TwinSpires Review (2024)

TwinSpires is the official online betting app for the Kentucky Derby, as it is owned and operated by Churchill Downs. This TwinSpires app review will highlight the best reasons to join and the best perks that come along the way for those betting on domestic and international horse races. Sign up for a new account today, place $800 in bets in the first month, and TwinSpires will reward you with a hefty $200 in Bonus Funds!

TwinSpires Highlights

Before we hop into our TwinSpires review, let’s look at the primary highlights of its racebook and gambling app. Learn how to get a $200 sign-up bonus as a new bettor to TwinSpires and how quickly you can register as a new member.

Overview of TwinSpires

Let’s dive into the world of TwinSpires, a titan in the online betting landscape with a rich heritage that tracks back to its inception by Churchill Downs Incorporated, the home of the prestigious Kentucky Derby. As a fully licensed and regulated platform, TwinSpires offers a secure and trustworthy betting experience across numerous states in the U.S., where legal online betting has gained the green light. Keep reading to find out a little more about its background and which states it’s available in.

History and Background of TwinSpires

TwinSpires is owned and operated by the Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky, where the Kentucky Derby is run annually. The Downs has over 145 years of horse racing experience under its belt, so TwinSpires is your best bet for competitive online horse race betting anywhere in the United States.

TwinSpires opened for business in 1996 and currently serves thirty states across the nation. It’s known as the official online betting partner of the Kentucky Derby. The app offers betting on domestic horse races but covers races in other countries, such as Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.

TwinSpires also has an online casino app, but it’s only available in Michigan, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. The app’s online sports betting section was active until a few years ago but is currently shuttered in the United States. However, bettors can still bet on sports through TwinSpires, but it must be done in person at an affiliated retail sportsbook.

Licensing and Legal Status in the U.S.

The TwinSpires app is available in 30 out of 50 US states, making it one of the most widely available racebooks in the country.

You don’t have to live in these states to register a new account; you can sign up in any of the other twenty states, but you can only place bets on races once you’re physically inside any of the legal states.

TwinSpires Bonuses & Promotions

New and regular bettors using TwinSpires can take advantage of bonuses and promotions under the “Offers” tab. New customers can enjoy a hefty welcome bonus, while committed members using TwinSpires daily can earn reward points for all horse wagers and redeem them for fantastic perks and benefits.

$200 Sign Up Bonus

TwinSpires offers new bettors a $200 bonus for signing up and placing $800 in horse race bets in their first 30 days. This is the most generous offer at TwinSpires, which gets new app members off to a strong start.

• For new bettors only
• Place $800 in horse race bets in the first 30 days
• Get a $100 bonus for betting $400
• Use promo code BET200

Free Bets

Refer friends or family to TwinSpires and get a $10 reward. The more people you can refer to become members of the racebook, the more you can earn bonus funds for future bets!

• Send the referral code via text, email, or social media (Facebook or Twitter)
• Get your $10 reward once your referral has made their first real money bet
• Your referral will also get a $10 bonus

Rewards Program

TwinSpires members can earn one point for every dollar wagered on tracks across the United States. However, they can earn four points for every dollar wagered at the following locations: Churchill Downs, Fairgrounds, Presque Isle, Ocean Downs, Arlington, Turfway Park, and Miami Valley Raceway. You have 12 months to redeem any points you earn. Points not used within 12 months will expire.

VIP Monthly Rewards

The more you wager each month on TwinSpires, the more they will reward you in turn. If you’re betting $5,000 or more monthly using the app, a multiplier will be added to help you earn rewards much faster. Here’s how the VIP Program breaksdown:

Calculate Your Monthly Rewards

Use the chart below to determine your monthly reward points based on your horse race wagers.

Prizes

What can I redeem my rewards points for on the TwinSpires app? Check out the perks and benefits that come with each membership tier below:

Current Offers

To get an idea of the seasonal or temporary offers available at TwinSpires, you can check under “Current Offers” to access a complete list and see how long the promotions run. Depending on which promos are running, you could earn extra points on specific events like harness racing, get profit boosts on exacta or trifecta bets, or compete with other bettors toward a hefty prize pool.

