Horse Racing Betting India —Top Horse Racing Betting Sites in India

When we think of horse racing, we usually imagine races held in the UK, the US, or Australia. Throughout history, horse racing has become a form of entertainment for the upper class. But, we’re here to break that stereotype.  Here, we will talk about horse racing in India, and explain what kinds of bets you can place on horse racing events.

Horse racing has been an extremely popular sport for over 200 years in India. The first racecourse was built in Madras, in 1777. Today, only Indian-bred horses are allowed to participate in horse racing events held in this country.

The India Supreme Court has declared horse racing betting a game of skill, and not a game of chance, in 1996, which made wagering on horse races a legal activity. Thanks to that decision, the popularity of betting on horse racing has skyrocketed.

However, horse race betting is legal only in the land-based format since online gambling is still an unregulated industry in India. Only Sikkim has legalised online gambling, but that decision didn’t include wagering on horse racing events.

Indian punters can access offshore gambling sites that have a wide range of horse racing events and betting opportunities. Here at Betopin, we have decided to create the ultimate guide to the top horse racing betting sites that accept Indian punters.

Take a look at the list and choose the betting site that’s perfect for you:

The Most Popular Indian Horse Racing Events You Can Bet on

You’re probably familiar with notable horse racing events in other countries — Grand National, Royal Ascott, Cheltenham Festival in the UK, Triple Crown in the US. Here, we talk about India, so we want to introduce you to some famous horse racing events held annually in India and followed by millions of fans.

Currently, there are five notable horse racing events. For horses and jockeys to participate in these big events, they need to place highly during invitationals. It’s the same principle that applies to all major horse racing events worldwide.

In the paragraphs below, we will introduce you to the most popular horse racing events in India. Just like there are Five Classic races in Great Britain, there are Five Classics in Indian horse racing as well.

India 1000 Guineas

The India 1000 Guineas is considered one of the most historic horse racing events in India. The track is one mile long, and the race is held at the Mahalaxmi Race Course. This track is home to four out of five Indian Classics. Only the India St. Legend is held in a different location. The rules of the India 1000 Guineas state that only three-year-old Indian-bred fillies are allowed to participate in the race.

This event is traditionally held in December, on a Saturday, and it is a part of the Mumbai Racing Calendar, the Winter season. It’s the first-ever horse racing event to happen in India. The race was held in 1943 at the Mahalaxmi Race Course, at the Royal Western India Turf Club in Mumbai, and 77 years later, it’s only grown in popularity.

India 2000 Guineas

The previous event, the India 1000 Guineas, is followed by the India 2000 Guineas, which usually happens the following day, on a Sunday. Just like the first race, the India 2000 Guineas attracts a big crowd of avid horse racing fans, but it’s even more popular, and we’ll explain why.

This race is also a mile long. So, you might wonder what’s the difference between the India 1000 Guineas and India 2000 Guineas? While in the first one only three-year-old fillies are allowed to participate, the India 2000 Guineas actually allows both colts and fillies to take part, which is the reason why more people come to watch and bet on the India 2000 Guineas. Due to that difference, the first one is known as the fillies’ race and the second one as the colts’ race. 

The India Oaks

The India Oaks is next in line of the Five Classics, as it’s held every year in January. The first Indian Oaks race was held in 1948, at the same racecourse as the previous ones. While the Indian 1000 Guineas is held on a Saturday, and the India 2000 Guineas is run on a Sunday, you’d think there is a designated day for the India Oaks.

But, no. In the beginnings, the race was run on a different weekday every year. It had settled at one point, and the India Oaks was held on a Saturday. But, to this day, there isn’t a strict day picked for this race. Unlike the previous two races, this one is reserved for four-year-olds only.

Indian Derby

The Indian Derby is held on the first Sunday of February. The location is the same — the Mahalaxmi Race Course at the Royal Western India Turf Club in Mumbai. This race is approximately 1 ½ mile long, and the participants are three-year-old Thoroughbreds, from India, naturally.

Along with the India 1000 and 2000 Guineas, this race was held the same year, in 1943, at the same place. The Indian Derby is most notable for its sizeable purse of INR 30 million, which is the highest cash prize for any single Indian sporting event.

India St. Leger

Unlike the previous four races, the India St. Leger is held at a different location — in Pune. This race is run in September and its participants are four-year-old Thoroughbreds. The race is approximately 1,7 miles long.

Even though it’s not held at the same turf club as the rest of the races, it’s still a widely popular horse racing event visited by many avid fans.

What Types of Betting Platforms Exist in Horse Racing Betting

If you’d like to try out sports betting, you should know that there are a couple of different options. Apart from the traditional online bookmakers, we have seen other types of platforms appear over time, such as betting exchanges, spread betting, sports trading platforms, etc.

If you’re a complete newbie to horse racing betting, we would highly recommend starting with the regular bookmaker and betting with fixed odds. That will help you become familiar with the whole process and thus learn how betting and odds work on different events. After you’ve got the hang of the rules, you can decide to try out some other kind of betting platform.

Below, you can read about the most popular types of horse racing betting platforms available to players in India.

Betting Exchanges in Horse Racing

In recent years, betting exchange platforms have grown significantly. They serve as a sports trading platform, but here you place bets on fixed odds, just like with traditional bookmakers. However, the main difference is that the bookmaker isn’t involved in the bet. Every horse racing bet that’s placed on this platform is actually placed among the users of the betting exchange.

