• Operator: DraftKings Inc., publicly traded on the Nasdaq
• Racing technology heritage: powered on the DK Horse side by Churchill Downs’ TwinSpires advance-deposit wagering platform
• Products: DraftKings Racing inside the Sportsbook app, plus the standalone DK Horse app in states not yet transitioned
• Bet type: pari-mutuel horse racing wagering
• DraftKings Racing launch states: Delaware, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Florida, Louisiana, Montana, New Hampshire, Ohio and Oregon, with more rolling out through 2026
• Welcome bonus on DK Horse: 100 percent deposit match up to $250 with promo code HORSE
• Minimum age: 18 or older in most states, 21 or older in several
• Platforms: iOS, Android and web

DraftKings Racing is a pari-mutuel horse racing betting feature that lives inside the DraftKings Sportsbook app. Pari-mutuel means you bet into a shared pool with other bettors rather than against fixed odds set by the house. The final payout depends on how the total pool is divided among the winning tickets, which is the standard model for legal horse wagering in the United States.

DraftKings announced DraftKings Racing on March 31, 2026, describing it as the successor to DK Horse. The company positioned it as part of a broader plan for a combined app, referred to as DraftKings Sports and Casino, that brings sportsbook, casino, lottery, predictions and now racing into one experience where each product is offered according to what is legal in a given state.

The key selling point is integration. In states where both sports betting and racing are live, customers use one account and one shared balance, so moving between a football bet and a horse race does not require a separate app, a separate login or a separate deposit.

DK Horse was DraftKings’ first horse racing product, launched in the spring of 2023 in an initial group of states. It ran as a standalone app powered behind the scenes by Churchill Downs’ TwinSpires advance-deposit wagering technology. Churchill Downs is the company behind the Kentucky Derby, which gave DK Horse a strong racing pedigree. The catch was that DK Horse required its own separate account and its own separate wallet. Even if you already had a DraftKings sportsbook or daily fantasy account, funds in DK Horse were walled off from the rest of your DraftKings balance.

DraftKings Racing changes that by folding racing into the main sportsbook app with a unified account and a shared balance. Here is how the two compare during the transition.

Which One Will I Use?

It depends on your state. In states where DraftKings Racing has launched, you use the racing feature inside the DraftKings Sportsbook app. In states where the rollout has not yet reached, the standalone DK Horse app remains available until DraftKings Racing replaces it there. DraftKings has said DK Horse will stay live in its existing states and be phased out jurisdiction by jurisdiction. If you are unsure, check the current status in the app for your state.

Yes, where it operates. Horse racing wagering in the United States is legal and regulated, but it is governed separately from sports betting. Pari-mutuel horse wagering has its own long-standing legal framework at the state level and is permitted in more states than sports betting is. This is why DraftKings can offer racing in some states where it cannot offer a sportsbook, and why availability for the two products does not line up. For the wider legal picture, see our guide to whether online gambling is legal.

DraftKings itself notes that while DraftKings Racing is accessible within the DraftKings Sportsbook app, it operates under a separate regulatory framework from online sports betting, so where you can bet on racing varies by state and does not match the sportsbook footprint. Rhode Island is a good example: racing has been offered there even in a market where full online sports betting availability differs.

Is It Safe and Legitimate?

DraftKings Inc. is a publicly traded company on the Nasdaq and one of the largest regulated gaming operators in the country. On the DK Horse side, the racing technology comes from Churchill Downs’ TwinSpires, a longtime leader in advance-deposit wagering. Racing wagers are processed as legal pari-mutuel bets in licensed states, and the platform uses geolocation to confirm you are physically within an eligible state before you can bet. As with any real-money gambling, you should still read the current terms, understand the fees and wagering requirements, and only bet what you can afford to lose.

DraftKings Racing launched on March 31, 2026 in Delaware, New Mexico and Rhode Island. On April 27, 2026, ahead of the Kentucky Derby, DraftKings expanded it to six more states: Florida, Louisiana, Montana, New Hampshire, Ohio and Oregon. That brought DraftKings Racing to nine states at Derby time. For a broader view of legal wagering by state, see our guide to online horse betting.

DraftKings Racing Launch States

DraftKings has said DraftKings Racing will keep rolling out on a state-by-state basis, with additional states expected to go live throughout 2026. Because this list grows over time, treat the states above as the confirmed launch group and check the DraftKings app or website for the current, complete list in your state.

