A healthy live circuit — Fonner Park (Grand Island), Legacy Downs (Lincoln), Horsemen’s Park (Omaha), Columbus and more, boosted by new racetrack-casinos.
Online wagering is available in practice though not expressly codified; AmWager, TwinSpires and Xpressbet accept Nebraska residents. The racebooks below are the ones our team rates highest for Nebraska bettors, judged on track coverage, rebates and the welcome offer.
You must be 21+ to bet the horses in Nebraska, with racing overseen by the Nebraska Racing & Gaming Commission. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.
Best Nebraska Horse Racing Betting Sites
Our top-rated advance-deposit wagering (ADW) apps for Nebraska bettors. Tap to open the operator’s official sign-up page. 21+. Terms apply.
Note: Nebraska has not formally regulated online horse-race wagering. The sites below are licensed out of state and accept Nebraska residents; always check the operator’s terms before you deposit.
- ★ EDITOR’S PICK
AmWagerEditor’s pick★ 4.8 / 5100% First Deposit Match up to $50 · Promo Code AMWAGERDeposit $50, bet $50, get $50 in bonus wagering credits
AmWager's terms list Nebraska as an available state, so Cornhusker State players can follow Fonner Park in the spring and the summer circuit through Lincoln, Omaha, Columbus and South Sioux City from one account. Betting features include pool wagering, conditional and Dutch tickets, race replays, and current and historical race results. AmWager accounts are for bettors 21 and older.
Key terms: New AmWager customers only; first deposit only; Bet the amount of your first deposit (up to $50) within 30 days of opening the account; Show bets, cancelled and refunded wagers don't count; Bonus credits land within seven business days and expire after 30 days; winnings from them are cash. Full terms apply — see our AmWager review. Please play responsibly. -
TwinSpiresBest for coverage★ 4.7 / 5$200 Sign-Up Bonus · Promo Code BET200$100 in bonus cash for every $400 you wager, up to $200
TwinSpires, the ADW of Churchill Downs, has some of the widest track coverage available to Nebraska bettors, with live video and a reliable app on big race days.
Key terms: Wager $800 within 30 days of opening your account to earn the full $200; Bonus paid in $100 increments for every $400 wagered; Show wagers don't count; bets count once the race is official; Credited within 10 business days; one per household. Full terms apply — see our TwinSpires review. Please play responsibly. -
NYRA BetsBest for big meets★ 4.5 / 5$25 Free Bet + $200 Deposit Match · Promo Code CUP25A free bet on sign-up, then 100% of your first deposit matched up to $200
NYRA Bets names Nebraska in its account terms, which set a minimum age of 21 for Nebraska residents. Members get free live video, with HD coverage of Saratoga and Belmont Park, up to three streams at once and free handicapping picks. Box, key and fill options make exotic tickets quick to build.
Key terms: $25 free bet credit on sign-up; unused credit is removed after 14 days; 100% match on your first deposit up to $200, made within 30 days of opening the account; Wager twice your deposit within 30 days to unlock the match; Show bets, futures, phone wagers and cancelled bets don't count. Full terms apply — see our NYRA Bets review. Please play responsibly. -
XpressbetBest for rebates★ 4.4 / 5See the current welcome offer on the site
Xpressbet, the 1/ST-owned platform, accepts Nebraska customers, who must be 19 or older under its terms. It also powers 1/ST BET and took over DRF Bets customers in 2025 under the 1/ST Bet Pro name, giving Nebraska players a long-established option for the national schedule between the state's short live meets.
21+. New customers only. Terms apply. Please play responsibly. -
Iron BetsRebates★ 4.1 / 550% Deposit Bonus up to $300 · No Promo Code neededHalf your first deposit added to your bonus account
Iron Bets Racing lists Nebraska among the 30 states it serves. Accounts include free race video and replays, cash back on wagers through Iron Rewards, and lower-takeout bets under its Iron Values banner, with betting through the mobile site or the iOS app.
