The Best Pennsylvania Horse Racing Sites & Apps in 2024

When it comes to sports betting, nothing has stood the test of time longer than horse racing.

With this sport remaining incredibly popular today, the Inquirer is here to educate Pennsylvania horse racing betting enthusiasts and new players alike about the best Pennsylvania horse racing sites and apps. There are at least five horse racing platforms you can take advantage of, totaling hundreds of dollars in bonuses for racing action in 2024. Just because the Triple Crown is over doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of races to bet on!

TwinSpires is the best horse racing betting sites for fans in the Keystone State.

TwinSpires is available in a large number of U.S. states outside of PA. They have a well received mobile app, with 4.8 and 4.5 star reviews on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, respectively.

That said, their welcome offer requires a good bit of money to be wagered for you to receive bonus bets. The maximum amount of bonus bets you can earn is $400. Here’s how their welcome offer works.

After you’ve wagered $400 on the platform, you’ll get $100 worth of bonus bets. After that, wager another $400 to make your cumulative amount wagered $800. You’ll then receive your second deposit of $100 in bonus bets.

This pattern continues until you’ve earned $400 in bonus bets within your account’s first 30 days of being active, meaning you’ve wagered $1,600. Make sure you use promo code PIRACING during sign-up to be enrolled.

You’ll have a large amount of withdrawal and deposit methods available to you on TwinSpires, as well as a reliable customer service staff on standby if needed.

TwinSpires also offers live streaming on thoroughbred racing, harness racing, and other forms of racing. You can watch all the Triple Crown races through their service.

It can be easy to get lost navigating all the information the site has to offer. But they lay it out the best they can with how much content is packed into their platform.

TwinSpires is operated and owned by Churchill Downs, which makes them a reputable choice to be your horse racing betting site of choice.

Coming in at a close second behind TwinSpires is FanDuel Racing, which is FanDuel’s platform dedicated to everything horse race betting fans can look for.

FanDuel owns TVG, which is the horse racing betting site ranked below. But FanDuel Racing is a very impressive entity in its own right that has a simple but generous welcome offer for new customers.

Players in AZ, CO, CT, IL, TN, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, MI, NJ, NY, OH, PA, VA, VT, WV, or WY can sign-up and wager through either the FanDuel Sportsbook platform or FanDuel Racing platform.

Your sign-up promo in these states is a $500 no sweat first bet, meaning you get bonus bets back equal to what your first wager was if it results in a loss.

Those in AR, CA, DE, ID, FL, MN, MT, NH, NM, ND, OR, RI, SD, and WA only have the option to bet through FanDuel Racing, as FanDuel Sportsbook isn’t legal in these states.

The sign-up promo for the sportsbook is a highly elevated offer, so make sure to check that out too.

FanDuel Racing has great reviews on its mobile app, which is well warranted. This is because navigating the selection of races and odds offered by FanDuel are easy on mobile and desktop alike.

With a large number of tracks offered, FanDuel Racing has quickly established themselves as a reliable destination for horse race bettors.

TVG is one of the best known online horse race betting sites across the country, as they’re available in 33 U.S. states and have been around for quite some time.

New customers can click on the offer module above to begin registering for the TVG promo code. When you finish creating your account, the welcome bonus you’ll be enrolled in is for a $200 first bet on the house.

This means you can place a single-horse wager worth up to $200. If this first bet results in a loss, your stake will be paid back to you in bonus bets.

TVG is a prime destination to visit if you’re a horse racing fan. No matter which form of live horse racing you’re looking to bet on, you can do so on TVG.

The user interphase is similar to FanDuel, making it clean to navigate. The amount of betting markets, promotions, and information at your disposal are all impressive.

Being able to live stream races and track your horse racing wagers is just another reason why they’re one of top sites in the industry.

You can feel comfortable knowing the TVG mobile app has a 4.7/5 star rating on the Apple App Store with almost 14k ratings, which is an excellent sample size.

Finally, FanDuel owns TVG, which can alleviate any uncertainty over whether they’re legitimate or not.

AmWager checks in at fourth on our list, but this is just as solid a horse racing site as the names mentioned above.

Their welcome offer is a fabulous one, as new customers who register can redeem a 100 percent first deposit match up to $150.

