Welcome to my deep dive review of horse racing betting at Bet365. I’ll discuss the main site features, key betting options, events to bet on, odds, its pros and cons, and more. I finish with some handy FAQs.
Navigation and features
Bet365 online has a top-notch site navigation. I clicked on Sports and easily found Horse Racing from the left-hand sidebar.
Once inside the horse racing menu, I noticed events classified by country, including UK, Irish and international races from Australia to America and more. The site lists races for the current day, plus two to three days in advance.
This is a simple yet functional site design. From a handy set of menus, I could click on the upcoming races, find all this week’s meetings, or look at antepost betting for future events.
With the Search function, I could look up any horse, trainer, or jockey name, which saved time compared to manual searches. Then, I checked the “Tips” section to get some insights about the daily races.
Horse Racing Events, Markets and Odds
The Bet365 racing platform is a well-designed, comprehensive sportsbook section. Whether I wanted to find domestic or global races, it’s all here.
Horse Racing Events
As well as daily UK, Irish, and international racing, I found the antepost section with future UK Grade One events like the Cheltenham Festival, the Grand National, and Royal Ascot. These options also extended to international events such as the Dubai Gold Cup and Kentucky Derby.
In many of those antepost markets, I noticed a Non Runner Money Back concession, so if my horse withdrew, I would get my stake back.
Horse Racing Odds and Markets
Bet365 is well-known for offering some of the best racing odds online. My experience matches that reputation. I saw how some races offer an extra place each way, such as three places for seven-runner fields.
But when I tried placing large bet stakes (£100+), some of my bets got referred to the trading team, especially on midweek horse racing or smaller events.
Beyond the race winner and each-way betting, tote pool betting includes Colossus Bets. Instead of fixed odds betting, I picked six horses for place pools (Place 6) or win pools (Win 6). My payouts come from a shared prize pot rather than a fixed return.
Other betting options included forecast and tricast options, where I predicted the finishing order.
Notable Horse Racing Tools and Betting Features
Besides the basics, the horse racing section has several cool features, adding a unique touch to the platform. I found functions like live streaming, race commentary, and an archive of historical race footage.
Horse Racing Archive
In the archive, I watched any horse’s previous races from a database of live streams. I found this a useful visual reference to inform my horse wagers.
Live streaming
“Watch Live” streaming added to my experience. I looked for the “Watch” button or the small television icon to open a stream, and I found this platform-based streaming easier to use than a third-party stream.
The quality was excellent with no technical issues. But, streaming was only available if I had a funded account or had bet £0.50 win or £0.25 each way within 24 hours.
Live commentaries
The commentary added excitement to many live streams I watched. The audio was clear and felt like watching on a television.
In-play betting
Once a race started, I could still place bets In-play, as the horses were running. These live markets featured fast-moving odds and had a few seconds’ delay to the real-life race.
Cash Out
I could cash out my win or each-way bets by going to “My Bets” and checking for the bright green “Cash Out” button. Where the Cash Out was available, I picked from either a full, partial, or auto cash out. I could use these options on my accumulator bets, to settle my multiples bets if a few selections had won so far.
Edit Bet
From the Cash Out option, Edit Bet lets me add, change, or remove selections from my pre-match or live bet. I could even increase my stake size on unsettled bets.
Bet Builder
With Bet Builder, I can combine different selections to form my ideal bet. I bet on the race winner, a horse to finish in the top 2, and the race-winning distance.
Bet Builder+
I included Bet Builders from several different races in one bet.
My Horses
With this cool feature, I tracked specific horses and got notifications for their upcoming races. I could add notes for each horse and edit my list at any time.
Virtual horse racing
Aside from real-life horse betting, virtual racing is an exciting option. I enjoyed the computer-generated races, accessed from the Virtual Sports menu. These races happen every couple of minutes throughout the day.
