Horse betting in the online gambling industry

Slots, table games, sports betting, original bets, odds calculation, best sports to bet on... thanks to our various blog posts, the online gambling industry has almost no secrets for you! Today, Lucky7Bonus is highlighting a sport that is popular for betting: horse racing. How to bet? Which races are the most popular? Where to bet? Follow the L7B guide.

What is horse racing?

Let's start with a simple definition of horse racing, not to be confused with equestrian sport. Horse racing includes all horse races, contested on racecourses, at the gallop or trot. These are "line races", i.e. they are run with a standing start and laps to be completed. Equestrian sport, on the other hand, is an Olympic discipline that combines show jumping, dressage and eventing. These are not races as such, but individual events, even though time trials may be set up.

There are different disciplines in horse racing:

• Gallop: This is the oldest form of horse racing. It originated in England and France in the 17th century. A distinction must be made between flat and jump races. Over a given distance, flat races are contested with galloping horses: after a grouped start in stalls (a kind of individual box that opens automatically), the horses and their jockeys set off and the first man-animal pair to cross the starting line is declared the winner. Obstacle races follow almost the same rules with a few differences: the start is behind rubber bands, the race distance is often longer and the horses have to clear obstacles along the way. These can be bush hurdles, river jumps or other types of larger obstacles.

• Trotting: Trotting races appeared later, only in the middle of the 19th century. Again, there are two types of trotting races, harness trotting and mounted trotting. The driver sits on a small carriage (sulky) and guides his trotting horse to the finish line. The start of harnessed trotting is made behind a car (autostart) or in a synchronised manner (volte). Mounted trotting, on the other hand, exists almost exclusively in France: like flat races in gallop, the jockey sits directly on the saddled horse. Logically, in harnessed and mounted trotting races, any horse that gallops off is disqualified.

How to bet on horse racing?

As a horse racing spectator, whether at a racetrack or behind your TV or computer screen, it can be particularly tempting to bet on your favourite horse. For this purpose, horse betting has emerged on online betting sites. While the most common type of horse betting is the mutual odds, the fixed odds can be particularly attractive. To find out more about the different types of odds, please read our dedicated article.

What are the different types of horse betting?

There are different types of horse betting. Of course, there are single or combined bets with fixed odds. Your potential winnings are calculated at the moment you place your bet on fixed odds. Winning or placed bets are the most common. The player bets on whether a horse will win (win bet) or whether the horse will place well (place bet).

In horse betting, it is also possible to bet on two horses as a winning pair in order or not (quinella) but also on the first three, four and five horses in order or not (trifecta, quartet and quinta). The value of the winnings will then vary according to the order of arrival chosen by the bettor.

Finally, mutual bets are an exception and are calculated solely on the volume of total bets. The odds displayed at the time of placing the bet are only an indication as the real odds will be those recorded just before the start of the event. The bettor therefore only knows the amount of his potential winnings at the end of the race.

The most famous horse races

Some races have made the international reputation of horse racing over the years. The three most famous ones take place in France, in Paris or in the Paris region to be precise.

• Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe: created in 1920, it takes place at the Hippodrome de Longchamp in the south-west of Paris. It is the most famous flat gallop race in the world. It takes place on the first weekend of October every year and has the largest prize fund for participants. It is also the race with the highest volume of betting. Since 2008 it has been renamed Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe due to sponsorship from the United Arab Emirates.

• The Grand Steeple-Chase : It is one of the oldest horse races in the world, created in 1874. The Grand Steeple-Chase is the world's leading show jumping race and takes place in May at the Hippodrome d'Auteuil in south-west Paris.

• Prix d'Amérique : It is the most prestigious harness trotting race in the world. Created in 1920, it is run every year on the last Sunday of January at the Hippodrome de Vincennes, the self-proclaimed temple of trotting. The famous chestnut horse Ourasi has set a record as a four-time winner of the race.

At which online casinos can you place horse bets?

While many online casinos offer sports betting to their players (e.g. Gamdom and Stake), few offer horse racing betting. Lucky7Bonus has selected a partner casino where you can bet on horse racing:

• Sportsbet.io : you will find all the major international horse racing events to bet on at the best odds in the market. Read our review and sign up to Sportsbet.io.