Ohio Horse Racing Betting Sites

Ohio Online Horse Racing Betting Overview

Most reputable horse racing betting sites offer advance deposit wagering in Ohio for customers 18 or older. Although Ohio does not regulate online horse racing betting, state law does not outlaw it.

The good thing about the lack of regulation and licensing requirements is that fans have many online racebooks to choose from in Ohio. However, bettors must choose carefully to ensure they only bet with reputable providers that have access to pari-mutuel pools at every racetrack they cover.

The following Ohio horse racing betting sites rank as BettingUSA’s top picks because they are legitimate pari-mutuel wagering providers. Each has agreements with hundreds of tracks to comingle all wagers taken online with each race’s pari-mutuel pools, ensuring customers receive full track odds on every bet.

Ohio Horse Race Tracks

Ohio is home to seven race tracks with live racing. Three Ohio race tracks host thoroughbred and quarter horse races, while the other four specialize in standardbred harness racing.

Racetracks licensed by the Ohio Lottery Commission may also offer video lottery terminals (VLTs) and sports betting.

Ohio VLTs partially determine the minimum number of live race days race tracks must hold each year. Depending on the previous year’s VLT revenue, race tracks must host at least 75, 100, or 125 race days annually. In addition, each racetrack must offer simulcasting at least 360 days per year.

Licensed race tracks in Ohiomay also offer sports betting to guests 21 or older. The first Ohio racetrack sportsbooks opened at midnight on January 1^st, 2023.

Hollywood Dayton Raceway

777 Hollywood Boulevard
Dayton, Ohio 45414

Hollywood Dayton Raceway hosts live harness racing from September through December. Simulcast wagering is available daily from 11:30 AM until 11 PM. The Penn Gaming property has nearly 1,000 video lottery machines, a sportsbook, and multiple restaurants.

In addition, the H Lounge at Hollywood Dayton offers live music from local DJs and bands every Friday and Saturday at 8 PM.

Miami Valley Raceway

6000 SR 63
Lebanon, Ohio 45036

Miami Valley racetrack hosts live harness racing from January through early May each year. Race days typically run Sunday through Thursday, starting at 4 PM.

The property also features more than 2,200 VLTs, a sportsbook open seven days a week, daily simulcasting until 7 PM, and four dining options. The sports betting and simulcasting wagering area is restricted to guests 21 and older.

Northfield Park

1777 Northfield Road
Northfield, Ohio 44067

The half-mile track at Northfield Park offers year-round harness racing and simulcast wagering. Northfield Park is one of Ohio’s busiest race tracks, with 200+ race days per year, usually beginning at 6 PM.

Northfield Park’s simulcasting area opens half an hour before the first scheduled simulcast and runs until 10 PM daily. The simulcasting area also offers private betting carrels for free all day.

Adjacent to the racetrack, MGM Northfield Park offers over 2,300 gaming machines, a BetMGM Sportsbook, and three dining options for guests 21 or older.

Scioto Downs

600 S High Street
Columbus, Ohio 43207

The 5/8^th mile racetrack at Eldorado Scioto Downs hosts 90 days of live harness racing from May through September, Tuesdays through Saturdays. In addition, the Racebook at Scioto Downs offers simulcast wagering seven days a week starting at 11 AM.

An attached Caesars Casino features more than 2,100 video lottery terminals, digital keno, and integration into Caesars Rewards. The property also offers three outdoor, smoking-friendly gaming terraces and multiple restaurants.

Belterra Park

6301 Kellogg Road
Cincinnati, Ohio 45230

Belterra Park hosts more than 90 days of thoroughbred racing every April through October near downtown Cincinnati.

In addition, the River Downs Club at Belterra Park offers simulcasting wagering seven days a week. The River Downs Club is the state’s most well-appointed racebook, with more than 40 large HD TVs, private carrels with two personal TVs, seven staffed betting windows, and 16 self-serve betting kiosks. The River Downs Club opens at 11:30 AM daily and closes at 9 PM on weekday nights and 10 PM on weekends, although the hours of operations may vary based on the track’s schedule.

Belterra Park is also home to more than 1,100 gaming machines, a FanDuel Sportsbook, an outdoor gaming terrace with racetrack views, and four dining options.

