Thoroughbred Betting Online

New Jersey’s horse racing lineage goes back almost as far as the history of the state itself. More recently, New Jersey online horse betting became an option for bettors in the state.

• Online Thoroughbred Betting
• Thoroughbred Betting Sites
• Free Horse Betting System
• Horse Betting Online Reviews
• Horse Race Betting Online In India

The Garden State is home to Freehold Raceway, the oldest racetrack in the US. Freehold Raceway began hosting races in the 1830s and formally opened in 1854.

The state banned all forms of gambling from 1894 to 1939. Pari-mutuel betting on horse racing became legal again in New Jersey in 1939.

Wager on the favorite. The favorite is the horse with the lowest odds or the one on which the most. If you are interested in the US online horse racing scene, you have come to the right place. Not only does our article feature top horse betting sites, but you’ll also find lots of useful info on the legality of horse betting in the States, bet types, major horse racing events, etc. Read up to learn more about what you can expect in regards to horse racing betting online.

New Jersey currently hosts three major racetracks and a handful of off-track betting (OTB) parlors. One legal mobile horse race betting platform, 4NJBets, also operates in New Jersey.

New Jersey Online Horse Betting Sites

With online betting, Pennsylvania residents can enjoy the thrills of harness and thoroughbred racing within the state and they can also place wagers on events that are being held at other locations. There are six race tracks in the state that offer live horse races throughout the year, so there is always the ability to bet on races by visiting.

4NJBets

New Jersey bettors enjoy access to one legal online horse race betting platform, 4NJBets. Owned and operated by TVG Horse Racing, 4NJBets acts as the only mobile horse race betting site regulated by the New Jersey Racing Commission.

4NJBets launched in 2007. TVG, one of the biggest brands in the US horse racing industry, acquired 4NJBets in 2013.

New bettors that register for an account at 4NJBets can access a risk-free bet offer, up to $200, after their first deposit.

The 4NJBets platform can be downloaded as a mobile app for iOS and Android devices. The site can also be accessed through a desktop browser.

What Kinds Of Bonuses Are Available At 4NJBets?

Risk-Free Bet

The $200 risk-free bet offer at 4NJBets applies to the first bet made after an initial deposit on the platform.

After registering for a 4NJBets account and making a deposit, new bettors can apply the risk-free bet offer to any “Single Horse Win Bet.” If the bet results in a loss, 4NJBets will refund the full amount of the bet, up to $200.

For example, if a new player makes a $200 bet as their first bet on 4NJBets, and the bet loses, the player receives a $200 rebate. A $100 bet garners a $100 rebate.

Bets of more than $200 can only earn a maximum of $200 as a refund. A $500 bet, for instance, would receive a $200 refund in the event of a loss.

Referral Bonus

Bettors with an active 4NJBets account can earn a $25 referral bonus for bringing new players to the platform.

The referral bonus offer can be found under the “Promotions” tab at the top-left of the main lobby. The link opens a menu allowing 4NJBets account holders to send a referral link to potential new players.

New bettors who sign up with the referral link can enjoy a $25 deposit match bonus, as well as a $100 match bonus on their first bet.

A referral’s first deposit at 4NJBets yields a $25 bonus for the bettor who sent the referral link.

Horse Racetracks In New Jersey

Freehold Raceway

The oldest horse racing venue in the US, Freehold Raceway began hosting races in the 1830s. The official opening of the track took place in 1854, with the Monmouth County Agricultural Society establishing annual harness racing at the venue.

Located in Freehold Borough, Freehold Raceway is owned as a joint venture between Penn National Gaming and Greenwood Racing.

Freehold Raceway specializes in harness racing, with meets running from January through May, and September through December each year.

From 1998 through 2010, Freehold Raceway hosted the Cane Pace, the first leg of the Triple Crown of Harness Racing for Pacers.

Meadowlands Racetrack

Meadowlands Racetrack opened in 1976 in East Rutherford. Also known as Meadowlands Racing & Entertainment, the multi-purpose facility is colloquially referred to as “The Big M”.

