Our guide on horse racing betting provides a top-rated list of Minnesota betting sites that offer excellent features, sign-in bonuses and fast payouts. Join us as we dive into the top offshore sportsbooks that provide horse racing betting in Minnesota and break down the pros and cons of each site. With our information, you can quickly determine which racebook best suits your needs.
Our guide below covers the best horse racing betting sites, horse racing history, current laws and much more. Whether you’re scouting information on the North Star State’s physical racetracks like Canterbury Park or simply looking for the best options for wagering on horses in MN, we’ll have you covered.
| SPORTSBOOK | TRUST SCORE | ONLINE SINCE | Expert Review | BONUS | Bet Now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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2001
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100% Free Play
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1996
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$500 Cash Bonus
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2014
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50% Free Play
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2002
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55% Cash Bonus
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2001
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$250 Free Bet
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2011
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$750 Cash Bonus
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1996
|
$500 Cash Bonus
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Is horse racing betting legal in Minnesota?
Wagering on horse racing in Minnesota is one of the only legal gambling activities in the state. Locals can place bets at racetracks, casinos on reservations and online.
However, using offshore sites like BetOnline, Bovada, Heritage Sports and BookMaker is the most common practice used by Minnesota bettors. This is due to the sheer number of different betting markets available, their competitive betting odds and the generous bonuses that they have on offer.
Minnesota Horse Racing FAQs
Does Minnesota have horse racing?
Canterbury Park in Shakopee is the state’s main thoroughbred and quarter horse racing track. The state also hosts harness racing at county fairs and various smaller venues, keeping the sport alive and well in Minnesota.
What is the biggest horse race in Minnesota?
Minnesota does not currently host any major races; however, there is a wide range of thoroughbred events that take place at Canterbury Park.
How many horse tracks are there in Minnesota?
There are two active horse racing tracks in the state. Canterbury Park originally opened in 1985 as Canterbury Downs. Running Aces was the second track to open in Minnesota and the ‘Night of Champions’ is their annual penultimate race. Both of these tracks are authorized to offer pari-mutuel betting.
How many horses from Minnesota were in the Kentucky Derby?
“Zozos” (2022) and “Crocrock” (2000) are among the rare entries from Minnesota that made it to the Derby. Minnesota’s presence in the race is limited, as the state is not widely recognized as a major thoroughbred breeding ground.
What famous racehorse is from Minnesota?
The famous racehorse from Minnesota is Zippy Chippy. Despite his notorious record of never winning a race in 100 starts, Zippy Chippy gained widespread fame and a devoted fan following for his persevering spirit in the face of continual defeat.
Ranking the Top 10 Betting Sites for Horse Racing in Minnesota
Here are the top ten sites for horse racing betting according to our experts:
- BetOnline – Same-day payouts and opinionated lines
- BookMaker – Some of the sharpest betting lines
- Heritage Sports – Impeccable live betting service
- Bovada – Vast selection of betting options
- BetAnySports – Reduced juice and low house edges on moneylines
- Everygame – Covers more events than most competitors
- WagerWeb – Known for its Bitcoin options and speedy payouts
- SportsBetting.ag – High-level security and responsive customer service
- BetUS – Some of the most significant bonuses
- JustBet – Excellent live betting platform with early lines and firm betting limits
Reviewing the Best Minnesota Horse Racing Betting Sites
Our aforementioned top 10 betting sites for horse racing in Minnesota are judged on multiple factors. Let’s take a more in-depth look into the leading five operators providing horse racing betting in MN. The offshore sportsbooks below have been reviewed by our experts and are accompanied by a brief explanation as to why they’ve reached our top-rated list.
1. The Fastest Payouts in Minnesota: BetOnline
Key Features
- Sign-up bonus offers $250 in free bets
- Large betting limits
With decades of experience in the sports betting industry and a plethora of horse racing betting on offer, BetOnline is a no-brainer decision for Minnesota bettors looking to wager on horse races. The horse racing options at BetOnline are endless, as the racebook presented by this provider offers a wide selection of markets and races from the United States and international waters.