JACK Thistledown

21501 Emery Road
North Randall, Ohio 44128

Live thoroughbred races run from late April through mid-October at JACK Thistledown. The racino also houses more than 1,400 VLTs, a betJACK Sportsbook, and multiple dining options.

Mahoning Valley Race Course

655 North Canfield Niles Road
Youngstown, Ohio 44515

The one-mile racetrack at Mahoning Valley Race Course hosts thoroughbred racing from October through April. Mahoning Valley racetrack typically hosts live racing Monday through Thursday and some Saturdays.

Visitors can bet on horse races held elsewhere in the simulcast wagering area starting at 10 AM daily, although the schedule can vary. Meanwhile, Hollywood Gaming at Mahoning Valley Race Course offers video lottery terminals, a sportsbook, and four restaurants.

Ohio County Fair Horse Racing

Some Ohio county fairs offer horse racing and pari-mutuel wagering between June and October. Typically, county fairs open temporary teller windows and self-serve kiosks to offer pari-mutuel wagering to visitors 18 and older.

Below is an overview of Ohio county fairs with horse races:

• Allen County Fair – 2750 Harding Highway, Lima (August)
• Ashland County Fair – 2042 Claremont Avenue, Ashland (September)
• Ashtabula County Fair – 127 N Elm Street, Jefferson (August)
• Athens County Fair – 286 W Union Street, Athens (August)
• Attica Independent Fair – 15127 E Township Road, Attica (August)
• Auglaize County Fair – 1001 Fairview Drive, Wapakoneta (late July/early August)
• Canfield Fair – 7265 Columbiana-Canfield Road, Canfield (late-August/early September)
• Carroll County Fair – 16 Kensington Road, Carrollton (July)
• Champaign County Fair – 384 Park Avenue, Urbana (August)
• Clinton County Fair – 985 W Main Street, Wilmington (July)
• Columbiana County Fair – 225 Lee Avenue, Lisbon (late July/early August)
• Coshocton County Fair – 707 Kenilworth Avenue, Coshocton (late September/early October)
• Crawford County Fair – 610 Whetstone Street, Bucyrus (July)
• Cuyahoga County Fair – 19201 East Bagley Road, Middleburg (August)
• Darke County Fair – 800 Sweitzer Street, Greenville (August)
• Defiance County Fair – 530 S Main Street, Hicksville (August)
• Delaware County Fair – 236 Pennsylvania Avenue, Delaware (September)
• Fairfield County Fair 157 E Fair Avenue, Lancaster (mid-October)
• Fayette County Fair – 213 Fairview Avenue, Washington Court House (July)
• Franklin County Fair – 4100 Columbia Street, Hillard (July)
• Fulton County Fair – 8514 SR 108, Wauseon (September)
• Geauga County Fair – 14373 N Cheshire Street, Burton (late-August/early September)
• Greene County Fair – 120 Fairgrounds Road, Xenia (late July/early August)
• Guernsey County Fair – 335 Old National Road, Lore City (September)
• Hardin County Fair – 14134 Letson Avenue, Kenton (September)
• Hartford Independent Fair – 14028 Fairgrounds Road, Croton (August)
• Henry County Fair – 821 S Perry Street, Napoleon (August)
• Jackson County Fair – 96 Meadow Run Road, Wellston (July)
• Knox County Fair – 601 Fairgrounds Road, Mount Vernon (July)
• Lake County Fair – 1301 Mentor Avenue, Painesville (July)
• Lorain County Fair – 23000 Fairgrounds Road, Wellington (August)
• Marion County Fair – 220 E Fairground Street, Marion (July)
• Mercer County Fair – 1001 W Market Street, Celina (August)
• Meigs County Fair – 41850 Fairgrounds Lane, Pomeroy (August)
• Miami County Fair – 650 N County Road 25-A, Troy (August)
• Monroe County Fair – 46760 OH-26, Woodsfield
• Montgomery County Fair – held at Dayton Raceway (early October)
• Morgan County Fair – 2760 S Riverside Drive, McConnelsville (September)
• Morrow County Fair – 195 S Main Street, Mount Gilead (late-August/early September)
• Muskingum County Fair – 1300 Pershing Road, Zanesville (August)
• Noble County Fair – 44393 Fairground Road, Caldwell (late-August/early September)
• Ottawa County Fair – 7870 W Street Route 163, Oak Harbor (July)
• Paulding County Fair – 501 Fairground Drive, Paulding (June)
• Pickaway County Fair – 415 Lancaster Pike, Circleville (June)
• Pike County Fair – 311 Mill Street, Piketon (late-July/early August)
• Preble County Fair – 722 S Franklin Street, Eaton (late-July/early August)
• Putnam County Fair – 1490 E Second Street, Ottawa (June)
• Richland County Fair – 750 N Home Road, Mansfield
• Richwood Independent Fair – 1 Gill Street, Richwood (September)
• Ross County Fair – 344 Fairgrounds Road, Chillicothe (August)
• Seneca County Fair – 100 Hopewell Avenue, Tiffin (July)
• Shelby County Fair – 655 S Highland Avenue, Sidney (July)
• Stark County Fair – 305 Wertz Avenue, Canton (late August/early September)
• Summit County Fair – held at Northfield Park (late July/early August)
• Trumbull County Fair – 899 Everett Hull Road, Cortland (July)
• Tuscarawas County Fair – 259 S Tuscarawas Avenue, Dover (September)
• Union County Fair – 845 N Main Street, Marysville (July)
• Van Wert County Fair – 1055 South Washington Street, Van Wert (late-August/early September)
• Warren County Fair – 665 N Broadway Street, Lebanon (July)
• Washington County Fair – 922 Front Street, Marietta (September)
• Wayne County Fair – 199 Vanover Street, Wooster (September)
• Williams County Fair – 619 E Main Street, Montpelier (September)
• Wood County Fair – 13800 W Poe Road, Bowling Green (late July/early August)
• Wyandot County Fair – 10171 OH-53, Upper Sandusky (September)

