Guide to the Best Motorsport Betting Sites for 2024
We cover all the top motorsport betting sites so you can make wagers the next time the grid lights go out. Ride along with us as we show you the top car racing events to bet on, popular betting markets and bonuses, and the differences between pre-race and live motorsport betting.
| Best Betting Sites in The United States | Bonus Offers | Highlights | Rating | Secure Link | T&Cs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Top Motorsport Betting Sites
- 🥇 BetMGM ✪ Top Motorsport Betting Site
- 🥈 Hard Rock Bet ✪ Widest Motorsport Market Selection
- 🥉 Caesars ✪ Superb Odds on Offer
- ✪ BetRivers ✪ Great Motorsports Betting Markets
- ✪ bet365 ✪ Great for New Players
The first step is finding a site you’re comfortable gambling with. Each site is unique and has different strengths and weaknesses. Selecting the right one for you goes a long way in your betting process, so here are the best motorsport betting sites by category:
It’s important to consider what you’re searching for in a sportsbook before selecting one. The odds offered by an operator, its variety of markets and the events it chooses to make lines for are key factors in being a successful motorsport bettor before you even make your first wager.
Motorsport Betting Odds and Payout
Finding Motorsport betting sites with high odds is the most important thing you can do for your bankroll in the long run. Sportsbooks set their odds in a way they believe will attract equal amounts of money on all outcomes.
The way sportsbooks generate a profit is by offering payouts that total less than 100% when all the outcomes are added up. This is called the vigorish and is best thought of as the commission a site charges bettors. Here are the payouts for motor racing at the most popular sportsbooks:
| Average Odds for the Best Motorsport Betting Events | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Motorsport Betting Site | Monaco GP | Daytona 500 | Indy 500 | WRC |
| BetMGM | 93.73% | 92.22% | 92.84% | 92.24% |
| Betway | 94.12% | 93.31% | 92.92% | 91.85% |
| Caesars | 94.02% | 93.13% | 92.29% | 91.58% |
| BetRivers | 94.23% | 93.13% | 92.81% | N/A |
| bet365 | 93.12% | 92.85% | 92.94% | N/A |
Notice in the table that Formula 1 has the highest payouts. This is because sportsbooks have loads of data and set the lines very accurately. Smaller series like the WRC, IndyCar or V8 Supercars may have less data, allowing you to capitalize through research and superior knowledge.
The trade-off is a higher vigorish charged by the sportsbooks. Plus, they could enact other measures like a bet sizing limit. This caps the amount you’re able to bet, therefore limiting the operator’s risk.
Betting on Motorsport: Competitions & Events
Car racing has a rich history that goes back decades. There are various racing series globally, all with different formats and drivers. Learning the differences between NASCAR, Formula 1, IndyCar and WRC is crucial to becoming a successful motorsport gambler.
If you’re serious about motorsport betting, we advise our readers to become familiar with the drivers, rules and formats of all the series. Doing your due diligence before making a bet is always recommended.
| The Main Motorsport Competitions You Can Bet on | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Competition Name | Competition Logo | Since | Season |
| Indianapolis 500 | Indy 500 | 1911 | Spring |
| Daytona 500 | Daytona 500 | 1959 | Winter |
| Monaco GP | Monaco GP | 1929 | Spring |
| 24 Hours of Le Mans | 24 Hours of Le Mans | 1923 | Summer |
| Isle of Man TT | Isle of Man TT | 1907 | Spring |
While the world’s most famous races attract lots of action annually, there is plenty of opportunity on a weekly basis. On weekends Formula 1 isn’t competing, there are usually other circuits in action like NASCAR, IndyCar or WRC.
That’s why it’s crucial to find sportsbooks offering odds on various motor racing series and not just Formula 1 or NASCAR. One such example are the best IndyCar Series betting sites. Once you start following and researching the tracks, drivers and rules in other competitions you can be more confident betting on them.