BetOnline is a trustworthy sportsbook and racebook operator and is notably one of the oldest establishments accessible by Minnesotans. Not only do they deliver a live betting service and the ability to stream live events, but they also allow U.S. bettors to legally place bets, as states such as Minnesota prohibit mainstream operators from providing a service within state borders.
Alongside the ever-growing BetOnline racebook, customers will find an excellent sportsbook, casino and poker room. And if you aren’t a fan of placing horse racing bets online, you can place wagers at the racebook via telephone. Further adding to the wealth of positives at BetOnline, they’ve garnered a reputation for being one of the quickest bookmakers at paying their customers without hassle and there is always a selection of generous promo codes at BetOnline.
2. Fast Payouts & Experienced Racebook: BookMaker
Key Features
- High withdrawal and betting limits
- Rebate on racebook wagers of up to 8%
The team at Bookmaker.eu is one of the most respected groups in the sports betting and horse racing betting industry. With close to 30 years in the business, Bookmaker has long provided Minnesota bettors with horse racing betting options. Whether you’re looking for local races in Minnesota or want to wager on the nation’s most popular events – such as the Kentucky Derby – BookMaker’s racebook will have you covered.
With various sign-up bonuses for new customers and promotional offers to keep loyal users happy, they also match BetOnline’s motto of paying customers in full and promptly. BookMaker provides an exceptional racebook with multiple markets and is an excellent option for Minnesota bettors looking to find reputable sites that offer horse racing betting.
BookMaker’s reputation of supporting winning bettors has drawn many professional bettors to their site. With high betting limits and a no-ban policy, even on winning bettors, they’ve done a great job at separating themselves from the casual bookmakers and are now one of the best racebooks in Minnesota.
3. Excellent Live Betting Services: Heritage Sports
Key Features
- Simple to navigate sports betting and racebook interface
- A wide selection of live betting options
Heritage Sports boasts a huge customer base due to its incredibly-priced odds, making them one of Minnesota’s best horse racing betting platforms.
In addition to its vast selection of sports betting markets and reduced juice lines, Heritage Sports prides itself on the 60-plus thoroughbred and harness racetracks available to bet on through its racebook. With a minimum of 16 significant racetracks, horse racing bettors from Minnesota are exposed to one of the most diverse racebook selections in the industry.
Horse racing betting limits are significantly high, as Minnesota bettors can place up to $1,000 on win, place and show markets. However, exotic prop betting limits are reduced to $200, but this is primarily for the user’s safety, as wagering on low-probability odds can sometimes lead to a damaged bankroll.
Heritage Sports boasts an A+ rating from our expert reviewers. It presents an impeccable racebook, but they also provide excellent services for sports bettors and casino enthusiasts, as well as a variety of promos like the cashback offer.
4. Excellent Bonuses & Racebook Rebates: Bovada
Key Features
- Horse bettors receive lucrative rebates
- More North American racebook markets than most of their competitors
With over 60 North American racetracks available through its racebook, Bovada is a cut above the rest regarding online horse racing betting in Minnesota. In the world of offshore operators, Bovada receives high praise from Minnesota horse racing fans. Alongside its highly respected sportsbook, they also present one of the most popular online poker rooms and racebooks in the United States.
When creating their racebook, Bovada solely focused on the desires of U.S. horse racing bettors. New customers searching through the 60 North American tracks and markets will also be presented with a welcome gift in the shape of a 50% welcome bonus on head-to-head, Triple Crown and other proposition horse racing markets. Lastly, horse bettors can get 5% rebates on exotic wagers and 3% rebates on straight bets. There are also promo codes at Bovada that can provide additional perks.
5. Fast Payouts & The Best Reduced Juice Lines: BetAnySports
Key Features
- Great customer service
- Some of the best betting odds in the business
Long-term bettors will find excellent value at BetAnySports as they pride themselves on low house edges on straight wagers. With reduced juice for Minnesota horse racing bettors, value hunters needn’t look any further because BetAnySports is the perfect racebook that suits their needs.