AmWager only has one restriction for horse racing betting in PA, which is no wagering on Greyhound racing.

Other than that, AmWager offers tons of insightful information about the horses and track history that’re exclusive to their platform. One thing we’d like to see more of admittedly are promotions.

They’ve been operational since 2009 and are available in over 30 states. Although they don’t have a mobile app, their desktop browser will still do the job.

While how good a platform’s welcome bonus is may not be a make or break deal for everybody, having a solid welcome offer for new customers is important in order to keep new players coming in.

The difference between a good and subpar welcome offer can sometimes make the difference between whether a new customer registers or not.

Offering promotions on a regular basis helps show a sportsbook’s generosity, which is why it’s an added bonus if you find a horse racing betting site that has these.

Promotions that can aid you include bet insurance and deposit match bonuses. These promotions can sometimes be redeemed just once per promotional period, but they can sometimes be used much more regularly depending on the platform.

If you’re wagering on a horse race online, you’ll likely want to watch it unfold to see if your bet wins in real-time. This is why using a betting platform that has live streaming capabilities such as FanDuel is a big bonus.

Most platforms allow you to live stream your race, but it doesn’t hurt to do some research before signing up just to be sure you’ll have live streaming capability.

Being able to take your wagers on the go is more popular than ever, which is why most sports betting sites have mobile apps for users to download.

Horse racing betting sites are no exception, with most of them having a mobile app for you to download. However, some might only offer their app on the Apple App Store and not the Google Play Store.

Pennsylvania is home to a half dozen in-person horse racing tracks. These locations span across the entire commonwealth, offering great flexibility for anyone to be able to make a trip.

Different tracks partner with different brands like Hollywood, Caesars, and Mohegan Sun. This means you’ll have casinos, sportsbooks, dining, entertainment options, and more at your disposal at these tracks.

Arguably the most recognizable and well-known live horse racing track in the Keystone State is Penn National Race Course at Hollywood Casino. Hollywood Casino is one of the most popular online casinos in PA, and this retail casino makes for a fantastic pairing with the track.

Penn National Race Course runs races over 150 days a year. They also offer viewing parties for some of the most popular horse races of the year such as the Triple Crown races.

Also partnered with Hollywood Casino is the Hollywood Meadows Racetrack. Standardbred harness racing is held year-long here, with a slew of other entertainment options available to players such as a sportsbook, hotel, and casino.

Located near Pittsburgh, you can watch simulcast horse racing here 365 days a year.

Thoroughbred racing is held at Presque Isle Downs Casino, which has a well received casino and TwinSpires sports betting kiosks.

They’re owned by Churchill Downs, and also offer plenty of entertainment and food for their customers.

Parx Casino Racetrack runs in connection with BetParx, who offer a fantastic online sportsbook and one of the best online casino bonuses in the state. Your first 24 hours of casino play are stress free up to $1,000 when you use the BetParx Casino promo code.

Thoroughbred racing is held at this one mile track. You can watch major races at this track and wager at BetParx’ retail casino, which is the largest retail casino in Pennsylvania.

Located at Mohegan Sun Pocono Casino, harness racing is held at Pocono Downs’ 5/8 mile racetrack. The only months you won’t find live racing are the winter months of December, January, and sometimes February.

In addition to the track and massive Mohegan Sun retail casino, this location also offers Unibet Sportsbook for sports bettors to wager at.

This 5/8 mile track located in Chester, PA is partnered with Caesars. For the majority of the year, you can watch standardbred harness racing at this track. 130 live race days are held between April and December.

In addition to watching the races, you can visit their retail casino and sportsbook while enjoying the luxuries of their bars and restaurants.

Dating all the way back to 1875, the Kentucky Derby is a staple in North America sports. The race held annually on the first Saturday in May from Louisville, Kentucky has been dubbed as “The most exciting two minutes in sports”.

Held on a 1 1/4 mile track at Churchill Downs, three-year-old thoroughbreds will race on horse racing’s biggest stage on March 6th with a $1.8 million winner’s purse up for grabs. This race is the first of the Triple Crown races.

The second race of the Triple Crown is the Preakness Stakes, which is an annual event held in Baltimore, Maryland. The very first Preakness Stakes happened in 1873, two years before the first Kentucky Derby.

