Horse Racing Betting in Canada: Legal Online Sites, Tracks and Pari-Mutuel Rules (2026)

Our Picks

1

HP

HPIbet

Best for serious racing fans who want North American and international tracks in one account

Woodbine's own racing site has taken bets since 1997 and covers more than 450 tracks. It is the only online option for most Canadians outside Ontario, and it powers OLG's racing section.

Features: More than 450 tracks · SmartPicks AI handicapping · Exotics including Jackpot Hi-5 · Open to residents across Canada · Age: 18+

Read the reviewOfficial site ↗

2

bet365 Ontario (racing)

Best for racing alongside sports in one Ontario account

Since August 2023 bet365 has sold pari-mutuel bets on Woodbine and Mohawk from its Ontario app, with the racing operated by Woodbine Entertainment Group. It added Kentucky Derby day races in 2024.

Features: Woodbine and Mohawk pools · Derby Day races since 2024 · Same balance as your sports bets · Age: 19+

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3

OC

OLG.ca racing

Best for Ontario players who already use OLG

OLG became the first provincial lottery corporation to offer online racing in August 2025. Its Live Horse Racing section on OLG.ca and the OLG app runs on HPIbet and Woodbine's tote.

Features: Live Horse Racing on the Sports page · Powered by HPIbet · Exactor and Jackpot Hi-5 pools · Age: 19+

Read the reviewOfficial site ↗

Legal horse racing betting sites in Canada

Three online routes cover almost every Canadian who wants to bet a race from a phone or laptop, and all three run through Woodbine Entertainment's pari-mutuel system. The difference is the shop window: a dedicated racing site, a racing tab inside a sportsbook, or a racing section inside a provincial lottery app.

Why most sportsbooks have no racing tab

When Ontario's regulated iGaming market opened on April 4, 2022, operators that had been booking horse racing had to drop it. Canadian law allows racing to be bet only through a licensed pari-mutuel pool, and in Ontario's online market that means Woodbine. A sportsbook therefore needs Woodbine's system behind it to offer racing at all. bet365 was first, in August 2023, and OLG followed in August 2025. Woodbine has said it is open to adding other Ontario operators through the same plug-in platform.

Alberta's regulated market opened on July 13, 2026, with dozens of sportsbooks, and none of them carries horse racing. Albertans bet races at the track, at off-track betting outlets, or through HPIbet. Our Alberta horse racing guide has the detail, and the Ontario horse racing guide covers bet365 and OLG in depth.

Is horse racing betting legal in Canada? Pari-mutuel rules and the CPMA

Yes, as long as the bet is pari-mutuel. Section 204 of the Criminal Code permits pari-mutuel betting on horse races run by licensed racecourse associations, and the Canadian Pari-Mutuel Agency (CPMA), a special operating agency of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, supervises it. The agency describes its job as protecting Canadians who bet on horse racing, which in practice means making sure pools are run fairly for the betting public.

The CPMA is paid for by a levy on every dollar bet on horse races in Canada. That levy rose from 0.8% to 1% on July 1, 2026.

The provinces look after the sport itself: race dates, officiating and licensing of trainers, jockeys and drivers. In Ontario that is the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO). In Alberta it is Horse Racing Alberta, a not-for-profit corporation set up by the provincial government to promote and regulate racing.

Single-event betting changed in 2021. Racing did not

Bill C-218, the Safe and Regulated Sports Betting Act, received royal assent on June 29, 2021, and single-event sports betting became legal in August 2021. It rewrote paragraph 207(4)(b) of the Criminal Code so provinces could offer bets on a single game, but the new wording still carves out "bookmaking, pool selling or the making or recording of bets" on any horse race. The racing industry asked for that carve-out to protect the pari-mutuel system.

• Fixed-odds betting on horse racing is not permitted in Canada, on Canadian or foreign races.
• A provincial lottery corporation or private sportsbook cannot set its own prices on a race. It can only sell bets into a licensed pari-mutuel pool, which is how bet365 and OLG do it in Ontario.
• Greyhound racing cannot be offered by Canadian racing platforms, because it falls outside what the Criminal Code allows.

Advance-deposit wagering

Online racing accounts in Canada are advance-deposit wagering (ADW) accounts: you load money first and bet from the balance. Under the federal Pari-Mutuel Betting Supervision Regulations, a racecourse association needs written authorization from the CPMA before it can take account bets. HPIbet is Woodbine's ADW, and it is also the engine behind OLG's racing section.

How pari-mutuel betting works: a C$2 example

In a pari-mutuel pool, every win bet on a race goes into one pot. Before anything is paid, the track takes a set percentage off the top, known as the takeout, which funds purses, track operations and levies. What is left is shared among everyone who backed the winner.

