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How To Bet on the Kentucky Derby
By Kyle Scott
Last Updated:
Despite the somewhat slow roll out of legal sports betting sites across the country, sports fans in most states can bet on the Kentucky Derby online. Here’s how to bet on the big race.
Legal Kentucky Derby betting is available in 31 states, including Pennsylvania, New York, Florida and Illinois. Multiple race books are permitted to accept wagers online. The betting sites available for the Kentucky Derby differ from traditional sportsbooks and are available to more users in more states.
The best place to bet the Kentucky Derby online is TVG, which is the sister site of FanDuel Sportsbook. TwinSpires, the official betting site of Churchill Downs, is a strong second option.
Kentucky Derby Betting Sites
TVG
TVG is the best all-around betting app for the Kentucky Derby. Owned by the same company that owns FanDuel, TVG offers a premium, safe and secure betting experience. Best of all, it’s legal and regulated.
New users who sign up for TVG here can get a $300 first bet offer on the Derby.
TwinSpires
The official betting site of the Kentucky Derby, owned by Churchill Downs, TwinSpires is not quite as polished as TVG, but you know you are getting the most up-to-date and widest selection of betting options given the site’s tie-in with the race itself. It’s as good as betting in person, which, this year, you can’t do anyway.
How To Sign Up
Signing up to wager on the Kentucky Derby is easy.
You can do it in three simple steps:
- Create an account with TVG here and enter promo code DERBY300
- Deposit funds into your account using a variety of methods
- Place your first bet on the Derby backed by up to $300 in bonus bets
From there, you can choose your race, select your horses and your bet type, and lock in your wager on the Kentucky Derby.
States Where You Can Bet on the Kentucky Derby Online
Thanks to a differing set of legislation for race books, the ability to wager legally online on horse races is much more widespread than traditional sports betting, which is regulated in only a handful of states.
Here are all of the states where betting on the Kentucky Derby online is available:
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Montana
- New Hampshire
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oregon
- Rhode Island
- South Dakota
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wyoming
Both of our recommended choices here – TVG and TwinSpires – are available in all of these states.
Kentucky Derby Betting Online
Placing a bet on the Kentucky Derby is easy. Horse are listed in order of their odds to win the race.
The first number listed is the amount that is paid out on a stake in the amount of the second number.
For example: Tiz The Law, the favorite, is listed at 3-5 odds, meaning you would have to bet $5 to win $3– not a great payout since he’s the favorite.
Most other horses will be listed with something like 18-1, meaning a $1 bet would payout $18 if that horse wins.
Types of Bets You Can Place on the Kentucky Derby
The great thing about horse racing is that you can place a lot more than just a single bet on a horse to win. You can choose the top three horses, the order of finish, and so on.
Names to know:
- Win: Horse to win the race
- Place: Horse to finish second
- Show: Horse to finish third
Here are the various types of bets for the Kentucky Derby:
- Exacta: picking the first 2 horses
- Trifecta: 3 horses
- Superfecta: 4 horses
- Super High Five: 5 horses
- Win-Place-Show: bet on a horse to finish in a certain spot
2020 Kentucky Derby Odds
| Horse | Odds |
|---|---|
| Known Agenda | 6-1 |
| Like the King | 50-1 |
| Brooklyn Strong | 50-1 |
| Keepmeinmind | 50-1 |
| Sainthood | 50-1 |
| O Besos | 20-1 |
| Mandaloun | 15-1 |
| Medina Spirit | 15-1 |
| Hot Rod Charlie | 8-1 |
| Midnight Bourbon | 20-1 |
| Dynamic One | 20-1 |
| Helium | 50-1 |
| Hidden Stash | 50-1 |
| Essential Quality | 2-1 |
| Rock Your World | 5-1 |
| King Fury | 20-1 |
| Highly Motivated | 10-1 |
| Super Stock | 30-1 |
| Soup and Sandwich | 30-1 |
| Bourbonic | 30-1 |
Race Details
Date: September 5, 2020
State time: 7:01 PM EST (coverage begins at 2:30 PM EST)
Network: NBC, NBCSports.com, NBC Sports app
Sportsbook partner: Thanks to a partnership with NBC Sports, PointsBet will be heavily featured on the NBC broadcast despite not being able to accept wagers on the Kentucky Derby.