Best Horse Racing Betting Sites Ireland 2025

Best Horse Racing Betting Sites Compared & Reviewed

Here, we analyse what makes these sites the best bookmakers for horse racing betting.

Take a look at each site's pros and cons so you can compare options and choose a bookmaker that suits your preferences.

Betfred

Founded in 1967, Betfred is known as the 'Bonus King', thanks to its promotions, which include a generous Bet €10, Get €50 welcome offer.

The bookie also offers best odds guaranteed on all UK and Irish races, ensuring that you get the best possible returns on the most popular meets.

Acca insurance offers refunds as withdrawable cash rather than free bets, which is unique and not something many competitors offer.

Live streaming is available for most races and is subject to a €1 betting limit to watch. 

Betfred also has a range of content from experts, like Racing Post tips, form guides from the top pundits in the sport, and detailed racecards to enhance your betting experience.

bet365

As one of the world’s biggest online betting sites, with over 90 million customers, bet365 offers an impressive range of features for horse racing punters.

During testing, we were particularly impressed with the 'Each-Way Extra' promotion, which allows you to adjust your each-way bets by increasing or decreasing the number of places paid out.

We also found a wide range of odds boosts, available daily for Irish racing. 

The live streaming service delivers a stable, smooth experience, even during peak racing times.

Another useful tool is the horse tracker feature, which sends notifications when your selected horses are running - allowing you to stay on top of your bets effortlessly.

You'll also get best odds guaranteed for UK and Irish races from 8am each day, ensuring you get the best price and maximum value.

Both the mobile app and desktop platform performed consistently in our technical testing.

Tote

The Tote is a household name in the betting industry, with roots dating back to 1928.

This bookmaker specialises in pool betting, offering unique markets like the placepot, where punters select a placed horse in the first six races of a meeting to win a share of the prize pool.

There's also Ten to Follow, a season-long competition with monthly and seasonal prizes.

Live streaming covers UK, Irish and international races, including action from France, the USA and Australia. During our tests, we enjoyed a smooth viewing experience with clear streams and no lag across devices.

While best-known for pool betting, Tote has now added a range of fixed-odds promotions, which include Non-Runner No Bet and Best Odds Guaranteed.

Betway

Betway is another top choice for Irish punters, offering comprehensive markets and features.

We found great market depth on Irish and UK races, including for major festivals like Cheltenham and Royal Ascot.

The site offers horse racing promotions, like odds boosts, best odds guaranteed and acca insurance.

A standout feature for us is Betway’s free bet club, which rewards regular punters with weekly free bets.

Betway’s user-friendly iOS and Android app ensures seamless betting on the go, with a well-designed, slick app making it easy to navigate racing odds and place bets with ease.

Spreadex

Spreadex is our go-to spread betting site for horse racing, but also boasts a strong fixed-odds section.

Spread betting markets allow you to profit or loss based on how much the market moves in your predicted direction.

You can read our spread betting explainer if you're new to this style of betting.

We also rate promotions like '2nd to a Rag Insurance', which refunds your stake as a free bet up to €25 if your horse finishes second to a winner priced at 33/1 or higher.

Still, we’d like to see some improvements to the platform, like more ante-post markets and quicker withdrawals.

Despite all this, Spreadex is an exciting and improving bookie offering a great range of markets and a unique style of betting.

BoyleSports

BoyleSports is a famous Irish bookmaker known for strong racing odds and daily promotions.

There are regular extra place offers around major festivals and races in the UK and Ireland and the bookie also boasts a good range of money-back specials. For example, you can claim a refund if your horse falls at the first or last hurdle in National Hunt meetings.

The 'Bet and Watch' feature allows live streaming of Irish and UK races with a minimum €1 stake.

BoyleSports also sponsors major racing events like the Irish Grand National, with special offers available for this and other events.

The mobile app is user-friendly, offering exclusive enhanced prices and easy access to live streams and odds.

With competitive early prices, extensive markets and strong customer support, BoyleSports is a reliable and rewarding platform for horse racing betting.

NetBet

With a well-organised site that makes betting simple, NetBet is a solid horse racing betting site.

It offers a decent range of markets for UK, Irish and international races, with detailed racecards and a functional mobile app.

However, NetBet needs to improve in a few areas. Notably, it lacks Best Odds Guaranteed and live streaming, which we’d like to see added in the future.

Generous horse racing odds go a long way to making up for NetBet's drawbacks.

There are several promotions for returning users, including a 50% Acca Boost and 'Wheel of Sportune' that offers a chance to win daily prizes.

How to Choose a New Horse Racing Betting Site

Our in-depth reviews are designed to give you all the information you need to choose a horse racing bookie with confidence. Personal preference will also play a big part in deciding which site to bet with.

Here are some of the key questions you should ask if you're researching horse racing bookmakers yourself.

Is The Site Safe?

Finding a licensed site is crucial, to guarantee you’ll be betting with a safe, secure betting company. A trustworthy bookie will protect your personal and financial data and ensure you have fair odds and prices.

Things to look out for include SSL encryption to safeguard your personal data and a valid UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) licence.

