Best Horse Racing Betting Sites in California: Apps & Offers in the Golden State

Best California Horse Racing Betting Sites

Our top-rated advance-deposit wagering (ADW) apps for California bettors. Tap to open the operator’s official sign-up page. 18+. Terms apply.

• ★ EDITOR’S PICK
  AmWagerEditor’s pick★ 4.8 / 5
  100% First Deposit Match up to $50 · Promo Code AMWAGER
  Deposit $50, bet $50, get $50 in bonus wagering credits

  California is American racing's heavy hitter — Santa Anita and Del Mar headline the Southern California circuit and Los Alamitos runs Quarter Horses year-round — and AmWager carries the state's cards alongside hundreds of tracks worldwide. AmWager Rewards points build on every wager, odds update within seconds of the host tote, and accounts are 21+.

  Visit AmWager →Read AmWager review
  Key terms: New AmWager customers only; first deposit only; Bet the amount of your first deposit (up to $50) within 30 days of opening the account; Show bets, cancelled and refunded wagers don't count; Bonus credits land within seven business days and expire after 30 days; winnings from them are cash. Full terms apply — see our AmWager review. Please play responsibly.
• TwinSpiresBest for coverage★ 4.7 / 5
  $200 Sign-Up Bonus · Promo Code BET200
  $100 in bonus cash for every $400 you wager, up to $200

  Churchill Downs Inc.'s TwinSpires pairs California's marquee Santa Anita and Del Mar cards with the Triple Crown trail it runs as the Kentucky Derby's home ADW. It is on the California Horse Racing Board's approved ADW list, and free TwinSpires TV streaming and a rewards program suit the state's big-meet bettors.

  Visit TwinSpires →Read TwinSpires review
  Key terms: Wager $800 within 30 days of opening your account to earn the full $200; Bonus paid in $100 increments for every $400 wagered; Show wagers don't count; bets count once the race is official; Credited within 10 business days; one per household. Full terms apply — see our TwinSpires review. Please play responsibly.
• FanDuel RacingBest app & streaming★ 4.6 / 5
  Bet $10, Get $50 in Racing Bonus · No Promo Code needed
  FanDuel Racing rotates its new-customer offer, so the amount can change

  FanDuel Racing — the former TVG platform — has deep California roots, since TVG built its name on West Coast simulcasting. It carries Santa Anita, Del Mar and Los Alamitos plus the national menu with live video and daily expert picks, and with no legal sports betting in California the racing app stands on its own here.

  Visit FanDuel Racing →Read FanDuel Racing review
  Key terms: First real-money racing wager of $10 or more; $50 in non-withdrawable Racing Bonus, credited within 72 hours; Racing Bonus expires seven days after it's issued; Not open to anyone who has wagered on FanDuel Sportsbook, Casino or DFS. Full terms apply — see our FanDuel Racing review. Please play responsibly.
• NYRA BetsBest for big meets★ 4.5 / 5
  $25 Free Bet + $200 Deposit Match · Promo Code CUP25
  A free bet on sign-up, then 100% of your first deposit matched up to $200

  NYRA Bets brings New York Racing Association coverage of Saratoga, Belmont Park and Aqueduct to California players, so you can start the day on the East Coast cards before Santa Anita or Del Mar go to post. Up to three live races can stream at once.

  Visit NYRA Bets →Read NYRA Bets review
  Key terms: $25 free bet credit on sign-up; unused credit is removed after 14 days; 100% match on your first deposit up to $200, made within 30 days of opening the account; Wager twice your deposit within 30 days to unlock the match; Show bets, futures, phone wagers and cancelled bets don't count. Full terms apply — see our NYRA Bets review. Please play responsibly.
• DK HorseDraftKings crossover★ 4.3 / 5
  100% Deposit Bonus up to $250 · No Promo Code needed
  For DK Horse customers in states that haven't moved to DraftKings Racing

  California is one of the states where DraftKings still runs DK Horse as a standalone racing app rather than DraftKings Racing. It shares your DraftKings login but keeps a separate racing balance, with live streams and replays — and since sports betting isn't legal in California, the DraftKings sportsbook itself isn't available here.