In addition to their attractive prices, BetAnySports excels in customer service; they present an easy-to-navigate desktop and mobile-optimized website. It’s a Minnesota horse racing betting site that is fast and secure, and you can always trust the withdrawal/deposit system. Further enhancing the platform’s overall value is the wide range of bonuses that are available for users to take advantage of.
Comparing the Best Sites for Horse Racing Minnesota Has to Offer
At Bookmakers Review, our experts have carefully selected the best horse racing betting sites in Minnesota to provide you with an elite list of operators. However, our selection process factors in many reasons when deciding which racebook/sportsbook should earn the right to receive a top rating. Each customer will have their own preferences when deciding which horse racing betting platform best suits them. Still, we recommend you consider each category below when determining which operator is the best for you.
Below you’ll find a list of reasons for deciding which online betting sites in Minnesota deserve a top-rated ranking and how we determine our top-ranked operators.
Horse Racing Odds
BetOnline is an excellent example of how a bookmaker should present its available horse racing betting odds. Why? Because in the United States, many races are decided on a pari-mutuel basis. Pari-mutuel horse racing betting is where the money bet on horse races enters a pool and after the race, the wagered money is given to the winning horse teams. This can often present lower-priced odds and less value.
For this reason, it’s imperative to find an offshore sportsbook that offers fixed odds. Most sites will provide fixed odds for major events like the Kentucky Derby, but operators such as BetOnline give average fixed odds on many more races.
Why is this important? Well, suppose you’re a long-term bettor. In that case, you’ll want to receive the best possible long-term profit available. This won’t surface unless you increase your probability by wagering on fixed odds instead of pari-mutuel offerings alone.
Horse Racing Betting Markets
With such a vast amount of horse races taking place each day, you shouldn’t struggle to find an offshore sportsbook that provides wagers on the following:
- Win
- Place
- Show
- Exacta
- Quinella
- Trifecta
- Superfecta
In addition, the best offshore racebooks in Minnesota will allow customers to create exacta, trifecta and quinella boxes and place multiple wagers like a daily double or Pick 3, 4, 5 or 6. For significant national or international events, you’ll stumble across horse markets where you can wager on individual matchups between certain horses. Our top-rated list of Minnesota horse racing betting bookmakers provides the above-mentioned betting opportunities.
Horse Racing Betting Promotions
Minnesota horse racing betting offshore operators often compete to give customers the best available bonuses in such a highly competitive market. BetOnline has some excellent bonus offerings, where you’ll find first-deposit matched bonuses and money-back specials.
All of our top-rated sportsbooks boast a racebook with excellent promotions. Although BetOnline is ranked amongst the best, many other options exist, like Bookmaker.eu, Bovada, Heritage Sports and BetAnySports.
Choosing the Best Minnesota Horse Racing Betting Sites
Now that you’re more than halfway into our extensive guide on Minnesota horse racing betting, you should be more familiar with what it takes to pick the best operator. We’ve added a few more pros you may want to consider before deciding which racebook best suits your needs.
Brand Recognition
We’d never recommend placing bets with inexperienced, non-recognized brands. That’s why the sportsbooks/racebooks in our guide have been widely respected in the industry for no less than a decade. Minnesota horse racing betting sites that have established their position in the market, with loyal customer bases, and which give users a fast and prompt method when dealing with payouts, are always at the top of our lists.
Payment Methods
Our top 5 Minnesota horse racing betting sites provide all the popular payment methods that customers commonly use. That said, some racebooks vary in payment methods, so it’s imperative to check the site you’re considering offers the payment method you require. The top sites will accept traditional payment methods and a selection of crypto options, allowing for flexibility.
Safety & Security
The best offshore sportsbooks provide their customers with a highly trusted and reputable security system. When deciding on the best horse racing betting site in Minnesota, bookmakers providing the latest encryption tools, including other security features like two-factor authentication, are of the utmost importance.
Speed & Design
With a wide selection of horse races to bet on each day, horse bettors will often wager on a high number of races. This is why a perfectly designed online racebook is crucial, allowing users to place their bets fast and efficiently. Operators like BetOnline, Bovada, Bookmaker and Heritage Sports excel in this field, with software designed to keep operations smooth so you won’t miss the next bet.