Free bets and promotions
In my “Offers” tab, my sign-up offer was bet £5 to £10 to get £15-£30 in Bet Credits. I was surprised to see that Bet Credits had a one time play through requirement.
Bet365 is always innovating in terms of player rewards. I logged in and viewed many more promotions in my “Offers”:
- Winnings Boost: In my betslip, up to 25% boosted odds on singles and Bet Builders with 3+ selections and odds of at least 2.0.
- Position Payout: Pick which position a horse will finish the race
- Bet Boost: Get a higher price on a specific horse. Look for the green ‘Bet Boost’ arrow.
- Super Boost: Offers enhanced odds on a specific horse to win
- Each Way Extra (EWE): I can choose more places and bet at lower odds, or fewer places with bigger odds. This is useful for 30+ runner races like the Grand National. EWE is available on selected races from 10.00 am UK time.
- Best Odds Guaranteed (BOG): In keeping with Bet365’s excellent odds, I could benefit from ‘best odds’ if my horse won at a bigger starting price (SP) than the odds I’d taken. BOG is available from 8:00 am UK time on the day of the race for UK and Ireland racing. This concession assures me that I’m getting fair value.
- Price Promise: From 10:00 am daily, matches competitors’ odds for ITV racing.
App & mobile betting
I like to bet on the move, so the mobile app is an excellent option. I downloaded the Android app and was pleasantly surprised. The app is optimised for my smaller screen, it’s fast and responsive, and has all the functions I used on the Bet365 desktop site. Equally, if I had an iPhone, I could try the iOS app version.
As well as the dedicated Bet365 app, I liked the option to use the mobile website straight from my smartphone browser. Both options are smooth and well-designed.
Payment options
I sampled each payment method for deposits and withdrawals. Here’s what I found on this UKGC-licensed platform.
From My Account, I could choose from different deposit methods starting at £5.00+, including Visa or MasterCard debit card, instant bank transfers via TrueLayer or Trustly, Google Pay or Apple Pay, Paysafecard prepaid voucher, or PayPal (£25.00+).
Withdrawals were equally smooth, as I could request £5.00+ from my available account balance. Happily, my debit card withdrawal landed in my bank account within a few hours.
Customer Support
I tested the customer service options, including online 24/7 live chat, email support via Webform, or social media support on Facebook, Instagram, or X (formerly Twitter).
During my first betting session, I went to the Help Centre and clicked “Contact Us” to go to live chat. I was greeted by a Virtual Assistant who routed me to a human who answered my query within a few minutes.
With the Webform, I chose a topic from the dropdown list and submitted my query, then received a reply within a few hours.
Social media support was also quick, available all day, every day. But I was careful not to enter too many personal details on socials.
Pros and cons
- Pros:
- High-quality live streaming and commentary
- Global horse racing betting
- Excellent odds
- Generous offers
- Cons:
- Possible stake limits if I consistently win.
Conclusion and Rating
If there’s one thing that I can say about the horse racing section of Bet365, it would be that it’s complete. It offers a lot more than just what the common horse racing platform would offer its punters. In other words, Bet365 goes the extra mile to make sure that its customers are pleased with the experience. The high odds, the excellent bonuses, the archive, the live stream, the live commentary, and the vast array of events offered all play into the success of Bet365’s horse racing section.
You will be pleased with the overall experience that Bet365’s horse racing section has to offer. With that, the horse racing platform deserves to get its high score of 4.8 over 5.
FAQs
Does the platform show horse form?
Yes. The racing form page shows every horse’s recent results.
What is the maximum payout on a horse racing bet?
Up to £1,000,000 for UK and Irish horse racing.
Is horse racing live streaming available?
Live streaming is available if my account balance is above zero or if I have a bet placed within the last 24 hours.
Does live streaming work on mobile devices?
Yes. I tested live streaming on my smartphone and achieved perfect picture quality, sound, and stutter-free streaming playback.
Do I need to pay to access the racing archive?
No. The horse racing archive is a free resource; just log in to access it.