Off Track Betting Minnesota

Cooperation between the Minnesota horse racing industry and the Native American-operated casinos in Minnesota has gotten horse racing in the state to a stable place. Two tracks, Canterbury Park and Running Aces, make sure that all three major breeds of horses raced in America have a season to run in the North Star State. Horse racing fans can also watch and wager on racing all year long at either of these tracks, or take advantage of great online racebooks from anywhere in the state.

OTB Minnesota Betting Sites

In Minnesota, the only places that offer simulcast wagering are the two racetracks, Canterbury and Running Aces. Both are located in the Twin Cities area. However, they are not convenient to many parts of Minnesota.

Fortunately, betting horse racing off track in Minnesota is easier than ever thanks to modern technology. Online racebooks offer a secure betting experience with market-leading odds on horse races all over the world. Furthermore, they offer bonuses and rebates that you'll never find at the racetrack or an in-person OTB location, with the convenience of letting you wager from anywhere with an internet connection.

Sign up, and you can be part of the horse racing action no matter where you are in Minnesota. These online racebooks are your best options for off-track betting across Minnesota:

Horse Racing in Minnesota

There are two horse racing tracks in Minnesota. Canterbury Park in Shakopee, Minnesota, about a half-hour drive southwest of Minneapolis, offers both Thoroughbred races and Quarter Horse racing. And, the track offers a full slate of stakes races for both breeds. Canterbury Park's season is a long summer season, starting in mid-to-late May and running until mid-September.

Harness racing fans can get their excitement at Running Aces in Columbus, Minnesota, about half an hour northeast of Minneapolis. The season at the 5/8-mile track mirrors the season at Canterbury, getting underway in the middle of May and running until mid-September.

Minnesota Horse Races

Canterbury Park has a large stakes program that features races for juveniles, sophomores, and older horses on dirt, as well as three-year-olds and older on the grass. The richest races of the meet are all $75,000 races open specifically to Minnesota-breds: the Minnesota Derby and Minnesota Oaks in early- or mid-August, as well as the Northern Lights Futurity and Northern Lights Debutante for juveniles at the end of August.

On the quarter horse side, the richest race of the year is the $82,500 Minnesota Quarter Horse Racing Association Breeders' Futurity, a mid-July race open to juveniles, with trials in late June. Most of the stakes races for Quarter Horses at Canterbury Park are for either two-year-olds or three-year-olds, though there are several older-horse races through the season as well.

Over at Running Aces, the richest race of the meet is the $50,000 Dan Patch. This race, named after the Indiana-bred star who traveled all over the country in the barnstorming days, is open to older pacers. The final day of the meet is the Minnesota Night of Champions, a full slate of stakes races for the best Minnesota-sired pacers and trotters of the year.

OTB Locations in Minnesota

Minnesota is a great state for casino gambling. Bettors who play table games, slot machines, and card games have almost two dozen casinos to choose from, across the state.

However, there are fewer options if you play the horses. In addition to offering full casinos, Canterbury Park and Running Aces offer simulcast wagering. Although the race meet only runs about four months of the year, simulcasting is open all year long at both Canterbury and Running Aces, making them places where you can get together and bet races all over the world.

If you don't live in the Twin Cities area, however, betting the horses in person gets a lot tougher. For this reason, it is especially exciting to Minnesota horseplayers that there are also so many great online options for betting horse racing.