Major Ohio Thoroughbred Horse Races

Ohio hosts just one graded stakes event each year, the G3 Ohio Derby at JACK Thistledown. However, Ohio race tracks host multiple non-graded stakes events with purses of $100,000 or more every year.

• Best of Ohio Babst/Palacios Memorial: $100,000 purse, open to 3yo+ thoroughbreds, held in June at Belterra Park
• Best of Ohio Cleveland Kindergarten Stakes: $100,000 purse, open to 2yo thoroughbreds, held in August at Thistledown
• Best of Ohio Diana: $100,000 purse, open to 3yo+ fillies and mares, held in June at Belterra Park
• Best of Ohio Distaff Stakes: $100,000 purse, open to 3yo+ fillies and mares, held in October at Mahoning Valley Race Course
• Best of Ohio Endurance Stakes: $100,000 purse, open to 3yo+ thoroughbreds, held in October at Mahoning Valley Race Course
• Best of Ohio Governor’s Buckeye Cup Stakes: $100,000 purse, open to 3yo+ thoroughbreds, held in August at Thistledown
• Best of Ohio Green Carpet: $100,000 purse, open to 3yo thoroughbreds, held in June at Belterra Park
• Best of Ohio Honey Jay Stakes: $100,000 purse, open to 3yo+ thoroughbreds, held in August at Thistledown
• Best of Ohio John W Galbreath Stakes: $100,000 purse, open to 2yo fillies, held in October at Mahoning Valley Race Course
• Best of Ohio Juvenile Stakes: $100,000 purse, open to 2yo thoroughbreds, held in October at Mahoning Valley Race Course
• Best of Ohio Miss Ohio Stakes: $100,000 purse, open to 2yo fillies, held in August at Thistledown
• Best of Ohio Norm Barron Queen City Oaks: $100,000 purse, open to 3yo fillies, held in June at Belterra Park
• Best of Ohio Pay the Man: $100,000 purse, open to 3yo+ fillies and mares, held in August at Thistledown
• Best of Ohio Sprint Stakes: $100,000 purse, open to 3yo+ thoroughbreds, held in October at Mahoning Valley Race Course
• Best of Ohio Sydney Gendelman: $100,000 purse, open to 3yo+ thoroughbreds, held in June at Belterra Park
• Ohio Derby (G3): $500,000 purse, open to 3yo thoroughbreds, held in June at Thistledown
• Steel Valley Sprint Stakes: $250,000 purse, open to 3yo thoroughbreds, held in November at Mahoning Valley Race Course

Major Ohio Harness Racing Events

Hollywood Gaming at Dayton Raceway hosts the Ohio Sires Stakes and most of the state’s notable pacing and trotting derbies.