The Motorsport Events You Can Bet on
Motorsport has some of the oldest annual events in sports. The Indy 500, possibly the most famous race in the world, was founded in 1911. The Monaco GP has been around since 1929 and the 24 Hours of Le Mans since 1923.
As we alluded to in the previous section, these aren’t the only races each year. Additionally, it’s possible to bet on weekly sub-events like qualifying or the occasional practice session. If you’re just starting out with motorsport betting, it may be beneficial to specialize in one or two series at first.
- F1 Preseason Testing
- F1 Qualifying Events
- F1 Grands Prix
- F1 Constructor’s Champ
- WRC Overall Events
- WRC Stage Winners
- Le Mans Overall Winner
- Le Mans Class Winners
- NASCAR Qualifying
- NASCAR Races
- Daytona 500 Qualifying
- NASCAR All-Star Races
- Indianapolis 500 Qualifying
- Indianapolis 500 Mile Race
- IndyCar Races
- MotoGP Qualifying
- MotoGP Grands Prix
- V8 Supercars
- Isle of Man TT
- Bathurst 1000
Specialization prevents you from becoming overwhelmed with decisions. Betting on motorsport is a decision-based process and reducing the potential for wrong choices allows you to make more profitable ones.
Over time, you’ll become more comfortable with the ins and outs of each series and with motorsport sportsbooks themselves – see our NASCAR betting sites guide as an example of series to bet on. Once you are doing well in one or two series try adding a few more to your weekly bet slip until you can apply your process to all of them.
Markets to Place a Wager On
Motorsport online betting is unique because it combines aspects of both horse racing and traditional sports betting. Equestrian fans will find betting on outright winners quite similar to wagering on a horse to win, while traditional bettors will have plenty of props to find value in.
There are many angles you can take betting on motorsport events when you aren’t necessarily sure who will win. With up to 40 drivers or more taking part in some events, it may be easier to find value in head-to-head or group matchups.
Outright Winners
The outright winner is another way of saying the race winner. It tends to be quite difficult to pick correctly as most racing series have over 20 drivers, but can be quite profitable.
Group Winners
This market gives you the opportunity to choose who will do the best among a subset of drivers. The market usually has four drivers, but can vary from three to eight.
Head-to-Head
Head-to-head markets will be the most familiar to traditional sports bettors. You are given two drivers and choose which one will finish higher. Though the odds are lower than in other markets, it can be quite profitable if you’re accurate.
Winning Constructor
The winning constructor lets you bet on the winning car’s manufacturer. In F1, each team is considered a constructor, whereas in a series like NASCAR there are multiple teams running one of four marques.
Live Betting
Live motorsport betting is much harder to find than with many sports. This is because it’s hard for betting sites to keep up with the pace of the on-track action. That being said, some sportsbooks do let you pull up their live betting clients and get updates on the race as it unfolds.
This means you can see what’s been happening before placing your wager. If one of your favourites crashes out early, maybe you’ll recognize a dark horse on an alternate race strategy you think might be a good value play.
Another benefit of betting on motorsport live is it provides you with an opportunity to hedge your pre-race wager. If you’re not feeling confident in your original pick, you might be able to bet on some other drivers at decent odds later in the race.
However, this is an advanced strategy and is more complex compared to a sport like football or basketball. Beginners should stick with smaller bets and not hedge until they’re confident enough in their bankroll to raise their stakes.
Ultimately, the difference between in-race and pre-race betting all comes down to personal preference. If you enjoy live betting this is the perfect sport to partake in.
Bonuses on Offer
Since motorsport online betting is so different from other sports, it’s rare to find specific promotions. Occasionally, a site offers enhanced odds or a 2nd chance bet on a huge event like the Indy 500 in return for a wager to entice new gamblers.
It’s also possible to take advantage of a site’s welcome bonus when you’re betting on motorsport.
While there aren’t many bonuses for motorsports in particular, operators occasionally make offers applicable to the entire sportsbook. An example would be an operator giving bonus bets in return for wagers totalling a certain amount over the course of a month.
