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Best ChoiceCan I Bet on Horse Racing in North Carolina?
Yes, you can bet on horse racing in North Carolina in person. Pari-mutuel horse betting is legal at North Carolina casinos.
You can't bet on horse racing online in North Carolina quite yet. While online advanced deposit wagering (ADW) was legalized on March 11, no operators have applied for a license nor has the North Carolina Lottery Commission finalized horse betting rules.
Latest News on Horse Betting in North Carolina April 2025
No operators have applied for a license for online horse betting in North Carolina yet. Under current state law, operators must pay $200K annually or $1M for a five-year license, which is much higher than the next most-expensive state (New York at $20K per year).
- 📅 May 4, 2024: The Kentucky Derby will happen at Churchill Downs, unfortunately you still can not bet online (while in NC) but can enjoy watching the race.
- 📅 April 8, 2024: Rep. Jason Saine (R-Lincoln County) says state lawmakers "have to talk about" horse betting issues in the upcoming legislative session.
- 📅 March 11, 2024: Horse betting online is now legal with the launch of sports betting around the state.
- 📅 March 1, 2024: In its report to the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee, the state lottery commission says specific rules for horse racing are planned for later in 2024, but there's no timeline given. The commission says the state's licensing fee may be a deterrent for operators and suggests allowing ADW operators to partner with sports betting operators.
- 📅 June 14, 2023: NC Gov. Roy Cooper signs HB 347, fully legalizing betting on horse races and sports in North Carolina.
Are There Live Horse Race Tracks in North Carolina?
There aren't any horse racing facilities in North Carolina currently, but there is a push within the state to explore creating a state racing commission and opening a thoroughbred racing facility. The closest thing currently operating in the state is the historic Pinehurst Harness Track, which operates primarily as a training facility for harness racing horses.
The Pinehurst Harness Track is the oldest continuously operating horse sports facility in the state. Wagering isn't offered on any races at Pinehurst, and it's used mainly as a training facility for standard breeds.
What About Horse Racing Events Without Betting?
There are several horse racing events that you can attend to just enjoy the race. Two of the most popular events to go watch horse racing is the Carolina Cup and events at the Carolina Horse Park. Unfortunately, the storied Carolina cup will be canceled in 2024. Follow their site to stay up to date on more Carolina Cup news.
How to Bet on Horse Racing
Wagering on horse racing is typically done one of two ways: fixed odds wagering and pari-mutuel wagering.
While fixed odds wagering is typically against "the house," pari-mutuel wagering is betting against other bettors.
How Horse Betting Odds Work: Pari-Mutuel vs Fixed Odds Wagering
In pari-mutuel wagering, odds will fluctuate as more people bet money into the respective pools. Payouts are calculated by dividing the losing wagers and subtracting the "takeout," the percentage of each wager pool total the track keeps.
Winning horses pay the odds they reflect when the race closes at post time. The morning line odds are the track line-maker's best estimation of each horse's closing odds. As opposed to fixed odds wagering, pari-mutuel wagering is more similar investing in the stock market. The markets move from the time the race opens for wagering and closes for wagering.
The upside is that your odds can move in your favor from the time you made the wager. Of course, the inverse of that would be the downside.
Fans of sports betting or casino gambling may be more familiar with fixed odds wagering. With fixed odds wagering, gamblers are betting against "the house" with odds set by the racebook. While some states require fixed odds horse betting in their state, the majority are pari-mutuel.
Fixed odds bettors don't have to deal with wild fluctuation like pari-mutuel pools do when money floods in on a horse. Fixed odds bettors can also easily exploit long initial odds at the time they placed the wager, meaning if a horse at a long price is bet down to the favorite, they still will be paid the long odds.
How to Register for North Carolina Online Horse Racing Betting Sites
Mobile horse wagering will be easy in North Carolina.
For the traditional desktop user, you'll have the full functionality of the ADW's website with a larger screen for watching races with more display options.
Wagering using racebook apps on a smartphone makes the sport even more accessible anywhere, anytime. All of the key functionalities are available on the app, including race replays, handicapping information, live odds, will pays, and probable payouts. Some promotions might be available to only players who claim on the racebook app.
