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Wisconsin Racing Betting Guide

Wisconsin Horse Betting Online – Sites & Promotional Offers

Here's your guide to Wisconsin's horse racing betting offers and legal websites.

Wisconsin has no permanent horse racing tracks, but it does conduct standardbred harness racing at several local fairs and state law allows betting on horses.

Most providers of online betting on horse races, known as advance-deposit wagering (ADW) accept Wisconsinites, including three of the four biggest providers: TwinSpires.com; NYRABets.com; and Xpressbet.com. The largest, TVG.com, does not. 

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 a service. 

You must be 18 or older to place online horse bets in Wisconsin.

Wisconsin Horse Race Betting Sites & Offers

RacebooksWelcome Offer for WisconsinOther Promos
Nyra Bets$200 deposit matchOdds boosters, daily offers
TwinSpires$200 sign-up offerFree play daily & weekly options
Xpressbet$100 sign-up bonusXB Rewards loyalty program
123bet$1230 new member bonusRefer-a-Friend bonus: get $50
1/ST BET$100 sign-up bonusRewards points every Tuesday and other weekly offers
AmWager $300 deposit matchDaily cash rewards
DRFGet a $200 bonus on the first depositEarn up to $50 every week
Hollywoodraces.com$200 Sign Up BonusWINsurance Offers: refund up to $20

How to claim a horse racing bet promo in Wisconsin?

This is how to claim a horse racing bet promo in Wisconsin.
Clam horse betting promo. Step 1
Step 1
Pick Horse Betting Site
Visit one of the legal horse betting sites in Wisconsin, like Xpressbet.com.
Get horse betting bonus step 2
Step 2
Open an Account
Click the Sign-up button to register an account.
Horse racing betting offer step 3
Step 3
Deposit and Bet
Make an initial deposit and place your bets.
Horse online wagering deals step 4
Step 4
Get Bonus
Following terms and conditions, and wagering requirements apply. Get your welcome bonus!

Horse racing betting features for Wisconsin 

  • Nyra Bets Wisconsin 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
  • TwinSpires Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin Features:
    • Current and historical horse race results from a single screen
    • Advanced wagering structuring tools. Dutching, ABC method, Rank betting.
    • 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 Wisconsin Features:
    • Unlimited DRF Classic and Formulator Past Performances
    • Free Beyer Speed Figures
    • Free DRF expert picks
  • 1/ST Bet Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin 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)
  • Hollywood Races Wisconsin Features:
    • Free Expert Picks
    • Loyalty program for top players (earn up to $200 in bonuses each week with the 2 VIP promotions)
Xpressbet Desktop

Horse bet types available online

In Wisconsin, 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

Wisconsin Horse Betting Overview

Horse racing in the Badger State dates at least to the early 1800s, with an etching from approximately 1832 in the Wisconsin Historical Society’s archives showing Sioux Indians racing ponies near Fort Pierre.

Harness racing in the state dates at least to the late 1840s when Cold Spring Park in Milwaukee hosted trotters.

As of 2021, harness races were still being staged from mid-July through mid-September at fair tracks in the towns and cities of Elkhorn, Mineral Point, Rice Lake, Richland Center, Viroqua, and Westfield.

The Wisconsin State Fair also hosted harness racing for many decades before the horses began to share the dirt track with auto racing in 1903. The motorized contests eventually proved more popular and the track was paved over in the 1950s.

In addition to parimutuel betting on horse races, Wisconsin has a state lottery; riverboat and tribal casinos; sports betting (only at the main Oneida Casino in Green Bay as of early 2022); and charitable games like bingo and raffles.

Fun fact about horse racing in Wisconsin

In 1871, the standardbred mare Goldsmith Maid broke the world record by trotting a mile in 2:17 in a match race against Lucy at the Milwaukee track, an occasion that prompted the creation of a nationally distributed Currier and Ives color print. Known as the “Queen of the Trotters,” she went on to lower the mark several more times before retiring at the end of a remarkable 13-year racing career and was inducted into the Harness Racing Hall of Fame in 1953.

  • The Kentucky Derby
  • Belmont Stakes
  • Preakness Stakes
  • Breeders’ Cup
  • Royal Ascot
  • Cheltenham Festival
  • Travers Stakes
  • Pacific Classic Stakes
  • Haskell Invitational
  • Dubai World Cup
  • Melbourne Cup
  • Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe
  • Grand National

Horse Race Tracks in Wisconsin

There are no tracks open permanently in the state.

FAQs

Can you bet on horses at 18 in Wisconsin?

Yes, you can. The minimum gambling age in Wisconsin is 18 years for off-track betting. Wisconsin tribal casino’s minimum gambling age for players is 21. There is no special age for online horse betting, so 18 years is the minimum.

Is online horse betting legal in Wisconsin? 

Yes, Wisconsin allows horse racing betting online and through mobile apps.

What are the legal horse betting sites available in Wisconsin? 

The three of the four biggest horse racing betting sites offer services to Wisconsin, including TwinSpires.com, Xpressbet.com, and NyraBets.com along with some smaller online operators and betting apps like 123bet or AmWager. 

Is TVG accepting bets in Wisconsin? 

No, it does not operate in the state.

Is BetMGM mobile racebook legal in Wisconsin? 

No, the BetMGM Horse Racing App is not allowed in Wisconsin. 

Is Off-Track Betting legal in Wisconsin?

Yes, OTB is legal in Wisconsin. E.g. Oneida Casino near Green Bay offers thoroughbred wagering on different US tracks and greyhound tracks.