States Without Legal Kentucky Derby Betting

The time is almost here again: the Kentucky Derby is right around the corner, and horse racing today is a bigger and better sport than at any point in its history. A large part of the enthusiasm shared by fans of horse racing across the country and around the world for this historic event is the prospect of placing wagers on the annual “Run for the Roses” in Louisville Kentucky, the heart of America’s horse breeding tradition. However, even though placing bets on horse races is one of the most widely available legal forms of sports wagering in the United States there are some states without legal Kentucky Derby betting options

Things get more complicated when we consider that there are various shades of what constitutes “unavailable” in terms of whether or not it is legal to place wagers on horses and races inside the borders of the individual states. That’s because there are some states with horse racing venues where betting is not allowed by state law, other states where there are no tracks but off track racing kiosks are everywhere and still other states without any tracks or any legal provision allowing residents and visitors to play the ponies at all.

Due to the wide variances at play here across all 50 states – and considering that federal laws like the Interstate Horse Racing Act of 1978 (IHRA) and its year 2000 Amendment and the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 (UIGEA) broadly protect horse racing betting – it is worth going into the details. Fortunately, even if you live in one of the states without Legal Kentucky Derby betting options, you can always head over to a legal offshore Kentucky Derby racebook site, which accept US players with no difficulty, and without running afoul of the law.

We’ll take a closer look at the different states without legal Kentucky Derby betting so you can be ready to either to take the appropriate action to be sure you are able to get in on the action at post time on Derby Day.

States Where Horse Racing Betting Is Illegal

The first variety of states without legal Kentucky Derby betting options for residents are visitors are those that where horse racing betting is illegal altogether. If you are an aspiring horseplayer in one of the states listed below, pretty much your only opportunity to bet on horse racing results is to travel to one of the nearby states that does offer some form of legal wagering on horses and races. Otherwise, if you don’t feel like hitting the road to bet on horse racing, you can always try out a legal offshore racebook like Bovada, BetOnline, and SportsBetting, as those sites are not beholden to prohibitions placed on the activity by state law.

As you will notice in the list below, most of the states where horse racing betting is illegal do not have track racing venues of their own, and in most there is no off track betting (OTB) option available either. However, some of the states listed do have horse racing tracks inside their border but do not have legal provisions allowing wagering on races carried out there nor at races taking place at other venues around the country. If you live in one of the states (or in D.C.) below, we recommend you use any one of our most highly rated offshore racebooks – you won’t be breaking the law because the laws that prohibit domestic racebooks from operating don’t interfere with you placing wagers at overseas wagering platforms.

  • Alaska – No horse racing tracks, horse racing betting is illegal
  • Georgia - No horse racing tracks, horse racing betting is illegal
  • North Carolina - No horse racing tracks, horse racing betting is illegal
  • Hawaii - No horse racing tracks, horse racing betting is illegal
  • South Carolina – Has horse racing tracks, horse racing betting is illegal
  • Utah - No horse racing tracks, horse racing betting is illegal
  • Washington D.C. - No horse racing tracks, horse racing betting illegal
States Without Horse Racing Tracks, Horse Racing Betting Is Legal But Limited

There are a few states out of the 50 that do not have horse racing venues of their own but nevertheless permit betting on horse races, including authorizing legal Kentucky Derby betting. However, the states listed below do not currently have any simulcast betting options available, nor do they offer off track betting venues. The difference between these states and states without legal Kentucky Derby betting at all is that the ones in the list below do not have any laws on the books that would prohibit some form or new forms of wagering on horse racing. That means you have the option of using what forms of legal wagering are available or playing the ponies at a legal offshore racebook site – whichever route you choose to go down there is no law against it either way.

States Without Horse Racing Tracks, Horse Racing Betting Options Are Available

Now this is the really good stuff. The states listed below are in the ones with horse racing tracks where horse racing betting is legal and widely available, so pretty much anything goes as far placing wagers on weekly events all the way up to premier annual races like the Kentucky Derby. If you are interested in taking up the hobby of picking horses to Win, Place or Show, you can do that and more in almost all of these states, no matter whether you prefer to do your betting at a racetrack ‘book, via simulcast or at an off track betting terminal. Legal offshore racebook sites based in foreign countries are another solid option if you would rather have higher betting, deposit and withdrawal limits and even more profitable – if somewhat riskier odds on Derby Day.

  • Arizona – Has horse racing tracks, simulcast options available, OTB options available
  • Arkansas – Has horse racing tracks, simulcast options available, OTB options available
  • California – Has horse racing tracks, simulcast options available, no OTB options available
  • Colorado - Has horse racing tracks, simulcast options available, OTB options available
  • Delaware – Has horse racing tracks, simulcast options available, OTB options available
  • Florida - Has horse racing tracks, simulcast options available, OTB options available
  • Idaho – Has horse racing tracks, simulcast options available, OTB options available
  • Illinois - Has horse racing tracks, simulcast options available, OTB options available
  • Indiana - Has horse racing tracks, simulcast options available, OTB options available
  • Iowa – Has horse racing tracks, simulcast options available, OTB options available
  • Kentucky – Has horse racing tracks, simulcast options available, no OTB options available
  • Louisiana – Has horse racing tracks, simulcast options available, OTB options available
  • Maine – Has horse racing tracks, simulcast options available, OTB options available
  • Maryland – Has horse racing tracks, simulcast options available, OTB options available
  • Massachusetts – Has horse racing tracks, simulcast options available, OTB options available
  • Michigan – Has horse racing tracks, simulcast options available, OTB options available
  • Minnesota – Has horse racing tracks, simulcast options available, OTB options available
  • Montana – Has horse racing tracks, simulcast options available, OTB options available
  • Nebraska – Has horse racing tracks, simulcast options available, OTB options available
  • Nevada – Has horse racing tracks, simulcast options available, OTB options available
  • New Hampshire - Has horse racing tracks, simulcast options available, OTB options available
  • New Jersey - Has horse racing tracks, simulcast options available, OTB options available
  • New Mexico - Has horse racing tracks, simulcast options available, OTB options available
  • New York - Has horse racing tracks, simulcast options available, OTB options available
  • North Dakota - Has horse racing tracks, simulcast options available, OTB options available
  • Ohio - Has horse racing tracks, simulcast options available, OTB options available
  • Oklahoma - Has horse racing tracks, simulcast options available, OTB options available
  • Oregon - Has horse racing tracks, simulcast options available, OTB options available
  • Pennsylvania - Has horse racing tracks, simulcast options available, OTB options available
  • Tennessee - Has horse racing tracks, simulcast options available, OTB options available
  • Texas - Has horse racing tracks, simulcast options available, no OTB options available
  • Virginia - Has horse racing tracks, simulcast options available, OTB options available
  • Washington - Has horse racing tracks, simulcast options available, OTB options available
  • West Virginia - Has horse racing tracks, simulcast options available, OTB options available
  • Wyoming - Has horse racing tracks, simulcast options available, OTB options available

It is worth pointing out that the few states in which off track betting options are not available (that includes California, Texas and – perhaps somewhat surprisingly – Kentucky, the heart of America’s thoroughbred racing history and the home of the most prestigious race in the country) still make it incredibly easy to place wagers on horses and races. Simulcast options at the racetracks located in those states are widely available, and there is always the option of using an overseas based legal Kentucky Derby racebook site featuring a mobile horse racing betting app. When you can take your hobby with you anywhere, it takes the sting out of being in a state without legal Kentucky Derby betting options that suit your needs.

Top Sportsbooks for Legal Horse Betting