To register for any ADW racebook app, follow these steps:
- ✅ Download the app from Apple App Store or the Google Play store.
- ✅ Click "Sign Up."
- ✅ Input personal information for registration.
- ✅ Claim any sign-up promotions.
- ✅ Fund your account.
Deposit & withdrawal are common concerns with betting online. However, most ADW apps now have multiple instant ways to deposit and speedy withdrawal processing.
Most apps offer deposit directly from your bank account via ACH, credit or debit, or from third party payment apps such as PayPal, Venmo, or Apple Pay. Funds are typically processed quickly. Withdrawals can be paid with the same options. Most sites will try to process a request within 24 hours or on the following business day.
Types of Horse Races You Can Bet On
While the main focus of racing in the United States is thoroughbred horse racing, there are other types of racing that provide fun options for watching and wagering.
Thoroughbred Racing
Thoroughbred racing is what most people think of when asked to picture a horse race. Thoroughbred racing, by far, is the most widely covered and feature's races that have become a piece of Americana, such as the Kentucky Derby.
Thoroughbred racing is action packed and high drama, with the possibility of large and lucrative payouts.
On average, there's thirty minutes between all the races at a track. With multiple tracks running at once, there's the possibility of action every minute of the day.
Jump Racing
Jump racing is primarily takes place in the UK and combines the excitement of thoroughbred racing with hurdles that each horse has to navigate. Spills are common, adding an extra layer of suspense for bettors.
Because of the time difference, UK jump racing primarily happens in the morning hours in the United States and provides a fun wagering opportunity in the early half of the day.
Harness Racing
Think scenes from Ben-Hur and Roman chariot races. The driver sits behind the horse in a wheeled cart referred to as a "sulky," and the horse pulls the driver and sulky around the track.
Harness racing features dramatic closing moves with horses dropping in from the clouds. With most harness racing in the United States happening in the evening, it's a fun nighttime wagering opportunity for bettors.
Popular Types of Bets on Horse Racing
Wagering on horse racing gives bettors many options in finding value and making their bets as efficient as possible. With single-horse wagers, wagers on multiple horses, and wagers on multiple races, each race can be approached in a unique way.
Single Horse Wagers
The most simple horse wagers are single horse wagers to win, place, or show.
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Win Easily the simplest to understand, a win bet is a wager on a horse wins the race. In parimutuel wagering, the odds are dependent upon the money wagered on other horses in the win pool. With fixed odds, they are the odds set by the racebook. -
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Place A place bet is a wager that a horse finishes second place or better in a race. The horse does not need to finish in second exactly to win money, just second or better. Calculating place bets can be tricky with parimutuel wagering pools because the payout is dependent on who else finishes in the top two as well as the amount of money wagered in place pool on both. -
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Show A show bet is a wager that a horse finishes third or better in a race. Like the place bet, calculating the exact payout can be difficult because it's dependent on the top three finishers in the race and the amount wagered. While likely one of the safer bets in horse racing, show bets are typically the lowest ROI wagers of the single horse wagers. -
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Win/Place & Win/Place/Show A popular way to play one horse wagers is to bet into multiple pools at once with a Win/Place bet and an across-the-board Win/Place/Show bet. Across-the-board bets can add a level of insurance where a bettor can still turn a profit for the entire wager without winning the race, though the downside is that it can dilute profit of a winning horse by spreading money into multiple pools.
Multi-Horse Wagers
Multi-horse wagers typically are the highest-paying wagers for a single race. They are won by picking horses to finish in the correct position for up to five positions depending on wager type.
Not only are there multiple multi-horse wagers available, but there are also multiple ways to bet each multi-horse wager with straight wagers and box wagers.
A straight wager is a bet on single horse at each finishing position, which requires that the horses finish in that exact order to win.
A box wager is a bet on two or more horses for each finishing position; they don't have to be in the exact order to pay out. The price of a box wager changes as you add more horses at various odds.
