For some of us, we do not have the ability to attend the Kentucky Derby in person to place a bet. Throughout the Derby’s recent history, virtual horseracing has become a way to attend the race without being there. In addition to not being able to purchase the tickets on time before they sell out, there are some that simply prefer a different setting than the racetrack.
Today, you can stay at home and make some online bets through the racebooks or go to one of the many virtual horseracing gatherings throughout the world. There are also plenty of opportunities to bet on a winning horse without setting foot in a racetrack. Even better, virtual horse racing is condoned whole-heartedly by popular tracks like Churchill Downs.
Little known fact about virtual horse racing
Many people will attend the Kentucky Derby in order to live up the excitement in person. They may even want to stand in line to place a bet the day of the race. Despite this, the official Kentucky Derby website actually states that they suggest you place a bet at an independent online racebook.
This is surprising to someone who was used to believe that the government has many strict rules about gambling. Regardless, this means that there is a wealth of opportunities to place your bet right at home – make your bet online.
The legitimacy of virtual horseracing
Above and beyond, the first rule of placing horse racing bets online is to trust the website. After all, you do not want to give your credit card number to someone who is going to commit identity theft. However, it does not take much common sense to browse a site and become familiar with the legitimacy. If you are uncertain, you can always test the website forums (if they have them).
Other websites will establish their legitimacy by associating with certain horse tracks. For example, gambling at a racetrack in Pennsylvania is condoned online by select websites. Those selected websites will state this affiliation somewhere (usually at the bottom) on their homepage.
Good statistics do not mean legitimate
As a standard, most websites will say that they get their statistics about the horses to create the odds from reputable sources. Keep in mind that most of these resources are free as they are publicly available. In other words, being able to read these statistics does not make you a reputable source.
Most horse racing wager websites will try to charm you by their affiliations. While it is possible to be affiliated with a large publication that specifies horseracing, it does not mean that they are a better website to place your bets. In other words, you can use a website that is all lot less flashy and costs less and get the same results. After all, all of these websites function in the same general way.
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How the virtual horse racing websites work
When you have a website that has a basic function, there can be a tendency of those websites to want to be unique. If you feel the urge to pay to access a member’s only forum or have handicapping perks by their experts, then that is a choice you can make.
Despite this, a basic horseracing website where you can gamble is going to have a generic format. This format is put in place by gambling laws and this means the options for gambling are controlled into certain types. The most basic type of wager or bet that you can place is to “win”. This means you think a certain horse in a particular race will come in first place.
Placing a straight bet
On some websites, they will use confusing lingo about placing a bet. If you see “placing a straight bet,” just keep in mind that this is simply referring to the boring old process of placing your bet. Still, there are some particulars that you will need to be aware of. Mainly, they will organize the website into the race number, the wager amount (how much you are betting), the type of bet, and the horse number you are betting on.
Other types of bets to place online
One final thing you will need to know before you start betting online is the types of bets available. A reputable website is working with tracks and this means there is some uniformity in the terminology. For example, the basic wagers are for win (one horse wins first place), place (your horse wins in first or second place), show (the horse wins first second or third), and across the board (one ticket that has win, place, and show together).
All other forms of betting called “exotic” wagers are legal, but more difficult than most new gamblers can grasp.
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