Are There Regular Racing Promotions?

The best horse betting sites ensure long-term value for punters by offering a range of promotions beyond just welcome offers.

As we've outlined in our site reviews, One of the most important is best odds guaranteed (BOG), which ensures you get paid at the best possible price if the starting price (SP) is higher than the odds you originally took.

Another key promotion is extra places on each-way bets, giving punters an edge by increasing the number of places paid at major UK and Irish meetings. 

This is particularly valuable in big-field handicaps where finding an outsider to hit the frame can deliver strong returns.

A bookmaker that consistently offers BOG and extra place promotions is one worth considering for any serious racing bettor.

Do The Odds Provide Value?

Competitive odds are a must. Leading bookies offer best price guarantees on a range of races, ensuring great value on each market.

Top-tier horse betting sites also provide comprehensive global coverage, offering odds on everything from Cheltenham and Royal Ascot to the Kentucky Derby and Melbourne Cup, ensuring punters have access to high-quality betting markets year-round.

Can You Watch The Races?

Live streams allow you to be closer to the action when you bet on horse races. Most of us want to watch all of the races we bet on - so streaming is a crucial feature.

Top betting sites with live streaming show dozens of horse races in the UK every day.

The best horse racing bookmakers will offer comprehensive live streaming coverage from international races, too, including from Australia, the United States, South Africa and more.

What’s on Offer for Big Festivals Like Cheltenham?

The biggest horse racing festivals - like Cheltenham, Aintree and Royal Ascot - are the highlight of the year for punters, so the best horse racing betting sites step up by running Festival promotions.

For example, any good site should have free bets, odds boosts, extra places and money-back offers for the Cheltenham Festival.

We regularly update our guide to ensure we highlight the sites with the best offers for the biggest events.

How we Review Horse Racing Betting Sites

Our strict bookmaker rating process involves signing up for online bookies and testing all of their features, before sharing our findings and assigning a rating to each site.

Our 10-Step Testing Process

Here is a basic outline of the 10-step process we undertake when testing a site:

• Check if the bookmaker is licensed, safe and secure.
• Sign up to the site and verifyID.
• Deposit real money to the betting account.
• Claim the welcome offer and verify the terms and conditions.
• Analyse the value of the odds and number of betting markets available.
• Claim promotions for existing customers and verify their T&Cs.
• Place a range of different bet types across different sports.
• Contact customer support to ensure a high level of service.
• Test a site and app on both iOS & Android devices and desktop.
• Withdraw funds to confirm available payment methods and average processing times.

What to Avoid at a Horse Racing Bookie

When choosing a horse racing bookmaker, it’s essential to avoid pitfalls like unlicensed sites, unclear terms, or restrictive bonuses. Here’s what to watch out for:

• Unlicensed & Unregulated: Using an unlicensed site can risk your personal data being compromised - while you also can't guarantee your bets will be paid out.
• No SSL Encryption: SSL encryption ensures that your personal and payment data is protected when you make payments.
• Restrictive Bonus Terms: Untrustworthy bookmakers may restrict the value of your bonus with tight wagering requirements and low maximum wins.
• Unclear Terms & Conditions: Untrustworthy sites often have unclear terms and conditions, which make it difficult to take advantage of promotions.
• Low Winnings Limits: Unreliable bookmakers will put overly strict limits on the amount of money you can win with your bets.

Meet Our Horse Racing Betting Experts

At Gambling.com, we have assembled a team containing genuine horse racing betting experts. Dean Ryan is a lifelong racing enthusiast, who has hosted the popular #Racehour Podcast. 

That podcast was co-founded by another expert of ours, Diarmuid Nolan, who has worked in the gambling industry for over a decade across a wide variety of roles. 

We also have Michael Butlin, who has held various product development, commercial and marketing positions at online bookmakers for over two decades. 

All three are seasoned  horse racing punters and have helped us arrive at the recommendations you'll find on this page. Below, you can read what they each look for when choosing a site to bet on racing with.

Cheltenham Festival Betting 2025

The Cheltenham Festival is one of the most anticipated events in horse racing, attracting punters from around the world, with an estimated €500 million bet during Festival week each year.

Cheltenham features 28 races over four days, with Championship races including the coveted Cheltenham Gold Cup - the feature race on the final day (Friday). 

Bookmakers mark the occasion with a variety of Cheltenham-specific promotions aimed at both new and existing customers. 

Daily free bet offers and enhanced odds are common, allowing punters to take advantage of boosted value. Some bookies provide special odds on favourites, as well as incentives to bet on multiple races throughout the week.

TheFestival’s electric atmosphere, combined with the thrill of top-tier jump racing, makes it a highlight of the sporting calendar. 

With millions tuning in and thousands flocking to Prestbury Park, Cheltenham remains the ultimate destination for both racing purists and betting enthusiasts alike.

Horse Racing Betting Offers & Promotions

When betting on horse racing, taking advantage of promotions can significantly enhance your betting experience and potential returns.