The venue hosts both thoroughbred and harness racing, with events running throughout the year.

Major races at Meadowlands Racetrack include the Hambletonian Stakes, which has emanated from the venue since 1981. The Hambletonian Stakes acts as the first leg of the Triple Crown of Harness Racing for Trotters, a major US-based harness racing series. Other major events held at the racetrack include the Cane Pace.

Meadowlands Racetrack also hosts a full-service retail sportsbook, operated by FanDuel Sportsbook.

Monmouth Park

The Monmouth Park name refers to three separate horse racing facilities that have operated in New Jersey in the past 150 years.

The modern-day racetrack known as Monmouth Park opened in 1946 in Oceanport. The venue specializes in thoroughbred events. It annually hosts about a dozen graded stakes events (races officially recognized by the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association).

Annual major events at Monmouth Park include the Haskell Invitational Stakes and United Nations Stakes. The Haskell Invitational Stakes is considered one of the most prestigious US horse racing events, taking place between the Triple Crown and the Breeders Cup.

Monmouth Park hosted the Breeders Cup in 2007.

Is Horse Race Betting Legal In New Jersey?

New Jersey’s horse race betting tradition goes back to the early 1800s. Along with 19th-century state lotteries, horse race betting is the oldest form of gambling in New Jersey.

Gambling was formally banned in New Jersey from 1894 to 1939, but horse race betting was made legal again in 1939.

Pari-mutuel horse race betting, both retail and online, is legal in New Jersey.

History Of Horse Racing In New Jersey

Freehold Raceway, the oldest horse racetrack in the US, began holding races in the 1830s. The original Monmouth Park Racetrack opened in 1870.

Horse race betting proved a popular pastime for New Jersey residents throughout the 1800s. Gambling of all forms was outlawed in the state from 1894 to 1939, but events at Freehold Raceway still ran throughout that period.

Pari-mutuel horse race betting was legalized again in 1939. In 1976, the state’s third major horse racing venue, Meadowlands Racetrack, opened in East Rutherford.

The modern-era horse racing industry in New Jersey includes Meadowlands Racetrack, a still-operating Freehold Raceway, and the current version of Monmouth Park Racetrack.

Online horse race betting is also legal in New Jersey, with the state-regulated 4NJBets platform available to bettors in the Garden State.

How Safe Is Online Horse Betting In New Jersey?

The 4NJBets platform operates as the only legal, state-regulated mobile horse race betting site in New Jersey.

TVG, one of the biggest and most trusted brands in US horse racing, owns and operates 4NJBets. As a legal betting platform, 4NJBets falls under the regulation of theNew Jersey Racing Commission.

With the oversight of the New Jersey Racing Commission in place, 4NJBets offers a safe betting experience and secure protection of personal and banking information.

Apart from 4NJBets, any platform offering online horse race betting in New Jersey is doing so illegally. While 4NJBets assures the security of betting funds, offshore/illegal betting sites do not offer the same level of safety.

What Races Can I Bet On In New Jersey?

Popular Horse Racing Events In New Jersey

Haskell Invitational Stakes

New Jersey’s biggest annual horse race, the Haskell Invitational Stakes takes place each July at Monmouth Park.

One of the most prestigious thoroughbred events in American horse racing, the Haskell Invitational Stakes runs between the final leg of the Triple Crown and the Breeders Cup each year.

The race carries a $1,000,000 purse, one of the biggest of any annual New Jersey horse race. The Haskell Invitational Stakes is recognized as a Grade I race by the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association.

Hambletonian Stakes

One of harness racing’s biggest US events, the Hambletonian Stakes acts as the first leg of the Triple Crown of Harness Racing for Trotters.

The Hambletonian Stakes began in 1926. Meadowlands Racetrack currently hosts the race annually each August and started doing so in 1981.

The race awards a minimum total purse of $1,000,000 annually.

Important American And International Races

American Triple Crown

The Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes comprise the American Triple Crown. The trio of races runs annually, beginning with the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in May.

