TwinSpires Ohio Horse Racing Review

TwinSpires has long been a solid horse race betting option. From Churchill Downs—the same company that owns the race track famous for the Kentucky Derby—this racebook first opened in 2007. Now, it’s a top horse race betting app in Ohio and 38 other states. There are many reasons to love TwinSpires, and one is a great welcome offer: up to $200 in bonus money when you sign up for TwinSpires.

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TwinSpires allows Ohioans to bet on races at more than 100 tracks around the world, including major races like the Kentucky Derby. It also allows users to live stream almost all of these races, all while giving great promotions for existing users.

Below, read our thorough review of this excellent horse wagering site.

TwinSpires Racing welcome bonus

When you sign up for TwinSpires Racing, you’ll be treated to a welcome bonus worth up to $200. There are a few steps required to claim it, however. First, sign up for TwinSpires and use code BET200 to ensure you get the bonus. We’ll provide sign-up instructions later on this page.

To get the $200 bonus, you need to wager at least $800 within 30 days of signing up for TwinSpires in Ohio. You’ll get $100 in bonus cash once you wager $400 and another $100 when you wager the remaining $400.

You can only claim this bonus if you’re a new user at TwinSpires. Existing bettors cannot claim the promo.

TwinSpires Ohio promo code 2024

TwinSpires Racebook Ohio promotions

Once you have an account, TwinSpires will give you dedicated offers for horse race betting online in Ohio. Here’s a sampling of the promotion types you can find on the site.

Money back

TwinSpires regularly runs “money back” promotions. The way they typically work is simple: place a bet on a horse to win a particular race—in many cases, it’s a popular race like the Kentucky Derby or the Virginia Gold Cup—and if your horse finishes 2nd, you’ll get your bet back. Sometimes the offer hits if your horse finished 2nd or 3rd. These bonuses require you to opt in, so always check the promotions page for details.

• Money Back Mondays are also frequently offered on … you guessed it … Mondays.

25% Win Bonus

TwinSpires occasionally runs win bonus offers. These boost your winnings if you hit a correct win bet on a horse in certain races.

Trifecta Tuesday

Betting on a Tuesday? Keep an eye out for Trifecta Tuesday bonuses to boost your trifecta winnings, usually by about 15%.

Loyalty program at TwinSpires

TwinSpires is connected to the TSC Elite rewards program, which has run at Churchill Downs race tracks since 1995.

If you’re a TwinSpires account holder, you are automatically enrolled to earn TSC Elite points. You earn one point per dollar you wager. You earn four points per dollar wagered when betting on races at Churchill Downs, Fair Grounds, Presque Isle, Ocean Downs, Turfway Park, and Miami Valley Raceway.

Your points are valid for 12 months after you earn them. After that point, they expire. You can redeem TSC Elite points for wagering credit.

Is TwinSpires legal in Ohio?

Yes, TwinSpires is completely legal and licensed to operate in Ohio. You can place real money bets on horse races if you are 18 or older and physically located in the state.

How to sign up for TwinSpires Racing in Ohio

Follow these steps to sign up for TwinSpires:

1. Visit the TwinSpires website or download the app.
2. Register by providing the requested personal details.
3. Use the promo code BET200 when prompted to get your $200 in bonus cash.
4. When requested, enable location services to confirm you’re in Ohio.
5. Make a deposit and start placing bets on horse races.

TwinSpires horse betting app and user experience overview

TwinSpires was built by Churchill Downs, a company that knows horse racing well. It shows in the final product. The desktop site and app both work seamlessly, and they include features that keep horse race betting enthusiasts in mind.

Featured races and what’s up next

TwinSpires displays featured races front and center. You can even favorite certain tracks or races so they’ll appear on your custom home page. Most of the time, you’ll see races that are happening soon, so you can get in on the action right away.

The “Up Next” section showcases additional races on the docket. In short, it’s easy to find current and upcoming races on TwinSpires.