Gambling Options at TwinSpires

At one time, there were three major pieces to the TwinSpires gambling app: horse race betting, sports betting, and online casino games. TwinSpires did away with online sports betting a few years ago, but they still retain horse race betting in thirty states and online casino games for people in Michigan, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Let’s review these options to see how and where you can join the TwinSpires gambling app.

Highlights

• Over 50,000 markets available
• Exclusive access to Churchill Downs races
• Sign up in less than five minutes
• 24/7 live chat support
• 24-48 hour payouts using PayPal and Skrill
• Horse racing is available in 30 states
• $200 Bonus for signing up
• Excellent mobile betting app (iOS and Android)
• Live betting and streaming
• Cash-out early
• Same-game parlays
• Competitive rewards program

Horse Racing

After signing up for a new account with TwinSpires, you’ll be directed to the homepage, where you can view the betting lines and odds for horse races nationwide and overseas. Under the “Bet Now” menu, select “Today’s Races” to see which tracks have upcoming events.

There are several other menu options in the racebook:

• Results and Replays: Under this section, you can view the results of complete races. This tool is valuable for discovering betting trends or tracking the progress of certain horses throughout the season.
• Scratches and Changes: Find out if any significant changes have been made for the upcoming race that you’re planning to bet on, particularly if any horses have been scratched from the race.
• Carryovers: If there was no winner for the original race, all bets from the original pool are carried over into the following designated race. These are known as “carryovers,” and you can find them under the “Carryovers” tab.
• Calendar: Find the entire race schedule under this tab. It’s a valuable tool to see the season’s big picture and plan your betting strategies or long-term goals.

In addition to these links found under the “Bet Now” menu, you can access expert picks on horse races to inform your betting strategy, or you can choose a free-to-play game where you can join for free and still compete for a large prize!

Sports Betting

Online sports betting using the TwinSpires app has been shuttered in the United States for a couple of years, but bettors can still place in-person sports bets through TwinSpires at the following locations across the country:

Casino Games

TwinSpires has an online casino side to its app, but it’s only available to gamblers in Michigan, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. All roulette wheel spins, and cards shuffled and dealt are determined using random number generation software to ensure completely randomized results for online gamblers. But there are some live dealer tables available, too.

• Slots: Like most online casino apps, the TwinSpires game library comprises online slot machines. They run on random number generators and offer various stake sizes to play for. You’ll find everything from 3- or 5-reel setups to jackpot slots where you can win a big prize.
• Video Poker: Play five-hand poker in the style of a slot machine. TwinSpires carries many classic video poker game choices, including Jacks or Better.
• Blackjack: Who can get to the closest to 21 without going over? TwinSpires has several variations of this classic table game where players can use a strategy to increase their chances of beating the house.
• Live Casino: Along with a wide array of table games that run using RNGs (roulette, baccarat, craps, blackjack, etc.), there are live dealer tables available at TwinSpires Casino where players can enjoy the presence of a human dealer who handles all table responsibilities.

Special Features

At one point, these betting features were available using the TwinSpires online sportsbook. Still, since those operations are shuttered, bettors can enjoy these features while placing bets in person at one of the race tracks or land casinos affiliated with the TwinSpires gambling app.

• In-Play Betting: Sportsbook locations will use multiple lines and odds during a game or event. Bettors can place many wagers, maximizing their potential earnings.
• Live Streaming: Retail sports betting locations are usually outfitted with many TV screens, so bettors can watch the game or event they’re betting on. See what’s happening on the field, rink, or court, then adjust your in-play bets accordingly.
• Same-Game Parlays: Where some sportsbooks might require you to parlay bets on several games, TwinSpires bettors can parlay bets on a single game or event to increase their payout amount.
• Early Cash Out: TwinSpires offers bettors the opportunity to cash out early from a live event if their bet is bound to win. This lets bettors spend more time on other betting opportunities and less time waiting for the inevitable.

