West Virginia horseplayers have it good: online horse race betting is legal and fully regulated, with Charles Town and Mountaineer and every major advance-deposit app a tap away.
The racebooks below are the ones our team rates highest for West Virginia bettors, judged on track coverage, rebates, the quality of the app and the welcome offer.
You must be 18 or older to bet the horses in West Virginia, with racing overseen by the West Virginia Racing Commission. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.
Best West Virginia Horse Racing Betting Sites
Our top-rated advance-deposit wagering (ADW) apps for West Virginia bettors. Tap to open the operator’s official sign-up page. 18+. Terms apply.
- ★ EDITOR’S PICK
AmWagerEditor’s pick★ 4.8 / 5100% First Deposit Match up to $50 · Promo Code AMWAGERDeposit $50, bet $50, get $50 in bonus wagering credits
AmWager's terms list West Virginia as an open state, covering Charles Town's year-round cards and Mountaineer alongside close to 500 tracks worldwide. Pool wagering, race replays and current and historical results come with every account, and every bet earns Rewards points.
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
TwinSpires, Churchill Downs Inc.'s racebook, accepts West Virginia players and streams live races and replays on both its website and app. It is the official wagering home of the Kentucky Derby, with Rewards points on every wager.
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 / 5Bet $10, Get $50 in Racing Bonus · No Promo Code neededFanDuel Racing rotates its new-customer offer, so the amount can change
FanDuel Racing, the platform formerly known as TVG, carries Charles Town and Mountaineer with daily expert picks, free past performances and free streaming from more than 300 tracks, on one login and wallet with FanDuel's other products.
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 CUP25A free bet on sign-up, then 100% of your first deposit matched up to $200
NYRA Bets accepts West Virginia players, with free live video and replays on Thoroughbred, harness and Quarter Horse racing nationwide, plus HD Saratoga and Belmont Park coverage. Position swaps on exactas, trifectas and superfectas take one tap.
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 / 5100% Deposit Bonus up to $250 · No Promo Code neededFor DK Horse customers in states that haven't moved to DraftKings Racing
DK Horse, DraftKings' standalone racing app, is still live in West Virginia on the same login as the DraftKings Sportsbook but with a separate racing balance, live streams and replays.
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 / 5See the current welcome offer on the site
OffTrackBetting.com lists West Virginia as a state it currently serves, for players 21 and over, paying OTB Cash Rewards on wagers win or lose. Its sign-up offer excludes West Virginia.
18+. New customers only. Terms apply. Please play responsibly. -
Iron BetsRebates★ 4.1 / 550% Deposit Bonus up to $300 · No Promo Code neededHalf your first deposit added to your bonus account
Iron Bets Racing names West Virginia among its 30 states, with free race video and replays, Iron Rewards cash back on wagers and lower-takeout bets under its Iron Values banner.
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.
AmWager, TwinSpires, FanDuel Racing (formerly TVG), NYRA Bets, DayattheTrack.com, DRF Bets, Paribet, Watch And Wager, and 1/ST BET are among the licensed ADW companies available to West Virginia bettors.
AmWager offers new players in West Virginia a 100% first-deposit match up to $50. To gain the total value of the bonus, players must make a first deposit of $50 and then wager at least $50 through their first 30 days as an AmWager customer.
Horse Racing & Betting in West Virginia
Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races (near-year-round) and Mountaineer Casino Racetrack (New Cumberland, spring–December).
West Virginia legalized fixed-odds horse-race betting under HB 576 (2025).
Online wagering is legal for bettors 18+ under HB 4438 (2020); TwinSpires, AmWager, Xpressbet, NYRA Bets and TVG serve the state. Bettors must be 18 and, where required, physically within the state.
The signature races to know are the $1 million Charles Town Classic, the state’s richest race, and the West Virginia Derby at Mountaineer.
| Track | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charles Town Races (Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races)Charles Town · Thoroughbred · Year-round, usually Thursday – Saturday, with a short break around Christmas | ||||||||||||
| Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack & ResortNew Cumberland · Thoroughbred · Apr 12, 2026 – early December (2025 meet ran to Dec 9); home of the West Virginia Derby |
Months with live racing. Dates come from the tracks and the state racing regulator; meets can change, so check the track’s own calendar before you go. Simulcast wagering runs year-round.
