You Can't Bet on the Kentucky Derby on DraftKings, Other Options

On May 1, the Kentucky Derby will go for yet another lap around the one-and-a-half-mile track. The race has evolved a lot in the past 146 years. Among the evolutions, digital gambling has been one of the most prominent. Many users of the U.S. sports betting site DraftKings want to know if the site supports horse betting on the biggest race of the year.

DraftKings supports many types of betting, including fantasy football and TV show gambling. However, the site hasn't expanded to horse racing yet, which means that the Kentucky Derby is out. 

DraftKings was founded in 2012 in Boston by Jason Robins, Matthew Kalish, Paul Liberman, and Matt Kalish.

To date, DraftKings offers legal online fantasy betting in 11 states:

• Colorado
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Iowa
• New Hampshire
• New Jersey
• Pennsylvania
• West Virginia
• Tennessee
• Michigan
• Virginia

Currently, online betting for the Kentucky Derby is allowed in 49 states and banned in 11 states plus Washington, D.C. DraftKings is clearly still expanding to the broader online horse betting market, with nearly three-quarters of the available options left to join forces with.  

Fortunately for those interested in betting on the most famous of the Triple Crown races, there are other sites to choose from. Make sure you aren't in one of the 12 areas where it's illegal to do so. The most popular sites to choose from include:

• MyBookie
• TVG
• Twinspires
• BetAmerica
• Bovoda
• BetUS
• BetOnline
• SportsBetting.ag

You'll have to make sure that the site you choose operates for individuals in your state. An online horse betting site might not have access to all 49 states where it's legal. 

TVG is specifically for horse race betting, so some Kentucky Derby enthusiasts might decide to take this route. Users will want to open a TVG account and then deposit the amount of money they want to bet on the Kentucky Derby.

There are different types of bets that you can make, and they have different rules that accompany them. For example, you might choose to place a single horse win-type bet so you can select the horse you think will win the race. There are also place bets, in which you win if your chosen horse comes in the top two positions.

You can also do a show, exacta, trifecta, or supertrifecta bet, which all have their own regulations.

Despite the fact that DraftKings doesn't offer betting on the Kentucky Derby, the site still talking up the odds. DraftKings has reported the odds for the 2021 race two days out. As of this writing, these horses are the top five projected to win:

1. Essential Quality: +290
2. Known Agenda: +500
3. Rock Your World: +500
4. Highly Motivated: +985
5. Hot Rod Charlie: +985