Live Horse Race Betting: How to Bet live on Horses

No form of gambling is quite so thrilling as live betting. In-play markets are only available for the duration of the event. Live horse race betting exists but is different from traditional from other sports. We show you how betting live horse racing works. There are critical differences between this and live betting in another sport you need to know. It is worth remembering the benefits of this type of horse racing betting compared to regular fixed-odds. We also highlight how, when and where to bet live on horse racing online. 

Is live horse race betting possible

Live betting odds for horse racing do exist, but they are much rarer than other forms of in-play betting. More commonly known as bets in running, they are only available for the time it takes to run a race. These events are over much sooner than football, rugby or cricket matches, for instance, so you have to be very quick if you want to take advantage of live horse markets. You will find that sports betting exchanges let you place bets for horses to win and lay them to lose in the run. Most sportsbooks do not cater to this type of gambling.

Best horse live betting sites

The shortlist below contains the best sportsbooks for in-play betting on the horses. We selected those particular ones after comparing odds, whether or not they offer live streaming and for how many major events they have it vailable.

What differences are there when you bet live on horses

The most significant difference is that speed is of the essence. A sprint race over five or six furlongs will typically be run in about a minute or sometimes less, so you have very little time to place a bet in running on these events. Many other horse races are over longer distances, but still, the time taken for such events to happen is shorter than most other sports. This explains why many bookmakers do not offer a live betting horse service for horse racing. It requires a lot of effort for betting traders for such a small window of opportunity.

As with any form of gambling, there are advantages and drawbacks to bets in running. If you spot something during the race, then you can turn this to your advantage by betting on it. You may get better odds on the horse you fancy by gambling a live race than with regular fixed odds markets or pre-race on the exchanges. A higher price means more profit if the wager you place comes off. Live horse race betting is also fascinating and can heighten your enjoyment and experience of watching horse racing.

While you can do some preparation beforehand, you have to make instant decisions about live betting on horses. The pace of it is much faster than pretty much any other sport. You have to react quickly to what you see during the race. That increases your margin for error, and you can make mistakes. Bets in running are not widely available like regular fixed-odds markets either, so you are faced with minimal choice. If you like or are used to having a range of betting options, then you simply won’t find them here.

If you want to try placing bets in running on horse racing, then the process of doing it is actually quite simple. Besides following these steps below, you may also want to use bets in running to supplement or cover any regular fixed-odds wagers that you placed before the race. This is how to go about putting on a bet in running:

Find a sports betting exchange that offers live horse race betting markets and create an account.

Make sure you have cash in your exchange account. You can’t bet without money.

Wait for the horse race that interests you and be ready on your mobile/digital device.

As the race unfolds, place your live bet. We’ll talk more about when precisely in a moment.

This depends on the horse of interest to you. Before starting any live horse race betting, you need to be aware of a racehorse’s style of racing. Some horses like to blaze a trail up front, but these types can be vulnerable to closers. Find horses that come from the back of the field that can cover ground fast with a late charge to win. The chances are they will have bigger live betting odds at a stage of the race where they are still off the pace.

You want to bet on horses that settle well in the race. Those who take a keen hold who are fighting the jockeys trying to restrain them are just wasting energy. Some horses can even sulk if they aren’t allowed to run freely. There is always a danger of horses racing too freely, though, and that isn’t good from a live betting perspective. It’s far wiser to gamble on horses that settle, track the leaders and then improve when asked to by their riders.

Whatever a horse’s run style, you won’t have long in Flat races to get the bet on. National Hunt races do take longer as they are contested over greater distances, so you will have a little more time to decide about these. It also depends on how far from the winning line that horses get racing. If that upfront makes it into a real test of stamina, rather than a sprint finish, you may have slightly more time to spot horses gaining ground.

Our top tip is to do your research. Knowing all the past and current form of horses, trainers and jockeys, plus race trends, terms and course statistics, can help you to make informed choices both in regular fixed odds and live betting markets. Without this, you are just trusting to luck. Second, you have to assess the conditions. What is the going and weather like for the race? And crucially, which horses will prefer or do not relish changes in the ground? You can then adjust the bets in running you make accordingly.

Make sure you know what happened in the regular fixed-odds betting before the race began. Was a horse of interest a market mover with other bettors backing it? Or was it drifting and weak in the betting? These can be early indicators of whether to support a horse in the run or not. Not all horses that drift lose and not all horses that are backed win. Remember, on average, two-thirds of favourites lose. The pre-race market can’t always tell you everything, but again it leaves you better informed about horses’ chances of winning.

Horse race betting is quite tricky even without the limited time of live betting. There are also certain things you need to keep your eye on with live betting on horses. Beware of any jockey changes or non-runners. Any horse withdrawn at odds of 14/1 (15.00) or under will result in a Rule 4 deduction for any pre-race bets you have had. Adjust your live betting to reflect that. You want to be live betting on horses that respond to their jockeys’ urgings when they ask them for effort.

You shouldn't bet on a horse that is struggling and not picking up when the race really gets going. Also, look out for patiently ridden horses and how seriously a jockey is riding them. Any horse that cruises effortlessly into contention is going to be favourite or at least prominent in the live betting. Finally, make sure to be sure there are gaps. If no gaps appear until late in the race, then betting on horses running on the inside or behind the leaders might not be able to get through. 

Where can I get live horse race betting

You won’t find this type of gambling on a traditional fixed-odds sportsbook. You need to look for betting exchange, like Betfair. A betting exchange isn’t like a regular fixed-odds sportsbook, though. You need another bettor to take up your live bet. You can either back the horse to win the race or lay it to lose. If you make the right call, then whoever took your bet must pay you at the odds and stake agreed. If you get it wrong, then you owe them money from your account. Exchanges will charge a commission (typically 2 or 5 percent) for providing this punter to punter service. Be sure to factor that into your thinking.    

Is there value in live betting on horse racing: by Book Spy

Live horse race betting can prove valuable, but you have to be able to spot likely winners in the blink of an eye. There is a far greater margin for error. Even though the horse of interest may be shaping well at the time you place the bet, it may not see the race out. This increased risk comes with potentially greater rewards and adds to the excitement of gambling on horse racing, though. If you can pick horses, then this approach makes more sense than merely betting on the favourite or following market movers.

Live betting on this sport can be a great way of covering or supporting regular fixed-odds wagers you placed beforehand. You can see a horse you did not bet on before the race running well, and back it mid-race. The key is to arm yourself with everything you can to make informed choices. Find out as much information about the horse racing and how they run. Form and going, the pace of the race and terms can all help you to make the lightning-fast judgments needed when live horse race betting.