1. For illustration, a race has a C$10,000 win pool.
2. Using a takeout of 15% for this example (real rates vary by track and bet type), C$8,500 is left to pay winners.
3. C$1,000 of the pool was bet on the horse that wins.
4. Each C$1 on the winner collects C$8.50. A C$2 win ticket returns C$17.00, stake included.
5. On the tote board that is 7.50-1. In decimal odds it is 8.50 (+750).

Bet types you will see on Canadian tracks

• Win, place, show: your horse finishes first; first or second; or in the top three.
• Exactor (exacta): the first two finishers in exact order.
• Triactor (trifecta) and superfecta: the first three or four in order.
• Daily double, Pick 3, Pick 4 and Pick 5: the winners of consecutive races.
• Jackpot Hi-5: Woodbine's pool for picking the first five in order, which can carry over when nobody hits it.

The basic minimum on HPIbet is a C$2 bet, and the exotics on offer depend on the track and race.

Canadian racetracks to bet on in 2026

Woodbine is the centre of Canadian racing. Its Toronto track runs thoroughbreds on a Tapeta main track and the E.P. Taylor turf course, and Woodbine Mohawk Park in Milton is the country's leading harness track. Our Woodbine racetrack guide covers the venue in more depth.

Ontario harness racing extends well beyond Mohawk, and Woodbine has named Flamboro Downs and Western Fair among the tracks its HPIbet customers bet most. In Alberta, racing also runs at Grande Prairie and Lethbridge as well as the two Century tracks.

In British Columbia, Hastings Racecourse ended live thoroughbred racing on December 5, 2025, after the province moved to stop sharing slot revenue with racing at the end of January 2026. Its operator called it "strictly a business decision." The casino stays open, and BC bettors can still bet other tracks through HPIbet.

Major Canadian horse races: King's Plate, Woodbine Mile and more

The King's Plate

First run in 1860, the Plate is Canada's oldest thoroughbred race and is billed as the oldest continuously run race in North America. It was renamed the King's Plate in 2023 after the accession of King Charles III. The 167th running, on August 15, 2026, went to the filly Luster, the 1-5 favourite, ridden by John Velazquez for trainer Josie Carroll. Bettors put a record C$1,242,081 into the Plate's win pool, and C$4,202,181 was wagered on the race across all pools.

The North America Cup

Harness racing's big Canadian night came on June 13, 2026, when Odds On Mr Mamba won the 43rd Pepsi North America Cup at Mohawk for driver James MacDonald. Betting on the race reached C$687,448, a record for the Cup.

Canadians can bet the big U.S. and international days too. HPIbet carries the Kentucky Derby card, and bet365 Ontario has offered Derby Day races since 2024.

Horse racing betting by province

Ontario is the only province where you can bet a race inside a sportsbook or lottery app, because Woodbine's licence and partnerships are Ontario-based. Elsewhere, HPIbet is the national online option, alongside on-track betting and off-track outlets where they exist. For sports betting rules province by province, see our Canada betting hub.

How to choose a Canadian horse racing betting site

• Track menu. If you bet Gulfstream on a winter Tuesday or Japanese racing overnight, you need a dedicated racebook such as HPIbet. If you only bet Woodbine and the Triple Crown, a sportsbook tab may be enough.
• Pool size. All three routes bet into the same Woodbine tote, and Canadian pools commingle with U.S. pools on many races, so your payout should not depend on which app you used.
• Tools. Handicappers will want past performances, replays and alerts. HPIbet adds SmartPicks, an AI model that estimates each horse's chance of winning.
• One wallet or two. bet365 and OLG let Ontario players bet a race from the same balance they use for hockey or lottery. On OLG, racing bets cannot be combined with other sports.
• Where you are. bet365 and OLG require you to be physically in Ontario when you bet.

Responsible gambling on horse racing in Canada

Racing rewards patience, and the same goes for your bankroll. Set a budget before the card starts, treat exotic payouts as long shots rather than income, and use the deposit limits, time-outs and self-exclusion tools your account offers.

Ontario: you must be 19 or older to bet with bet365 or OLG. Free, confidential help is available from ConnexOntario at 1-866-531-2600, and iGaming Ontario publishes player-protection information for the regulated market. Alberta: the gambling age is 18. GameSense is Alberta's responsible-gambling program, and Alberta's Addiction Helpline is 1-866-332-2322. Everywhere in Canada: the Responsible Gambling Council offers independent advice and resources.

Canada Horse Racing Betting FAQs