Key terms: 50% of your first deposit, up to a $300 bonus ($600 deposit for the maximum); 10% of each wager is released from the bonus account once the race is official; One bonus per email or mailing address; 18+ (21+ in AL, ND, WA). Full terms apply — see our Iron Bets review. Please play responsibly.
Horse Racing & Betting in Nebraska
A healthy live circuit — Fonner Park (Grand Island), Legacy Downs (Lincoln), Horsemen’s Park (Omaha), Columbus and more, boosted by new racetrack-casinos.
Voter-approved casino gambling at racetracks (Initiative 430) has driven new racino builds and bigger purses across Nebraska.
Online wagering is available in practice though not expressly codified; AmWager, TwinSpires and Xpressbet accept Nebraska residents.
Fonner Park’s spring meet in Grand Island, the state’s flagship.
Nebraska’s race tracks are known in the American racing industry for offering some of the largest and most posh simulcast parlors in the country. As well, Nebraska horse bettors can live stream races via NYRA Bets, 1/ST BET, TwinSpires, AmWager, Hollywood Races and Premier Turf Club.
| Track | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fonner ParkGrand Island · Thoroughbred · Thoroughbreds Feb 14 – May 2, 2026 (31 days) | ||||||||||||
| Legacy DownsLincoln · Thoroughbred · Thoroughbreds May 16 – Jun 14, 2026 (11 days) | ||||||||||||
| Horsemen’s ParkOmaha · Thoroughbred · Thoroughbreds Jun 27 – Jul 12, 2026 (7 days) | ||||||||||||
| Lake Mac RacetrackOgallala · Quarter Horse · Quarter Horses Jul 10 – 11, 2026 (2 days) | ||||||||||||
| Columbus Exposition & RacingColumbus · Thoroughbred · Thoroughbreds Jul 24 – Aug 23, 2026 (15 days) | ||||||||||||
| Atokad DownsSouth Sioux City · Thoroughbred · Thoroughbreds Aug 29 – Sep 7, 2026 (5 days) |
Months with live racing. Dates come from the tracks and the state racing regulator; meets can change, so check the track’s own calendar before you go. Simulcast wagering runs year-round.
More on Racing in Nebraska
There still remains a fairly robust horse racing industry in Nebraska, and it looks as if the landscape could be getting even more crowded. A government plan to legalize gambling and pair casinos with race tracks has everyone and their siblings interested in building a race track in the Cornhusker State.
Applications to construct tracks were received by the government from Bellevue, York, Norfolk, North Platte and Gerin. If all were approved, it would nearly double the number of tracks operating in Nebraska.
Choosing a Racing Site in Nebraska
- Hollywood Races
- Premier Turf Club
Popular Online Horse Bet Types & Races
There are three types of straight bets offered by Nebraska horse racing - win, place and show. With a win wager, the horse must win the race in order for you to win the wager. A place bet wins the wager if your horse finishes first or second. Betting a horse to show means selecting a horse you think will finish in the top 3. You win the wager if your horse finishes first, second, or third.
Exotic wagers include exacta bets. You must select the first two horses to finish in the exact order. With a trifecta wager, you must select the first three horses to finish in exact order. If picking two or three horses in order sounds too difficult you can box your wager. A boxed trifecta wager will win if your horses finish in the correct finishing positions in any order.
Other exotic bets featured are the quinella (you must select the first and second horses in any order, superfecta (you must select the first four horses to finish in exact order, Superhigh5 (you must select the first five horses to finish in exact order) and daily double (you must select the winner of two consecutive races).
There are also multiple wagers. These include Pick 3 (you must select the winners of three consecutive races as designated in the program), Pick 4 (you must select the winners of four consecutive races as designated in the program, Pick 5 (you must select the winners of five consecutive races as designated in the program and Pick 6 (you must select the winners of six consecutive races as designated in the program).
