There’s nothing like seeing your chosen horse win a race. But even though horse racing isn’t a seasonal sport, sometimes there’s not enough variety to justify making a bet. Luckily, there’s a solution – horse racing games. But how do they work?
Throughout the years, many iGaming developers have tried to recreate the thrill of betting on horses. Some achieved this by releasing high-quality games, including bingo, virtual races, and slots. This guide will explore the best horse racing games to play in 2023.
Giddy Up Bingo
Do you love playing bingo online as much as you enjoy horse racing? If so, this might be the game for you. Giddy Up Bingo is a horse-themed game developed by Playtech, one of the biggest providers in the business.
The game follows the classic 50-ball format, albeit with a few differences. Instead of balls, it uses horses and jockeys to call the numbers. The game starts with players picking one of four horses, each corresponding to a different ticket.
If the game calls one of your numbers, the corresponding horse displayed on the screen is removed. The winner is the player who runs out of horses first. There’s also a jackpot that’s paid if the game ends within 19 calls.
Virtual Horse Racing
Virtual horse racing is a type of game that simulates betting on horses. It works through a complex algorithm that ensures every race is entirely random. The game offers betting possibilities, including each-way, forecast, and tricast bets.
Every virtual horse race run 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This means you don’t have to wait for the next competition. You canjoin an online bookmaker and start betting.
Grand National Sporting Legends
A guide on the best horse racing games wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the Grand National. Grand National Sporting Legends was developed by Rarestone Gaming, an Australian provider owned by Playtech. It was released in 2023.
This online slot follows a five-reel, four-row layout with 40 paylines. It has medium volatility and an adjustable RTP with a default percentage of 94.85%. The game is compatible with the best from £0.10 to £500, making it an excellent option for everyone.
This game has a random feature that can trigger on any spin – Wild Horses. It starts with horses galloping across the reels, leaving up to eight wild symbols behind. There’s also a free spins bonus round with multipliers of up to 5x and sticky, expanding, or random wilds.
Frankie Dettori’s Sporting Legends
Frankie Dettori is one of the most recognisable jockeys in online casinos. Among the many slots named after the famous Italian rider is Frankie Dettori’s Sporting Legends, released by Playtech in 2018.
The game has a classic five-reel, three-row design with 25 adjustable paylines. The RTP sits at 93.01%, which is under the average in the UK. With medium volatility, players can expect frequent and reasonable wins. The game accepts bets between £0.25 and £625.
The slot has several entertainment features, including wild respins with multipliers of up to 7x and a free spins round, where players must choose a horse to win, just like a race!
The Grand National Race of Champions
Meet another slot inspired by the world’s most famous race – The Grand National Race of Champions, released by Inspired Gaming in 2017.
Like the other Grand National slot, it has a five-reel, four-row format with 40 paylines. The volatility and RTP are a little higher, with a medium/high setting and a percentage of 95%, respectively. The bets range from £0.20 to £500.
Players can trigger the free spins round by landing three to five scatters. Walking wilds are added to the reels during the bonus round, increasing your chances of landing a winning combination.
Ruby Walsh Champion’s Gold
Ruby Walsh has the most victories at the Cheltenham Festival, winning 59 races. Cayetano Gaming pays homage to the Irish jockey with Ruby Walsh Champion’s Gold, a five-reel, three-row slot released in 2017.
The game offers 20 ways to win and an RTP of 94.26%. In addition, it has medium/high volatility and a betting range between £0.01 and £100. As for the features, these include symbols that pay up to 1,000x your stake and a horse race-inspired free spins round.
Free spins have various resources, including a mechanic that pays 10x your stake on non-winning spins, multipliers of up to 10x, removed symbols, random wilds, and swapped symbols.
Ascot Sporting Legends
Playtech is famous for the “Sporting Legends” slot series, which celebrates legendary racecourses and jockeys. One of the most popular games in the franchise is Ascot Sporting Legends, based on the Ascot racecourse. It was released in 2019.
Format-wise, this game is similar from other slots previously mentioned. It features a five-reel, three-row design with 25 paylines, an RTP between 92.96% and 94.96%, and high volatility. Players can bet between £0.25 and £250 on this slot.
The bonus features are where Ascot Sporting Legends stands out from other horse racing slots. On top of wilds, multipliers, and free spins, the slot has three progressive jackpots. The most valuable jackpot can pay upwards of £400,000.
Frankie Dettori’s Magic Seven Jackpot
Remember Frankie Dettori and how he had many slots to his name? This is one of them. Frankie Dettori’s Magic Seven Jackpot is a progressive jackpot slot released by Playtech in 2016.
Like most horse racing slots, the game has a generic five-reel, three-row layout with 25 paylines. The RTP sits at 94.13%, and the volatility has a medium setting. The bets ranging from £0.25 to £25, which is not ideal for high-rollers.
Luckily, Frankie Dettori’s slots are fantastic, and this one is no exception. The game includes several fun bonuses, such as free spins, a Pick & Click game, where you can win up to 280x your bet and two progressive jackpots.
Big Horsey Fortune
The Grand National Race of Champions is not the only horse racing slot developed by Inspired Gaming. The provider also has another trick: Big Horsey Fortune, a five-reel, three-row slot released in 2023.
The base game is straightforward: 10 paylines, medium volatility, and a variable RTP with a default percentage of 94.81%. The slot accepts bets from £0.10 to £100, which is on par with most slots in the UK.
The main bonus feature is a free spins round that starts with a Pick & Click game where players can choose the biggest payout, up to 100x their stake. The number of spins is unlimited, with the round ending once the payout is collected using a wild symbol.
AP McCoy Sporting Legends
Get ready for another slot from Playtech’s Sporting Legends series – AP McCoy Sporting Legends. This time, the main character is AP McCoy, the famous Northern Irish jockey. This online slot was released in 2019.
Although it has a classic layout with five reels and three rows, the number of paylines and the maximum bet were increased to 243 and £1,250, respectively. The medium/high volatility and the RTP of 95.03% are on par with other Playtech games.
You cannot go wrong with this slot’s bonuses. It features a bonus wheel where players can win cash prizes, free spins, or multipliers, a free spins round with multipliers of up to 7x, and three progressive jackpots.
Always remember to gamble responsibly.
Suzanne Ashton, Founder of Everything Horse (Est, 2012), has a BA Hons in Marketing Management and a Diploma in Equine Science. Suzanne has ridden and owned horses all her life and has twelve years of experience in marketing, writing, design, SEO, and website creation.