Horse racing is a popular sport in Canada, with licenced racecourses across the country, but the online betting side of things has also grown a lot in recent years. Indeed, bettors from Canada can legally access some of the world's best online horse racing betting sites while depositing and betting using Canadian Dollars.
The biggest events usually take place in the US and the UK, but there are a few popular ones in Canada as well. Most horse racing enthusiasts will know of The King’s Plate, which takes place at the Woodbine Racetrack, as it is one of the country's Triple Crown races. Betting on horse racing in Canada is not just about following foreign meetings, in other words, and this has certainly helped keep the interest up.
💻 Operator | Betway | bet365 | 888Sport | BetVictor | Parimatch |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
🏇 Horse Racing Coverage | Canada, US, UK + International | Canada, US, UK + International | Canada, US, UK + International | Canada, US, UK + International | Canada, US, UK + International |
📺 Horse Racing Streaming | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ |
💰 Horse Racing Outrights | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
👉 Visit Site | Bet on Horse Racing | Bet on Horse Racing | Read review | Bet on Horse Racing | Bet on Horse Racing |
Horse racing is a popular sport all over the world and betting sites - even those in Canada - tend to place a lot of focus on it, as a result. However, it might still be difficult to tell which betting site actually is the best. Therefore, our experts have put together a top 5 list of horse racing bookies in Canada, focusing on objective data and the factors that truly matter. This should guide you towards a better horse racing betting experience.
Betway has made of name for itself with a strong sportsbook on all fronts and that includes horse racing. Seeing as the bookie started out in the UK, where horse racing is one of the most popular sports, it's no surprise to see comprehensive coverage in Canada as well. Indeed, horse racing bettors will not be disappointed on this site.
Horse racing meetings from all over the world are available to bet on, with UK and Irish races being the most popular ones, so those who sign up will not have to worry about the coverage. In addition to the standard race winner markets, bettors can also try their luck with special and winning distance markets.
The ante-post selection is impressive as well, with popular tournaments priced up way in advance. As the icing on the cake, bettors at Betway can also enjoy streaming of all UK and Irish races. Overall, therefore, Betway is a great option for betting on the sport of kings and it is certainly worth signing up (even if just to try it).
Pros
bet365 is a heavyweight bookmaker all over the world and the situation is no different in Canada. In Europe, it is widely regarded as the best bookmaker around and it remains to be seen if it can get this reputation in Canada as well. One thing is for sure: the horse racing offering is a good start in that sense.
Those who sign up will find that the horse racing section is very pleasing to the eye, clearly showcasing the great depth. Races from all over the world are available to bet on and extra places are regularly offered for these. Furthermore, bet365 sometimes boosts the odds offered for certain races and this is a great perk.
Similarly to Betway, the ante-post offering is very impressive and those who want to place bets in advance will have no issues. Streaming is also offered on the site and given that the live experience already is a good one at bet365, horse racing bettors are bound to fall in love with the site. One could perhaps even argue that it should be above Betway, our No.1, on this list.
Pros
888sport is a very popular betting site in Europe and having launched in Ontario in 2022, the site's focus on Canada overall has increased as well. The sportsbook is very comprehensive, as you would expect, but some might still have question marks about the horse racing section. Rest assured, this is impressive too.
Races from all over the world are available on the site, with UK and US being the two main categories, and extra places are sometimes offered for these. The ante-post selection is also very good, with popular races available well in advance as well as options for events in the near future. There are no complaints on this front, in other words.
Live streaming is also offered for most races and this makes the betting experience at 888sport complete. It is certainly up there with the best Canada horse racing bookies, as confirmed by the third-place finish here, but the design could use a refresh. The current theme is very dark and could be a bit more user-friendly, but this is not a huge issue either.
Pros
Cons
In fourth place, we find the popular UK bookmaker BetVictor. Canadians can rest knowing that the product over here is very similar, though, so it's no surprise to see the betting site in this list. Indeed, those who sign up will find a very good offering for all sports and horse racing is one of the more prominent ones on the site.
Meetings from all over the world are available to bet on, such as the UK, Ireland and the US, which means that any race you are after, you will find on the site. We were also happy to see that the ante-post offering is very good, with popular tournaments priced up early and current ones having many options.
We couldn't find any option for streaming the action, though, which was a bit disappointing given that the betting site got off to such a good start. However, if you already have access to the races through your broadcaster, BetVictor will still be a very good option for betting on the sport of kings in Canada.
Pros
Cons
Parimatch is a good bookmaker for pretty much everything and that includes horse racing, although it's not the best as made clear by the position here. The site does boast a rather comprehensive section for live and upcoming horse racing events, with a design that might even be better than the top two bookies here.
However, we were unable to find ante-post markers on Parimatch. This is a pretty big disadvantage as a lot of enthusiastic horse racing bettors like to back horses before the tournaments. This is because there is often more value to be found in these bets, especially if you can manage to pick out a dark horse.
On the other hand, live streaming is offered by Parimatch and this is indeed a nice feature. The design is great, as said, and the addition of streaming certainly completes the live betting experience in a good way. Overall, Parimatch is a decent bookie for horse racing betting but ante-post markets are desperately needed.
Pros
Cons
When deciding our top five list for horse racing betting sites in Canada, we made sure to focus on factors that truly matter to horse racing punters. These have become clear already, but below we will delve a bit deeper into them and why they matter so much. If you are interested, you can also take a look at our page for how we rank betting sites in Canada, which will help explain our motivations for the Esports rankings as well.
The most important factor, at least in our opinion, is the coverage that the betting site in question has for horse racing. The best thing for a bettor is always to have a lot of options and to be able to find the desired event without signing up for a new bookie. Therefore, in our test, we made sure to factor in and highlight the horse racing coverage of the site.
Of course, some might be inclined to look at the welcome offers that are offered by the sites, but this is certainly starting on the wrong end of things. Welcome offers can only be used once, while a good horse racing bookie is something that you will use many times.
Ante-post bets are popular for many sports, such as when betting on soccer, but especially horse racing. The thrill of backing a horse early on, and perhaps an outsider, is hard to match and this is something that most horse racing enthusiasts prioritise. It also says a lot about the betting site in question and how seriously it takes the sport, which is why Parimatch was ranked last on our list.
Finally, one thing that really makes the live betting experience stand out for a betting site is live streaming. For a sport like horse racing, where the quality of the stream perhaps isn't the most important, streaming is a very nice addition and can even result in more winnings. After all, you want to stay on top of things.
Each way: This means half your stake goes towards betting on the horse to win. The other half of the stake goes to the each-way market. In each way bets, you need the horse to finish in the places. Each race has different rules for places, depending on how many horses are running, but an example might be that you get 1/4 the odds to win for a place in the top four.
Accumulator: This is popular in a lot of sports. You can pick horses to win different races and put them into the same bet, which often results in very large odds.
Ante-post: This involves betting on the outcome of a race well ahead of time. It is only usually the top horse races, such as the Gold Cup, or the Grand National, where ante-post horse racing betting is widely available. The downside of the ante-post betting on horse racing is it is risky. If the horse you back does not run, your money will be lost unless the betting site offers a Non-Runner Money Back option.
Forecast and tricast: If you fancy your chances of being able to pick which horses will finish second or third, as well as first, then the forecast and tricast markets might be the right ones for you to look at. The forecast means you predict the top two horses in the race, with the tricast for the top three. Some bets mean you have to get them in the right order, while others are just in any order.
Thomas is responsible for all content on BettingGuide Canada. With his extensive knowledge of the gambling industry and college degree in law, he knows what you should look out for when choosing the best casino or sportsbook.