Major Horse Betting Events In The USA That You Can Bet On In Nebraska
Fonner Park plays host to the $75,000 Gus Fonner Stakes, which is contested at a mile and a 16th. They also offer the Pepsi Stakes, Fonner Park Special Stakes, and the Al Swihart Memorial.
Nebraska Horse Racing Betting Legal Overview
There are six tracks operational and offering live racing in Nebraska. These include Columbus Exposition and Racing, Lake Mac in Ogallala, Fonner Park in Grand Island, Horsemen’s Park in Omaha, Legacy Downs in Lincoln and South Sioux City.
Pari-mutuel wagering was legalized in Nebraska in 1935. For many years, Ak-Sar-Ben (Nebraska spelled backwards) was the most popular track in the state. That facility closed its doors in 1996.
Nebraska Racetracks
Fonner Park · Grand Island, NE
Offering live thoroughbred racing February-May.
Legacy Downs (formerly Lincoln Race Course) – 7055 S 1st Street, Lincoln NE 68523. Offering live thoroughbred racing every May and June.
Horsemen’s Park · 6303 Q Street, Omaha NE 68117
Offering live thoroughbred racing June-July.
Lake Mac Casino Resort & Racetrack · Ogallala, NE
A short live meet in July.
Columbus Exposition & Racing · 822 15th St, Columbus NE 68601
Offering live thoroughbred racing July-August.
South Sioux City – 1524 Atokad Drive, South Sioux City NE 68776. Offering a short live thoroughbred meet every late August and early September.
How to Bet on Horse Racing
New to the windows? Start with the straight bets. A win bet needs your horse to finish first; place pays if it runs first or second; show pays for first, second or third. They are the cheapest way to learn the game.
From there come the exotics, where the real payouts live. The exacta asks for the first two home in order, the trifecta the first three, and the superfecta the first four. Multi-race bets — the daily double, Pick 3, Pick 4 and Pick 6 — string winners together across races, and the Pick 6 jackpot can roll into life-changing money. Our guide to exotic bets walks through each one, and the beginner’s guide to betting on racing covers the basics end to end.
How to Start Betting on Racing in Nebraska
- Pick a racebook and sign up.
Tap a “Visit” button above to open an ADW account. You must be 21+ and within state lines where required.
- Claim the welcome offer and deposit.
Fund the account by debit card, bank transfer or PayPal and activate any new-customer bonus before your first wager.
- Find a race and place your bet.
Browse the day’s cards, read the form, pick your horse and bet type, and confirm. Watch the live stream and collect if you win.
Nebraska Horse Racing Betting Sites and Apps (November 2026)
- AmWager
- TwinSpires
- NYRA Bets
- Xpressbet
- Iron Bets
Available in Nebraska, AmWager offers new players a 100% first-deposit match up to $50 with Promo Code AMWAGER. To gain the total value of the bonus, players must make a first deposit of $50 and then wager at least $50 through their first 30 days as an AmWager customer.
NYRA Bets, 1/ST BET, TwinSpires and AmWager are the top horse-wagering platforms in the state.
Nebraska Horse Racing Betting FAQs
Is online horse race betting legal in Nebraska?
Online wagering is available in practice though not expressly codified; AmWager, TwinSpires and Xpressbet accept Nebraska residents, with the sport overseen by the Nebraska Racing & Gaming Commission.
How old must you be to bet on horses online in Nebraska ?
18 for pari-mutuel horse wagering.
Which racetracks run in Nebraska?
A healthy live circuit — Fonner Park (Grand Island), Legacy Downs (Lincoln), Horsemen’s Park (Omaha), Columbus and more, boosted by new racetrack-casinos.
Which apps can I use in Nebraska?
Our top-rated picks are listed above. Online wagering is available in practice though not expressly codified; AmWager, TwinSpires and Xpressbet accept Nebraska residents.
Where to watch online/stream horse races in Nebraska?
Nebraska’s race tracks are known in the American racing industry for offering some of the largest and most posh simulcast parlors in the country.