Vermont Horse Racing Betting Sites

The only way to bet on horse races safely and legally in Vermont is through horse racing betting apps and websites licensed in the USA.

Online sportsbooks are not an option for pari-mutuel horse racing wagering in Vermont. In fact, state law explicitly prohibits sportsbooks licensed in Vermont from offering pari-mutuel horse racing wagering.

Instead, bettors need to look for online racebooks with advance deposit wagering licenses.

Note: State law does not prohibit licensed sportsbooks from offering pari-mutuel horse racing wagering via separate platforms. For example, FanDuel Sportsbook and FanDuel Racing are both available in Vermont but operate on distinct platforms.

Each of the following horse racing betting sites has at least one advance deposit wagering license in the United States:

Vermont Online Racebooks

• Twinspires
• AmWager
• Fanduel Racing
• DRF Bets
• Xpressbet
• 1/ST Bet
• WatchandWager
• Keeneland Select
• Hollywood Races
• Iron Bets Racing

Vermont does not regulate online horse racing betting, so it does not have a licensing system for advance deposit wagering providers (ADWs). However, that’s not an issue because most online racebooks licensed in other states are available in Vermont.

For instance, most Vermont horse racing betting sites have Oregon ADW licenses. Oregon is one of the only states where online racebooks can receive multi-jurisdictional licenses to operate in any state where advance deposit wagering is legal.

The advantage to bettors is that ADW licenses, even those issued in other states, are indicators of online racebooks with integrity and sound financials.

In other words, state regulators have found the operator suitable for licensing after investigating its business practices, financials, operating history, and responsible gambling protocols.

Vermont Horse Racing Tracks

Vermont has not had live horse racing wagering since 1998, the final year the Vermont State Fair held races where spectators could place pari-mutuel wagers.

It’s been even longer since Vermont had a permanent horse race track with pari-mutuel wagering. Vermont’s only permanent horse racing venue, Green Mountain Race Track, held standardbred and thoroughbred races from 1963 until 1976.

Track management converted Green Mountain to greyhound racing in 1977, which continued until 1992. Vermont banned greyhound racing three years after Green Mountain’s final dog race.

Horse Race Tracks Near Vermont

Saratoga Race Court is the only active horse race track near Vermont in any direction, and it’s not in a super-convenient location.

However, dedicated fans can find Saratoga Race Course about an hour’s drive northwest of Bennington in Southern Vermont.

Anyone willing to venture a little further can visit Plainridge Park in Plainville, Massachusetts, for live harness racing. Plainridge Park is about two-and-a-half hours southeast of southeastern Vermont.

Vermont Off-Track Betting

Vermont does not have any off-track betting facilities, and that’s likely to remain the case for quite some time.

The next best alternative is online horse racing betting, which is the only safe way to bet on horse races in Vermont.

Vermont Online Horse Racing Betting Laws

The Vermont Racing Commission regulated pari-mutuel horse racing wagering when races still occurred in Vermont.

However, Vermont’s Sunset Advisory Commission eliminated the Racing Commission in 2019 because it had been so long since the last pari-mutuel horse race.

As a result, Vermont no longer regulates pari-mutuel horse racing, and state law does not address online racebooks.

Furthermore, 13 V.S.A. § 2153 expressly prohibits pari-mutuel horse races:

A person shall not hold, conduct, operate, or simulcast a pari-mutuel dog race or pari-mutuel horse race for public exhibition. 

Note that the above only refers to hosting and simulcasting horse races for the purpose of pari-mutuel wagering. It does not prohibit placing wagers on horse races via advance deposit wagering apps and websites.

Vermont Fixed-Odds Horse Racing Betting

Pari-mutuel wagering is the only form of horse racing betting available in Vermont today, and online racebooks are the only way to place wagers on any kind on horses.

However, Vermont’s sports betting law and regulations adopted by the Department of Liquor and Lottery seem to leave open the possibility of online sportsbooks offering fixed-odds wagers on horse races, at least some time in the future.

First, Act 63 of 2023 includes “horse racing and equestrian events” in its definition of permissible sporting events. It’s clear that the inclusion of horse racing was not accidental because the law uses this exact language:

(12) “Sports event” means an event at which two or more persons participate in a sports or athletic event. “Sports event” also means horse racing and equestrian events.

Second, Vermont’s sports betting regulations do not forbid horse racing betting outright. Instead, they prohibit “pari-mutuel wagering on dog or horse races.” Had the authors intended a blanket prohibition on all types of horse racing wagering, they could have omitted the phrase “par-mutuel wagering.”

Taken together, Vermont’s sports betting laws seem to intentionally permit fixed-odds horse racing betting.

No Fixed-Odds Horse Racing Betting for Now

However, a Department of Liquor and Lottery board meeting held before sports betting launched in Vermont addressed the issue and quashed the possibility for now.

When asked about fixed-odds betting, Commissioner Wendy Knight explained that Vermont’s sports betting procedures are not the final word on which types of events upon which online sportsbooks may offer wagers.

Instead, she explained, the Department would determine that at launch (via the catalog of approved events, which does not allow fixed-odds wagering on equestrian events). She also stated that it was not the Department’s intention to authorize fixed-odds horse racing betting in Vermont.

Despite her comments, fixed-odds horse racing wagering is not off the board permanently in Vermont.

Should the Department choose to authorize fixed-odds horse racing betting, it would not require new legislation or revised regulations. From the Department’s point of view, authorizing fixed-odds betting would be as simple as flicking a switch.

Vermont Horse Racing Betting FAQ