More on Racing in West Virginia
West Virginia offers a robust market for live horse racing. There are two tracks in operation across the state, one of which features year-round live racing action.
The Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races delivers live thoroughbred racing from January to December. Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack & Resort, is a thoroughbred facility that operates live race cards from April to December.
You can also bet online using licensed racebooks like AmWager, TwinSpires, FanDuel Racing, NYRA Bets, DRF Bets, and 1/ST BET. Welcome offers range from $50 to $300, with AmWager’s deposit match and TwinSpires’ $200 bonus among the strongest options.
Both Mountaineer and the Charles Town Races offer simulcast wagering on site from tracks around the world. Races can also be streamed by opening an online account with AmWager, TwinSpires, FanDuel Racing (TVG), NYRA Bets, DayattheTrack.com, Paribet, Watch And Wager, and 1/ST BET.
Popular Online Horse Bet Types & Races
The more common style of wagering on West Virginia horse racing is the straight bets of win, place, and show. With a win bet, the horse wagered must finish first for the wager to be a winner. Place betting is wagering that a horse will come in first or second place. The wager succeeds if the horse finishes in the top two. Show betting is wagering on a horse to finish in one of the top three spots. This is a winning wager if the horse comes in the top three.
Exotic wagers are more complex but also provide the potential for a large payout. Exactas are wagering on two horses to come in first and second. To win, the horses must come in that exact order in which they are bet. A quinella is placing a wager on two horses to come in first and second in either order. With a trifecta, bettors are selecting three horses to finish in first, second, and third. To win, they must finish in that exact order.
Bettors can look to increase their chances of winning by boxing exacta, trifecta and quinella wagers. When boxing the horses featured in the bet, the bet wins no matter the order in which they finish among the required placing.
West Virginia Horse Racing Betting Legal Overview
The West Virginia Racing Commission oversees all aspects of horse racing in the state. They regulate and license both racetracks and horse people alike. The state legalized pari-mutuel wagering on horse racing in 1933. It wasn’t long until the Charles Town track, then known as the Charles Town Turf Club, opened its doors. In 1937, Wheeling Downs began live racing and in 1951, Waterford Park - today known as Mountaineer - began live racing. Shenandoah Downs raced harness horses from 1959-79. In 1987, West Virginia was the first state to legalize racinos. Waterford was renamed Mountaineer that year and began installing video lottery terminals.
Major Horse Betting Events In The USA That You Can Bet On In West Virginia
The West Virginia Derby is a Grade III stakes event for three year olds contested at Mountaineer over a distance of 1⅛ miles for a purse of $500,000. First raced in 1923, a fire in the grandstand in 1926 halted the race until it was reborn at Wheeling Downs in 1958. Three years later, the race moved to Waterdown, today’s Mountaineer.
West Virginia Racetracks
Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races · 750 Hollywood Dr, Charles Town, WV 25414
Offering live thoroughbred racing from January-December.
Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack & Resort · 1420 Mountaineer Cir, New Cumberland, WV 26047
Offering live thoroughbred racing from April-December.
Live Racing and Online Horse Betting in West Virginia
You can bet on live thoroughbred racing year-round in West Virginia, with action at Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races and Mountaineer Casino Racetrack. Charles Town runs racing from January through December, while Mountaineer covers April to December, including the West Virginia Derby.
West Virginia remains one of the best states for horse bettors, combining live racing, simulcast wagering, and legal online betting in one market.
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 West Virginia
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
West Virginia Horse Racing Betting Sites and Apps (October 2026)
West Virginia Horse Racing Betting FAQs
Where to watch online/stream horse races in West Virginia?
Both Mountaineer and the Charles Town Races offer simulcast wagering on site from tracks around the world.
How old must you be to bet on horses online in West Virginia?
18 for pari-mutuel horse wagering.
Which racetracks run in West Virginia?
Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races (near-year-round) and Mountaineer Casino Racetrack (New Cumberland, spring–December).
Which apps can I use in West Virginia?
Our top-rated picks are AmWager, TwinSpires and the other ADW apps listed above. Online wagering is legal for bettors 18+ under HB 4438 (2020); TwinSpires, AmWager, Xpressbet, NYRA Bets and TVG serve the state.
What is the biggest horse race in West Virginia?
The $1 million Charles Town Classic, the state’s richest race, and the West Virginia Derby at Mountaineer.