The United States is home to some of the world’s biggest and richest horse races, including the iconic Kentucky Derby. As a result, punters from throughout the USA, including in Texas, love to bet on the most exciting horse races on the calendar.
But is horse betting in Texas legal? What are the different ways to bet on horses online and in person in the Lone Star State?
Keep reading to learn how to legally enjoy horse betting in Texas, including options like parimutuel and online horse racing wagering at sweepstakes sportsbooks.
Can You Legally Bet on Horse Racing in Texas?
All forms of online gambling in Texas are illegal. So, you can’t bet on the horses at sportsbooks like FanDuel, DraftKings, or BetMGM. You also can’t visit a sportsbook in person to bet in Texas, as this type of wagering is also illegal.
But the good news is that there are several legal ways to enjoy horse betting in Texas. The first is to get involved in parimutuel betting. Rather than backing a horse at fixed odds, parimutuel betting invites you to buy a ticket for a race, and if you back a winner, you will receive a share of the prize pool.
Below, we explain more about parimutuel horse betting in Texas and reveal the state’s best venues for legal wagering.
Another option is to participate in horse betting in Texas at sweepstakes sportsbooks. These are not the same as real money betting platforms. They offer virtual currencies, which you can use to bet on various horse races. Then, if you win while betting with sweeps coins, you can redeem them for cash prizes or gift cards.
So, with the legal landscape covered, let’s look at the best options for legal horse betting in Texas.
Parimutuel Wagering: The Best Option for Horse Betting in Texas
Parimutuel wagering is one of the few legal forms of gambling in Texas, which is great news for horse racing fans. The primary difference is that in parimutuel wagering, you are betting against other people rather than the house offering fixed odds. This is a crucial distinction to make from the outset.
Conventional bookmakers like FanDuel and DraftKings might offer odds of +400 for a horse to win the Kentucky Derby. In this example, if you bet $100, you would win $400 due to the fixed odds.
In a parimutuel horse wager, the payout is determined by the amount bet on each horse. Before a race in Texas or anywhere else in the United States, you can buy a ticket for the horse you want to back.
If your horse wins, you will receive a payout from the pool of all bets made on the entire race, minus the operator’s commission and tax.
The Best Venues for Parimutuel Horse Betting in Texas
Parimutuel wagering is permitted at horse racing and greyhound tracks in Texas and is monitored by the Texas Racing Commission. The Commission permits Class 1 horse tracks to offer parimutuel wagering at an unlimited number of races annually, making them the ideal place to visit for this type of betting.
With that in mind, the following venues are the best options for legal horse betting in Texas:
Lone Star Park (Grand Prairie)
Arguably the most famous horse racing venue in Texas, Lone Star Park is in Grand Prairie. It hosts the thoroughbred season from April to July and the Fall Meeting of Champions between September and November.
It’s a dirt oval track over one mile that hosts numerous high-profile events each year, including:
- Texas Classic Futurity (Grade 1)
- Texas Classic Derby (Grade 1)
- Refrigerator Handicap (Grade 1)
- Dash for Cash Futurity (Grade 2)
- Steve Sexton Mile Stakes (Grade 3)
Tickets for these graded events or any other horse race at Lone Star Park are available throughout the season. When you visit the track, you can participate in parimutuel betting, and if you pick a winner, you will receive a payout dependent on the pool.
Sam Houston Race Park (Houston)
When it opened in April 1994, Sam Houston Race Park was Texas’ first horse racing venue. Today, it hosts numerous thoroughbred and quarter-horse races and serves as a prominent event venue in unincorporated northwest Houston.
The track has a capacity of 20,000 and is open to numerous exciting races. Below are details of just some of the quarter horse and thoroughbred races you can attend at Sam Houston Race Park throughout the season:
Quarter horse races
- Sam Houston Futurity (Grade 2)
- BOA TX Challenge Championship (Grade 2)
- Sam Houston Classic (Grade 2)
- Sam Houston Derby (Grade 3)
Thoroughbred races
- John B Connally Turf Cup (Listed)
- Bob Bork Texas Turf Mile
- Pulse Power Turf Sprint
- Sam Houston Sprint Cup
- Houston Turf Stakes
- Bucharest Turf Sprint
- Houston Ladies Classic
Retama Park (Selma)
Opened in 1995, Retama Park is another Grade 1 parimutuel wagering venue in Texas. Situated in Selma, it hosts quarter horse races annually between July and September, while simulcast racing is shown weekly. Quarter horse racing is exciting, with fast horses that excel over short distances.
Although financial issues have recently beset Retama Park, it’s still one of the state’s best places to visit for parimutuel horse wagering, particularly if you’re keen on a night of simulcast excitement.
Simulcast horse racing is where the track broadcasts a race from another venue while offering you the chance to place parimutuel bets on the outcome.
Parimutuel wagering is also permitted at Class 2 horse tracks in Texas, but these venues can only host up to 60 races per year. Class 3, 4, and 5 venues can also offer parimutuel wagering but are limited to even fewer race days annually.
The Best Sweepstakes Sportsbooks for Online Betting in Texas
Organizing a day at the track is undoubtedly your best option for legal horse betting in Texas. That said, if you want to bet on horse races from the comfort of your own home, you can sign up for a sweepstakes sportsbook.
As mentioned, sweepstakes sportsbooks differ from real-money books like BetMGM and FanDuel, as they offer virtual currency wagers rather than real-money betting options.
When you sign up for one of these sites, you are given free currency to place social sportsbooks. But you are also given sweepstakes currency, which you can use to place bets on all horse races. If you win while using your sweepstakes currency, you can redeem the coins for a cash prize or gift card.
Below are the top online sweepstakes sportsbooks for legal horse betting in Texas:
Fliff
We rate Fliff as the number one place to bet on horse racing in Texas. The site launched in 2019 and has gained a reputation as one of the best social sportsbook offerings in the US market.
You can bet on all major US horse races and top-tier events from the United Kingdom, including the Cheltenham Festival and the Grand National at Aintree.
Fliff is also a great place to enjoy social betting against your buddies. The awesome app for iOS and Android offers a brilliant interactive aspect. So, if you want to bet on horse racing online in Texas, Fliff is our number one pick.
Sportzino
Another excellent social sportsbook in Texas is Sportzino, which doesn’t currently offer live horse racing markets. Instead, you can bet on virtual horse racing at Sportzino, a brilliant option if you want to bet on races around the clock.
Virtual horse racing is growing in popularity in the US market and is hugely popular in the UK and Australia. If you sign up for an account at Sportzino, you can also bet on MLB, NBA, NFL, and other major leagues, so it’s a viable option if you’re looking for a comprehensive social sportsbook in Texas.
The Bottom Line: The Best Options for Horse Betting in Texas
Presently, most forms of real-money gambling are illegal in Texas. However, if you’re a horse racing fan, you can visit Lone Star Park, Retama Park, and Sam Houston Race Park to participate in legal parimutuel wagering. This is undoubtedly the best way to bet on horses in Texas.
Alternatively, you can sign up for online sportsbooks like Fliff and Sportzino, which offer live and virtual horse racing betting options with virtual currency. Social sportsbooks are legal in Texas, so they’re a good alternative to conventional betting sites like FanDuel and DraftKings, which are currently illegal.
We expect sports betting to be legalized in Texas in the coming years, so check back to this page when any legislation is passed. We will introduce you to the best real-money betting sites and sportsbooks for horse racing betting as and when they launch in the Lone Star State.