Best Cheltenham Betting Sites

Cheltenham Festival sees punters old and new pitting their knowledge of national horse racing against the bookies, and now this is possible online! Whether you’re an experienced Cheltenham bettor, or a complete horse racing newbie, there are plenty of betting options to choose from. Let us run through some of the must-know information on Cheltenham Festival betting before you pick where to place your wager from our list of top-rated betting sites. All our featured bookmakers are regulated by governing bodies, such as the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC), so you can rest assured that you’re in safe hands, whichever provider you choose.

Cheltenham in a Nutshell

The Cheltenham Festival is the UK’s pinnacle jump racing event of the year. The event takes place in March, though betting opens much earlier! Cheltenham comprises of four days of top-class horse racing, with 27 fantastic races, including the Gold Cup, the Champion Hurdle, Queen Mother Champion Chase and the World Hurdle, to name a few. It’s now recognised as one of the UK’s top sporting events, attracting over 260,000 attendees each year, and is considered in the same realm as events including Wimbledon, the British Grand Prix and even the FA Cup Final.

How to Make the Best Bet

Predicting the winner of a horse race is totally different to placing a bet on a game of football, for example. Whereas there are just two teams contesting a game of football, there can often be up to 40 different horses in one race alone. 

Of course, you could always follow the odds and side with the bookies’ favourite, but with so many possible scenarios in each race, this is far from a guarantee. Races often throw up surprising results – 2019 saw many upsets, from Country House’s stunning Kentucky Derby victory to 66/1 outside Croco Bay winning the Grade 3 Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Challenge Cup Handicap Chase at Cheltenham festival.

Something else to consider as well is that horse racing betting odds are notoriously volatile and can change price at the last moment.

Cheltenham Betting Options

With so many races across the weekend, there are plenty of different betting options. Here are some of the most popular:

Win

Betting on a horse to win a race means you’ll only receive a payout if the horse comes first.

Place

With a place bet, you’re betting that a horse will come in the top three. Your payout will depend on the final position. The number of horses in a race will affect which places receive payouts.

Forecasts

This is a bet on the first two places in a race, which can offer much better odds than a first place bet. A bet on the first three places can offer better odds still, and is known as a tricast. You’ll need to predict the correct finishing order to receive the payout for these bets. Some sites also allow you to bet on a reverse forecast and tricast, where you predict the top three finishers but don’t specify the order. 

Each Way

An each way bet sees punters place two bets, effectively: one win and one place. Each bet is even, and if the horse wins, both stakes will be paid. If the horse only places, the place stake is paid out, but the win stake is lost.

Ante Post

Ante Post bets are bets placed at least one day in advance of the event. While the odds for these bets tend to be better, they are riskier as they don’t take on-the-day factors, such as weather or injury, into consideration.

Accumulator Betting

Accumulators are one of the most popular betting types and there’s the promise of some pretty big winnings if you get it right. Accumulator bets are bets on multiple different races. These can help you rack up the big bucks and typically come in doubles (two selections), trebles (three selections), four-fold (four selections) and so on. 

There is of course the possibility of really winning big, but in order to do so all your selections must come in. That’s why the best bookies will offer acca insurance, which pays back your stake as a free bet should just one of your bets let you down.

Live Betting

Some online bookmakers allow punters to place bets while the race is in full swing, which can be truly exhilarating. Live betting is not only exciting, but it can help you gain better value odds. The outright favourite you may have wanted to bet on to begin with, for example, may not have very favourable odds at the start of the match, but should they get off to a bad start then the odds of their victory will lengthen, giving you better value for your money should it eventually win. 

The best sites will even offer you live streaming options on the Cheltenham races, meaning that making a live wager has never been so easy.

Horse Racing Bonuses

Online bookies roll out a range of bonuses and promotions in the run up to Cheltenham Festival, which can help punters get the most bang for their buck. You’ll have access to your standard welcome rewards, such as deposit match bonuses, free bets and bet insurance, as well as other promotions, including guaranteed odds, price boosts and #nameyourodds, to name a few.

Free Bet

Free bets are a great way to get into the action when you sign up to site. They’re usually awarded to you when you make a qualifying bet, like ‘bet £10 get £30 in free bets,’ but some sites can offer you a free bet just for signing up. They will come with wagering requirements and other stipulations, so it’s worth keeping that in mind before you sign up.

Matched Deposit 

Matched deposits are another very common bonus you can claim when betting horse racing, and they’re very easy to get your head around. The betting site will match a percentage of your first deposit up to a certain amount, giving you extra funds to play with. A common matched deposit will look something like, ‘100% up to £100,’ which means that you have the chance to double the value of your bankroll. Of course, this is capped at a certain amount – in this instance £100 – so anything extra deposited will not be rewarded as part of the bonus. And, as usual, there will be wagering requirements attached to it that you should bear in mind when signing up.

Promotions 

Offers aren’t just available to new customers, however, as existing players can get in on the action through some pretty exciting promotions. These are usually reserved for the biggest races so, when CHeltenham comes along, there’s plenty of choice for punters. Common bonuses include odds boosts, where you can get better prices on a selection, and money-back promotions, where you get back a portion of your stake if your bet loses.

Betting on the Go

The great thing about modern day betting is that you can do it wherever you are in the world thanks to the quality of the mobile betting experience. All of our featured horse betting sites have fully optimised mobile sites if not top quality apps, meaning that placing a wager on Cheltenham has never been simpler. The best sites, however, will offer native apps which give you the best mobile betting experience. 

Mobile apps also come with the added bonus of having push notifications to keep in the loop whenever a new offer is on the way or if there’s been a change to the odds. It’s thanks to features like this that you’ll always be able to get the best out of the betting opportunities for the Cheltenham Festival.

New Sites

You no longer have to rely on the established names to get a great horse betting experience, because some of the newer sites out there have a lot to offer. In fact, some of 2021’s top new bookies, such as Mr Play, specialise in horse racing, and might even provide an even more complete betting experience.

What’s more, in order to stand out from the competition, new sites can offer some pretty great welcome bonuses. They’ll also have access to some of the finest sports betting technology meaning that they’re well worth checking out when you’re choosing the horse betting site for you.

Payment Options 

The leading betting operators ensure that players can pay in the most convenient, secure, and reliable ways possible, and each site ranked on Compare.bet offers multiple payment options. Whether you prefer the simplicity of a debit card or the ease of managing your funds with e-wallets, there’s sure to be an option that suits you.

Our preferred option is with e-wallets, as they are the most secure and convenient option for making deposits and withdrawals. 

Compare and bet

Now that we’ve covered the key elements of betting on Cheltenham festival, you’re probably ready to try it yourself. Simply use our list of top online sportsbooks to compare, find your favourite and start betting today!