Best Horse Racing Betting Apps

Finding a good place to bet on your favourite horses is hard enough. If you’re taking it to mobile because you’d rather not be tied to your desk and chair during these events, finding a mobile app that ticks all your boxes can take the difficulty level way up. If you’re a fan of less popular competitions like harness racing, it gets close to impossible to find what you’re looking for.

But since you’re reading this article, today is your lucky day! We’ve assembled the best horse racing betting apps currently available in the market, rated them according to our strict criteria, and looked around to see if they offer anything others do not. Read on to learn more about the bookmakers on our list.

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7 Best Applications - March 2024

Rank
Website
Rating
Welcome Bonus
Key Features
Play
  • checkGreat range of payment methods
  • checkThousands of markets
  • checkDaily bet boosts for horse racing

New customers using Promo code H30 only, Min £10/€10 stake, min odds 1/2, free bets paid as 2 x £15/€15, free bets credited after settlement of first qualifying bet, free bets will expire 30 days after the qualifying bet is placed, payment method/player/country restrictions apply. Full T&Cs apply.

  • checkGreat mobile app
  • checkGenerous promotions and consolation prizes
  • checkTote betting available

18+ New UK+IRE Customers only. Paypal & certain deposit methods & bet types excl. Min first 5 bet within 14 days of account reg at min odds 1/2 = 4x 5 free bets. Free bets valid for 7 days, stake not returned. No cashout, restrictions + T&Cs apply.

  • checkTote, exchange, and sportsbook betting available
  • checkGreat odds
  • checkGreat variety of markets

18+ New UK+IRE Customers only. Certain deposit methods & bet types excl. Min first 5 bet within 14 days of account reg at min odds 1/2 = 4x 5 free bets. Free bets valid for 7 days, stake not returned. No cashout, restrictions + T&Cs apply.

  • checkGreat money back offers
  • checkPlenty of live streaming options
  • checkBuild your own stable

New Customers only. Bet £10* & Get £30* in Free Bets. Sign up, deposit between £5* and £10* to your account and bet365 will give you three times that value in Free Bets when you place qualifying bets to the same value and they are settled. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits. Min odds/bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. T&Cs, time limits & exclusions apply.

  • checkIn-depth stats available
  • checkTotepool betting
  • checkGreat horse racing offers

New UK 18+ only. Register with promo code WELCOME40, Bet £10+ on Sports in one transaction. Get £30 Free Bets & £10 free spins within 10hrs of bet settlement. Bonuses expire 7 days after issue. Min odds, eligibility & payment exclusions apply. Full T&Cs apply.

  • checkHigh betting limits
  • checkGreat choice of live streaming events
  • checkExcellent promotions

Min deposit £10 • A qualifying bet is a ‘real money’ stake of at least £10 • Min odds 1/2 (1.50) • Free Bets credited upon qualifying bet settlement and expire after 7 days • Free Bet stakes not included in returns • Casino Bonus must be claimed within 7 days and expires after 14 days • Bonus can be used on selected games only & winnings are capped at £500, excluding jackpot wins • Bonus winnings can only be withdrawn after wagering requirements have been met • Full T&Cs apply.

  • checkVery few deposit/withdrawal limits
  • checkDetailed Help Centre
  • checkAmazing odds

18+ New customers only. Opt in, bet £5 at odds 2.00+ within 7 days of registering, no cashout. Get 2x £10 Free Bets, set events at odds 2.00+. Plus a £10 Slot Bonus, selected games, wager 20x to withdraw max £250. 7 day bonus expiry. Card payments only. T&Cs apply, see below. begambleaware.org | Please gamble responsibly

How We Rank Our Applications

Our methodology is both complex and strict, but we rely on keeping it transparent so that readers understand our reasoning in order to make an informed choice for themselves. On the other hand, being aware of our approach helps those who disagree pinpoint the exact criteria they can implement when doing their own research.

