TwinSpires

The full review

TwinSpires is the horse racing betting arm of Churchill Downs Incorporated — the company behind the Kentucky Derby itself — and it’s one of the longest-running, most widely available advance deposit wagering (ADW) platforms in the country. Unlike a traditional sportsbook, TwinSpires runs on pari-mutuel wagering, meaning payouts are determined by the betting pool rather than fixed odds set by a bookmaker.

Below, we break down the mobile app, odds and payouts, promotions, banking, state availability, loyalty program, referral program, and customer support so you know exactly what to expect before you fund an account.

Quick Facts

Note: TwinSpires previously operated a separate sportsbook and online casino, but Churchill Downs exited that business in 2022. Today, TwinSpires operates exclusively as a horse racing racebook — this review covers that product.

The Mobile App

The TwinSpires app is purpose-built for horse racing, not a repurposed sportsbook app, and it shows in the details.

Standout features include:

• Fast Wager Pad — construct multi-leg exotic wagers on a single screen without bouncing between pages.
• Live streaming and race replays for events at tracks across the U.S. and internationally.
• Free handicapping data — past performance reports, post position bias, track bias, run style, and success rate stats.
• brisPICKS — a predictive statistical model (built on decades of Brisnet.com data) that generates recommended wagers for a given race.
• Bet Share — split a wager into shares and invite friends to buy in, splitting both the cost and the winnings.
• Saved Bets — build a wager and store it for later instead of submitting it immediately.

Note for bettors: the app is available for iOS and Android, though depending on your device, the Android version may need to be downloaded directly from TwinSpires.com rather than the Google Play Store due to online betting restrictions. As with any ADW platform, geolocation confirms you’re physically inside a legal state before you can place a wager.

Odds and Payouts

Because TwinSpires runs on pari-mutuel wagering, odds aren’t fixed the way they are at a sportsbook — they fluctuate based on how the betting pool is distributed right up until post time, and your payout is calculated from that final pool. The platform gives access to hundreds of tracks worldwide, covering thoroughbred, harness, and greyhound racing, with international coverage including the UK, Ireland, Sweden, Japan, the UAE, New Zealand, Lebanon, South Africa, and Australia.

Wager types available:

1. Straight Bets — Win, Place, and Show wagers on a single horse.
2. Exotic Bets — Exacta, Trifecta, and Superfecta wagers that require picking multiple horses in order.
3. Multi-Race Wagers — Daily Double and Pick 3/4/5/6 wagers spanning multiple races.
4. Conditional Wagering — set a minimum odds threshold and a minutes-to-post value; the bet only submits if those conditions are met (available on desktop).

Additional wagering tools:

Promotions

Welcome Offer

New members can activate the current welcome offer — up to $200 in bonus cash — by entering an offer code (commonly BET200) at signup. The bonus is credited in $100 increments for every $400 wagered, up to a total of $800 wagered within the qualifying window (typically 30 days). Only completed wagers on races that have run and posted official results count toward the requirement.

Ongoing Promotions for Existing Users

Once you’re signed up, the “Offers” tab regularly rotates through:

• Twilight Thursday — a weekly leaderboard competition with a share of a jackpot (recent versions have run around $2,500).
• Trifecta Tuesdays — a boost (historically around 15%) on winning Trifecta bets.
• Hit It & Split It — jackpot promotions tied to Pick 4/Pick 5 wagers at select tracks.
• Exacta Insurance — a free bet refund if your Exacta horses finish in the money but in the wrong order.
• Triple Points Days — bonus TSC Elite Rewards points on wagers at Churchill Downs during select racing weekends.
• Triple Crown Season Offers — event-specific promos around the Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Belmont Stakes, including past money-back offers on qualifying win bets.

Deposits and Withdrawals

TwinSpires doesn’t charge fees on most deposits, though a couple of methods (noted below) carry a flat processing fee, and your bank or payment processor may apply its own charges.

