Best Missouri Horse Racing Betting Sites: Legal Sites for Horse Betting in MO

Can I Bet on Horse Racing in Missouri?

No, you cannot bet on horse racing in Missouri just yet. While pari-mutuel wagering on horse races IS legal in the Show-Me State, there are no horse racing betting sites or off-track betting facilities to place bets on horse races. In fact, horse racing was made legal through the passage of Amendment 7, also known as Missouri's Horse Racing Commission Initiative of 1984.

Now, that could change with the legalization of Missouri betting apps, as most apps in other states also offer betting on horse races.

Are There Live Horse Racing Tracks in Missouri?

No, there aren't any live horse racing facilities in Missouri. If you live in MO, your best bet in finding a live horse racing track is heading to a track in one of Missouri's neighboring states Arkansas, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Nebraska or Oklahoma, which offer live racetracks. 

How to Register for Missouri Online Horse Racing Betting Sites

If and when mobile horse wagering goes live in Missouri, you'll want to know how to register for an account. 

To register for any horse racing site or app, just follow these steps:

1. ✅ Download the app from Apple App Store or the Google Play store OR visit the site
2. ✅ Click "Sign Up."
3. ✅ Input personal information for registration.
4. ✅ Claim any horse racing welcome promos.
5. ✅ Make a deposit.

How to Bet on Horse Racing in MO

Betting on horse racing is typically done through fixed odds wagering or pari-mutuel wagering. 

How Horse Betting Odds Work: Pari-Mutuel vs Fixed Odds Wagering

While fixed odds wagering is usually done against the house, pari-mutuel wagering is betting against other bettors. 

Pari-Mutuel Wagering

Odds will fluctuate in pari-mutuel wagering as more money is bet into respective pools. Your payout is calculated by dividing the losing wagers and subtracting the "takeout" or the percentage of each wager pool total that the track keeps. 

A winning horse will pay the odds that are reflected when the race closes at post time. Morning line odds are the track oddsmaker's estimation of each horse's closing odds. Unlike fixed odds wagering, pari-mutuel wagering is similar to investing in the stock market. The wagering market will move from the time that the race opens for wagering to the time that wagering closes. 

The upside with pari-mutuel wagering is that the odds can move in your favor from the time that you placed the wager. However, the opposite can happen too. 

Fixed Odds Wagering

If you're a fan of sports betting or casino gambling, you'll certainly be more familiar with fixed odds wagering. With fixed odds wagering, you're betting against the house, with odds set by the racebook. While some states will require fixed odds horse betting, the majority offer pari-mutuel wagering. 

If you use fixed odds, you won't have to worry about the fluctuations in odds like pari-mutuel wagering. While betting on fixed odds, you can exploit long odds initially when you first place a wager, meaning that if a horse with long odds eventually becomes the favorite, you'll still be paid those long odds. 

Types of Horse Races You Can Bet On

Here are the various types of horse racing that you can bet on, here's what you'll be able to find if and when horse betting in Missouri becomes available. 

• Thoroughbred Racing Thoroughbred racing is the most common type of horse racing and the most widely covered. In the US, the peak of thoroughbred racing lies with the Triple Crown, comprised of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes. Thoroughbred racing is action-packed, quick, and has the possibility of large payouts if you pick the long shot. There's typically 30 minutes between thoroughbred races at the track, and with multiple tracks running at once, you'll find a near-endless amount of action if you're betting on these races.
• Harness Racing Harness racing is a common horse race found at many off-track betting facilities, but it looks much different than thoroughbred racing. These races feature a horse pulling a cart, which the driver is sitting in, also known as a "sulky." This is a different type of racing if you're not a seasoned bettor, but it's exciting nonetheless.
• Jump Racing You likely won't find a ton of jump racing in the US as it's primarily a UK-based race. These races combine the excitement of thoroughbred racing with jumps for horses. Since these races take place mostly in the UK, you'll need to be up early to bet on jump racing given the time difference.

Types of Bets on Horse Racing

Wagering on horse races allows for plenty of options in finding value and making bets efficient as possible. With seveeral types of horse bets available, you can approach each race in a unique way. 