• Delaware
• New Mexico
• Rhode Island
• Florida
• Louisiana
• Montana
• New Hampshire
• Ohio
• Oregon

States Where DK Horse Still Operates

In states that DraftKings Racing has not yet reached, the standalone DK Horse app remains the way to bet with DraftKings, and each of those states is scheduled to move over to DraftKings Racing as the rollout continues. DK Horse has operated across a broad set of states that has included Arizona, California, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wyoming, among others. If you open DK Horse and it still works in your state, that means the transition has not yet happened where you are. Published state lists for DK Horse have not always agreed with one another during the changeover, so the app itself is the most reliable check.

Age Requirements

The minimum age depends on your state. DraftKings racing products are generally open to customers 18 and older, but several states require you to be at least 21. On DK Horse, DraftKings has listed Arizona, Indiana, Iowa and Washington among the states that require you to be 21 or older. Age rules can vary by product and state, so confirm the requirement for your specific state during signup.

Residency and Location Rules

Horse racing products often tie eligibility to where you reside, not only where you are standing at the moment. With DK Horse, customers have needed to be residents of a state where the product is active in order to complete registration, which is stricter than the sportsbook rule that only requires you to be physically located in a legal state. In practice that meant a resident of an active state could sign up from anywhere in the country, while a resident of a state where DK Horse was not live could not complete registration no matter where they physically were. Because these rules differ by product and are changing during the transition, check the current residency and location requirements in the app before signing up.

On the DK Horse side, new customers have been able to claim a 100 percent first-deposit match worth up to $250 by registering with the promo code HORSE and depositing at least $25. The bonus is issued as withdrawable cash rather than as restricted bonus bets, which is unusually customer-friendly for this market.

Bonus Terms and How the Rollover Works

Two things are easy to miss. First, you must register with the code during signup, because the bonus cannot be added later. Second, only wagers that settle within the seven-day window count toward the rollover, so bets on races that conclude after that period do not help you clear it. As an example, a customer who deposits the full $250 receives $250 in bonus funds and can release all of it after placing $500 in qualifying wagers, with $25 unlocking as withdrawable cash for each $50 wagered.

Seasonal and Ongoing Promotions

DraftKings also runs event promotions during the racing calendar. For the 2026 Kentucky Derby, it offered a King of the Track promotion across both DraftKings Racing and DK Horse, with a shared $1 million cash prize pool for customers who opted in and placed a qualifying bet on the winning horse. Ongoing racing promotions have included bet-back offers and bonus-bet style deals. Because these offers change frequently and vary by product and state, confirm the current promotion in the app before opting in.

Welcome offers and their codes change often during the transition, and the racing bonus available inside the integrated DraftKings Racing product may differ from the DK Horse HORSE offer. Always read the current terms directly in the app or on the official site, paying attention to the minimum deposit, the wagering requirement and the time window before the bonus becomes withdrawable.

DraftKings ties its products into a single loyalty program, which lets racing play earn rewards alongside sportsbook, casino and daily fantasy activity in states where those products are linked. This cross-product loyalty is one of the practical advantages of the move toward a unified account. Program names, earn rates and redemption values change over time, so check the current rewards details in your account. On the older standalone DK Horse app, loyalty integration was more limited, which was one of its drawbacks compared with the integrated racing experience.

DraftKings uses one account across its products and enforces a one-account-per-customer policy. How you get started depends on which product is live in your state.

If DraftKings Racing Is Live in Your State

You use your existing DraftKings login inside the DraftKings Sportsbook app and access racing there. If you do not already have a DraftKings account, you create one, and your unified account and shared balance work across the products available in your state.

If DK Horse Is Still in Your State

Note that on the standalone DK Horse app, funds in your DK Horse wallet are kept separate from your other DraftKings balance until your state moves to the integrated racing product.

• Download the DK Horse app from the App Store or Google Play, or visit the DK Horse website.
• Create an account or sign in with your existing DraftKings credentials, and enter the promo code HORSE if you want the welcome bonus.
• Make a deposit of at least $25, then pick a race and place your first bet. Any race you bet can be streamed live.

Identity Verification

Registration requires the standard information DraftKings collects to confirm you are eligible, including your identity, age, address and Social Security number. This is a regulatory requirement, and you may be asked to provide a valid state-issued ID if your identity cannot be verified automatically. Expect verification before you can bet.

DraftKings racing products cover a wide range of tracks, from marquee U.S. events to smaller domestic tracks and international racing. Coverage on any given day depends on the racing calendar, and on a busy day the schedule can include dozens of tracks from around the world.