Presence on Market

The gambling industry is an area rife with scams, frauds, security problems, and other scandals. Those that have been involved in any such events do not make it onto our lists and picks. However, there is more to this than just being an honest provider: the way these apps conduct themselves, the type of advertisement strategy they use, and whether they deliver on their promises are all important factors to consider when choosing your platform.

Additionally, we check every bookmaker’s license. To be able to legally operate within the UK, a bookmaker has to be regulated by the UK Gambling Commission, but other regulatory authorities, like those from Malta or Gibraltar, are usually enough in other jurisdictions. Of course, the more licenses a provider has, the more legitimacy it adds to their business model, which is always very good to see.

Bonuses and Free Bets

Finding your horse racing betting best odds provider websites is closely tied to seeing what kind of bonuses and promotions they offer, both to newcomers and to seasoned veterans using their platform. While many bookmakers will have Best Odds Guaranteed, meaning if yours and the event’s starting price differ, you get the better price, not many are willing to return your stake if you’re beaten only by a length or give you a consolation prize if only one selection on your acca fails.

Additionally, many providers have stipulations in fine print that disqualify many punters because of the payment, deposit methods, and banking options they’re using for deposits, meaning what you thought was the best horse racing betting app for you can turn out to be much more restrictive than you first thought. We’re the experts in checking the fine print information for any of these, so you don’t have to.

Sports Variety and Types

From a UK-based bookmaker, you can expect an exhaustive list of horse races sports betting apps from the UK and Ireland, but if you’re looking for international horse betting, those are not necessarily available just anywhere. We check which countries are represented, whether their live races also include live streams, and if you can apply any bonuses you receive from the bookie to place bets.

We also check for the availability of ante post horse racing betting, less popular horse races like harness racing, and virtuals. And even though many bookies offer all the different exotic and complex horse racing bets, a calculator to show you your potential winnings also comes in handy more often than not.

Payment Methods

There are some relatively standard payment methods that are available almost everywhere: debit cards (since punters from the UK cannot use credit cards for depositing or withdrawing since April 2020), ewallets like PayPal or Skrill, and prepaid vouchers like paysafecard, and in some cases, the bookmakers allow for in-shop top ups or payments through their own, specialised cards. While horse betting apps are free to download and install, playing is not free, so it’s useful to know whether you can take advantage of some of the less common payment options like cheques and bank transfers to fund your account. Some bookies may require additional identification, while others (albeit rare ones) charge fees for their services—we check all of these for you.

Customer Service

No matter how great the betting app in the Apple App Store or Android App Store, you’re almost guaranteed to run into an issue sooner or later. Of course, with a good provider, this can be a downright pleasant experience, especially if their Help Centre teaches you something new, or you have a positive interaction with their customer support agents when you have questions. The best horse betting phone or tablet apps will give you access to: a detailed, easy-to-follow guide to common issues, betting rules, wagering requirements, deposit methods, and the platform’s features, and helpful, patient agents who can be reached at any time to further assist you.

Taking it a step further, many bookmakers will have community forums where you can interact with other users, but also blogs with tips, expert analyses, and news, speculations, and much more, making them especially worth following.

Everything You Need to Know

There are several types of horse betting. The most popular ones by far are flat racing— separated into conditions and handicap racing—and jump racing, often called National Hunt in a standard horse betting app, which is separated into hurdles and steeplechases. Less popular races include endurance racing, quarter racing, and harness racing, which is especially popular in Australia but not nearly as much in the UK. Some other significantly less popular disciplines, like maiden racing, are actually not as distinct from other categories as they may seem, so they will often be offered under those headers (if at all).

Many bookmakers offer ante-post betting on horse races, which means the bet is placed before the racing course’s betting market has even opened. The best horse racing betting sites that offer this feature will often let you place those bets a full day before the event. Since there are no racecourse prices, these odds tend to vary considerably between bookmakers, so many punters will choose the ones offering the best prices.

This is also, in part, where the Best Odds Guaranteed feature comes from: since the difference between the price at which you placed your bet and the starting price can hurt your profits, the vast majority of bookmakers will always let you keep the better price. The feature is also used for day-of bets when the best horse betting odds are hard to follow as they depend on previous races, tips, and potential changes in the runners, but the bigger profit can usually be gained from ante-post racing.

