Delaware has a long history of horse racing and continues to host live thoroughbred and harness racing to this day. It also has been at the forefront of online gambling, including wagering on horses.
As you’d expect for a bettor-friendly state, Delaware residents have a wide array of choices when it comes to advance deposit wagering (ADW) on horse racing. All four of the biggest ADW providers – TVG.com; TwinSpires.com; Xpressbet.com and NYRABets.com – accept customers in the state.
Harrington Raceway also has its own ADW service, Harringtonbets.com. Licensed in Oregon, it also accepts wagers from other states where online parimutuel betting on horses is legal.
These sites offer a variety of signup bonuses and reward-for-play incentives, as well as a range of ancillary handicapping products, so it pays to shop around before settling on service.
You must be 18 or older to place online horse bets in Delaware.
Delaware Horse Race Betting Sites & Offers
| Racebooks | Welcome Offer for Delaware | Other Promos |
| AmWager | $300 deposit match | Daily cash rewards |
| TVG | Get up to $200 back | Get a $25 Bonus for every friend you refer |
| TwinSpires | $200 sign-up offer | Free play daily & weekly options |
| Nyra Bets | $200 deposit match | Odds boosters, daily offer |
| 123bet | $1230 new member bonus | Refer-a-Friend bonus: get $50 |
| Xpressbet | $100 sign-up bonus | XB Rewards loyalty program |
| DRF | Get a $200 bonus on the first deposit | Earn an additional card for every $50 wagered |
| 1/ST BET | $100 sign-up bonus | Rewards points every Tuesday and other weekly offers |
| Harringtonbets.com | No Bonus | Player Rewards Program |
How to claim a horse racing bet promo in Delaware?
Horse racing betting features for Delaware
- Nyra Bets Delaware Features:
- Free live video streaming (HD live and replay) on Thoroughbred, Harness, and Quarter horse racing and race replays nationwide
- Free handicapping tips
- Swap positions quickly for Exacta, Tri & Supers
- Weekly live money handicapping contests with cash prizes
- TVG Delaware Features:
- TVG Expert Picks for everyday
- Free Past Performances Program
- Live streams from tracks around the US and beyond
- Money Back Special on select races
- TwinSpires Delaware Features:
- First Race Freeplay: get $100 in Free Bets
- 15% boost on a winning Trifecta bet every Tuesday
- Exacta insurance: get a bet back of up to $10
- Live races and highlights of previous races, both on the website and the app
- Bet Back offers (receive a refund for your bet if the horse you bet on to win the race finishes in second or third)
- Daily Double bets
- Xpressbet Delaware Features:
- Horse racing’s leading loyalty program (receive two XB Rewards Points for every dollar you wager)
- Cash prizes in regular handicapping contests
- Deposit by mail
- Bet the horse races over the phone
- AmWager Delaware Features:
- Unlimited Favorites Tracks
- Dutch Wagering Modifiers
- Fair Value Exacta Grid (allows you to quickly see exacta bets that have been over bet or under bet based on the win pool)
- DRF Delaware Features:
- Unlimited DRF Classic and Formulator Past Performances
- Free Beyer Speed Figures
- Free DRF expert picks
- 1st/bet Delaware Features:
- Up-to-date news about upcoming races
- Unlimited access to the BETMIX products: Toteboarding, Free Daily Race Analysis, and “Race of the Day” Past Performance
Horse bet types available online
In Delaware, you can place different types of horse wagers. The most popular online bets are
- Win (the horse you bet on must come first)
- Place (the horse must finish first or second)
- Show (the horse must come either first, second, or third)
- Win Place (places a win and a place bet in one bet)
- Win Show (places a win and show bet in one bet)
- Win Place Show (aka “across the board”; combines Win, Place and Show into one bet)
- Exacta (you bet on horses to come first and second in that order)
- Quinella (the same as exacta, but horses can finish in any order for you to win the bet)
- Trifecta (three horses should finish first, second and third in that order)
- Superfecta (the same as trifecta but here you bet on four horses)
- Super High 5 (you have to choose the winner of five races in a row)
- Grand Slam (pick a horse to finish in the top three in three straight races, capped by the winner of the fourth race in the sequence)
- Parlays (combine multiple selections on the same ticket, even if the races aren’t in sequential order).
Banking
- Credit and Debit Cards
- ACH Bank Transfer / eCheck
- Wire Transfer
- Green Dot
- PayNearMe
- Check or Money Order
- MoneyGram
- PayPal
- By mail: Xpressbet
- Bitcoin: AmWager via BitPay
Delaware Horse Betting Overview
The first racetrack in “The First State” opened in 1760 in the Town of Newark.
The state’s lone thoroughbred track is Delaware Park in Wilmington, which typically races from late May through late October. The track, designed by William DuPont, Jr., who had previously designed 23 other race courses throughout the country, opened on June 26, 1937, with a 30-day meet. Its signature race is the Delaware Handicap, which is usually carded in mid-July.
The state also has two harness racetracks: Harrington Raceway in Harrington, which races from April into October, and Dover Downs in Dover, which runs on weekdays from early November through March.
In 2012, the state became the first in the U.S. to approve legal online casino gambling. It also has brick-and-mortar casinos, a lottery, and fantasy sports. The state also has legalized sports betting, but only in-person at the state’s three “racinos,” the racetracks that offer both racing and casino gaming.
Fun fact about horse racing in Delaware
William Du Pont Jr., a prominent thoroughbred owner, and breeder who raced under the nom de course of Foxcatcher Farm, designed 23 U.S. racetracks, including Delaware Park.
Popular horse racing events to bet on in Delaware
- Delaware Handicap
- Delaware Oaks
- Kent Stakes
- Matron Series Stakes
- The Kentucky Derby
- Preakness Stakes
- Belmont Stakes
- Dubai World Cup
- Melbourne Cup
- Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe
- Grand National
Horse Race Tracks in Delaware
- Delaware Park Racetrack
- Harrington Raceway
- Dover Downs
Delaware Park, Dover Downs, and Harrington Raceway are still running live races.
FAQs
Yes, you can. The legal age to wager on horse racing is 18 years or older.
Yep, TVG is legal in Delaware! It’s one of the biggest ADW providers that operate in the state.
HarringtonBets is a pari-mutuel Advanced Deposit Wagering (ADW) service, providing legal, secure, and phone and online account wagering, powered by eBet Technologies, Inc. All wagers placed through HarringtonBets.com are commingled with partnered Host Track pari-mutuel pools.