Where To Wager in Virginia
There are many ways to make a horse race wager in Virginia. The obvious ones are at venues that host live racing like at Colonial Downs (Thoroughbred racing in New Kent), Shenandoah Downs (Harness racing in Woodstock), or at the Virginia Gold Cup (Steeplechase racing at Great Meadow in The Plains).
Colonial Downs operates seven Rosie’s Gaming Emporiums in the state and each features a horse racing simulcast area where in-person wagers can be placed. They are located in New Kent, Richmond, Hampton, Emporia, Dumfries, Vinton and Collinsville. Colonial also operates two VA-Horseplay Off Track Betting Centers in Henrico (inside Breakers Sports Grille) and Chesapeake (inside Buckets Bar & Grill).
There are four online betting partner companies that Virginia residents can wager through — Twinspires.com. TVG.com, Xpressbet.com and NYRABets.com. Fans can simply create an account with any partner site, fund it, and begin wagering.
Types of Bets
The traditional wager is based on a $2 minimum play. Basic wagers are to Win, Place or Show. Exotic wagers are more complicated and often more rewarding. They have names such as Exacta, Trifecta, Superfecta, Daily Double, Pick-3, Pick-4 and even more like a Pick -5 and Pick-6.
Win – Horse must finish first
Place – Horse must finish first or second
Show – Horse must finish first, second or third
Exacta – Pick the first two horses in the correct order
Trifecta – Pick the first three horses in the correct order
Superfecta – Pick the first four horses in the correct order
Daily Double – Pick the winners of two consecutive races
Pick 3 – Pick the winners of three consecutive races
Pick 4 – Pick the winners of four consecutive races
Lets start with the traditional wagers. To cash a Win bet, the horse you selected must finish first. To cash a Place bet your selected horse must finish first or second and to cash a Show bet your horse must finish first, second or third.
How do you place a bet? Have your money ready and follow the step by step instructions prior to the start of the race:
How to Bet
- State the NAME of the track
- State the RACE NUMBER
- State the AMOUNT of the bet
- State the TYPE of the bet
- State the NUMBER of the horse
Example: “Gold Cup, race one, $2 to win on number 5”
Hopefully you have picked a winner! The chart below will give you the approximate payoff for a $2 payoff:
Approximate Payout for $2 Win Ticket
| ODDS | ODDS | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-5 | $2.40 | 4-1 | $10.00 |
| 3-5 | $3.20 | 9-2 | $11.00 |
| 1-1 | $4.00 | 5-1 | $12.00 |
| 7-5 | $4.80 | 6-1 | $14.00 |
| 9-5 | $5.60 | 8-1 | $18.00 |
| 2 -1 | $6.00 | 10-1 | $22.00 |
| 5-2 | $7.00 | 20-1 | $42.00 |
| 3 -1 | $8.00 | 50-1 | $102.00 |
| 7-2 | $9.00 | 99-1 | $200.00 |
