Few events in the world of sports are as popular among mainstream fans as online Kentucky Derby betting. Among US based fans its exceeded only by the Super Bowl and March Madness. Since there are always a lot of newcomers to horse betting at this time of year it’s a good time to outline some of the differences and similarities between betting on sports and betting on horses.

Despite the fact that betting on horses and betting on sports is inextricably linked in a lot of ways–for example, they usually occupy the same space in most Nevada casinos – there are a number of differences between the two disciplines that its important to be aware of. The most significant–and most important for the bettor to be aware of–is the fact that sports betting is conducted on a ‘fixed price’ basis while horse racing is done with a parimutuel pool. When you place a sports bet your odds, point spread, etc. are ‘locked in’ when you place your bet and subsequent line movement isn’t your concern. When you place a horse racing bet the final odds and payouts aren’t known until after the race. It doesn’t matter what the price is when you place your bet.

There are profound differences in handicapping sports and horses as well. For a major race like the Kentucky Derby the horses are all well known and have a proven record of achievement at a high competitive level. That’s not always the case in horse racing on a day in/day out basis. There are more than 30,000 new thoroughbred race horses that enter the sport every year meaning that it is virtually impossible to know too much about even a significant portion of this group.