  Visit DK Horse →Read DK Horse review
  Key terms: Minimum $25 deposit; 100% deposit match up to $250 with a 2x play-through; All DK Horse promotions require opt-in; Only in states where the standalone DK Horse app still operates. 18+ (21+ in AZ, IN, IA, WA). Full terms apply — see our DK Horse review. Please play responsibly.
• OffTrackBetting.comDeposit match★ 4.2 / 5
  See the current welcome offer on the site

  OffTrackBetting.com accepts California customers and pays OTB Cash Rewards — rebates on qualifying wagers, win or lose — with free live video from many tracks for active account holders. In California it is limited to Quarter Horse and harness racing, so it suits Los Alamitos regulars rather than Thoroughbred fans.

  Visit OffTrackBetting.com →
  18+. New customers only. Terms apply. Please play responsibly.
• Iron BetsRebates★ 4.1 / 5
  50% Deposit Bonus up to $300 · No Promo Code needed
  Half your first deposit added to your bonus account

  Iron Bets Racing takes California customers on harness and Quarter Horse racing only, with Thoroughbreds listed as coming soon — so Los Alamitos is the main local draw for now. Iron Rewards cash back applies to every wager, and race video and replays are free in the app.

  Visit Iron Bets →Read Iron Bets review
  Key terms: 50% of your first deposit, up to a $300 bonus ($600 deposit for the maximum); 10% of each wager is released from the bonus account once the race is official; One bonus per email or mailing address; 18+ (21+ in AL, ND, WA). Full terms apply — see our Iron Bets review. Please play responsibly.
• HorseplayNew racebook★ 4.1 / 5
  100% Match on Your First Credit Purchase · No Promo Code needed
  Deposit and buy gameplay credits for the first time to claim the match

  Horseplay is a different kind of racing app: it takes pari-mutuel horse racing wagers from California players 21 and over and reveals the results through slot, video poker and keno-style games rather than a traditional racebook. It suits casual players more than handicappers.

  Visit Horseplay →
  Key terms: New Horseplay customers; applies to your first credit purchase; Must be 21+ to play; Available in AL, CA, CO, DE, FL, KS, MT, ND, NE, NH, NM, NY, OK, OR, RI, SD, VT, WI, WY. Full terms apply. Please play responsibly.

Horse Racing & Betting in California

Santa Anita Park (Arcadia), Del Mar (summer and fall) and Los Alamitos; Golden Gate Fields in the Bay Area closed permanently in 2024.

Online wagering is legal through CHRB-authorized platforms; TwinSpires, TVG, AmWager, Xpressbet, NYRA Bets and Caesars Racebook all serve residents.

The Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby and Del Mar’s celebrated summer meet.

More on Racing in California

California is the most storied horse racing state in America — pari-mutuel wagering has been legal since 1933, and the state's tracks have hosted more runnings of the Breeders' Cup than anywhere else. Santa Anita Park in Arcadia and Del Mar near San Diego anchor a year-round thoroughbred calendar, Los Alamitos is the undisputed quarter horse capital of the country, and a NorCal fair circuit led by Alameda County Fair in Pleasanton picked up the dates after Golden Gate Fields ran its final card in June 2024.

Every major US racing app operates here, and you must be 18 or older to bet. One thing California does not have is legal sports betting — voters rejected both Proposition 26 and Proposition 27 in November 2022, and no licensed online or retail sportsbook is permitted to take a wager in the state.

That makes horse racing ADWs the only legal way to bet online in California.

