Wager on Dog Races at the Best Greyhound Betting Sites

Placing wagers at greyhound betting sites is one of the most popular activities for many gamblers. There are hundreds of races each day (except Sunday), so people are spoiled for choice when it comes to choosing an event.

That’s why we decided to create this page and guide you towards the best betting sites for greyhound races. We know that it’s not easy choosing a sportsbook because it looks like all of them just want to take your money, but that’s not the case. Many gambling websites value their customers and are always trying to please them.

After reading this article, you will also learn more about the different betting options available at these sportsbooks. Greyhound racing isn’t a mainstream sport for the average person, so if you haven’t watched it already, then you probably don’t know much about the various bet types.

In a way, greyhound racing is similar to horse racing because in both sports you have to rely on an animal, but here you don’t even have a jockey. Still, that doesn’t make greyhound racing any less popular in the betting circles, so it’s nice to learn something about the history of the sport before we start talking about gambling.

If you are looking to place a bet on greyhounds in the UK, then you will find that there are daily events that are usually held in the afternoon or evening. An event usually lasts four hours. A greyhound race is fairly short, so a new race takes place in a 20-minute interval.

Most races have six dogs competing in them, and the process of betting on greyhounds is somewhat similar to placing wagers on horse racing. The easiest way to do it is to bet on the winning dog.

There are also each way bets, which essentially means that half of your stake is placed on the dog to win, and the other half is for him to finish first or second. Keep in mind that you get the quarter of the odds when placing an each way bet.

Of course, these aren’t the only options when it comes to greyhounds betting. You can stake your money on the distance by which a dog wins, or if the dog will be in an inside or outside trap at the start.

Even though betting on greyhounds isn’t as popular now as it was in the past, there are still millions of people who like to do it.

Check the following online bookmakers if you want to find great services for wagering in greyhounds dog races:

1) BetVictor

BetVictor is another betting site that is perfect for those of you who want to bet on greyhound racing. They offer great odds and have a fantastic number of events available. The best thing about BetVictor’s greyhounds’ section is the way they present all of the races, which means people can easily find what they are looking for. It’s always nice when a bookmaker makes the betting process more intuitive so that their customers can focus on more important things. We also liked that they’ve included a “Trap Challenge” offer which lets you try out your luck and hope for a huge win.

BetVictor also has a tempting bonus of £25 for new customers, and you can decide whether you want to use it on greyhounds or something else.

2) William Hill

Lastly, we have to mention William Hill amongst the best greyhound betting websites. They have a long reputation of being one of the best places to sites if you want to bet on greyhound races. They have odds for all events that take place around the UK, including places like Hove, Romford, Henlow, and Sheffield.

William Hill always provides high odds for greyhound races, so you can also win a lot of money there. Even though their welcome bonus isn’t huge compared to some of their competitors, you can still use it to claim a £20 free bet if you don’t have an account with them.

Greyhound Racing Betting Offers

Greyhound racing is a sport that is ideal for betting, so it’s not surprising that punters love it. For example, you can place wagers on best odds guaranteed events, which means that if the SP is bigger than the price you took before the race started, you will be paid out the best odds if your bet wins.

Here is an example of such a situation – you place a wager on a greyhound that has 4/1 odds, and the SP is 5/1. In that case, if your pick wins, you get a payout at 5/1. Even if the SP is lower, for example, 3/1, you always get the biggest odds in the end (in this case 4/1). Now you can see why many punters like to take advantage of best odds guaranteed offers.

Some bookies will even give you free bets if you pick the correct winner of a race. Those events are usually shown on TV, and your pick needs to be above a specific price (most often 2/1). If the greyhound you chose wins, the betting site gives you a free bet for the next event.

There are also consolation prizes for those of you who like to place multiples. For example, when someone places a lucky 15 wager, that person receives double the odds if he has a single winner, but some bookies offer triple odds for lucky 31s and 63s.

Greyhound Racing Betting Options

Almost every bookmaker will offer a wide selection of greyhound races. You have many options when it comes to betting on them. The most popular ones are a win or each way bet, but you need to place them sooner if you don’t want to end up with the starting price. You can also take advantage of the live betting section which will be open a couple of minutes before the race starts. The odds there are constantly changing, so you can choose between taking the current price, or going with the starting one.

You will also find that the top greyhound betting sites offer tote betting, which means all bets that are being placed across the nation, including the race track, are collected into a pool. The odds for the greyhounds are influenced by all of the wagers staked. There are also alternative options like forecasts and tricasts. The payouts for them depend on the tote price.

Many of the best greyhound sites like to offer trap challenge bets, which are two or more events that are being held at the same time – either early in the morning or in the afternoon. You can bet on the most successful trap number from the two meetings and get paid a set price if you wager wins.

