Online Horse Betting in Illinois 2021

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Horse racing has been legal in the state of Illinois for a number of years. Recent laws have also allowed for off-track betting to take place, legalizing online horse race IL wagering options at leading sites.

Learn more about how you can enjoy online horse betting in Illinois in 2021.

Best Online Horse Racing Apps in IL

  1. TwinSpires

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While you may wish to place your wagers at local OTB Chicago locations, you will also have the ability to make use of betting apps from the top online horse race betting sites in the industry. There are easy-to-use apps that can be downloaded on Android and iOS devices that allow you instant access to wagering excitement.

Instead of heading to your OTB Chicago venue, try apps from TwinSpires, BetAmerica, and TVG. All three of these betting sites support mobile wagering and you can make use of these apps as long as you are located in the state of Illinois and are over the age of 21.

If you are a beginner, you will benefit from BetAmerica or TwinSpires apps. These both have a simpler interface than TVG, so you can navigate the site a bit easier. You will benefit from betting tutorials with all of the apps, so you will find useful information that can help you get started placing winning wagers.

No matter which app you choose, you will find all bet types being supported and will also benefit from handsome welcome bonuses and ongoing promotions of Online Horse Race IL. You will also find that all three of these apps offer live streaming and updated stats and results.

Online Horse Books in IL

Placing wagers on horse races is a fun and exciting way to win payouts while enjoying one of the oldest sports in the world. With Illinois online horse betting, you will find legal and regulated sites that will provide real money wagers over the internet. As long as you are a resident of Illinois and of the legal gambling age, you can benefit from these sites and start betting on some of the leading races run across the country.

The Illinois Racing Board keeps an updated list of all betting websites that provide the ability to engage in online horse betting. The list consists of some of the most reliable and trustworthy betting sites operating in the US, including TwinSpires, BetAmerica, XpressBet, and TVG.

Online Horse Race IL - Top Betting Sites in IL Highlighted Features
BetAmerica High-quality interface
TVG Live Betting and Streaming
TwinSpires Amazing bet insurance deals
Xpressbet Markets at more than 300 tracks

In addition to these operating sites, Illinois has just legalized online gambling in 2019. This means that you will see some great sportsbooks starting to operate online, where you can place wagers on horse racing events. Even though it was already legal, this is great news for Online horse race IL as well. Illinois residents can expect better betting odds on horse racing.

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Type of Horse Racing Bets

When you are looking to enjoy a live betting experience or an online horse race IL and place a real money bet, you will want to become familiar with the different types of bets available. Each operating online bookie or horse racing app will provide the chance to place many types of wagers. To be successful, you will want to know how this works and which will offer the best chances of winning payouts.

Unlike with other sports that can be bet on online, Online horse race IL does not support in-play betting, so there are fewer options than with traditional sports. This is why it is important for you to have a complete understanding of how to use each bet type.

Each Way Bet

This is one of the more common bet types used with horse racing betting. It is a two-part wager that includes the Win and Place parts. Both of these will be of equal value and you will enjoy a return if your selection wins as well as if your chosen horse places.

For example, if you believe a certain horse will perform well in a race, you can place an each way bet of $12. The total cost for this each way bet will be $24. Should the Win price be set at 12/1, you will win $144 if that horse wins the race. If the horse finishes in one of the other top positions, only a fraction of the winning price will be paid. The exact prices will be determined before you place the bet.

With a successful Place bet, the first $12 that was bet on Win will be lost. If the agreed price for the each way is ¼, you would divide that by 4. In short, the return for this bet would be $48. If the agreed price was ½, that payout would be increased to $72. Each way bets are best used when you are not betting on the favorite in a race. You will want to choose a horse that has odds of at least 2/1.

Straight Bets

Straight bets are known to be the simplest bets to place and at any online horse race IL site, these will always be offered. These bets typically come with less risk than other bets and you do not need much betting experience to be successful. If you are new to Illinois online horse betting, these are the best bets to place.

There are four different straight bets to place. The Win bet will be a wager on a horse that you expect to win the race outright. The Place bet is placed on a selection that will finish in the first or second positions. The Show bet is one placed on a horse that will finish in the second or third position. Finally, the Across the Board bet is a combination bet of the win, place, and show bets.

With the Across the Board bet, you will win the win, place, and show payouts if the horse finishes first. If it finished second, you will be awarded the place and show payouts. If there is a third-place finish, you will earn the show bet reward.

Exotic Wagers

Exotic wagers are often placed by those with betting experience. They can be quite complex. These bets will involve multiple selections in a single bet. They can offer some of the largest possible payouts, but they will require strategy and knowledge. 

You may be familiar with the terms Quinella and Exacta. These are the most common exotic bets placed and they are not overly complicated. The quinella bet is one wager on two horses that will finish first and second on any order. The exacta bet works in the same manner, but the horses must finish in the exact order.

The most popular exotic bet is the Trifecta. This is when you will be betting on three different horses that will finish in first, second, and third in a race. They must finish in exact order to collect a payout. There is also a reverse trifecta and with this, the three selections can finish in any order.

With a Superfecta bet, you will be wagering on four different horses. These must finish in the top four positions in the exact order. You will also find that the best online horse race IL betting sites will support Daily Double bets. With this, you are wagering on which two horses will win two races consecutively.

You can extend the daily double to a Pick 3 bet, which will be wagering on three horses to win three consecutive races. Many sites will also offer Pick 4, Pick 5, and Pick 6 bets.

As you can see, you will find many opportunities to wager within your budget and have some great chances to collect returns. Pay attention to the odds that are set by the selected bookie as these can vary per site.

Horse Racing Tracks in IL

Horse racing has a long history in the state of Illinois and for more than 120 years, residents and bettors have been visiting these tracks to enjoy a day at the races. The state has enjoyed some great racing success, with the production of a Kentucky Derby winner in 1970. The 2002 Breeders’ Cup was also run in Illinois in 2002, taking place at Arlington Park.

There are three large and well-known racetracks in the state that attract much attention. As mentioned, Arlington Park was the home to the 2002 Breeders’ Cup. This venue also hosts one of the most popular turf races run in the entire world, the Arlington Million.

Fairmont Park offers live racing in the spring and summer and also supports simulcast betting. The Hawthorne Race Course is the other major track in the state and racing has been taking place here since 1891. It is one of the oldest tracks still operating in the country and the Illinois Derby is run here each year.

All of these tracks support live racing events and betting opportunities. You will also find that the Illinois Horse Racing Act allows tracks to offer off-track betting this is great news for Online horse race IL. Each track has the ability to authorize a set number of OTB sites, with a total of 43 possible locations. At this time there are 27 off-track betting facilities that are active in the state.