California (CA) Horse Race Betting Facts: Online horse race betting in California is legal for bettors 18+ through licensed ADW racebooks — and the only legal way to bet online, since voters rejected sports betting (Props 26 & 27, Nov 2022). Pari-mutuel legal since 1933; most Breeders' Cup hostings of any state. Tracks: Santa Anita (Arcadia), Del Mar (San Diego), Los Alamitos + NorCal fair circuit; Golden Gate Fields closed Jun 2024.

• California Chrome (Thoroughbred, b. 2011): Foaled and raised at Harris Farms in Coalinga; bred by Perry Martin and Steve Coburn. Won the 2014 Kentucky Derby and Preakness, was twice North American Horse of the Year (2014, 2016), and took the 2016 Dubai World Cup. Retired as the richest North American runner of his era. Hall of Fame.
• Tiznow (Thoroughbred, b. 1997): Bred by Cecilia Straub-Rubens and raised at Harris Farms. The only horse to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic twice (2000 and 2001) and the 2000 Horse of the Year — his 2001 win over Sakhee came weeks after 9/11 in one of racing’s most emotional finishes.
• Best Pal (Thoroughbred, b. 1988): Bred by John and Betty Mabee’s Golden Eagle Farm. Won the inaugural Pacific Classic at Del Mar in 1991 and ran second in that year’s Kentucky Derby. Once the all-time leading California-bred earner. Hall of Fame.
• Swaps (Thoroughbred, b. 1952): The Cal-bred “California Comet” who beat Nashua to win the 1955 Kentucky Derby and was named Horse of the Year in 1956 — a foundation name in California racing history.

Choosing a Racing Site in California

All major US Advance Deposit Wagering (ADW) apps operate in California, and each California-legal racebook app offers a welcome offer — AmWager’s 100% first deposit match up to $50 with Promo Code AMWAGER and TwinSpires’ $200 sign-up bonus with Promo Code BET200 among them. All are ADW operators you can fund and bet from anywhere in the state, and each lets you bet every California track plus US, UK and international racing from one account. Minimum age 18.

The top-rated horse racing betting site in California comes down to West Coast coverage, rebates and streaming. AmWager carries Santa Anita, Del Mar and Los Alamitos plus hundreds of tracks worldwide, with live video and AmWager Rewards points on every wager, win or lose; and 1/ST BET is the home app for the SoCal circuit, built by Santa Anita’s owner.

California's seven racetracks — addresses & live cards

Santa Anita Park · 285 W Huntington Dr, Arcadia, CA 91007
California's crown jewel since 1934. Home of the Santa Anita Derby and the Big 'Cap, and the most frequent Breeders' Cup venue in history.

Del Mar · 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd, Del Mar, CA 92014
"Where the Turf Meets the Surf." Summer and fall thoroughbred meets; hosted the Breeders' Cup in 2017 and 2021. Home of the Pacific Classic.

Los Alamitos Race Course

4961 Katella Ave, Cypress, CA 90630
The nation's quarter horse capital, with the richest QH purses in the country, plus brief thoroughbred meets in summer and December.

Alameda County Fair · 4501 Pleasanton Ave, Pleasanton, CA 94566
Pleasanton's historic half-mile became Northern California's main thoroughbred venue after Golden Gate Fields closed in 2024.

Cal Expo · 1600 Exposition Blvd, Sacramento, CA 95815
California's home of harness racing, running a winter standardbred meet on the state fairgrounds.

Big Fresno Fair · 1121 S Chance Ave, Fresno, CA 93702
Central Valley fair-circuit thoroughbred meet each October.

Humboldt County Fair · 1250 5th St, Ferndale, CA 95536
Far-north fair meet in Ferndale — one of the oldest continuously run race meets in the state.

Signature stakes races at California's tracks

Beyond the everyday cards, each California track hosts at least one feature stakes race that draws statewide attention — most are bettable through every ADW listed above.

Santa Anita Derby (G1)
Run at Santa Anita Park each April. 1⅛-mile dirt test and the most important Kentucky Derby prep on the West Coast. Purse ~$750,000.