Horse Racing Sportsbooks

A traditional sportsbook uses betting with fixed odds on a wide array of sporting events, horse racing included. The reason it’s called fixed odds betting is that the winnings are paid out based on what the odds were at the time when the bet was placed. If the odds have changed in the meantime, it would have no effect on the winning amount.

Horse racing sportsbooks will usually feature various events happening all over the world. That allows you to choose the event you want to bet on, place your stake, and follow the match or a race.

Horse Racing Spread Betting

Spread betting is more complicated but still largely popular among sports betting aficionados. It works differently than fixed-odds betting, but don’t fret, we’ll explain the difference. When you’re betting with fixed odds, your winnings are calculated based on what the odds were at the time when you placed the said bet. In spread betting, the amount of your winnings depends on how much you were right or wrong.

What matter here is not the outcome itself, but the accuracy of the spread bet you placed.

Horse Racing Sports Trading

Essentially, sports trading requires you to place two bets against one another in order to profit. These bets need to be placed on the same selection; otherwise, the bet simply wouldn’t work. What you basically do is you buy and sell bets wagered on horse racing events. Just like in spread betting, you’re not that interested in the outcome as much as you’re interested in the price of the bet itself moving.

If you have any background in stock, then this type of betting platforms might be in your wheelhouse.

Horse Racing Matched Betting

Usually, this type of horse racing betting is used to obtain various promotions offered on bookmakers’ sites. If you’ve ever placed matched betting wagers on any sport, you know the gist of it. The same principle applies to horse racing matched betting. Essentially, you use the promotion to place risk-free wagers. Then you place multiple bets on a certain event. When placing a wager, you use bonus money, but you can still earn some real cash.

Is Online Betting on Horse Racing Legal in India?

The online betting industry still isn’t regulated in all of India. Only one state — Sikkim — has legalised online gambling, but online horse racing remains illegal in most of the country. There are offshore international licensed platforms that accept Indian punters and support payments made in INR. However, some of these sites can be unreliable and unsafe for you. That’s why, if you decide to place bets online, you should consult our list above — every online betting platform you find on that list is perfectly safe and secure for you.

All the Bet Types You Can Place on Horse Racing Events in India

Since horse racing is a big thing in India, it doesn’t come as a surprise that placing bets on live horse racing events is extremely popular. Indian horse racing aficionados have been betting on these events for over a hundred years now. Even though the situation works a little bit differently in India, nothing can get in the punters’ way to enjoy betting on exciting horse races. Indian punters can easily place live bets in bookmaker shops or trackside bookies.

Win Bet

This one is by far the easiest and most common horse betting type. You bet on the horse you believe is going to win the race. If you fail to predict the outcome correctly, you lose — it’s simple.

Place Bet

The Place wager is one of the most traditional bets in horse racing. It requires you to bet on a horse to finish first or second. No matter if your horse wins the race or not, the amount you’d win remains the same.

SHP (Second Horse Pool) Bet

In this case, you bet on a horse to finish second in a certain race. This bet is only valid if there are four or more horses that participate in the race.

Forecast

The forecast is more complicated than the previous ones. Here, you will select two horses and specify the order in which the participants will finish — who will cross the finish line first, and who will be in the second place.

Jodi Bet

This bet boosts your chances of winning — you put a wager on two horses, and either one can be the winner of the race. Here, the order isn’t important — we’re only interested in the horse that would finish first.

Tanala Bet

This wager requires you to select three horses that will finish the race first, second, and third, in that specific order. You get one wrong — you lose the entire bet.

Bar Bet

The bar bet is for the underdogs — you choose one horse that’s not among the favourites to win the race. It’s a risky move, but you never know what might happen.

Treble

A treble requires punters to put a wager on horses that will win in three different races. You can choose to include more horses and boost your winning potential, but it will be pricier.

Jackpot

An improved treble — a jackpot bet consists of putting a wager on horses that will win in five different races. Just like with the treble, you can include more horses in your bet slip, but you will also need to pay more.

Tote Betting

Indian punters can place live wagers in two ways — one is at the off-track bookmaker, and the other one is by participating in Tote betting. Tote or a totalizer is a bet calculating system. Essentially, all bets placed on a certain event go into a betting pool. In Tote betting, winnings depend on the number of bets placed. Based on how many wagers are in the pool, the winnings are then divided among the punters who won the bet.

Conclusion

We’ve reached the end of our guide on horse racing in India. We did our best to find the online betting sites that match our high standards. Thankfully, in India, there are plenty of ways to bet on horse racing. Hopefully, the online betting industry will soon be regulated in every state in India.

Until then, you can always rely on Betopin’s top list of the best horse racing betting sites that will offer a unique and exciting gambling experience!

FAQ

Is betting on horse racing legal in India?

Betting on horse racing is considered a game of skill, and is, therefore, a legal activity in India. While there aren’t many local online Indian horse racing betting sites, luckily, there are various offshore sports betting sites that offer different horse racing opportunities.

What is the best Indian horse racing betting site?

If you take a look at the list in the article above, you will find some of the best Indian horse racing betting sites that have the most exciting horse race events and fixtures.

How do you bet on horse racing online?

Once you find the perfect horse racing betting site, you need to create an account — it usually takes a couple of minutes to sign up. Then, you need to fund it and select the horse racing event you’d like to place. Depending on what type of bet you’re interested in, the selection of events might vary.

After you choose the bet you’d like to place, you then enter your stake and place the bet — it’s that easy.

Is betting legal in India?

Generally, India imposes heavy restrictions on any gambling or betting activity, except on horse racing and lotteries. Therefore, you won’t find many betting opportunities in India, with the exception of offshore sports betting sites that accept Indian blazers.