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Exacta Wagering on two horses to finish first and second is known as an exacta bet. Exactas are the only multi-horse wagers that show probable payouts for all of the possible combinations of first and second place finishers. -
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Trifecta Trifectas can lead to very lucrative payouts with a lower base wager amount. While tracks provide accurate probable payments for possible winning combination for exactas, they do not do the same for a trifecta's combination of three horses and other multi-horse wagers. -
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Superfecta The superfecta is a wager on the first four horses to finish a race. The base wager amount for superfectas is typically the lowest at $0.10, but can yield some of the largest payouts in a day of racing. However, they can also be very difficult to win. -
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Super Hi-5 Was picking first through fourth place not exciting enough for you? Then try the Super Hi-5! The Super Hi-5 wager is picking the first five finishers of a race in order. Not every track offers a Super Hi-5, and the base wager is usually higher than that of a trifecta or superfecta.
One of the perks of the Super Hi-5 is that the wagering pool will carry over and build in the next race if no one wins it, leading to possibly larger payouts over the course of a day of racing.
Multi-Race Wagers
Some of the best payouts in horse racing from multi-race wagers. A multi-race wager is won by picking the winner of two or more consecutive races.
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Daily Double Spanning two consecutive races, the daily double is the most basic of multi-race wagers. Like multi-horse wagers, they can be played straight with one horse in each race, or "leg," in the daily double. Daily doubles can present tremendous value and can pay more-than-win odds in a mechanical parlay of two win bets. Similar to exactas, tracks and ADWs will show probable payouts for each combination of winners. -
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Pick 3, Pick 4, Pick 5 & Pick 6 A track may offer horizontal longer multi-race wagers such as a Pick 3, Pick 4, Pick 5, or Pick 6. A winning ticket, especially in the longer wagers, can pay a life changing amount of money. However, they pay very well because they can be expensive bets to make and difficult to get right.
Best Expected NC Horse Racing Betting Apps April 2025
Licenses are still being awarded for North Carolina horse betting apps. While we wait to see which operators can launch horse betting, here's a look at the possible options and what they each do best:
| 🏆 TwinSpires | Best Overall |
| ⭐️ FanDuel Racing | Best for New Horse Bettors |
| 🎁 Caesars Racebook | Best for Rewards |
| 😊 DK Horse | Best for Casual Horse Bettors |
| 🐎 BetMGM Horse Racing | Best Choice of Races |
| 📊 1/ST BET | Best for Data |
| ✅ Last Updated: | April 25, 2025 |
Customers have many choices on which ADW to use for betting and watching horse racing. Finding an ADW that offers good promotions and rebates allows customers to maximize their wagering dollars.
🔥 MORE: North Carolina Sportsbook Promotions
Best Overall North Carolina Horse Racing App
TwinSpires is one of the most established horse racing ADWs.
Getting started with TwinSpires is easy with multiple deposit options, sign up bonuses, and easy withdrawal options. Betting is available on most tracks in North America as well as international tracks.
Here’s a breakdown of TwinSpires Racebook, the best horse race betting app for horse racing fans.
| 🎁 TwinSpires Expected Offer | $200 Sign Up Bonus |
| 📲 Best App Features |
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| 🚀 Total States Live | 33 |
| ⭐️ Apple App Store Rating | 4.8 |
| ⭐️ Google Play Store Rating | 4.5 |
| 📲 Apple Download Size | 92.8 MB |
| 📲 Google Play Downloads | 100K+ |
| ✅ Last Updated: | April 25, 2025 |
DK Horse, DraftKings' horse betting app, is powered by TwinSpires and offers a welcome deposit match up to $250. It's an excellent opportunity to take advantage of DK Horse's larger first deposit promotions without having to learn a completely new platform.
The app offers all the same detailed handicapping statistics that comes with being under the TwinSpires umbrella.
However, DK Horse is only available in 17 states compared to TwinSpires' 33 and has lower app store ratings (4.6 on App Store, 4.1 on Google Play) than TwinSpires does.
⭐️ MORE: Is DraftKings Legal in North Carolina?
Newest North Carolina Horse Betting App Redesign
For new players, FanDuel has informational articles on subjects like horse racing odds and bet type. Whether it's a straight bet or exotic wagers that span multiple races, FanDuel has resources covering these topics.
