Best Greyhound Racing Betting Sites

Top 10 Greyhound Racing Betting Sites in the UK (December 2023)

Greyhounds racing is very similar to horse racing in how it works on UK betting sites. People have the chance to bet on races in advance via ante-post betting markets while all of the day's major meetings will have racecards available to view on the day too.

Most greyhound races have six dogs facing off in a bid to cross the line in first place, although some of them have eight competitors. Leading UK betting sites often have plenty of greyhounds live streaming available to watch for their customers too, which means users can put on a bet and then tune in to the action to see whether or not their wager is going to be a winner.

Meetings from the UK and Ireland tend to dominate but there is usually the chance to bet on big races from countries such as Australia, Mexico and the United States on betting sites as well.

Most bookmakers offer greyhound racing markets to some degree, but here are the 10 best:

Betfred - #1 Best Greyhound Racing Betting Site

As one of the UK's most traditional betting brands, it is no surprise Betfred ranks highly among the country's top options for greyhounds. Betfred usually has some of the best prices for greyhounds betting in the UK, so those who sign up for an account here get good value.

Markets such as forecasts and reverse forecasts are among those offered by Betfred, which covers all of the major greyhound racing meetings that take place regularly in the UK. New users at Betfred can also benefit from plenty of greyhounds free bets and bonuses here as well.

William Hill - #2 Best Greyhound Racing Betting Site

Best odds guaranteed is offered at William Hill, so this online bookmaker will never be beaten on price when it comes to greyhounds racing in the UK. Meetings from across the country are covered and many of them can be watched through the Betting TV service on this site too.

Users can also get access to William Hill's free racing radio for live commentary on both greyhounds and horse racing events, as well as racing news, interviews, daily racing podcasts and more.

William Hill does not just have UK greyhounds racing available to bet on either. The site has races from Australia and other nations on its site, as well as virtual greyhounds racing as well.

Combination tricast is among the types of greyhound betting that users can pick from here.

Paddy Power - #3 Best Greyhound Racing Betting Site

Paddy Power is another leading bookmaker where greyhounds racing is available to view live.

Those who want to bet on the big races of the day then watch them live should therefore definitely think about joining Paddy Power, with new users getting a £20 risk-free bet here too.

At Paddy Power, virtual greyhounds are included in the options for users to pick from as well.

Ante-post greyhound racing markets are offered for major races such as the Irish Greyhound Derby, giving fans of the sport a chance to get a great price in advance of the event.

Betfair - #4 Best Greyhound Racing Betting Site

Betfair might be most famous as one of the best betting exchanges to sports lovers from the UK, but it is a fantastic choice for greyhounds fans due to its vast sportsbook too.

One of the main reasons to join Betfair is that the site offers users the chance to boost the price of up to three greyhounds bets every single day.

That gives Betfair the edge when it comes to greyhounds racing odds, while races are available to view live for those who sign up for an account as well, completing the full package on this site.

Bet365 - #5 Best Greyhound Racing Betting Site

Bet365 is another of the major UK online bookmakers to offer best odds guaranteed on dog racing, which makes sure its customers are always going to get top value on their wagers.

Action from Mexico and Australia is also available to stream live for those who have a Bet365 account, as well as races from the UK and the US.

Bet365 offers its customers the chance to create a list of their favourite greyhounds, with the option to then have alerts sent when they are set to race.

For these reasons, Bet365 is certainly a leading choice for UK greyhound racing betting.

BetVictor - #6 Best Greyhound Racing Betting Site

BetVictor has live dog racing available to stream live too, though there is a requirement to place a wager of at least £1 on a race to be able to view it.

Those who join BetVictor can bet on all the big greyhound races such as the Sandown Cup and the East Anglian Derby with all the registered dog racing tracks in the UK covered here.

Dog racing markets offered at BetVictor include everything from exactas and trifectas to the more prosaic straight and reverse forecasts, as well as greyhounds accumulators.

888Sport - #7 Best Greyhound Racing Betting Site

Formerly known mostly as being an online casino site, 888Sport is now a top choice for greyhound racing betting, as well as for most of the other major sports in the UK.

At 888Sport, fans of dog racing can find meetings from Australia and Ireland available to bet on, as well as UK tracks. Virtual greyhounds racing is also included on the 888Sport site as well.

