Horse Racing Betting Sites in the UK
This is really where betting began with a sport stretching back centuries. For many years, horse racing would spark a gentleman’s wager between two friends as to which animal would win and its popularity eventually led to the legalising of gambling in the UK, in the 20th century. Among new bookmakers, there is a bit of bias among operators who tend to stay away from ‘anything on four legs’ so it’s really left to the traditional companies to provide us with options. Those outlets such as Coral, William Hill and Ladbrokes continue to support the ‘Sport of Kings’ but thankfully there is a new crop of UK horse racing betting sites who are just as keen to get involved.
Benefits of Horse Betting Sites
The vast majority of UK focussed horse racing betting sites apply what is commonly known as a Best Odds Guarantee Scheme and this will generally link to all British and Irish horse racing. It means that when you back a horse at a certain price, the bookie involved will pay at the SP odds if they turn out to be higher.
Lots of promotions are tied into horse racing as well so look out for these from established online betting sites such as William Hill and Coral, and the newer players including 888Sport, Winner Sports and Betway. Acca promos are very popular here so you may see price boosts if all your selections drop in or maybe a refunded stake if one leg of a straight line multi happens to let you down.
Enhanced odds specials may also appear at certain times and these could definitely come in for the big races such as the Grand National or any of the events taking place at the annual Cheltenham Festival in March. Horse betting sites could typically pick a horse from the field and greatly enhance its odds as a one off promo, subject to a number of terms and conditions. 888Sport, Coral and Paddy Power are among the horse racing bookies that frequently list this type of deal.
Alternatively, an operator may look at several races across one day and list a smaller price boost if they all drop in. William Hill and Ladbrokes are two of the more likely candidates for this sort of offer.
The future
Among the betting community, horse racing remains extremely popular in the physical world. There’s nothing like going to a meeting and feeling the excitement of placing a bet on course and watching the action develop in front of you. Betting shops can be busy too with certain punters preferring that type of atmosphere.
The rise in TV coverage has also helped the sport but undoubtedly, all the bookies have benefitted from the revolution in internet gaming. While some European focussed bookies stay away from the sport, traditional UK outlets continue to support it and with new players coming along all the time, there has never been a better choice of providers.
Value is there too in terms of strong prices and great promotions so the sport is thriving and if you are thinking of joining that betting community and getting involved, there has never been a better time to jump on board.
Genesis
Betting on horse racing carried on in an unlicensed manner over many centuries, firstly as an informal deal between two punters and then with an on course bookmaker. Eventually, some of those operators were recognised by the Jockeys Club and in the first half of the 1900’s, we saw the big names of UK horse racing betting sites such as Coral and William Hill being established.
The next part of the revolution came in the 1960’s when licensed betting shops were finally allowed to be built on our high streets and that led to more familiar brands such as BetFred and Stan James being incepted.
At that point, horse racing was the most popular sport from a betting point of view with football a close second and although those positions may have switched in the last twenty years, punters still love a bet on the horses.
Horse Racing Betting Sites Innovation
The Internet allowed new horse racing betting sites such as Bet365 to come online for relatively small outlay, compared to the figures required in setting up a physical shop. Betfair appeared too as the first exchange and we started to see new innovation come into the world of horse racing.
Bet365 are among the pioneers of betting in play which was introduced in 2002. Betfair not only gave us their exchange, they also were at the forefront of Cashout, a system that lets you collect money before an event has finished.
Despite these, horse racing remains very traditional with ante post still favoured by the community but the digital revolution has certainly brought about its rewards.
Whether you are a fan of the new innovations or you simple prefer to make you selections ante post, in the traditional way, this is a golden age for anyone looking to bet on horse racing.