The Preakness Stakes generally runs two weeks after the Kentucky Derby, from Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. The Belmont Stakes completes the Triple Crown and runs three weeks after the Preakness Stakes from Belmont Park in Elmont, New York.

New Jersey bettors can legally bet on all three Triple Crown races on the 4NJBets platform.

Breeders Cup

Another prestigious US horse racing series, the Breeders Cup runs every fall and from a different US venue each year.

No matter what the venue, the Breeders Cup is open for betting in New Jersey on the 4NJBets app.

International Races

Major overseas horse racing events like the Dubai World Cup, Melbourne Cup, Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, and Grand National add even more betting options for New Jersey bettors.

4NJBets offers betting on these international races, as well as many others.

Do Racetracks Offer Casino Games?

Some horse racing facilities in the US also offer casino games on the property. These venues, known as racinos, offer the best of both worlds when it comes to horse race betting and casino gambling.

New Jersey doesn’t host any racinos, but horse racetracks are permitted to offer retail sports betting.

William Hill, one of the biggest brands in sports betting, became the first company to open a retail sportsbook in New Jersey. The Monmouth Park Sports Book by William Hill began taking wagers in June 2018.

Visitors to Meadowlands Racetrack can place sports bets at the on-site FanDuel Sportsbook. FanDuel Sportsbook operates both online and retail sports betting in New Jersey as a license partner of Meadowlands Racetrack. The FanDuel Sportsbook retail operation opened at the Meadowlands in July 2018.

Freehold Raceway will also likely eventually host a retail sportsbook, with the opening date for the operation pending.

Does New Jersey Have Off-Track Betting Facilities?

While retail horse race wagering in New Jersey goes back more than a century, off-track betting (OTB) facilities were formally legalized much more recently.

The Interstate Horseracing Act of 1978 legalized off-track betting on a federal level in the US. OTB parlors became legal in New Jersey with the passage of the Off-Track and Account Wagering Act in August 2001.

New Jersey bettors can find off-track betting at each of the state’s three major racetracks. Meadowlands Racetrack, Freehold Raceway, and Monmouth Park all operate as both live racing venues and OTB facilities.

Additional OTB locations include Borgata Hotel Casino in Atlantic City, as well as six standalone OTB parlors throughout the state. Five of these standalone parlors operate under the Favorites brand, including Favorites Egg Harbor and Favorites at Toms River.

All legal OTB parlors are regulated by the New Jersey Racing Commission.

New Jersey Online Horse Betting FAQ

Yes. 4NJBets operates as New Jersey’s only legal, state-regulated mobile horse race betting site. Only residents of New Jersey are eligible to register for a 4NJBets account.

Bettors must be located within New Jersey borders at the time of a wager when using 4NJBets. The platform uses geolocation technology to determine a user’s location at the time of a bet.

The site will block a bettor from wagering if its geolocation feature determines that the bettor is outside New Jersey borders.

No. None of New Jersey’s horse racetracks operate as racinos (combination horse racetracks and casinos).

New Jersey racetracks do, however, offer retail sports betting. Monmouth Park hosts a William Hill-branded sportsbook, and Meadowlands Racetrack operates a FanDuel Sportsbook.

Freehold Raceway is expected to open a retail sportsbook at some point in the future as well.

The TVG Horse Racing online betting platform that operates in more than 30 states is not legal in New Jersey.

New Jersey’s lone mobile horse race betting platform, however, is operated by TVG. Officially named 4NJBets Powered By TVG, the platform operates as a standalone, New Jersey-only platform.

New Jersey residents cannot register for a standard TVG Horse Racing account but can access 4NJBets from anywhere within state borders.

No. 4NJBets operates as the only legal, state-regulated mobile horse race betting platform available in New Jersey.

BetAmerica-branded online casino and sportsbook sites both operate legally in New Jersey, but BetAmerica’s horse racing platform isn’t legally available in New Jersey.

Yes. All three Triple Crown races are legally available for betting on the 4NJBets platform. 4NJBets offers betting on the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes, as well as many other domestic and international races.