As well as strong greyhound odds, 888Sport publishes free tips for big races for its users too.

Unibet - #8 Best Greyhound Racing Betting Site

Ante-post dog racing betting is available on Unibet, with fans of the sport able to see racecards in advance and pick out their selections to get the best possible value from their wagers.

UK and Irish dog racing dominates the markets offered at Unibet but there are some races from Mexico and the United States on the site too, as well as the ubiquitous virtual greyhounds too. Like most of the other leading UK betting sites for greyhound racing, streaming is available as well. Unibet is, therefore, a good choice for those who want to watch live dog races.

Boylesports - #9 Best Greyhound Racing Betting Site

Virtual greyhounds are among the 10 different virtual sports offered at Boylesports, but there is plenty of choice for those who want to bet on real action on the site too.

Boylesports has ante-post markets and dog racing specials, as well as promotions such as offering users a free bet if their selection finishes second to the starting price favourite. Dog racing fans will find Boylesports offers close to the total package, with the odds that are available on this site usually some of the best in the business for the sport as well.

Betway - #10 Best Greyhound Racing Betting Site

Up to 150 different races are available to bet on each day at Betway, but the site does have a strong focus on meetings from the UK and Ireland, rather than offering more global options.

Among the reasons to join Betway for dog racing betting is the company's free bet club, which gives users £10 in free bets as long as they meet the qualifying terms for the offer. With some live streaming also offered, Betway is a solid choice for fans of the sport and there is plenty of depth to the markets that are up for grabs.

Popular Greyhound Betting Markets Explained

For those who are new to greyhound betting, the number of options can be quite confusing. While it is certainly possible to just bet on which dog will win the race, here are some of the other popular greyhound betting markets in the UK, with an explanation of how they all work:

Single bet: Greyhound betting does not get any more straightforward than this. Users just have to pick which dog they think will win the race, then decide how much to stake on the wager. As with horse racing, each-way bets are available that let users get paid for a place as well. As dog races are usually contested by six entrants, the places are often just for the top two finishers.

Multiples: Accumulators are possible in dog racing betting, as they are for horse racing and other sports that are popular to bet on in the UK. Big potential profits are up for grabs when multiples are used, though dog racing is very unpredictable, perhaps more than most sports.

Forecasts: Like in horse racing, many fans of betting on dog races like to use forecasts. This involves picking the first two dogs that will cross the line. A straight forecast means users have to pick the winner and the second-placed dog, while a reverse forecast means the two dogs picked out for the selections can finish in either first or second position and the bet will win.

Trifecta: Things get a bit more complex with the trifecta, which is a type of greyhounds bet were fans of the sport have to pick the top three dogs in the race. Odds can be very appealing for a trifecta bet but the flip side is that this type of greyhounds wager is very hard to get right.

Rules and Format for UK Greyhound Races

Millions of pounds in prize money are still up for grabs in UK dog racing, even though the popularity of this sport has been gradually slipping over the course of recent decades. Most meetings have a series of races that take place throughout the day, as with horse racing. The vast majority of dog races feature six entrants, although sometimes there are eight dogs.

Helpfully, there is a standard colour scheme in operation for UK dog races. The greyhound that starts in the first trap will be dressed in red colours with a white number. Trap two's dog is in blue with a white number, then the trap three greyhound wears white with a black number. Dogs that start the race in trap four are in black with a white number, with the trap five dog wearing orange and black. In trap six, usually the last, the dog has a red number and black and white stripes.

There are currently around 20 active dog tracks in the UK, with the majority of these in England as the sport is not as popular in Scotland and Wales. Some of the tracks where dog racing takes place include Brighton and Hove Stadium, Kinsley Stadium, Monmore Green Stadium, Sunderland Stadium, Central Park Stadium, Swindon Stadium and Newcastle Stadium. Top dog races to bet on include the Scottish Greyhound Derby which is held at Shawfield Stadium, and the English Greyhound Derby, as well as the Irish Greyhound Derby.

Racing Types and Terminology for Greyhounds

As with horse racing, greyhound racing in the UK is made up of grades, or categories.

As mentioned above, the Greyhound Derby meetings are the most popular in the sport. These must-have minimum prize money of £50,000 and there are six rounds of races.