Odds Quality

Being the official online betting partner of the Kentucky Derby and affiliated with Churchill Downs, TwinSpires has the most competitive lines and odds of any US racebook. The app’s parent company has over 145 years of horse racing and wagering experience, so you’re getting some of the best betting opportunities on horse races anywhere online. The only relatively competitive two are Xpressbet and TVG (FanDuel).

User Experience

Being affiliated with Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby, the TwinSpires online racebook is the best place, by far, to wager on horse races in the United States or abroad. The app is owned and operated by an entity that knows the horse racing business inside and out! You’ll see how easy TwinSpires is to use as we outline the sign-up process, overall website/app usability, and customer support contact options.

The Registration Process, Step by Step

Follow these simple steps to begin as a new TwinSpires member. We had to create an account before we could write this TwinSpires review. We can say with the utmost confidence that this is one of the quickest and most straightforward registrations we’ve ever encountered—it only takes a few minutes to complete!

Interface and Usability

We tested the TwinSpires website and mobile app to see how they stacked against one another. Like most racebooks and sportsbooks, the TwinSpires app is much more user-friendly than the website. The menus and tabs are modified for better navigation and handling to accommodate the limits of the smaller screens you find with smartphones, tablets, and other mobile devices.

TwinSpires makes it straightforward for bettors to find the races, lines, and odds they’re looking for and apply them to their bet slips. Everything you need can be found in the main menu along the top of the homepage:

• The “Bet Now” tab houses all the essential information about races: current races, results from prior races, scratches, carryovers, and a complete events calendar.
• Under “Today’s Races,” you’ll find all current betting options, but you can hone your search for the right event using the race type filters: thoroughbreds, greyhound, or harness racing.
• Some filters break down the events by the track type or the time they begin.
• To access your bet slip, click on the icon to the right of the “Search” button. To add money to your TwinSpires account, click the green “+” button.

Customer Support Options

There are a few ways to contact the TwinSpires service team when problems or issues arise during your time on the platform:

• Live Chat (available 24/7)
• Email: [email protected]
• Phone: 1-877-774-7371 (9 a.m. to 2 a.m.)
• Twitter: @TS_Sportsbook

The best way to contact someone from TwinSpires is using the live chat feature, allowing you 24/7 access to the help center. The phone lines are the next best option, as they are inactive between 2 a.m. and 9 a.m. If you send an email, you can typically hear back from the support center within 24 hours.

TwinSpires also has several pages of FAQs that bettors can use to deal with problems on their own. It’s a compilation of common user questions, along with some quick answers. The FAQ menus are a great help if you don’t want to talk with someone from TwinSpires directly and prefer to deal with problems alone.

Banking Options

TwinSpires comes with a host of banking options that allow bettors to deposit funds instantly and collect their payout promptly. The app uses an encrypted connection that keeps all members’ personal and financial information safe from outside threats. You can move your money around the app without worrying!

Deposit Methods

All deposit forms at TwinSpires let you drop money into your account instantly, and no fees are involved. Checks are the only exception, taking a week or more to become available.

$10 isn’t a lot of money, and that’s the minimum amount for most TwinSpires deposit options. But if you’re looking for a way to get money onto the app and do so using smaller amounts, you should check out Play+, which only requires $1.

Payout Methods

The time it takes to collect your payout will depend on your chosen option. To experience the fastest payouts possible with TwinSpires, you should select one of the e-wallets like PayPal or Skrill, where you can get your payout in 48 hours or less!

Online banking, PayPal, and Play+ let you withdraw as little as $0.01, though we’re not sure why you’d want to collect an amount that small. One of the neatest things about TwinSpires is that you can deposit funds and collect payouts using major credit cards (Visa and Mastercard), something you don’t see with many horse racing betting apps.

Pros and Cons

While TwinSpires is the premier horse betting app for the Kentucky Derby, it’s not a perfect gambling app or online racebook. Even though we believe it’s the best online racebook to bet on horse races in the United States, there are some downsides to the betting app, which we feel anyone joining should be aware of as they register as a new member.

