Best Kentucky Derby Betting Sites & Apps in December, 2024

If you’re looking for the best Kentucky Derby betting sites, you are in the right place.

I will take you through the gritty details of each site and share everything you need to know before you start betting on the Kentucky Derby.

TwinSpires and FanDuel Racing are my two favorite sites for betting on horse races like the Kentucky Derby. At TwinSpires, I like the wealth of information available before placing a bet. Meanwhile, at FanDuel Racing, my favorite features include the extensive betting markets for different races and the ability to stream live races.

TwinSpires

TwinSpires quickly impressed me by being a comprehensive horse racing platform. The homepage delivers everything you need: upcoming races, expert picks (great for beginners), and clear information about TwinSpires.

On the right side of the homepage, there are “Quick Links” to deposit options, racing calendar, race results, Kentucky Derby, Carryovers, VIP program, Free PPs, and Support. A little further down you can find About Us, Contact Us, Terms & Conditions, Privacy & Security, and other data that you’ll find useful.

Meanwhile, the buttons at the top of the page are for Bet Now, Offers, Kentucky Derby, Handicapping, Rewards, and Support. This makes it easy to start betting immediately or delve deeper into the rewards and offers currently available at TwinSpires. With a button dedicated to the Kentucky Derby at the top of the page, it’s clear that TwinSpires understands that this is the biggest event of the year and will be popular among people who don’t do much betting on horse racing.

At the top of the homepage, there is also a button labeled EDGE that helped me locate links to the most popular races and tracks and to betting and educational pages.

The process of signing up was as easy as possible. I followed these steps:

1. Fill out your name, email address, and promo code - adding a promo code is not mandatory.

2. Fill out your address, city, state, and zip code.

3. Input a username and password.

4. Verify your date of birth, the last four digits of your social security number, and your phone number.

All of this is standard and only took me a minute or two to complete. After I had set up my account, the next step was to deposit money into it. TwinSpires offers 7 methods of depositing funds: 

• EZ Money

• Credit Card

• PayPal

• Instant Bank Transfer

• MoneyGram

• PayNearMe

• Green Dot

This is where I experienced my first setback with TwinSpires because depositing money through any means other than EZ Money came with a $5 transaction fee. This was disappointing because I planned on using PayPal and wasn’t expecting a fee.

The primary options for withdrawing funds are EZ Money and PayPal. This is simple if one of these was also your deposit method. However, if you used another method to deposit funds into your TwinSpires account, you must have either an EZ Money or a PayPal account. The only other option is to ask for a paper check to be mailed to your address. The check may not even be sent for up to 5 business days, so you won’t get your money that quickly.

I took advantage of an ongoing offer to receive a $200 sign-up bonus from TwinSpires during the sign-up process. The caveat is that the bonus is paid in increments of $100 for every $400 I wager. That means I’ll only receive $100 in bonus bets after betting $400 on the site, followed by another $100 in bonus bets after placing $800 on wagers. 

Also, the offer expires after 30 days. That means I need to wager $800 in 30 days to get the full value of the bonus offer. For serious bettors, this may be fine. But for anyone who doesn’t do a lot of betting on horse racing, this type of welcome offer is virtually meaningless.

When it came time to place a wager, I explored the full scope of TwinSpires, which has markets on over 3,000 races every week from over 250 tracks worldwide. In addition to expert picks from various races, there are articles to help users keep up with news from the horse racing world. 

With my interest being specifically on the Kentucky Derby, I was able to use the resources at TwinSpires to learn more about the contenders the types of bets available, and get some much-needed handicapping advice. Reading through this information helped me feel confident about placing a Kentucky Derby bet at TwinSpires.

Bet on Kentucky Derby at TwinSpires

FanDuel Racing

FanDuel Racing is part of the larger FanDuel network, which has a popular sportsbook and got its start as a trailblazer for daily fantasy sports games. Therefore, I wasn’t surprised to see a well-structured homepage that was easy to navigate once I got the lay of the land. 