Finally, horse races were the birthplace of many complex odds with names that tend to confuse newcomers, like Trixie, Yankee, or Lucky 15/31/63, whichever strikes your fancy. They are just names for specific bet types that consist of varying numbers of single and multiple bets, and most of them can return some profit, although you have to have a relatively high number of winning selections to even return your stake, let alone make an actual profit. 

Many horse betting bookies online offer detailed explanations of all the different bets they offer, plus bet calculators that let you play around with odds, quantities, and preferred outcomes to see what happens.

Short Reviews

The jump from in-person to desktop site online gambling has happened quickly, but not nearly as fast as the shift to mobile. As the logical continuation of the gambling experience, once smartphones proved they were here to stay and the convenience in gambling on the go, it’s rare to find bettors with an online profile who has never used their mobile device to place a bet. This doesn’t have to mean they use apps, as mobile betting on horses is often available through the mobile version of the site just as easily as on your PC. Still, since apps are so popular, we’ve assembled ten of the best ones and reviewed them.

William Hill

William Hill is a popular UK-based bookmaker, founded in 1934 when betting was prohibited. They hold licenses to operate in the UK through the British Gambling Commission, while for people from the rest of the world, they’re regulated by the Gibraltar Gambling Commissioner. Although they’ve had their ups and downs, business-wise, since their very inception, they’re now considered one of the best horse betting sites not just in the UK, but in the whole world.

Signing up with William Hill using the promo code P30 nets you £30 in free bets when you bet at least £10. This is far from the only worthwhile bonus you can get here: especially for horse betting fans, William Hill offers best odds guaranteed, extra places on select weekly races, and three daily bet boosts of up to £20 each to use on singles on any horse betting market. However, a significant downside for the boosts is that if your bet qualifies for William Hill horse race betting feature Best Odds Guaranteed, it will be settled at those odds, and not the boosted ones.

When it comes to the sports betting offered within their app, things to keep in mind are that races are separated by their country of origin, with UK and Irish users getting slightly preferential treatment as they tend to be more popular with local punters. Many of them have free live streams with a green icon next to the race, while every race will also have the status of the track surface stated. In the William Hill app, punters can get assistance through the Help tab and a FAQ section rich in guides and explanations, but they can also contact the bookie’s customer support through chat, email, and phone. Accepted payment methods are prepaid and debit cards, ewallets, online banking, and cash transfers.

Ladbrokes

Ladbrokes was founded in 1886, while their online gambling platform was launched in 1999. Nowadays, they boast the best iPhone and Android horse wagering apps in the app store, according to their numerous fans. They’re also the biggest UK bookmaker following a 2016 merger with Coral. Helen Vernet, the first woman in the history of British horse betting to be granted the license to work as a bookmaker, was a partner in the company from 1928 until her death in 1956. They’re regulated by the British Gambling Commission in the UK and the Gibraltar Gambling Commission for the rest of the world.

Everyone who wagers a minimum of £5 as their first bet results in £20 in free bets from the bookie. These are usable on Ladbrokes horse racing betting app, as a way to acquaint yourself with the way horse betting works without actually risking your own money, as long as you spend those bets within seven days of them being credited to your account. The bookie will also occasionally offer a free £1 bet, while horse betting specifically has best odds guaranteed and extra places on specific races as part of their constant offer.

Ladbrokes also offers a decent selection of horse betting events, which are in a separate tab from their horse betting distances and international tote competitions. Ladbrokes online betting on horse racing betting is possible with fixed odds, on the exchange directly against other users (where you bet or lay), and through the tote, where bets are collected in a pool that is later divided among winners. The events themselves have a wide variety of markets, but for those who can’t get enough, a Specials tab covers all those less-than-common markets, like the two horses that will finish in the first three, or a horse to win by more than two lengths.

