HomeMassachusetts Horse Race Betting

Massachusetts online horse betting

It has been almost 100 years since horse racing has been legal in Massachusetts, with Senate Bill 0179 being signed into law in 1934. When online sports betting in the state went live in March 2023, Massachusetts online horse betting came with it, as now there are nearly double-digit online racebooks within the state.

Johnny Covers By: Johnny Covers
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Best Massachusetts horse race betting sites

With more than 10 Massachusetts racebooks to choose from, it's easy to be overwhelmed by the options available in the state.

Our team of experts has done the work to find the three best Massachusetts online horse betting sites today. Here is what they found.

🏇 FanDuel Racing MA ⭐ Best MA horse racing site with intuitive UI and seamless experience
🏇 TwinSpires Racebook MA ⭐ Most popular site, offering promos and expert advice
🏇 Caesars Racebook MA ⭐ Daily promos and rewards through Caesars Rewards program

FanDuel Racing Massachusetts Logo

FanDuel Racing MA

FanDuel Sportsbook has a race book in its menu of offerings and makes it easy to toggle back and forth between the sportsbook and horse racing sites online. They also have their own dedicated mobile betting app called FanDuel Racing, which offers all the same great features that their desktop site has.

Carrying the same overall intuitive user interface and seamless customer experience, FanDuel Racing takes the cake as the best Massachusetts horse racing betting site we found.

TwinSpires Massachusetts Logo

TwinSpires Racebook MA

Easily the most popular horse race betting site out there, TwinSpires has a presence everywhere in the country where betting on horses is legal. Owned (and operated) by the acclaimed Churchill Downs, TwinSpires is the gold standard when it comes to Massachusetts online horse betting.

With a dedicated mobile app to cover all the action, the TwinSpires Massachusetts offerings include promos and even expert advice to help you make your selections.

Caesars Racebook Massachusetts Logo

Caesars Racebook MA

Like FanDuel, Caesars also has a sports betting presence in Massachusetts, as well as its own dedicated mobile betting app. With almost daily promotional offers, customers at Caesars Racebook also have the advantage of earning points for every wager placed through their Caesars Rewards program.

Customers can then redeem those points on experiences, including stays at one of the hundreds of Caesars properties throughout the country.

Yes, online horse betting in Massachusetts is legal. With the first horse racing bet taken in the state in 1935, the transition to online horse betting in Massachusetts was easy, going live in March 2023 when sports betting in Massachusetts became legal.

Different kinds of horse race bets

Similar to betting on sports, there are many different kinds of horse race bets that you can place to get involved in the action. Let’s take a closer look at a few of the most popular bet types when it comes to horse racing.

  • Win: As you might suspect with this one, this is the same as a money line bet in sports betting, where you’re just betting on the horse to win at the given odds.
  • Place: With this horse race bet, you are betting on your horse to finish in either first or second place.
  • Show: With this type of horse race bet, your horse can finish anywhere in the top three for your wager to be successful.
  • Exacta: This type of horse race bet gets us into the multi-horse type wager, where we’re betting on two horses at once. For an exact, you have to successfully predict which horses will finish in first and second, in that exact order.
  • Quinella: A quinella follows a similar logic to an Exacta, except it doesn’t matter what order the first two horses come in.
  • Superfecta: One of the biggest winning payouts a horse racing bettor can receive if successful, a Superfecta requires you to pick the first through fourth horse correctly, in the exact order.

History of horse race betting in MA

For nearly 100 years, horse betting in MA has been a staple of the gambling culture. Let’s take a peek into the history of horse betting in MA, tracking the key milestones to the road of online horse betting in Massachusetts.

  • 1934: Legislation was officially passed to allow horse and dog racing in the state.
  • 1935: The first horse racing track in the state’s history Suffolk Downs was opened for thoroughbred racing. The track was open until 2019, shutting down for financial reasons, but remains open today to offer simulcasting and pari-mutuel wagering throughout the year.
  • 1947: Harness racing was introduced to the Bay State, as Bay State Raceway officially opened its doors. Suffolk Downs also offered harness racing from 1959 to 1970.
  • 1999: One of the only remaining horse racing tracks in Massachusetts, Plainridge Park, was opened next to the New England Patriots stadium outside of Foxboro, MA.
  • 2023: Online horse betting in Massachusetts was officially launched, piggybacking off the same MA legislation that passed legal online sports betting and launching online sportsbooks.

Horse race tracks in Massachusetts

While there used to be a handful of horse race tracks in Massachusetts offering both harness and thoroughbred racing in the state, only one remains active. Let’s take a closer look at the remaining one.

Plainridge Park in Plainville

Open from April to November, Plainridge has become the only option for horse racing bettors to see their bets play out in person. Originally opened in 1999, Plainridge also offers a casino and simulcast wagering for betting on horse races at other tracks throughout the country.

Penn National Gaming operates both the race track and casino at Plainridge, as they are the only casino in the country to offer video slots including video blackjack, video poker, and more than 1,200 slot machines. Featuring restaurants and table games as well, Plainridge Park in Plainville, MA is one of the best gambling establishments in the entire state, and also offers Massachusetts off-track betting.


FAQ

How old do I have to be to take part in horse betting in Massachusetts?

As set by the Division of Racing under the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, you must be 18 years of age or older to take part in horse betting in Massachusetts.

How many race tracks are there in Massachusetts?

There is currently only one horse racing track in Massachusetts, Plainridge Park in Plainville, MA.

Is horse betting popular in Massachusetts?

Horse betting has popularity in Massachusetts and the rest of the United States has declined in recent years, but the introduction of online horse betting in Massachusetts has the potential to change that trend.

Where can I find the latest Massachusetts horse race betting bonuses?

You can find the latest Massachusetts horse race betting bonuses right here on MABetting.com.

Author Details

Johnny Covers

Johnny Covers

Johnny Covers, known for his expertise in sports betting, serves as an author and analyst at MA Betting. With nearly ten years of experience in the field, he is recognized for his adeptness in handicapping. Johnny's comprehensive analyses have been showcased across numerous leading sports and betting platforms.