Pacific Classic (G1)
Del Mar's marquee summer race over 1¼ miles each August. Purse ~$1 million. Cal-bred Best Pal won the inaugural running in 1991.

Santa Anita Handicap (G1)
One of America's oldest and most prestigious handicaps, run at Santa Anita since 1935. Early-March 1¼-mile showpiece.

Breeders' Cup World Championships
The two-day global championship has been staged in California more than in any other state, split between Santa Anita and Del Mar.

Los Alamitos Futurity (G2)
December stakes for 2yo thoroughbred colts at Los Alamitos awarding Kentucky Derby qualifying points; past winners include Point Given and Real Quiet.

Del Mar Futurity (G1)
Del Mar's signature race for 2-year-olds each September, a long-running pointer toward the following spring's classics.

California Bred & Sired Program (CTBA)

Administered by the California Thoroughbred Breeders Association. Pays breeder and owner awards plus a calendar of restricted Cal-bred stakes — the Golden State Series — run at Santa Anita and Del Mar. California's all-time money earner, California Chrome, is a Cal-bred.

California Standardbred Sire Stakes
Harness incentive series for California-sired standardbreds, run at Cal Expo and the fair circuit, supporting in-state breeding of pacers and trotters.

Los Alamitos Quarter Horse Program

Los Alamitos is the nation's quarter horse capital, home of the Champion of Champions and the richest quarter horse purses in the country, anchoring California's QH breeding industry.

Notable horses bred in California

Active California runners are searchable on our racing data section.

Who regulates horse racing in California

California regulates pari-mutuel horse racing through a single dedicated board. There is no legal sports betting in the state, so no sportsbook regulator exists.

California Horse Racing Board (CHRB)
Established January 1, 1933 by constitutional amendment. Seven commissioners appointed by the Governor to four-year terms, headquartered in Sacramento under the Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency. Licenses every racetrack, ADW operator, owner, trainer, jockey and stable worker, and enforces federal HISA safety rules. The CHRB regulates pari-mutuel wagering only — California has no sports betting regulator because sports betting is not legal in the state.

How to Bet on Horse Racing

New to the windows? Start with the straight bets. A win bet needs your horse to finish first; place pays if it runs first or second; show pays for first, second or third. They are the cheapest way to learn the game.

From there come the exotics, where the real payouts live. The exacta asks for the first two home in order, the trifecta the first three, and the superfecta the first four. Multi-race bets — the daily double, Pick 3, Pick 4 and Pick 6 — string winners together across races, and the Pick 6 jackpot can roll into life-changing money. Our guide to exotic bets walks through each one, and the beginner’s guide to betting on racing covers the basics end to end.

How to Start Betting on Racing in California

1. Pick a racebook and sign up.

   Tap a “Visit” button above to open an ADW account. You must be 18+ and within state lines where required.

2. Claim the welcome offer and deposit.

   Fund the account by debit card, bank transfer or PayPal and activate any new-customer bonus before your first wager.

3. Find a race and place your bet.

   Browse the day’s cards, read the form, pick your horse and bet type, and confirm. Watch the live stream and collect if you win.

Once you have a funded account at AmWager, 1/ST BET, FanDuel Racing or another ADW, you can live-stream California races in the app, included free.

California Horse Racing Betting Sites and Apps (October 2026)

• AmWager
• TwinSpires
• FanDuel Racing
• NYRA Bets
• DK Horse
• OffTrackBetting.com
• Iron Bets
• Horseplay

Our editors rate AmWager the top choice for California bettors — it covers Santa Anita, Del Mar and Los Alamitos plus hundreds of tracks worldwide, pays AmWager Rewards points on every wager, and runs a 100% first deposit match up to $50 for new accounts with Promo Code AMWAGER. 1/ST BET (the Santa Anita operator), FanDuel Racing and TwinSpires are also strong choices.

California Horse Racing Betting FAQs