4NJBets allows New Jersey bettors to wager on these races from a mobile device or desktop browser.

New Jersey bettors 18 and over can place bets at retail horse race tracks and OTB facilities in the state.

This minimum age also applies to placing a legal online horse racing bet. New Jersey’s lone legal mobile horse race betting platform, 4NJBets, accepts New Jersey residents 18 and over.

Yes. 4NJBets offers live streaming coverage of many of the races available for betting on the app. Bettors on 4NJBets can also access TVG and TVG 2, a pair of 24-hour networks dedicated to horse racing.

Home to the oldest racetrack in the United States, New Jersey boasts a rich horse racing history.

The NJ horse racing industry dates back to the 1830s at Freehold Raceway, a track that continues to operate almost 200 years later. Currently, you can watch and bet on live standardbred and thoroughbred racing at three racetracks in the Garden State.

There’s also legal off-track and account wagering in New Jersey so you can watch and bet on horse races from across the globe at Atlantic City casinos with racebooks, off-track wagering facilities around the state and online sites like TVG.

This page includes a complete overview of horse racing in New Jersey, including everything you need to know about the state’s racetracks, the most popular races in the country, and how you can bet on horse racing, online and off, right here at home.

Best racing site for betting in NJ

How to bet on horse races in NJ

Horse racing dates back to the 1830s at Freehold, but it was still illegal to bet on horse races in New Jersey until 1939 when voters backed an amendment allowing pari-mutuel betting at in-state racetracks.

Six decades later, New Jersey lawmakers passed the Off-trackand Account Wagering Act in 2001. This made it perfectly legal to bet on horse races in four types of places:

• Online at TVG
• NJ racetracks
• Casinos with racebooks
• Off-track wagering facilities

Online horse betting at TVG

New Jersey’s Off-track and Account Wagering Act makes account wagering on horse races perfectly legal in the state.

That means NJ residents 18 years old or older are free to open an account and bet on local and simulcast races from around the world.

When you join TVG and have your account setup, you can place bets:

• Online using the 4NJBets / TVG racing app
• At a self-service machine inside an NJ racetrack
• Over the phone

Opening a TVG / 4NJBets horse betting account

You can open a TVG account to bet on horse races using just a minimal amount of personal information, including:

• Your name
• A valid email address
• Your phone number
• Your date of birth
• A personal password
• Your current address

Online Thoroughbred Betting

Funding your TVG horse betting account

Once it’s open, you’re going to need to fund your account before you can place bets. Fortunately, TVG offers a variety of deposit options for you to choose from, including: BetCash (ACH/eCheck), Debit/Credit Card, TVG Prepaid Card, PayNearMe, PayPal, Gift Cards, Wire Transfer, Deposit at the track, Money orders and checks.

New Jersey racetracks

Close to a dozen racetracks have come and gone in NJ’s almost-200 year history of live horse racing. Today, three racetracks remain in the Garden State, offering live standardbred and thoroughbred racing, simulcast racing and pari-mutuel betting on all of it.

Freehold Raceway

Races have been held at what is now central New Jersey’s Freehold Raceway since the 1830s. The track was officially established in 1853, making it the first racetrack in the United States.

• Live Racing: Standardbred
• Dates: Jan. 1-May 31, September-mid-December
• Simulcast: Open seven days and nights per week for year-round thoroughbred and standardbred (harness) racing simulcasts
• Location: 130 Park Ave., Freehold, NJ 07728
• Contact: 732-462-3800
• Owner: Penn National Gaming and Greenwood Racing

Meadowlands Racetrack

In East Rutherford’s Meadowlands Sports Complex, the Meadowlands has live thoroughbred and harness racing. Notable annual races include the Hambletonian.

• Live Racing: Thoroughbred and standardbred
• Dates: Year-round
• Simulcast: Open seven days and nights per week for year round thoroughbred and standardbred (harness) racing simulcasts
• Sports Betting:FanDuel Sportsbook at the Meadowlands
• Location: 1 Racetrack Dr., East Rutherford, NJ 07073
• Contact: 201-843-2246
• Owner: Jeff Gural

Monmouth Park

Monmouth Park features thoroughbred racing on the Jersey Shore. Notable annual races include the Haskell Invitational.