Greyhound Racing Betting Strategies

There are only 6 participants in greyhound races, so it’s possible to use simple strategies successfully. Horse racing has a lot more participants, which leads to uncertainty while betting on dogs is far easier and predictable. Here are some of the best strategies you can use when betting on greyhounds:

Trap Betting

A lot of punters simply look which trap is the best for the specific race, regardless what dog starts there. You can look at the results of dogs that have begun from this trap at previous events to see if it increased their chances of winning. It’s important to know if the track has an outside or inside bias, so if you’re going to use a trap betting strategy, then you need to do your research. Another crucial factor that should be considered is the weather. If it’s wet, then the dogs on the outside traps have a slight advantage, while cold and salted tracks are better for dogs on the inside.

Betting on Form

You probably guessed from the name what this strategy is about. One of the main gambling principles is to check the form, but you need to know exactly what to look for if you want to have a higher chance of winning. Keep in mind that each race has a different grade and if a dog moves down a grade that means it will now compete in easier races.

Being Disciplined

Regardless of the strategy you choose, the most important thing when betting on greyhounds is discipline. You should always try to find value bets if you want to increase your chances of winning money in the long run. Another important tip is to decide your bets beforehand and not do anything impulsive just because you lost a wager. Lastly, always have a dedicated bankroll that’s just for betting, and never bet more than you can afford to lose.

The History of Greyhounds Racing

Initially, greyhound races were held on a straight track, but in 1912 Owen Patrick Smith discovered a way to make the dogs go in a circle by luring them with an animal which is most often a rabbit. The opening of the first professional track was in 1919.

The first races of the sport were in America, but it spread to the United Kingdom in 1926 when the first race took place in Manchester. Forty tracks were opened by the end of the year.

The peak of the sport was one year after the end of the Second World War when 34 million viewers visited greyhound races during the year. Since then, the attendance declined gradually, mainly because it was now possible to make bets online – outside of the racing course.

At first, greyhounds were bred as hunting dogs because they were very fast and had good eyesight. Some historians think that greyhounds are bred for more than six thousand years, although there isn’t any undeniable evidence that would support their statement.

Many people believe that the name greyhound was given to the dogs due to their colour, but that’s not the case as greyhounds come in all kinds of colours. There are some rumours that the dogs were called grighounds at the beginning, which later evolved to greyhounds, but the reason why they are called so is still unknown.

It’s an interesting fact that greyhounds are the only dogs mentioned in the Bible, although that was probably a mistake in some of the translations. In the modern versions of the book, the word greyhound is replaced by strutting rooster. The life span of greyhounds ranges between nine and twelve years, but they can start racing when they are four, five, or six years old.

There was a lot of speculation regarding the fate of greyhounds after they become too old to race. The best dogs are used as breeding animals, but a lot of the greyhounds don’t fall into that category. In the US, more than 20 000 greyhounds were euthanised yearly.

Thanks to some of the pet adoption agencies, the number became smaller, but there are still hundreds of greyhound dogs that are euthanised.

If you are living in the UK or USA, then you’ve probably heard about agencies that are willing to adopt greyhounds. These dogs aren’t considered the best pets because people think they require a lot more exercise than other breeds. However, that’s not entirely accurate. In fact, greyhounds are usually calm, lazy, and aren’t violent. It’s almost impossible to find a case of a greyhound biting a human in the last few decades.

Nowadays, the number of stadiums that host greyhound races is 24 in England and only one is located in Scotland. Other countries like Northern Ireland and Wales have no dedicated tracks for greyhounds.

Just like any other sport, greyhound racing also has its own stars. The most successful dog is Mick the Miller who was active between 1929 and 1931. He won two times the English Greyhound Derby, in addition to finishing first in 36 other events. The dog won the Derby in 1929, but the curious thing was that his owner sold him for £800 just before the race. However, you must consider the fact that, that kind of money back then was enough to buy you a house in some parts of London.

After he retired, Mick was a media sensation and even made an appearance in the movie “The Wild Boy”.

Final Verdict

Even though greyhound racing isn’t one of the most popular sports, there are still people who enjoy betting on it. However, you shouldn’t expect any particular bonuses or promotions, except for the “best odds guarantee” which matches the SP if you made your bet when the odds were lower.

It’s a good strategy to look for bookies that have the “best odds guaranteed” bonus for horse racing because that usually means that it’s there for the dogs as well. Still, the generic opening bonuses and offers aren’t bad, so you should definitely take advantage of them.

Overall, greyhound racing is a simple sport, and many people find it enjoyable. The difference between best greyhound betting websites is minimal, so you should make your decision based on your personal preferences.