2025 Preakness Stakes Betting Guide
- 2025 Preakness Stakes - May 17, 2025
- The Second Leg Of The Triple Crown
- Odds Available For All Triple Crown Races
The Preakness Stakes is the second leg of the American Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, and it follows the Kentucky Derby in both popular excitement and betting volume. "The Run for the Black-Eyed Susans" has given many an unlucky Triple Crown hopeful a black eye, but it’s also the race that determines whether or not there can be a potential Triple Crown winner, to begin with. Thus, the intrigue for the race – and for legal Preakness Stakes betting – is always off the charts.
You can legally and safely wager on horse races at online racebooks that operate outside of US jurisdiction. These sites let you lock in house-banked Preakness odds instead of going with the US model of pari-mutuel horse race gambling, which means higher payouts for you. So, if you want the best and most profitable odds, you need the best legal horse betting sites!
Best Preakness Stakes Betting Sites
| Site Name | Current Bonus | Age | U.S. | Visit Site | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |  | 50% Max $1,000 | 18+ |  | Visit Site Review |
| 2 |  | 125% Max $3,125 | 18+ | | Visit Site Review |
| 3 |  | 50% Max $250 | 18+ | | Visit Site Review |
| 4 |  | 25% Max $500 | 18+ | | Visit Site Review |
| 5 |  | 50% Max $500 | 18+ | | Visit Site Review |
| 6 |  | 50% Max $1,000 | 21+ | | Visit Site Review |
| 7 |  | 50% Max $200 | 21+ | | Visit Site Review |
Is Preakness Stakes Betting Legal?
Yes! In over 40 US states, wagering at domestic interstate racebooks is legal. However, this leaves a fifth of the country out to pasture when it comes to legal online horse gambling, which is less than ideal, especially on a race as popular and important as the Preakness Stakes.
Fortunately, horseplayers from every state in the USA can use a legitimate international racinos that offers Preakness Stakes odds. These sites are safe to use, and there are no US federal gambling laws that prevent citizens and residents from placing real money horse wagers online. The primary law governing US horse race gambling is the Interstate Horse Racing Act of 1978 (IHRA), and it does not exclude offshore racebooks in any way.
Examples Of Preakness Stakes Odds
Once the Kentucky Derby is concluded, you will start to see Preakness odds in the "Horse Racing Futures" sections of your favorite online racebooks.
The Preakness Stakes has a traditional limit of 14 horses, but it sometimes fields a smaller number of ponies than that. This can be due to late scratches, disqualifications, and withdrawals as the date of the race nears.
2025 Preakness Stakes Field
The field for the 2025 Preakness Stakes has not been set, and betting odds and futures will have to wait until that happens. This should happen after the Kentucky Derby is over.
The maximum Preakness field is 14 total horses, but that doesn't necessarily mean that the race will feature 14 entrants come the day of the meet.
How To
There are several ways to legally gamble on the Preakness Stakes horse race. If you live in a state with horse racing tracks, you can usually use their simulcast options to wager on the race. This is legal in most states thanks to the IHRA, but not all states have opted in.
In the majority of states, you can also wager at off-track betting outlets (OTBs) or online with a domestic operator. International racebooks operating online and outside of the reach of US laws are also legal in the USA.
Because this latter option is available to everyone – and because you usually get better odds that are locked in when you place your wagers – we recommend them over all domestic venues short of watching the Preakness and wagering on it live at the Pimlico Race Course itself.
International Online Racebooks
International online racebooks – which are technically international OTBs – are the best option for Preakness Stakes betting. In fact, they’re the best option for all horse race gambling, as the best online racebooks feature daily races from hundreds of US tracks and other major tracks from all across the world.
If you’re a true fan of the ponies, watch the Triple Crown series like it’s the Super Bowl, and subscribe to BloodHorse magazine, you should probably be wagering at an overseas racebook. You’ll get races 24/7/365 from all around the world, with Thoroughbred, Standardbred, and harness horse races to choose from.
If you want to bet on sports in Canada, the US, Mexico, Great Britain, Ireland, the Middle East, Australia, Japan, and more, sign up at an offshore racebook site today. With the 2025 Preakness Stakes just about to burst out of the gate, now is the perfect time to become a member.
Official Racetracks
Betting at official horse racing tracks is a fun way to wager on the Preakness, but it’s not the most convenient way. Even if your state has horse tracks, chances are you’ll have make tracks in a big way to get there to wager.
To wager at official racetracks, you place your wagers with a ticket window attendant. When the window closes, the track takes its cut before divvying up the remaining pot per the submitted tickets.
This is why gamblers making pari-mutuel (i.e., pool-style) wagers won’t know the exact odds or payouts until all wagers are submitted and the race is about to begin. If you have a track located conveniently nearby, it’s a fun experience, but if you’d have to hoof it long distance, we recommend OTBs and online international books.
Off-Track Betting Venues (OTBs)
OTBs are retail terminals, kiosks, or storefronts that are related to local racetracks and allow players to place wagers – and often view simulcast races – on television monitors. The Preakness Stakes is naturally one of the biggest movers and shakers for domestic US OTBs.
Effectively, off-track betting sites expand the scope and reach of tracks so more horseplayers can wager on the Preakness Stakes and other races. The disadvantages of OTBs are that they too remain few and far between for most gamblers, and unlike wagering at a track, you can’t handicap the horses for yourself.
The domestic online racebooks that take customers from 40+ US states are considered to be Internet-based OTBs, and some services even have downloadable iPhone and Android apps for the Preakness Stakes et al.
Mobile Racino Apps
You can participate in Preakness betting via mobile devices at overseas betting sites, but you won’t find horse betting apps in the App Store or on Google Play. Instead, the best Internet horse betting outlets all use web apps – That is, you can bet on the race via your mobile browser.
These mobile portals are accessible via any device, whether you have the smallest iPhone or the biggest iPad or Android. Even better, their dynamic, responsive designs mean you get a custom racebook presentation no matter what.
There are no downloads or updates to worry about, and you can place bets from anywhere in the USA since there are no geo-fencing restrictions. All you need is a modern smartphone or tablet, an Internet connection, and a membership at one of the top horse betting sites listed here.
What Is The Preakness Stakes?
The Preakness Stakes is the second leg of the US Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, and after Kentucky Derby betting, it turns the biggest handle of any horse race in the country. Usually, the Derby winner will be the favorite to win the race, with both fans and bettors high on the hog – or high on their high horses! – because of the always-exciting potential for a new Triple Crown champion.
If the winner of the Kentucky Derby is considered a very strong horse, he or she will usually be favored by a wide margin to win the Preakness. And if he actually pulls off the win, Belmont Stakes betting takes everything to a whole new level, as the Belmont is the last leg of the Triple Crown series.
The Preakness is the youngest of the Triple Crown races, with its inaugural run at Baltimore’s Pimlico Race Course held in the Spring of 1893.
The track is 9.5 furlongs in length (1 3/16 miles, dirt), making it the shortest of the three Triple Crown races. Thus, it favors sprinters over marathoners. And while the purse is currently $1 million to 1.5 million, that’s nothing compared to the gambling action that horse bettors lay down each year online.