Thoroughbred Betting Sites

• Live Racing: Thoroughbred
• Dates: Early May to Labor Day
• Simulcast: Open seven days and nights per week for year-round thoroughbred and standardbred (harness) racing simulcasts
• Sports Betting: Monmouth Park Sports Book by William Hill
• Location: 175 Oceanport Ave., Oceanport, NJ 07757
• Contact: 732-222-5100
• Owner: New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority

Atlantic City casinos with racebooks

The Off-track and Account Wagering Act makes it legal for Atlantic City casinos to open racebooks and offer pari-mutuel wagering on simulcast races from NJ racetracks and horse racing facilities across the globe.

Currently, only one casino has:

Borgata’s Race & Sports Book

The only place in Atlantic City where you can bet on horse racing. Located across from the Borgata Hotel Casino North Entranceand Poker Room. Formerly known as the Racebook, Borgata’s Race and Sports Book now takes sports bets as well.

Features 100 seats with individual flatscreen monitors, 10 betting windows, and self-serve kiosks for horse racing bets.

Plus, the Boot and Whip bar features a video wall displaying live events and races.

• Location: 1 Borgata Way, Atlantic City, NJ 08401

Licensed off-track wagering facilities

The Off-track and Account Wagering Act makes it legal for off-track wagering facilities to launch in the state and offer pari-mutuel wagering on simulcast races from NJ racetracks and horse racing facilities around the world.

The NJ Racing Commission lists the following licensed off-track wagering facilities:

Favorites at Egg Harbor

• Location: 6055 Black Horse Pike, Egg Harbor, NJ 08235
• Phone: 609-804-6240

Favorites at Hillsborough

• Location: 150 Route 206, Hillsborough, NJ 08844
• Phone: 908-722-1415

Favorites at Gloucester

• Location: 1300 Blackwood-Clementon Rd., Clementon, NJ 08021
• Phone: 856-441-4253

Favorites at Toms River

• Location: 1071 Highway 37 West, Toms River, NJ 08755
• Phone: 732-240-1210

Favorites at Woodbridge

• Location: 3 LaFayette Rd., Fords, NJ 08863
• Phone: 732-512-5000

Winners Bayonne

• Location: 400 Route 440 North, Bayonne, NJ 07002
• Phone: 201-437-5780

How to bet on horse races in NJ

Betting on a horse race is much easier than it may seem. Sure, there are some complicated names for the bets you can place, but they’re all relatively straightforward.

Whether you’re betting on a live standardbred or thoroughbred race at one of the three racetracks in NJ, or a simulcast race at the track, an Atlantic City casino racebook, an off-track wagering facility or online with 4NJBets — the following basic and more advanced bets are available:

Straight bets

Straight bets are about picking winners, and who might finish in the top three in any race. Basic straight bets include:

• Win: Bet on a horse to win, and if it does, you get paid at odds set once all bets are in.
• Place: Bet on a horse to finish first or second, and if it does, you get paid at odds set once all bets are in.
• Show: Bet on a horse to finish first, second or third, and if it does, you get paid at odds set once all bets are in.
• Across the Board: Three separate bets on the same horse including a bet to win, place, and show.

Exotic bets

Exotics offer a little more variety, and often bigger odds, but these bets are still primarily about picking winners, and who might finish in the top three in any race. These bets include:

• Exacta: Bet on two horses to finish first and second, in that order, and get paid out at big odds. The exacta can also be boxed, which is like two separate bets flipping the order of finish.
• Quinella: Bet on two horses to finish first and second in any order and get paid out at odds that are slightly less than the exacta.
• Trifecta: Bet on three horses to finish first, second and third, in that order, and get paid out at even bigger odds. Trifectas can also be boxed, which is like making separate trifecta bets changing the finishing order of the three horses.
• Superfecta: Bet on four horses to finish first, second, third and fourth, in that order, and book a big payday. Superfecta bets can be boxed, but boxing starts to get a little expensive with four horses.

