit/debit card work to deposit funds at the Best Pennsylvania Online Horse Betting Sites?

    Debit and credit cards are accepted at sportsbooks, casinos, and off-track sites. The downside is that some banks in Pennsylvania frown upon sports wagering, even though there are legal, trusted sites. Therefore, players should speak to customer service of the chosen platform to confirm if they have all the banking options available.

    Who can place a legal wager on horse races in Pennsylvania?

    Anyone who is within the Pennsylvania state line can begin placing wagers on horses. Apps, smartphone devices, as well as desktops have geolocation software to confirm where the player lives. While you don’t have to live in Pennsylvania, you must be physically located in the state to place a wager, access banking, or make withdrawals.

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