Here’s a breakdown of FanDuel Horse Racing, the best horse race betting app for new horse racing bettors.
| 🎁 FanDuel Expected Offer | $200 No Sweat Win Bet |
| 📲 Best App Features |
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| 🚀 Total States Live | 10 |
| ⭐️ Apple App Store Rating | 4.5 |
| 📲 Apple Download Size | 45.2 MB |
| 📲 Google Play Downloads | 100+ |
| ✅ Last Updated: | April 25, 2025 |
🎁 MORE: North Carolina FanDuel
Most Downloaded North Carolina Horse Betting App
If you prefer bonuses and rewards that translate to real life experiences, than Caesars Racebook might be the choice for you. They offer rewards that can be used towards hotel stays, dining, and even tickets to shows.
Here’s a breakdown of Caesars Racebook, the best horse racing sportsbook for rewards.
| 🎁 Caesars Expected Offer | 100% Deposit Match |
| 📲 Best App Features |
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| 🚀 Total States Live | 18 |
| ⭐️ Apple App Store Rating | 2.8 |
| ⭐️ Google Play Store Rating | 4.2 |
| 📲 Apple Download Size | 14.3 MB |
| 📲 Google Play Downloads | 1M+ |
| ✅ Last Updated: | April 25, 2025 |
🎁 MORE: Caesars Sportsbook North Carolina
Horse Racing Events to Bet on in North Carolina
Even without live horse racing in the state, there's plenty of nationally significant racing on which NC residents can wager. Starting in 2024 horse racing bettors will be able to wager on the Kentucky Derby and other Triple Crown races.
The Kentucky Derby is just the beginning of high-stakes horse racing that culminates the first weekend in November with the richest weekend in horse racing: The Breeders' Cup.
Triple Crown
The Triple Crown is the test of a champion and features three races at three different tracks. The Kentucky Derby (May 4, 2024 at Churchill Downs), the Preakness Stakes (May 18, 2024 at Pimlico Race Course), and the Belmont Stakes (June 8, 2024 at Belmont Park) will captivate horse racing fans all season long.
A horse winning all three, and therefore winning the Triple Crown, is regarded by some as the most difficult feat in all of sports. Before American Pharoah in 2015 and Justify in 2018, no horse had won a Triple Crown since Affirmed nearly four decades earlier in 1978.
Kentucky Derby
The "Run for the Roses," held annually on the first Saturday of May, provides some of the most well-funded betting pools of the year. Kentucky Derby futures let bettors try to pick the winner of the Derby months in advance, which can add a long-term element of suspense.
In the most recent years, the Derby has been won by longshots with $2 win bets returning $32.42 (Mage in 2023) and $163.60 (Rich Strike in 2022).
Preakness Stakes
The middle jewel of the Triple Crown, the Preakness Stakes is always run with a possibility that a this could be the year we see another Triple Crown winner. Over the last ten years, the average $2 win payout was just over 4-1, and the exotic wagers such as $1 Trifecta and Superfectas have on occason paid over five figures.
In 2019 when War of Will won the Preakness, the $1 Superfecta paid $51,924.
Belmont Stakes
Regarded as "the true test of a champion," the one-and-one-half mile race at Belmont Park is the longest race of the Triple Crown series. With or without a Triple Crown contender, the New York leg of the series provides the same deep pools as the other two races.
Even with heavy favorites producing low payoffs four of the last 10 years, the average win payout for that time frame is 4.5-1 with most recent winner Arcangelo paying 7-1.
Breeders' Cup World Championships
The Breeders' Cup is like Super Bowl of horse racing. Horses ship to the United States from all over the world for races that offer purse money over $1M. A win in the Breeders' Cup could mean a lucrative breeding deal for owners.
But the Breeders' Cup is much more than just one race. The Breeders' Cup is a weekend of racing with 14 races of $1M purse stakes over the course of the first Friday and Saturday of November.
Wagers that span multiple races, such as the Pick 6, can result in life changing payouts of staggering amounts of money. Three times since 2000 the Breeders Cup Pick 6 has paid over $1M dollars: $2.68M in 2003, $1.45M in 2006, and $1.84M in 2009.