Ladbrokes would not hold the title of the best UK horse racing app in the app store if they did not offer excellent customer support. You can find any help you need in their Help section, but you can also contact them through email and live chat should you need more support. Payment methods include debit and prepaid cards, ewallets, and in-shop top ups.

Coral

Coral was established in 1926 and as of 2015 had 1,845 shops across the country. Following the 2016 merger with Ladbrokes, the two became the biggest UK bookmaker, although both continue to operate under their respective names. Coral horse betting is their most popular offer, closely followed by football sports betting. The bookmaker holds a license from the UK Gambling Commission for users from this region, while international punters get to use this platform thanks to a Gibraltar Gambling Commissioner license.

For newly registered users, Coral offers the same welcome bonus as Ladbrokes, namely a free £20 in four free bets for betting £5. There is also a Racing Super Series free-to-play predictor game with a chance at £25,000 in prizes. A big part of their horse race betting promotions is also the fact that they offer a free bet of up to £10 in case your horse is beaten by a length. Best odds guaranteed and extra places are almost a given, but they complement their existing offer nicely.

Speaking of the existing offer, Coral lets you bet on both your usual horse betting and distances, which is a separate tab in their app. All races have icons with special features next to them where applicable, so you know if you can use boosts or extra places there. Tired of fixed-odds betting? The Coral betting app also lets you use their tote for a hint of old-school racecourse approach. For the punters who can’t wait for new races to start, Virtual Horse Racing offers the same excitement constantly.

Accepted payment methods include debit cards, ewallets, and prepaid vouchers, while the full list of methods is available to punters who are logged in under the Cashier tab. For help, if you can’t find the solution in their FAQ section, the Help section is even more detailed, but you can also get in touch with customer service through live chat, email, and Twitter direct message.

Bet365

The Bet365 app is one of the most popular products by Bet365, a British online gambling company founded in 2000 by Denise Coates in Stoke-on-Trent. Of course, it is only part of their offer, which revolves around the platform itself. They’re licensed by the British Gambling Commission for operating in the UK, as well as the Malta Gaming Authority for elsewhere.

Their welcome bonus gives new customers up to £100 in free credits, matching their qualifying deposit. Horse racing offers include the best price on every horse for races shown live on ITV Racing, best odds guaranteed, and payout on disqualified horses, including ante-post betting. Bet365 horse racing also offers customers horse race replays of all UK and Irish races for free, plus a feature which lets you build a stable of your favourite horses, so you get race alerts  when they’re competing.

When it comes to the horse race variety on offer, not only are you able to punt on a wide selection of international races, you can also watch any races taking place in the UK or in Ireland, but if you’re really itching for more, virtual horse betting is one of their biggest strengths. Their Horse Form section, although it is admittedly no horse betting predictor app, does an excellent job letting you know all the data and statistics you need to place an informed bet.

If you need help, Bet365 is one of the best places to be: with a detailed FAQ section, covering topics that range from login issues to how to stay in control of yourself while playing, does an incredible job addressing most of your potential concerns. If it fails, however, you can get in touch with their customer service through live chat, email, or a phone call. You can deposit using debit and prepaid cards, plus ewallets.

Betfred

Among all horse betting applications for iOS devices, Betfred consistently scores well on all terms. It was founded in 1967 by the Done brothers, who financed it from a bet they won on the 1966 World Cup, as they had bet on England to win. The bookmaker is licensed by the British Gambling Commission, as well as the Gibraltar Gambling Commissioner. As of July 2017, they operated 1,650 shops throughout the country.

Those signing up with Betfred for the first time get £30 in free credits for staking at least £10 at odds of even (2.0) or greater. However, the bet must be placed on sportsbook (i.e. fixed odds) markets, meaning Betfred horse betting through the totepool does not qualify, and neither does any deposit made with ewallets or prepaid cards. Some races will have a special offer where, if your selection finishes second to the starting price favourite, your stake is refunded as a free bet up to £10.