Single Horse Wagers

The most common types of horse bets are win, place and show. Here's a deep dive into those bet types and more. 

Win

This is the simplest horse wager to understand - a wager on a horse to win the race, simple as that. The odds will differ on the type of wager that you choose - pari-mutuel odds will depend on the money wagered on other horses in the win pool while fixed odds will be set by the racebook. 

Place

Place means that the horse will finish second or better in a race. Calculating place odds can be tricky with pari-mutuel wagering pools is trickier than win bets because the payout will depend on who else finishes in the top two in addition to the amount of money wagered on both horses. 

Show

A show wager means that the horse will finish third or better. Similar to a place bet, calculating the payout can be difficult as it'll depend on the top three finishes and the amount wagered. While it's definitely one of the safer bets in horse racing, it has much lower payouts than win or place. 

Win/Place & Win/Place/Show

One of the popular ways to play one horse wagers is to bet multiple pools at once with a win/place bet or an across-the-board win/place/show bet. These types of bets can add a sense of insurance where bettors can still turn profits for their entire wager without actually winning the race, though there's also the downside that profits can be diluted by splitting a winning horse into multiple pools. 

Multi-Horse Wagers

Multi-horse wagers typically have the highest payouts for a single race, similar to same-game parlays. You can win a multi-horse wager by picking horses to finish in the correct position for up to five positions depending on the wager type including straight wagers and box wagers. 

Exacta

An exacta bet is a wager on two horses to finish first and second. Exactas are the only multi-horse wager that will show probably payouts for all possible combinations of first and second place finishers. 

Trifecta

Trifectas are similar to exactas, but it involves the top three horses. Trifecta bets can lead to lucrative payouts, but they're tough to predict. 

Superfecta

Superfecta bets are the same as trifectas, but add one more horse. The base wager amount for superfectas will typically be the lowest at a racebook at just $0.10. Again, the payouts for superfectas are among the highest for horse betting. 

Super Hi-5

Need one more horse to add to your multi-horse wager? Try a Super Hi-5! Pick the first five finishers of a race in order and if you win, you'll win BIG. It's important to note that not every track will offer a Super Hi-5, and the base wager is typically higher than trifectas or superfectas. 

A wrinkle for the Super Hi-5 is that the wagering pool will carry over to the next race if no one wins it, leading to an ever bigger payout. 

Multi-Race Wagers

Some of the highest payouts in horse racing come from multi-race wagers. Winning a multi-race wager can be won by picking the winning of two or more races, similar to a parlay for sports betting. 

Daily Double

The daily double is the most basic of multi-race wagers. These wagers carry tremendous value and can pay out huge if you nail them. Similar to exactas, you can find the probably payouts for daily doubles at tracks and betting sites for each combination of winning horses. 

Pick 3, Pick 4, Pick 5 & Pick 6

Longer multi-race wagers such as Pick 3, Pick 4, Pick 5, or Pick 6 act the same as the daily double but add a corresponding race based on the bet that you choose. These horse racing bets can pay out life-changing money, but they're expensive bets to make and difficult to nail. 

Horse Racing Events to Bet on in Missouri

Even without live horse racing in Missouri, there's plenty of significant races on which MO residents can wager. 

The Kentucky Derby is just the beginning of popular races to bet on in MO, so let's dive into the top horse racing events that you can wager on. 

Triple Crown

The Triple Crown is the true test of a champion, featuring three races in the Spring at three different tracks: the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs Racetrack, the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course and the Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park. 

A horse winning all three of these races will win the Triple Crown and go down in history as a legend of the sport. The latest horse to win the Triple Crown was Justify in 2018, and before that American Pharaoh in 2015. 

Unfortunately, there will be no Triple Crown winner this year as Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty won't run in the Preakness Stakes. 

Kentucky Derby

The Kentucky Derby, also known as the "Run for the Roses" is the first leg of the Triple Crown. This race, held annually in the first Sunday of May, is the highest-profile horse races in the US. In fact, many Kentucky Derby futures bettors place bets on the winner of the Derby months in advance, which adds to the long-term element of suspense. 