British Triple Crown Races
The UK is home to some of the best turf horses in the world, and some of the best turf racing. The UK has it's very own version of the Triple Crown with the 2000 Guineas Stakes, The Epsom Derby, and St. Leger Stakes.
While an American Triple Crown winner is rare, winning the British Triple Crown of the 2000 Guineas, the Epsom Derby, and the St. Leger Stakes is even rarer still. The last horse to win all three was Nijinsky in 1970. These races provide interesting types of wagers not seen in the United States, such as Omni and Swinger bets.
2000 Guineas Stakes
The first leg of the British Triple Crown series for three-year-old horses will run May 4, 2024, at the UK's Newmarket Race Course. The race spans one mile and is on the turf, unlike the American Triple Crown races.
At 7/2, 2023's winner Chaldean was the shortest priced winner since 2018.
Since 2004, 60% of the 2000 Guineas Stakes winners have paid greater than 5-1.
Epsom Derby
Also known as "the Derby," the Epsom Derby was first run in 1780. Going one-and-one-half miles over the turf, the distance is the same as America's Belmont Stakes.
This is a race with a recent history of horses winning with long odds. The average winning odds over the last ten years were 12-1, with a 40-1 winner in 2017 (Wings of Eagles).
St. Leger Stakes
Spanning one-and-three-quarters miles over on the turf at Doncaster, the St. Leger Stakes is the final jewel of the British Triple Crown—and a true test of endurance.
While the last 10 years' winners have been short priced, you can occasionally find value with exotic wagers like Exactas and Trifectas, as well as British Omni and Swinger bets.
Royal Ascot
The Royal Ascot brings the British Royal Family out to enjoy racing; the races with massive fields of horses are always exciting and lucrative betting opportunities.
⭐️ Don't forget to use the latest bet365 NC bonus code.
North Carolina Horse Racing Betting Tips & Trends
North Carolina residents will be able to take part in safe, legal horse betting online—just in time to build a bankroll for the Kentucky Derby!
With sign up promotions from most sites, new North Carolina bettors can take advantage right away. You'll have your choice of horse racing betting sites, giving you access to every track covered, the full wager menu, and live streaming right to your phone!
When horse betting, it's essential to thoroughly research the form, track conditions, and jockey performance to make informed wagering decisions:
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Read Racing Programs The racing program is the most basic level of information someone can acquire for a race card for the day. Horses are listed by race number along with jockey information, results of their last three races, and other details. Most handicappers rely on more in-depth past performance data from services like the Daily Racing Form or brisnet.com. -
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Watch the Odds Horse racing odds can change quickly, all the way until the time where horses break from the gate. Watching odds movements can clue you in to who the betting public likes (also known as the "market movers"). In addition to odds, watch the probable payouts for daily doubles, because they can signal a last-minute favorite in the current race or favorites for the next race. -
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Study Past Performances They can help you notice patterns in performance or training technique that might indicate a horse is ready to perform at the top level. But remember, you are wagering on how the horse will run today, not how it ran in the past. -
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"Favorite" Does Not Guarantee a Win There is no such thing as a sure thing in horse racing. There are too many variables in the course of a horse race, and mid-priced horses beat heavy favorites often. Statistically, the favorite will only win 3-4 races out of every 10. -
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Use Bonus Offers Racebooks will typically offer various promotions through the month, with customized promotions for big days on the racing calendar—ranging from waiving deposit fees, money-back specials, exacta insurance, or cash bonuses for wagering handle. Always keep an eye out for any new promotions, and always read the terms & conditions. -
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Consider Jockey Experience You cannot overlook the impact that jockeys have in horse racing. They're forced to make split-second decisions that will impact the final result of a race. While past performance is no guarantee of future success, a "hot jock" can greatly improve a horse's chances of winning.
North Carolina Horse Racing Betting Sites FAQs
Author
Chase Sessoms is a professional American thoroughbred horse racing handicapper and content creator. He's the host of The Notorious OTB podcast on The Sports Gambling Podcast Network, and has been the cohost of horse racing shows on AmericasBestRacing.Net as well as HorseRacingNation.com.