Select races will always have a similar promotion: you receive your initial stake back if your horse finishes second, but it does not apply to ante-post bets. If you pick an all-correct Lucky 15/31/63, Yankee, Canadian, or Heinz, you will also get a bonus between 10% and 25% depending on the type, unless those were placed using free bets.

The Betfred app offers a great range of live horse racing markets, which is not too surprising, as they’re one of the biggest horse betting sponsors in the UK. All British Isles races also have radio commentary, while any additional special features (live streams, extra places, etc.) will have the icon of the feature next to them. Dash Horse Racing is another separate section which offers a virtual race every two minutes.

Help can be found through the eponymous tab within the app, but you can also give them a call, send them an email, or just say hello through live chat. Prepaid and debit cards and ewallets are all accepted forms of payment.

888Sport

As the best horse betting tips app, thanks to their excellent blog with great guides, commentary, and general news, having 888Sport on our list was a no-brainer. Founded in 2008 as a subsidiary of 888 Holdings PLC, their first sports sponsorship was a sponsored stand at Fontwell Park Racecourse in 2010. Emma Spencer, a horse betting journalist and pundit, is their resident horse race authority since 2014. The bookmaker holds licenses from the Great Britain Gambling Commission and the Gibraltar Gambling Commissioner.

If you’re new to 888Sport and your first bet is at least £10, the bookie will give you £30 in free bets. For fans of 888Sport horse race, the bookmaker offers enhanced place terms on each-way bets, best odds guaranteed, price boosts on a number of runners every day, live streaming on worldwide races (although you’ll have to place a bet on some of them if you want to watch), and a £5 free bet if you win at odds of 4/1 or bigger.

When it comes to the races on offer, 888Sport has a generous selection, meaning you’re likely to find whatever race you’re looking for. Cheltenham, Grand National, and Royal Ascot are all available through a single click, with in-depth explanations of each at the bottom of the page. The 888Sport app also offers international races, plus a great selection of ante-post markets. 

Getting assistance has never been easier: instead of a single help section, the platform offers separate sections for different sports, a banking section, and their bonus policies, betting rules, and bet calculators under different links. The banking section tells us all we need to know about deposits and withdrawals, which is that accepted methods include Visa and MasterCard cards, ewallets, and wire transfers (all of these can receive withdrawals), plus a number of methods that can’t receive withdrawals like Apple Pay and a number of prepaid cards.

BetVictor

On our horse racing apps list, BetVictor is another old, well-established bookmaker, founded in 1946. It has undergone a series of rebrands, from VCBet, to Victor Chandler, to BetVictor in 2012. They sponsored the Victor Chandler Chase, which is now known as the Clarence House Chase, at the Ascot racecourse from its inauguration between 1987 and 2013. The bookmaker holds licenses from the Great Britain Gambling Commission and the Gibraltar Gambling Commissioner, not unlike most other gambling providers.

When first signing up with BetVictor, make sure you snag their horse racing betting app-specific welcome offer, which gives you £40 in free bets once you’ve wagered at least £10 on horse racing online events. However, that’s it when it comes to BetVictor online horse racing bonuses—or any bonuses at all. Other than the extremely common best odds guaranteed and price boosts on select races, the bookie simply does not offer bonuses or promotions geared towards existing customers.

They make up for it somewhat with the races and markets on offer. You can bet on any major competitions, no matter if it’s flat or jump racing, while races from the UK, Ireland, South Africa, and the UAE also offer live betting markets. They have an interesting betting option called Lengthen the Odds where you choose the odds, tweet them, and the bookmaker replies with how many lengths you need to win by to win the bet. The BetVictor app also offers faller insurance and place only bets.

Their Help Centre is a treasure trove in terms of knowledge: articles are separated by sports or topics such as offers, accounts, or safer gambling. The Horse Racing part has all the rules and explanations for the sport and the terminology used by the platform. If you’re still unsure, you can contact them through live chat, a message through either the platform, Facebook, or Twitter, or even a text. Credit or debit cards, wallets, and prepaid vouchers are all accepted methods of payment. and prepaid vouchers.