The central part of the homepage features the most popular races of the day while also letting you know how much time is left until post. You'll find links to some of the most popular tracks, picks from experts, and general information about FanDuel Racing by scrolling down a little. There are also buttons at the top of the homepage for Racing, Handicapping, and Promotions, which I found helpful for exploring different options, learning more about horse race betting, and seeing FanDuel Racing’s ongoing promotions.

Meanwhile, the left side of the screen has a scrolling list of featured and scheduled races. When I clicked on one, that particular track and race took over the center of the screen while the scrolling list remained on the left. This allowed me to dig deeper into a specific race and toggle between all of the races happening at that track on the day. I enjoyed this feature because I could move seamlessly between every race. It was also easy to gobble between the different types of bets available for each specific race.

At the FanDuel Racing site, it was also easy to see some extra features that aren’t standard with other sites. For starters, I found several ongoing promotions. There is even a small “promo” logo next to any venue or race with a current promo. FanDuel Racing also has links to horse racing news, race previews, and expert predictions. 

Of course, the feature that stood out to me the most is FanDuelTV, which makes it possible to watch races live. If I bet on something, I want to be able to watch it. FanDuelTV has access to over 300 tracks worldwide. Whenever I was perusing a specific race, a link on the screen was available to take me to FanDuelTV to watch that race.

The signup process at FanDuel Racing was also simple and easy. The account is the same if you already use FanDuel for sports betting or daily fantasy sports. If not, just follow these steps to get a new account.

1. Click the “Join Now” button on the top right of the homepage.

2. Input your email address and choose a username and password for your account.

3. On a series of pages, input your name, birthday, phone number, address, and the last four digits of your social security number.

4. Once FanDuel has confirmed your identity, your new account will be created.

After successfully setting up an account, my next step was depositing money into my account. My options were the following: 

• Credit Card

• Debit Card

• Online Banking

• PayPal

• Wire Transfer

To withdraw money from my account, my options were: 

• PayPal

• Online Banking

• Check

If you’re a new user, two welcome bonuses are available leading up to the Kentucky Derby, depending on what state you’re in while betting. The first offer is a no-sweat bet on your first wager up to $500. This means that if you lose your first bet after signing up, you’ll receive site credit for the amount of that wager up to $500.

The offer is valid in the following states: 

• Arkansas

• California

• Delaware

• Idaho

• Florida

• Minnesota

• Montana

• New Hampshire

• New Mexico

• North Dakota

• Oregon

• Rhode Island

• South Dakota

• Washington

A $20 no-sweat bonus is also available for new users who place their first bet on the Kentucky Derby.

This offer is valid in the following states: 

• Arizona

• Colorado

• Illinois

• Indiana

• Kentucky

• Louisiana

• Massachusetts

• Maryland

• Michigan

• New York

• Ohio

• Pennsylvania

• Virginia

• West Virginia

• Wyoming

After setting up an account and depositing money, it took me a couple of minutes to find what I wanted: the Kentucky Derby. There was no button or tab specifically for the Kentucky Derby, which was surprising because it’s the preeminent event in horse racing. I had to navigate to a list of tracks and find Churchill Downs. Only then did I find a wealth of information related to the Kentucky Derby, including its participants, odds, and betting options.

While that part was disappointing, everything else about FanDuel Racing was more than satisfactory. It checks all the other boxes about being easy to navigate, providing a diverse array of betting options, sharing information about races and tracks, and having ongoing promotions. 

For both novices and experienced horse race bettors, I would easily recommend FanDuel racing for betting on the Kentucky Derby.

Bet on Kentucky Derby at FanDuel Racing

States That Allow Kentucky Derby Betting

Legal Sportsbooks Available in Kentucky

The state of Kentucky launched online sports betting in September 2023. If you’d like to bet on more than just horse racing, then take a look at the best sportsbooks available in Kentucky.