• Extra Each-Way Places: Many bookmakers offer extra places on each-way bets, meaning they’ll pay out even if your horse finishes outside the standard top four. This is particularly useful in big-field handicaps.

• Odds Boosts: Bookmakers enhance the odds on races, offering better value on certain selections. Sometimes the bookie will nominate a horse and boost the price, while other times you can apply a boost to a horse of your choosing.
• Best Odds Guaranteed (BOG): One of the most important offers, best odds guaranteed means if you take an early price and the starting price (SP) is higher, your bookmaker will pay out at the bigger odds. 
• Non-Runner No Bet (NRNB): If a horse you've backed is declared a non-runner, your stake is returned, usually as a free bet credit. 
• Money-Back Offers: Some bookmakers refund losing bets if your horse is beaten in certain circumstances, such as losing to the favourite or losing by a nose in a photo finish.

• Acca Boosts: These promotions apply to multiple bets such as accumulators, as well as Lucky 15s, Lucky 31s, Heinz and Super Heinz bets, increasing the overall return if your multiple lands.

Popular Horse Racing Bet Types

Horse racing offers a range of bet types, some of which are unique to the sport. Here are some of the most common:

• Each-Way Bet: A bet consisting of two equal bets, one for the horse to win and one for it to place, usually in the top 3 or 4.
• Forecast: This bet asks you to predict the first two horses in a race. For the bet to pay out, you have to predict them in the correct order.
• Tricast: Similar to a forecast bet, this bet asks you to select the first three horses in a race in the correct order.
• Trixie: This bet type involves you placing four bets with three selections: three doubles and one treble.
• Patent: Punters select three horses and place seven bets: three singles, three doubles and one treble.
• Lucky 15: This bet type requires you to pick four selections, with 15 bets placed: four singles, six doubles, four trebles and one four-fold.

• Lucky 31: Similar to a Lucky 15, this bet type involves 31 bets on five selections: five singles, 10 doubles, 10 trebles, five four-folds and one five-fold.
• Goliath: With this bet type, you need to make eight selections for 247 bets: 28 doubles, 56 trebles, 70 four-folds, 56 five-folds, 28 six-folds, eight seven-folds and one eight-fold.
• Yankee: This bet type involves 11 bets on four selections: six doubles, four trebles and one four-fold.
• Canadian: You are required to make five selections in this bet type for 26 bets: 10 doubles, 10 trebles, five four-folds and one five-fold.

Payment Methods at Horse Racing Bookies

A range of convenient and speedy payment methods is crucial for any horse racing betting site to stay ahead of the game.

Popular options like Visa and Mastercard debit cards, PayPal and e-wallets are available at most top bookmakers. These banking options, alongside other options like Boku and Paysafecard, offer bettors quick deposits and withdrawals.

Here's a quick guide to some of the options you can use.

Debit Cards

Debit cards like Visa and Mastercard are convenient and straightforward options, allowing you to make deposits directly from your bank account. Bank cards are widely accepted, secure and ideal for quick and safe transactions.

PayPal

PayPal is one of the most popular e-wallets available and it is accepted by many horse racing bookmakers for deposits and withdrawals. With PayPal betting sites, you only need your email address to make payments, keeping your private bank details secure.

Trustly

Trustly is another e-wallet that allows direct bank transfers. It is a popular alternative to card-based payments, offering quick and secure deposits and withdrawals.

Boku

Boku allows deposits via mobile phone bills, which makes it popular for depositing at the best mobile horse racing betting sites. As this payment method doesn’t require account details, it is popular with bettors who don’t want to share their account information with bookmakers.

Neteller

Neteller is another popular e-wallet offering quick deposits and withdrawals. Its speed, ease of use and efficiency mean it is incredibly popular with UK punters.

Paysafecard

With Paysafecard, you can load prepaid vouchers online or at high street stores with funds and use a 16-digit code to fund your account. Users who don’t want to share sensitive information like bank details or bank card numbers will love this payment method.

Skrill

Skrill is another popular digital wallet that allows you to make deposits and accept withdrawals using either your email or a prepaid card. This payment method is secure, quick and easy to use.

Apple Pay

Apple Pay offers secure, contactless payments via Apple devices. It’s fast and integrates seamlessly with Apple devices. Payments can be authorised by Face ID or Touch ID for ultimate security.

Betting Responsibly on Horse Racing

Ensuring your gambling remains fun and safe is essential and the best bookmakers will promote responsible gambling, providing tools to help protect punters from harm.

These include deposit limits, self-exclusion and reality checks to help you manage your spending and time spent betting. 

Try to be aware of your betting habits and we always recommend setting spending limits. Only bet what you can afford and stick to your budget.

If you feel things have gotten out of control, organisations like GamCare and GambleAware can provide help.

Our Final Thoughts on The Best Horse Racing Betting Sites

You should now have all the information you need to choose a site for betting on horses.

We pride ourselves on listing only the best horse racing betting sites on this page, ensuring you only sign up with safe, reputable bookies.

We consistently update our rankings to include new horse betting sites, so you can always find the best bookies for your needs. 

Check back here at any time to see which sites make the cut - and best of luck with your betting!