Deposit Methods

Withdrawal Methods

A few things to flag for readers:

• Withdrawal options are noticeably more limited than deposit options — a common trade-off with ADW racebooks.
• You generally need to have used a payment method for at least one deposit before you can withdraw to it.
• Personal checks used for deposits are held for about five days to clear; cashier’s checks and money orders are credited the same day they’re received.

Availability: Where Is TwinSpires Legal?

TwinSpires is one of the most widely available racebooks in the country, with online horse racing wagering legal in roughly 39 states, including:

• Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Idaho
• Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts
• Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota
• Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont
• Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming

Important distinction for readers: you can create an account and log in from anywhere in the U.S., but you can only place a wager while physically located inside one of the legal states above. As with sportsbooks, the app and site use geolocation to confirm this in real time.

A handful of states — including Alaska, Georgia, Hawaii, Mississippi, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, and Washington, D.C. — currently prohibit or restrict online horse wagering, so TwinSpires isn’t available there. Availability changes periodically, so it’s worth confirming current status for any specific state before signing up.

Rewards and Loyalty Program

Every TwinSpires racing customer is automatically enrolled in TSC Elite Rewards, the platform’s points-based loyalty program.

How it works:

• Earn 1 point per $1 wagered at most tracks, or 4 points per $1 wagered on races held at Churchill Downs Incorporated (CDI) properties.
• Points redeem in multiples of 100 for $0.10 (so 1,000 points = $1 in wagering credit), with no cap on how many points you can earn.
• Points are earned at the same rate whether you bet online or in person at Churchill Downs tracks and OTB locations.

VIP Program

Bettors who wager more heavily can qualify for the VIP Program, which layers on additional perks across four tiers — Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum — including discounts at racetracks and OTB terminals and monthly bonus reward points. Entry into the top VIP tier has historically required a meaningful annual or quarterly wagering volume, so it’s built more for high-frequency horseplayers than casual bettors.

A quick word of caution for readers: reward multipliers and VIP perks are designed to encourage continued wagering, so it’s worth treating them as a bonus on money you were already comfortable wagering — not a reason to bet beyond your budget.

Referral Program

TwinSpires runs a straightforward referral promotion sometimes branded “It Pays to Have Friends”:

1. Log in and go to the “Free Bets” section under the “Offers” menu on the website (or the app menu on iOS).
2. Share your unique referral link or code with a friend via email, text, or social media.
3. When your friend signs up using your code and places their first real-money wager, you both earn $10 in wagering credit.

Key terms:

• There’s no stated limit to how many friends you can refer.
• Referred friends must be new account holders — households with an existing or prior TwinSpires-family account (including legacy brands like Youbet.com or BRISbet) don’t qualify.
• Credits are typically issued within about 24 hours of the referred friend’s qualifying wager.
• Only one sign-up promo code can be applied per new account, so if a friend enters a different offer code at registration, that code takes precedence over your referral.

Customer Support

TwinSpires Player Services is available through:

• Live Chat — accessible from the Support menu on desktop or the mobile site.
• Phone — 1-877-SPIRES-1 (1-877-774-7371), including live-operator phone wagering.
• Email — player.services@twinspires.com.

Support is available seven days a week from 9:00 AM to midnight Eastern. That’s a wide window, but it isn’t a full 24/7 operation, so overnight requests will need to wait for the support desk to reopen.

The Bottom Line

TwinSpires remains one of the most complete and widely available options for legal online horse racing wagering in the U.S. Its biggest strengths are the depth of track coverage, the racing-specific tools like brisPICKS and Fast Wager Pad, and a loyalty program that rewards frequent horseplayers in a straightforward way. It’s not trying to be a one-stop shop for sports betting or casino gaming anymore — this is a racebook built for people who care specifically about the horses — but for that audience, it’s a strong, trustworthy choice backed by the name behind the Kentucky Derby itself.

Terms, promotions, and state availability are subject to change. Always confirm current offers and eligibility directly with TwinSpires before signing up.

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, help is available. Call 1-800-GAMBLER, or visit the National Council on Problem Gambling for state-specific resources.