This track is 1 3/16 miles, which is the shortest length of the three races. The third Saturday in May is when this race takes place, which is May 20th this year. Last year’s winners’ purse was $1.65 million.

Rounding out the triple crown of horse racing is the Belmont Stakes, which is held annually on the third Saturday following the Preakness in Saratoga Springs, New York. This year, the date is scheduled for June 8th.

This track is 1 1/2 miles, which is the longest of all the Triple Crown tracks. The 2024 winner’s purse was $2 million.

The Breeders Cup is known as the World Championships of thoroughbred racing, and is held every year in November at different locations. This year’s is being held at Santa Anita Park on Nov. 3 and Nov. 4. It marks the 40th running of the World Championships.

Rather than just being one race, the Breeders Cup sees 14 races held over two days in an effort to determine who the best of the best is.

Reading and comprehending horse racing odds can be confusing to new players because they’re displayed differently than what you usually see when looking at something such as an NFL moneyline market.

In other sporting leagues, you’ll see the favorited team have odds of something like -145 or -330. In horse racing, odds will look like 3-1 or 9-2.

When you read these odds, they’re spoken as “number to number” odds. Meaning if a wager has 10-3 odds, those are ten to three odds.

The formula for reading these types of odds is simpler to follow than you may think. Let’s say you bet on a horse with 10-3 odds in an example.

The first number shows the amount you could win if you wager exactly how much the second number shows. So if you just wager $3, you’ll win $10 if it wins. But if you wager $30, you’ll win $100 if your wager wins.

It requires a little bit of math to calculate winnings versus stake. But whence you get some practice, it becomes much more understandable.

More than half of the U.S. has legalized online horse race betting. As time goes on, more states could join the fray as well. With how many states have legalized horse racing, it’s easier to list off the states that don’t allow it.

The states where it’s illegal to bet on horse racing online are Alaska, Georgia, Hawaii, Mississippi, Nevada, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, and Washington D.C.

The best advice we can give for novice horse racing bettors or those looking to improve is to do research. This might seem like no-brainer advice, but it’s advice that’s applicable to any sport you might want to bet on.

In horse racing, there’s lots of trends and history that can be looked at. History is incredibly instructive when researching horse racing’s past.

Looking at who the trainer is for your horse and seeing how they’ve faired historically can give you confidence. Race horses don’t have long careers before retiring, but looking at their individual pasts can help too.

Finally, looking at track details like what the surface is and how long the track is can be instructive.

With how much information there is to research when horse betting, it might take a lot of time. But it could prove worth your while, as making an educated decision is always more advised than going in blindly.

Traditional sports betting on leagues like the NFL or NBA sees terms like spread, moneyline, and totals thrown out often. Horse racing is different, as some of the most common terms include win, place, and show.

Win simply means you’ll win your wager if your backed horse win, which is the same as a moneyline bet. Place means you’ll win if your horse finishes first or second, while show means you’ll win if your horse finishes first, second, or third.

Place and show bets won’t win you as much money as win bets, since you have a higher probability of your bet being successful on them.

There are loads of other horse racing terms you’ll come across, but those are the three to familiarize yourself with at the start of your horse racing betting journey.

Another term that’s commonly thrown around is “handicap.” In horse racing, a handicap means that all horses and jockeys need to be the same weight.

This can be thought of like a weight class in boxing. If a fight has a handicap, all horses must carry the same weight so no horse has an unfair advantage over the competition.

For those unfamiliar with horse racing, it can be confusing to see the many types of horse racing that’s conducted. But two of the most popular kinds you’ll come across are harness racing and thoroughbred racing.

The primary difference between these types of racing is that harness racing is slower, as the horses pull a chariot, which is additional weight on top of the jockey. Thoroughbred horses race less often than harness horses, who can race on a weekly basis.

Other than that, distance lengths, racing surface, and jockey weight restrictions are among other differentiating factors to note with these types of racing.

In Pennsylvania, you only need to be 18 years or older to wager on online horse racing. That age requirement doesn’t change for in-person betting either. Arizona, Iowa, Nevada, and Texas are the four states that have a higher age mandate of 21 or older.

The Inquirer is not an online gambling operator, or a gambling site. We provide this information about sports betting for entertainment purposes only.