Betway

Betway is one of the youngest platforms on our list, founded in 2006 as part of the Betway gambling brand. The Betway mobile app is among the best on the market, plus their licenses from the British Gambling Commission and the Malta Gaming Authority prove that the bookie is extremely reputable and safe to use. They also hold the Guinness World Record for the largest ever jackpot payout in an online slot machine of a whopping £13 million.

If you’re new to Betway, you have the opportunity at a matched bonus of up to £10 in free bets. ITV races that have six or more runners in which your horse finishes second guarantee you your money back up to £10. As a racing-specific promotion, Betway horse race offers a 4 To Win free to play predictor game, in which you choose the four horses to win the four races named by the bookie for a cash prize. Along with best odds guaranteed and price boosts, betting on horse racing at this bookmaker is a real treat. 

When it comes to the racing variety on offer, Betway has still got you covered: not only do they offer every notable horse racing event worldwide, but they also have loads of statistics and tips on their blog, along with handy explanations of common terms at the bottom of each horse betting page. As with most of our horse race apps, the bookmaker offers all the markets we’ve come to know and love from horse racing, like Trixies, Yankees, and others.

Betway has a rich Help Centre with easy to understand icons leading you further through the different topics on offer, with the last icon being Contact Us, in case you were not able to find a solution to your problem. There is also a very handy search bar so you can try those keywords first. You can get in touch with them through live chat, but only if you’re logged in. Accepted payment methods are—as usual—debit and prepaid cards, plus ewallets.  

Before You Go…

We hope you’re able to find your perfect free live horse racing app with the assistance of our reviews. It’s no walk in the park, but it also doesn’t have to be a terrifying chore. Now that you know which features all the bookies have on offer (bonuses being by far the most important one to most punters), you can go ahead and pick the bookie with the best offers, be it in terms of promotions, markets, worldwide races, or different disciplines within the racing sport. Most importantly, have fun and gamble responsibly.

How to pick the best application?

Understanding what each mobile app offers is the first step towards picking the perfect one. From different odds, markets, bonuses, payment methods, etc., every app has its own peculiarities that make it better suited towards a certain type of punter. Another great way to find the perfect app is to compare the odds between different providers using online comparison tools. Don’t forget to use elimination—if a bookmaker does not offer something you can’t live without, don’t sell yourself short; find something better.

What is the best way to bet?

There are many bets you can make on horses, but by far the most profitable ones are outrights—simply betting on a horse to win. Since you’re only making one selection, the odds of the bet winning are the odds the bookmaker gives you. You can also bet on  multiple horses, and multiple race bets, where you choose the winners of several races. Finally, the best way to bet on horses is, at the most basic level, the one that lets you have fun, but also win, at least occasionally.

What types of bets can you make?

There is a huge range of bets you can make when it comes to horse races. There are straight bets, with three distinct types: betting on a horse to win is simply called a win, betting on it to come in a certain place is called, well, place, while betting on it to come in the first three is called show. Exotic wagers, however, let you bet on the order in a single race (vertical wagers), on the outcome of several races (horizontal wagers), or even the order where the chosen horses can come in whichever order they like for you to win (boxing wagers).

Can you bet to lose?

In a way, betting on one horse to win is betting on all the others to lose. However, all of us already know that it is much easier to choose a horse that will lose than one that will win, as the selection is so much greater. This is made possible through exchange betting: if one user bets that a horse will win, you can lay their bet, betting on it to lose. You can also bet on a single horse to take a certain place other than the first, meaning that in order for your bet to win, the horse has to “lose.”

Which bookmakers offer early odds?

A number of bookmakers offer early odds, also known as ante-post betting, and most of them will have this advertised on their website. Bet365, Betfred, and 888Sport are all examples of bookmakers with this feature, which is especially useful at the same time with their best odds guaranteed feature, as the early odds (before the opening of the racecourse) can differ widely among bookmakers as they have nothing to tie them to. Since most horse racing apps that offer these features also have excellent tips and analyses available on their blogs, punters can get a winning combination simply by signing up with them.