Tracks Covered

Prominent U.S. thoroughbred tracks in the mix have included Churchill Downs, Gulfstream Park, Aqueduct, Belmont Park, Saratoga, Santa Anita, Del Mar, Oaklawn Park, Parx Racing, Tampa Bay Downs and Laurel Park. Coverage extends beyond flat thoroughbred racing to harness tracks and quarter horse racing, plus international cards from Britain, Ireland, Australia, Japan, Hong Kong and other racing nations. That breadth means most days offer something to bet regardless of the domestic schedule.

Major Races

The headline events are the Triple Crown races, the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes, along with the Kentucky Oaks and the Breeders’ Cup. DraftKings’ racing heritage runs through its connection to Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby, which is central to its racing offering.

Bet Types

You can place the full range of pari-mutuel wagers you would find at the track. These fall into a few groups.

• Straight bets: win, where your horse must finish first; place, where it must finish first or second; and show, where it must finish in the top three.
• Vertical exotics, which cover finishing order in a single race: exacta (top two in exact order), quinella (top two in either order), trifecta (top three in exact order) and superfecta (top four in exact order).
• Horizontal exotics, which span multiple races: daily double, plus pick 3, pick 4, pick 5 and longer sequences.
• Bet-building tools such as box, key, key box and wheel variants, which let you cover multiple combinations within an exotic.

The interface typically defaults to a win bet and lets you switch to other bet types from a dropdown, so beginners can keep it simple while experienced bettors build more complex tickets.

Live Odds, Pools and Data

Each race page shows current odds, the runners, jockeys and other relevant details, and you can view pool totals and probables for win, place and show along with other wager types. The homepage lists races starting soon, with key details like the purse, race type, surface and any jackpots, so you can size up the card quickly.

Handicapping and Research Tools

This is the area where DraftKings racing has historically trailed some competitors. On DK Horse, DraftKings has offered a handicapping store with programs, picks and data files from providers such as Brisnet and Equibase, rather than the deeply integrated research tools that a specialist like AmWager builds into the betting screen. Some of those forms are free, some require a one-time purchase and some are refunded when you place wagers. Serious handicappers who want extensive built-in past performances and analytics may still find dedicated racing platforms more robust, though the core data needed to make informed bets is available.

DraftKings racing lets you stream live races and watch replays within your account, so you can follow any race you have bet on. Live streaming access is tied to your account and the day’s available racing, and the Churchill Downs connection helps secure coverage of major domestic events.

In states with the integrated DraftKings Racing product, a major benefit is the shared wallet, which means you do not have to fund a separate racing balance. On the older standalone DK Horse product, the wallet is separate, and DraftKings has supported a range of deposit methods. The table below reflects deposit options reported for the DK Horse app; specific methods, fees and limits can change and can also vary by state and by your own bank. For a broader look at cashout speed, see our guide to the Fastest casino payouts.

Deposit Options

Withdrawal Options and Payout Speed

On DK Horse, withdrawals are typically initiated from the account area and processed during banking hours, with electronic methods such as EZ Money ACH and PayPal generally the quickest and a check by mail the slowest. One point to know: DK Horse does not accept credit cards, and the withdrawal menu is narrower than the deposit menu. A recurring theme in user feedback on the standalone app has been frustration with withdrawal speed and with fees on some transactions. The move to a unified wallet under DraftKings Racing is intended in part to smooth this out, but you should still review the current banking terms in the app for your state.

DraftKings offers a suite of responsible gaming tools. These include My Stat Sheet, which lets customers monitor their own gaming activity, and My Budget Builder, a guided tool for setting custom limits and reminders. Set a budget before you play and stick to it. If gambling stops being fun or starts to feel like a problem, confidential help is available. You can call 1-800-GAMBLER for support.

The horse racing betting market includes established specialists and sportsbook-affiliated racebooks. The table below sums up how DraftKings racing stacks up against the main alternatives U.S. players will encounter.

DraftKings Racing’s advantage is integration with the broader DraftKings ecosystem and its unified account, which is compelling if you already bet sports or play other DraftKings products. Racing purists who prioritize the deepest handicapping tools may still prefer a dedicated racing specialist. The best choice depends on your state, the promotions available and how much you value having everything in one app.

Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER. You must be of legal age and physically located in an eligible state to wager. Availability, ages, promotions and terms vary by state and change frequently. Confirm current details with DraftKings before you bet.