Watch live races

Placed your bet and ready to cheer for your horse from afar? Click “Video” in the top right of the screen to watch a live stream of your race. TwinSpires live streams races all over the world.

The only knock here is that the button is labeled “Video.” It’d be easier to find and/or notice if it said “Watch Live” or something similar. Still, the functionality is nice.

Horse racing by the numbers

Betting on horses involves numbers—a lot of ‘em. TwinSpires displays all sorts of stats and figures to help you make informed decisions. What’s nice about the app and desktop site is that there are options you can toggle: Classic (just see the number and color of the horse), Basic (a few stats and numbers), and Advanced (lots of info for seasoned bettors).

There’s also a glossary of key terms you can click on to better understand the info available to you.

Video tips from experts

Some races have videos with tips and betting picks from experts. You can watch them before the race to help make informed wagers.

Bets you can make at TwinSpires Horse Racing

TwinSpires has all the most popular types of bets on horse races. First off, there are three super simple bets you can place that are ideal for beginners.

• Win: bet on a horse to win the race
• Place: bet on a horse to finish first or second
• Show: bet on a horse to palace first, second, or third

Once you have a grip on those bets, you can move on to more complex ones, such as:

• Quinella: bet on two horses to finish first and second in any order
• Exacta: bet on two horses to finish first and second in that exact order
• Trifecta: bet on three horses to finish first, second, and third in that order
• Superfecta: bet on four horses to finish first, second, third, and fourth in that order

You can also “box” your trifectas or superfectas, which expands your bet to include all possible finishing orders for the horses you picked.

Finally, you can bet on accumulators. These bets have you pick the winners of consecutive races:

• Daily Double: two races in a row
• Pick 3: three races in a row
• Pick 4: four races in a row

These are similar to parlays in sports betting. If even one of your selections is wrong, the bet is toast.

Where is TwinSpires horse betting available?

TwinSpires is live and legal in Ohio. It’s also legal in the following states:

• Alabama
• Arizona
• Arkansas
• California
• Colorado
• Connecticut
• Delaware
• Florida
• Idaho
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Iowa
• Kansas
• Kentucky
• Louisiana
• Maryland
• Massachusetts
• Michigan
• Minnesota
• Missouri
• Montana
• Nebraska
• New Hampshire
• New Mexico
• New York
• North Dakota
• Oklahoma
• Oregon
• Pennsylvania
• Rhode Island
• South Dakota
• Tennessee
• Vermont
• Virginia
• Washington
• West Virginia
• Wisconsin
• Wyoming

Payment and withdrawal methods at TwinSpires Racing

Here are the deposit methods available at TwinSpires:

TwinSpires withdrawals

TwinSpires currently has two withdrawal methods:

• PayPal, which has a $1 fee and takes 24-72 hours.
• Check by mail, which has no fee and takes up to a week.

TwinSpires customer support

If you have an issue or question, the “Support” page will lead you to an FAQ. You can also start a chat with the TwinSpires help bot, which will share pages based on your request.

If the bot can’t help you, you’ll have the option to either live chat or email a message.

For this review, we tested the live chat. Both times, we went in with the same question: which states allow TwinSpires online betting? Both times, we were approximately 30 places deep in the help queue. We wrote this page the week of the 2023 Kentucky Derby, so requests were coming in at a high volume. Both times, the wait was about seven minutes. Your mileage may vary on whether that’s a reasonable wait time.

The first help agent was, with no exaggeration, incredibly rude. They asked why we needed that state legality info and refused to provide it. The second wasn’t as rude but still didn’t give the info on where TwinSpires was legal. They both told me they couldn’t share a list of states externally, despite there being a public webpage with the info.

Unfortunately, this particular experience with TwinSpires’ customer service was poor. It’s likely the reps are kinder and more helpful with different questions. But exercise a healthy dose of caution either way.

Why you’ll like TwinSpires

TwinSpires is the online betting arm of a top horse racing company, so it knows how to please racing bettors. It has a great welcome bonus and great features. You can live stream races and get plenty of race details at your fingertips.