In order to be deemed a Category One Race, it must have minimum prize money of £12,500, while at least £5,000 has to be up for grabs in a Category Two Race. The minimum potential prize pot then comes down to £1,000 for a Category Three Race.

Graded racing is also available and this makes up much of the action available to bet on. As with horse racing, grade one is the top tier of racing to look out for. A class represents standard races and D class represents sprint races, while S class represents staying races.

Most people would likely be able to guess that M class represents marathon races and P class represents puppy races and there is also the H class to look for, which represents hurdle races.

There are also three different types of hare system - Swaffham, Sumner and Bramich - which all work in broadly the same way, giving the greyhounds something to chase during the race.

Like a lot of other sports, greyhounds racing involves a lot of special terms that those who are new to betting on the dogs may not understand. As an example, the word box is used as an alternative to the trap, while going means the same as in horse racing, referring to the state of the track, which will have an impact on which dogs are likely to be the fastest in a race.

Jolly is a term that is used as an alternative word for the favourite in a race in greyhounds circles. To lay, as in other sports, is to bet against an event, such as laying the favourite would be gambling on them not crossing the line in first place. Rag refers to the outsider in the field, the dog that is completely unfancied and is much more likely to be in last place than the winner.

Other terms of note in greyhounds racing include trial, which is a practice race for the greyhounds, intended to give them experience that will help them out later in their career. Trial races do not have betting offered, so it is not possible to win money on the outcome, but it is worth keeping an eye on them to see which dogs could be worth considering for future bets.

As with horse racing, dog racing in the UK gives users the option of playing with the Tote, which is a type of pool betting system. These are operated by the tracks themselves and offer fans of the sport an alternative to betting with bookmakers. Tote betting on dogs is quite niche, however.

Abbreviations are commonly used in the sport, with 'DH' meaning dead heat while 'TIT' means turned in traps, referring to the greyhound facing in the wrong direction at the start of a race. With all of that in mind, what are some top greyhound racing betting tips and strategies to use?

Greyhound Racing Betting Tips and Strategies

Like with other types of sports betting in the UK, various dog racing strategies have been used by people over the years in a bid to get an edge over the bookmakers. The internet is also full of greyhound racing betting tips for those who want to consult expert advice before betting. It is not always easy to know which greyhounds tipsters can be trusted, so it is worth taking some time to research them and see if they have a winning record in the sport or a good reputation.

One of the most important things to consider in greyhounds betting is the age of the dog. This has an even bigger impact than the age of a horse in racing. Greyhounds are classed as puppies until they are 24 months old and will only race against dogs in the same bracket.

Greyhounds are usually thought to be in their prime at around 30 to 36 months, but this of course varies on the dog. There is also a school of thought in the sport that sprinters are better at a younger age, while longer races might be more suited to an older dog with more experience.

Conditions play a part in greyhound racing betting tips too. Just as with horse racing, the state of the ground will impact the race and favour some dogs, while others might struggle in certain conditions. If the weather is wet, experienced dogs considered to be stayers might be a better bet than a younger dog that prefers to run on a fast, dry track. When it rains, there is also a chance that the track could hold some surface water, making it harder for dogs on the inside.

As is the case with horse racing, higher grade or category dog races tend to have more predictable outcomes. The lower-quality races can be a lot harder to call, which on the one hand makes it harder to pick out winning wagers, but can lead to more profits for those who do win. Picking and choosing races is important. There is no need to try to place a wager on every single race that is taking place in a meeting. It is better to be more considered with selections.

Studying the form is important when placing bets on greyhound racing. Even if a dog has been performing well, take time to look properly at the data before committing to a wager. Perhaps a dog has been recording strong results in low-grade races but is making the step up to a higher level for the first time. If this is the case, it might be better to steer clear in favour of a dog who has experience at that level and will be more capable of competing in the race as a result. Some users can find it beneficial to track their greyhound's bets to see if there is a trend they can see.

Using free bets and bonuses is a great way to profit from greyhound racing. Many of the top online bookmakers in the UK that offer dog racing markets have rewards clubs where free bets can be claimed each week. Greyhound free bets can then be used to place risk-free wagers.

Like with betting on other sports, it is therefore beneficial to open accounts with a number of different leading UK online bookmakers, or new online bookies to gamble on dog racing. This gives users access to the most possible free bets, bonuses and other promotions that might be offered on dog racing.