Customer Service
Customer service that is offered 24 hours a day, seven days a week, throughout the entire year is what we look for. And again, BetOnline provides excellent customer service that reaches these standards.
Overall Value
Finally, it would help if you looked into the value offered by a Minnesota horse racing betting site. Earning profit is the primary goal of most bettors; therefore, considering a site’s welcome bonuses, risk-free bets, rebates, loyalty programs, excellent odds and money-back specials is usually the precautions to take.
How to Bet on Horse Races in Minnesota
The top-rated online betting sites for Minnesota horse racing enthusiasts give customers a choice to frequently wager on races throughout the day. Aside from betting on local Minnesota horse racing tracks, the best operators provide horse racing markets from the UK, Ireland, Japan, Australia and the rest of the United States.
It’s simple to begin wagering on horse racing betting sites in Minnesota. Find a reliable and trustworthy offshore place from our recommended list and continue reading our guide below for other tips and hints on how to become an intelligent horseplayer.
What are the different types of horse racing bets?
Below you will find some of the most common bet types in horse racing:
- Win: Simply predict the winner of the race when betting on this market.
- Place: A place wager will win if your horse places in first or second.
- Show: A show wager extends the place wager, and your bet will win if the horse places first, second, or third.
- Exacta: Exacta wagers require you to predict the winning horse and the horse that will finish in second place. You must give the exact order. Look for a quinella bet if you want to predict the two finishing horses without the precise order.
- Trifecta: Often supplying highly priced odds, a trifecta prediction involves the first three horses that show. Again, you need to predict the exact order in which the horses finish.
- Superfecta: Superfectas takes it one step further and requires bettors to predict the exact order of the top four finishers.
- Daily Double: Known as a double, you must predict a horse that will win two consecutive races at a racetrack to win this bet.
- Pick 3/4/5/6: A parlay of predictions that cover three, four, five or six races.
Odds Chart for Online Horse Racing Betting in Minnesota
Below you can see various horse racing odds, their chances of winning and a payout from a $2 wager.
| Horse Racing Odds | $2 Wager Payout | Implied Probability of Winning |
|---|---|---|
| 1/5 (-500) | $2.40 | 83.33% |
| 1/4 (-400) | $2.50 | 80% |
| 1/3 (-300) | $2.60 | 75% |
| 1/2 (-200) | $3.00 | 66.67% |
| 4/6 (-150) | $3.33 | 60% |
| 1/1 (-100) | $4.00 | 50% |
| 2/1 (+200) | $6.00 | 33.33% |
| 3/1 (+300) | $8.00 | 25% |
| 5/1 (+500) | $12 | 16.67% |
| 10/1 (+1000) | $22 | 9.00% |
| 50/1 (+5000) | $102 | 1.96% |
As you can see, odds of (-500) have the highest chances of winning, but the lowest payout. Odds of (+5000) have the highest payout, but the lowest odds.
The History of Horse Racing in Minnesota
Pari-mutuel betting on horse racing in Minnesota was first approved in 1982. In 1985, Canterbury Downs racetrack opened its doors.
Suffering multiple setbacks, the track closed in 1992 until 1994 due to lackluster attendance and was forced to close by the government in 2011.
However, the track has thrived since the Canterbury Park Holding Corporation took over. Running Aces became Minnesota’s second racetrack and has been standing strong since 2008.
Currently, the track accepts wagers on local races and allows customers to download a mobile betting app. It’s legal to wager from your mobile device, but only on local races.
Recent Timeline of Sports Betting Situation in Minnesota
- 1994: The Minnesota Racing Commission is established to regulate horse racing in the state.
- 1982: The Minnesota legislature passes the Pari-Mutuel Horse Racing Authorization and Regulation Act, legalizing pari-mutuel wagering on horse racing in the state.
- 1933: Horse racing is legalized in Minnesota with the passage of the Racing Commission Act.
What is the best site for horse racing betting in Minnesota?
We’ve positioned BetOnline as the best horse racing betting site in Minnesota. Between their excellent odds, responsive customer service and tempting bonuses, they’re also one of the most experienced bookmakers in the business.