Wheeling

You can wheel any of these exotic bets. This is like fixing the finishing position of some horses and adding bets with more horses for later finishing positions to make various winning combinations.

You ‘key’ the horses you like at the top and mix in more possibilities to save money over boxing while giving you additional opportunities to win.

The Triple Crown

The biggest event in US horse racing is actually three events. The Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, or just the Triple Crown, is a trio of races held annually from May to early June featuring the top three-year-old thoroughbreds.

The horses vie to become a Triple Crown winner by winning all three:

• Kentucky Derby: The first leg normally held on the first Saturday in May at Churchill Downs racetrack in Kentucky. It is also known as The Run for the Roses. The Derby is typically run on a 1 1/4 miles track. The 2020 Kentucky Derby was rescheduled from May 2 to Sept. 5, 2020.
• Preakness Stakes: The second leg typically held two weeks after the Kentucky Derby at the Pimlico Race Course in Maryland. The Preakness is typically run on a 1 3/16 miles track. The 2020 Preakness Stakes, originally set for May 16, 2020, has been moved to Oct. 3, 2020
• Belmont Stakes: The jewel of the Triple Crown typically held at Belmont Park, New York, in the first week of June. If a horse has won the first two legs of the Triple Crown, media coverage tends to explode for this race. The longer 1.5 mile race is also known as The Test of the Champion. The 2020 Belmont Stakes will be run before the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes for the first time ever after being moved to June 20, 2020. Plus, it will be run on a 1 1/8 miles track as a result of the change in timing.

Only 13 horses have won the Triple Crown. The first Triple Crown winner was Sir Barton in 1919.

Affirmed won the Triple Crown in 1978 and there was a 37-year drought following his win. American Pharoah broke that 37-year streak in 2015. Justify took the title in 2018 and was the last Triple Crown winner.

Twenty-three horses have won the first two legs but failed to complete the Triple Crown by winning the Belmont Stakes.

The Haskell Invitational

The Haskell Invitationalis a race for three-year-old thoroughbreds that typically runs in July at Monmouth Park in New Jersey following the Triple Crown.

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The race has been around since 1968 but became an invitation-only $1 million stakes race for three-year-olds on a 1 1⁄8 miles track in 1981.

The 2020 edition is the 52nd Haskell Invitational Stakes and it is scheduled for Saturday, July 18, 2020.

The Hambletonian Stakes

The Hambletonian is an American harness race for three-year-old standardbreds. It is the first leg in the Triple Crown of Harness Racing. The race is typically run at Meadowlands Racetrack on the first Saturday in August with a $1 million purse.

The 95th Hambletonian is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 8, 2020.

NJ horse racing history

Historians claim there has been horse racing in New Jersey since the late 1700s and early 1800s. Freehold Raceway, which started hosting races as far back as the 1830s, is considered the oldest racetrack in the US.

Large racetracks in Ho-Ho-Kus, Clifton, North Bergen, Paterson, Vernon and Long Branch began operating in the 1860s and 1870s. The Long Branch Racetrack, now Monmouth Park, opened as New Jersey’s first grand racing venue in 1870.

New Jersey made it illegal to bet on horse racing in 1894, but the sport did not leave the state.

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Races were held at various tracks, including Weequahic Park in Newark and the Long Branch Racetrack in Oceanside.

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Following the 1939 amendment that allowed pari-mutuel betting, Garden State Park in Cherry Hill opened in 1942, followed by Monmouth Park at Long Branch and Atlantic City Race Track in Mays Landing in 1946. These three tracks made up New Jersey’s Golden Triangle of thoroughbred racing.

The launch of Atlantic City casinos killed the action at Garden State Park and the Atlantic City Race Track and both eventually closed. However, Monmouth Park and Freehold Raceway remained in operation.

The Meadowlands started hosting harness and thoroughbred racing in the late 1970s and continues to do so today.