Moving beyond Dayton Raceway, the Delaware County Fair hosts two other significant harness races each September, the Little Brown Jug and the Jugette Harness Race.

Pari-mutuel wagering is available at the following events for visitors 18 and older. The family-friendly events welcome minors but restrict entry into designated horse betting areas to adults only.

• Dayton Distaff Derby: $250,000 purse, open to 3yo+ filly and mare pacers, held in October at Dayton Raceway
• Dayton Oaks Derby: $250,000 purse, open to 3yo+ filly and mare trotters, held in October at Dayton Raceway
• Dayton Pacing Derby: $250,000 purse, open to 3yo+ pacers, held in October at Dayton Raceway
• Dayton Trotting Derby: $250,000 purse, open to 3yo+ trotters, held in October at Dayton Raceway
• Little Brown Jug: $500,000 purse, open to 3yo trotters, held the third Thursday after Labor Day at Delaware County Fairgrounds
• Ohio Sires Stakes Final: $300,000 purse, open to 2yo colt & gelding pacers, held in October at Dayton Raceway
• Ohio Sires Stakes Final: $300,000 purse, open to 2yo colt & gelding trotters, held in October at Dayton Raceway
• Ohio Sires Stakes Final: $300,000 purse, open to 3yo colt & gelding pacers, held in October at Dayton Raceway
• Ohio Sires Stakes Final: $300,000 purse, open to 3yo colt & gelding trotters, held in October at Dayton Raceway
• Ohio Sires Stakes Final: $300,000 purse, open to 2yo filly pacers, held in October at Dayton Raceway
• Ohio Sires Stakes Final: $300,000 purse, open to 2yo filly trotters, held in October at Dayton Raceway
• Ohio Sires Stakes Final: $300,000 purse, open to 3yo filly pacers, held in October at Dayton Raceway
• Ohio Sires Stakes Final: $300,000 purse, open to 3yo filly trotters, held in October at Dayton Raceway
• The Jugette: $250,000 purse, open to 3yo filly pacers, held the third Wednesday after Labor Day at Delaware County Fairgrounds

Ohio Off-Track Betting Locations

Ohio legalized off-track betting in 1994 with a bill authorizing any track in existence at that time to operate up to two off-track betting facilities (OTBs).

However, the only OTB open today is Northfield Park’s Cedar Downs OTB, located at 1935 Cleveland Road West in Sandusky. Cedar Downs is off-track betting facility is open daily from noon until 11 PM.

Ohio Horse Racing Betting Law

Ohio legalized pari-mutuel wagering and established the Ohio State Racing Commission in 1933 to regulate thoroughbred, quarter horse, and standardbred (harness) racing events. In addition, the Commission oversees pari-mutuel horse racing betting in Ohio and has the authority to adopt regulations as needed.

Video lottery terminals (VLTs) came to Ohio race tracks in 2012 thanks to legislation and an executive order signed by former Governor John Kasich the previous year.

Video lottery terminals look and function like slots from the gambler’s point of view, but they generate random results from lottery drawings. As a result, the Ohio Lottery Commission has regulatory authority over VLTs at race tracks, while the Ohio Casino Control Commission regulates slot machines at casinos.

Profits from Ohio VLTs are split roughly 50/50 between the track and the state lottery. Each track must also donate half of one percent of its net win from VLTs to support problem gambling services.

Ohio law does not address online horse racing betting. However, OH Admin Code 3769-3-32 authorizes licensed race tracks to offer advance deposit wagering via telephone. The legality of third-party ADWs is unclear, but multiple mainstream horse racing betting sites headquartered in the USA operate in Ohio without issue.

The primary laws and regulations related to race tracks and horse racing betting in Ohio follow:

• State Law on Horse Racing: Ohio Revised Code Chapter 3769
• Ohio Horse Racing Regulations: Ohio Administrative Code Chapter 3769
• State Law on VLTs at Racetracks: OH Rev Code § 3770.21

Ohio Horse Racing Betting FAQ