That being said, it pays to be aware of bonuses offered on specific sites. When there is a popular auto race on the calendar, operators tend to compete with each other for traffic by making promotional offers.
How to Bet on Motorsport
Motorsport betting strategy can be quite complex when compared to typical team sports. This is due to the large field size and potential for wagers on peripheral stats like fastest lap or total laps led. However, much of it comes down to the drivers, cars and tracks.
Often some tracks will fit certain cars or drivers better than others. You can find this information by researching the past form of the competitors. Using this information you can tell if a driver performs better on a certain track type over others and use that to find value.
- Pick a series to specialize in.
- Become familiar with the drivers, teams and tracks.
- Wager on the market that makes the most sense for the race.
- Try to use sites with a large number of markets
- Live betting can be useful
At the end of the day, motorsport betting, and sports betting in general comes down to your ability to find value over the long term. That might mean betting on different markets each weekend. See our soccer betting guide for a super useful overview on calculating expected value.
Facts, History, Stats
Auto racing has a reputation for being the most dangerous mainstream sport in the world. Since the late 19th century man and machine have been pushing the boundaries of speed and safety, occasionally crossing the line with tragic results. Luckily, technology has made the sport much safer over the past decades.
The First Auto Race
The world’s first auto race was held in 1894 and went from Paris to Rouen, for a total distance of 127 km. The race took over six hours to complete at an average pace of 19km/h. The first professional race, held in 1895, was from Paris to Bordeaux, a whopping 1,178 km. Only nine of the 22 starters finished the course over the two-day event.
The Indianapolis 500 Mile Race
The busiest race in the world for betting, drivers have been coming to the Indy 500 since 1911. One of the fastest circuits in the world, drivers routinely lap the rectangular oval at average speeds of over 230 mph. It also sees the most betting action each year out of any race worldwide.
The Rise of Formula One
Formula One is considered the premier motorsport series in the world. Featuring some of the world’s most famous manufacturers like Ferrari, McLaren and Renault, F1 history is full of legendary stories and massive personalities.
The World Championship for Drivers was first contested in 1950, and The World Constructors’ Championship in 1958. The series has since grown into a symbol of luxury, with the world’s rich and famous clamouring to be seen at the next GP.
While motorsport viewership peaked in the early 2000s in the United States, Formula One’s international format means it’s only becoming more popular throughout the rest of the world. Each year F1 finds new tracks to include, providing bettors with the unique opportunity of being on equal footing with the betting sites.
Conclusion About Motorsport Online Betting
At the end of the day, betting on motorsport offers bettors s one of the more unique wagering experiences. Very different to stick and ball sports but also not quite similar to horse racing, motorsport online betting represents a unique niche.
Though not quite popular enough for major sportsbooks to offer exclusive motorsport betting bonuses, the sport is growing quite quickly across the world. It will be interesting to see which of the best US betting sites will start capitalizing on this increasing demand for motorsport betting sites.
FAQ
While we tried to make our motorsport betting guide as comprehensive as possible, occasionally our readers have more specific questions. Check out some frequently asked questions in the section below:
🏆 What are the best motorsport betting sites?
The best motorsport betting sites are fully licensed by a regulatory authority. You can see our list of the best motorsport sportsbooks which are all legal to use in the US.
✔️ Is betting on Motorsport allowed?
Yes, betting on motorsport is allowed where sports betting is legal. If you live in an state where sports betting is allowed and want to start betting on motorsport, begin by looking at the best motorsport betting bonuses and choosing an operator meeting those criteria.
💰 What are the average Motorsport betting odds offered by sportsbooks?
The average motorsport odds vary by sportsbook. Some may charge more vigorish than others and some offer better odds on favorites versus underdogs. Click the link for a table showing the average motorsport odds at top sportsbooks.
❓ Is there a strategy I can follow to bet on motorsport?
Yes, there is a strategy you can use for betting on motorsport. Though this is great for beginners, it's best to experiment and develop your own process until you can create your own motorsport betting strategy.