Betting Education and Resources

If you’re new to betting on horses, there are tons of resources for beginners that TwinSpires provides under its “Handicapping” menu. You can find content that focuses on studying and analyzing racing trends, the profiles of the most successful horses on the track, and the primary races of the season, such as Preakness Stakes, Belmont Stakes, and the Kentucky Derby.

• Free PPs: For each race card you download, you must place at least one wager to access free Past Performances, Power Plays, or Insider Picks. These can go a long way in informing your initial betting strategy for thoroughbred or quarter-horse races (harness racing unavailable).
  
• Handicapping Tools: Brought to you by Brisnet.com, the TwinSpires handicapping store allows you to select any race and get a detailed report on past performance and projections for future races to place the most informed and researched bet possible.
  
• Online Betting Tools: TwinSpires outlines all the tools available for a successful betting experience on this page. You can learn about TwinSpires Classic, Express, Pro, and TV, conditional wagering, and how to effectively cancel your wager if the occasion arises.
  
• Training to Win: Under this section, you can find informational videos about betting using the TwinSpires app. Learn the basics of win, place, or show betting, understand how to read odds, or make sense of Past Performance information to harness your ultimate potential as a bettor.

While we could further discuss other content TwinSpires provides under its “Handicapping” menu, we encourage bettors to check out these resources for themselves to learn more about what’s available.

Responsible Gambling

Most trusted online sportsbooks, racebooks, or gambling apps post information and resources for problem gambling on their platform, and TwinSpires is no exception.

TwinSpires provides some tips on how to place responsible horse wagers. Many of these are the standard strategies and tactics that bettors use to guide their betting choices:

• Setting up budget or time limits
• Avoid chasing losses
• Don’t gamble using money that’s needed for living necessities
• Gambling for fun, not for money

TwinSpires even has a short self-assessment you can take where you can know for sure if you have a gambling problem.

Self Assessment Questions

1. Have you often gambled longer than you had planned?
2. Have you often gambled until your last dollar was gone?
3. Have thoughts of gambling caused you to lose sleep?
4. Have you used your income or savings to gamble while letting bills go unpaid?
5. Have you made repeated, unsuccessful attempts to stop gambling?
6. Have you broken the law or considered breaking the law to finance your gambling?
7. Have you borrowed money to finance your gambling?
8. Have you felt depressed or suicidal because of your gambling losses?
9. Have you been remorseful after gambling?
10. Have you gambled to get money to meet your financial obligations?

You’ll even find some resources and links for dealing with problem gambling or addictions in certain states. We encourage our readers to check out the “Wager Responsibly” page to view all self-help links and resources you’ll have at your disposal as a member of the TwinSpires app.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the key highlights of our TwinSpires review? You can get the best discussion summary by browsing our FAQ section below. It’s a collection of the most popular questions from our readers and customers about the TwinSpires gambling app and online horse betting in general.

Conclusion and Final Thoughts

TwinSpires is the leading player in the US horse race betting market, though Xpressbet and TVG by FanDuel are two other solid alternatives. Due to TwinSpires’ relationship with Churchill Downs, this is the obvious choice for bettors who closely follow horse racing in the United States and other international markets.

Who Would Benefit Most from Using Twinspires?

TwinSpires provides resources for its newest bettors to be successful as they navigate uncharted waters, but it doesn’t treat all its users as if they’re inexperienced noobies. This is the official racebook of the Kentucky Derby as it is owned and operated by Churchill Downs, so it’s a solid go-to for hardcore horse race bettors looking for competitive odds and a dynamic betting experience.

Because the TwinSpires app has resources like handicapping guides and free past performance reports to help all bettors place the best possible horse wagers, we feel the app can benefit seasoned pros and fresh faces alike. However, weighing the pros and cons is essential based on your individual betting preferences and if you’re in or near a legal state where TwinSpires is available!