History of the Development of Sports Betting on Horse Racing

Online betting on horse racing is the most common way to bet on horses today.

The first evidence of racing on horses was in Greece. The sport spread to Persia, Arabia and China. Sports racing became big in the UK in 17th century. King's Plate races were introduced by Charles II a century later. It was also when the ruleset as we know it today began to be implemented.

The first bet on a horse race was placed during the reign of Louis XIV. St. Leger is often referred to as the first modern horse racing in England, which was in 1776. It was illegal to bet during that time, but there were some bets on St Leger races.

The 19th century was the most important for sports betting on horses. The number of horses racing doubled between 1837 and 1869.

The 20th century was mostly boring and the two world wars were devastating. The 21st century has changed the way information about horse racing is distributed and how bookmakers take bets. Information went from being in newspapers to being on blogs, news sites and social media. Virtual horse races were developed and bets could be placed on the mobile phone.