This year, Sovereignty won the Derby at 7-1 odds. Pretty decent payout for a horse that wasn't the favorite. 

Preakness Stakes

The Preakness Stakes is the middle race in the Triple Crown, always bringing the excitement that we could see another Triple Crown winner. This race has had an average payout of 4-1 odds from a $2 bet over the last 10 years while higher-odds wagers like Trifectas and Superfectas have sometimes paid out over five figures. 

The last Preakness winner was Seize the Grey in 2024 at 4-1 odds. We'll have a new winner with the Preakness Stakes coming up in a matter of days.

Belmont Stakes

The Belmont Stakes is often known as the "true test of a champion" with this one-and-a-half-mile race - the longest race of the Triple Crown series. Whether there's a Triple Crown contender or not, this race provides the same deep pools as the other two races. 

The average payout over the last 10 years has been 4.5-1, with the most recent winner Dornoch racing at 17-1 odds. 

Breeders' Cup

The Breeders' Cup is essentially the Super Bowl of horse racing. Horses will come from all over the world to compete for the purse that's typically valued at over $1 million. 

The Breeders' Cup is more than just one race - it features a weekend of 14 races with $1 million purse stakes between the first Friday and Saturday in November. 

Hitting a multi-race wager during the Breeders' Cup can result in life-changing payouts. In fact, the Breeders' Cup has paid out over $1 million to Pick 6 bettors three times since 2000. 

Missouri Horse Racing Betting Tips & Trends

Missouri residents should gear up to take part in legal horse betting online as sportsbooks go live in the state. With welcome offers coming from most sites, new Missouri horse racing bettors can take advantage right away. 

You'll have a choice of plenty of horse racing betting sites, giving you access to every track, a full menu of wagers and the ability to stream the races straight to your phone!

• Read Racing Programs Racing programs will give you the most basic level of information for a race card. Horses are listed by race number along with jockey information, the results of their last three races and other details.
• Watch the Odds Horse racing odds can change quickly and frequently, all the way up until race time. Watching odds movements can give you an idea of who bettors favor. Keep an eye out for any odds shifts or last minute swings!
• Study Past Performances You'll want to see past performances for horses and jockeys to see how particular horses perform at the top level. Remember that while past results may seem favorable, you're betting on how the horse will perform today.
• "Favorite" Does Not Guarantee a Win You're not always guaranteed a win by betting on the favorite. There are far too many variables in horse racing, and mid-priced horses have often proved to beat heavy favorites. Statistically, favorites only win 3-4 races out of every 10.
• Use Bonus Offers Racebooks will often offer various promotions ahead of big racing days. These can range from no sweat bets, exacta insurance, and even waiving deposit fees. These can be very similar to Missouri sportsbook promos, so always keep an eye out for any new promotions, and always read the terms & conditions.
• Consider Jockey Experience It's important to understand the impact that a jockey can have on horse racing. Jockeys make split-second decisions that impact the final results of a race. While a jockey's past performance will be no guarantee of success on an upcoming race, a "hot jock" can significantly improve a horse's chance of winning.

Author

Blake Weishaar

@BlakeWeishaar

Blake Weishaar

Blake Weishaar an experienced writer and editor with nearly a decade of experience in the gambling industry, formerly covering the investing and consulting side. He serves as a content strategist and fact-checker for BetMissouri.com and is committed to ensuring readers have the most up-to-date and correct information about Missouri's sports betting market.Blake has been an avid follower of Missouri professional sports for years, particularly during the tenure of legendary Kansas City Chiefs RB Jamaal Charles, a top fantasy choice on an annual basis. More recently, he's been rooting against the Royals, who defeated his beloved Orioles in the playoffs.Outside of providing his industry expertise for BetMissouri.com, Blake enjoys spending time with his wife and son, going for PRs on bench and hitting the links. Being a two-sport collegiate athlete, Blake continues to pursue an active lifestyle by playing golf, volleyball and soccer. Speaking of sports, he's a huge supporter of the Ravens, Orioles and Capitals!