Washington was once home to one of horse racing’s top tracks, but like many other states, its racing industry has been in retreat for the last few decades.
Because of Washington’s parimutuel-friendly laws, nearly all providers of online betting on horse racing, known as advance-deposit wagering (ADW), accept Washingtonians as customers. That includes the four largest providers – TVG.com, TwinSpires.com, NYRABets.com, and Xpressbet.com – as well as smaller operators like AmWager.com, DRFBets.com, and 123Bet.com.
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 deciding on a service.
You must be at least 18 to place online horse bets in Washington.
Washington Horse Race Betting Sites & Offers
| Racebooks | Welcome Offer for Washington | Other Promos |
| Nyra Bets | $200 deposit match | Odds boosters, daily offers |
| 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 |
| Xpressbet | $100 sign-up bonus | XB Rewards loyalty program |
| 123bet | $1230 new member bonus | Refer-a-Friend bonus: get $50 |
| 1/ST BET | $100 sign-up bonus | Rewards points every Tuesday and other weekly offers |
| FanDuel Racing | Get 100% bonus up to $50 + get a $10 Sportsbook credit | 10% bonus on win bets |
| DRF | Get a $200 bonus on the first deposit | Earn up to $50 every week |
How to claim a horse racing bet promo in Washington?
Horse racing betting features for Washington
- Nyra Bets Washington 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 Washington 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 Washington 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 Washington 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
- DRF Washington Features:
- Unlimited DRF Classic and Formulator Past Performances
- Free Beyer Speed Figures
- Free DRF expert picks
- 1/ST Bet Washington 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
- 123bet Washington Features:
- No fees Friday (deposit $10 or more on Fridays via credit card or Paynearme)
- Loyalty Reward Points
- Handicapping products from Equibase (available only on the web)
Horse bet types available online
In Washington, 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 a 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 & Hollywood Races
- Bitcoin: AmWager via BitPay
Washington Horse Betting Overview
The Evergreen State was the longtime home of Longacres Race Course, which opened in 1933 within months of the Legislature approving parimutuel wagering, becoming the first West Coast track to use the new automated method of betting.
The Longacres Mile, which is still the state’s signature race, was inaugurated two years later with a then-unheard-of $10,000 purse. For more than four decades, it was the richest stakes run at a mile in the country.
The track prospered for many years but ran its last race in 1992 when the Alhadeff family sold the 215-acre property to Boeing Co. for $90 million.
The state had two other major tracks at the time: The Playfair Race Course, which opened in 1901 in Spokane and raced until 2000, and Yakima Meadows in Yakima, which opened in 1961 and lasted until 1998.
Additionally, it had four short fair meetings in Dayton, Kennewick, Waitsburg, and Walla Walla in what is known as the Blue Mountain Circuit, a series of fair meets throughout the Northwest and upper Midwestern states. The only surviving stop is Sun Downs in Kennewick, which plans to resume racing in April 2022 after a two-year absence due to COVID-19.
The lone bright spot in the state’s racing landscape is Emerald Downs, which opened in 1996 in Auburn, about 12 miles south of the old Longacres site, thanks to the efforts of local businessman Ron Crockett. The mile oval in the shadow of Mt. Ranier has a compact six-story grandstand well suited to the smaller crowds drawn to the races these days. The track typically races from mid-May through mid-September.
Apart from betting on horses, Washington law allows for casino gambling on tribal lands; sports betting (currently available only at brick-and-mortar tribal casinos); a state lottery; and certain charitable gambling activities.
Fun fact about horse racing in Washington
Russell Baze, the winningest jockey in North American history with 12,842 victories and a member of racing’s Hall of Fame, captured his first race at Yakima Meadows in 1974 at the age of 16. Known as “Russell the Muscle” for his hard-trying riding style, the Canadian native rode mostly in California during his 42-year-riding career.
Popular horse racing events to bet on in Washington
- The Longacres Mile
- Muckleshoot Derby
- Washington Oaks
- Emerald Distaff
- The Kentucky Derby
- Belmont Stakes
- Preakness Stakes
- Breeders’ Cup
- Pacific Classic Stakes
- Haskell Invitational
- Dubai World Cup
- Melbourne Cup
- Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe
- Grand National
Horse Race Tracks in Washington
- Emerald Downs in Auburn
- Sun Downs in Kennewick
- Yakima Meadows (closed in1998)
- The Playfair Race Course (closed in 2000)
- Waitsburg (last ran in 2010)
- Columbia County Fairgrounds (last ran in 2010)
- Walla Walla (last ran in 2010)
Two land-based tracks are authorized to host horse races and accept wagers in person at the track.
FAQs
Yes, you can. For horse racing in Washington state, clients must be 18 years or older.
Yes, Washington allows horse racing betting online and through mobile apps.
The four biggest horse racing betting sites offer services to Washingtonians, including TwinSpires.com, TVG.com, Xpressbet.com, and NyraBets.com along with some smaller online operators and betting apps like DRF or 123bet.
Yes, OTB is legal in Washington. There are 13 off-track betting locations across the state.