DraftKings Just Launched Horse Racing Betting in Nine States Before the Kentucky Derby — What You Need to Know
DraftKings spent the past several years running its horse racing product as a separate app called DK Horse, available in dozens of states but entirely disconnected from the main sportsbook experience. That is changing. On April 27, two days before the Kentucky Derby, DraftKings announced that DraftKings Racing — the rebrand of DK Horse, now integrated directly into the DraftKings Sportsbook app — has expanded to nine states total, making Derby weekend the product’s first major showcase.
The timing is not accidental. The Kentucky Derby on May 2 is one of the most-bet horse racing events in the United States, and DraftKings is launching a $1 million “King of the Track” promotion to coincide with the rollout. For bettors who have been waiting for horse racing to feel like a first-class product inside a major sportsbook app rather than an afterthought, this is the clearest signal yet that integration is arriving.
Which States Are Live — and What That Means for You
DraftKings Racing first launched in three states on March 31: Delaware, New Mexico, and Rhode Island. Six additional states went live on April 27 ahead of the Derby: Florida, Louisiana, Montana, New Hampshire, Ohio, and Oregon. All nine states now have access to pari-mutuel wagering on horse racing directly within the DraftKings Sportsbook app.
The integration matters because customers in states where both DraftKings Racing and DraftKings Sportsbook are live share a single account and wallet across both products. That means no separate deposit, no separate registration, and no app-switching in the middle of a busy Derby afternoon. You can move between betting the Kentucky Derby on DraftKings Racing and placing a same-game parlay on the NBA or NHL playoffs without leaving the interface. DraftKings is positioning this as a unified betting experience, and for states in the nine-state rollout, it genuinely works that way.
It is worth understanding, though, that DraftKings Racing and the DraftKings Sportsbook operate under separate regulatory frameworks. Horse racing wagering operates under pari-mutuel laws, which differ from sports betting statutes. That means availability in any given state is determined by horse racing licensing, not sports betting authorization. Some states where DraftKings Sportsbook is live may still not have DraftKings Racing available yet — and vice versa. The rollout is explicitly state-by-state, with DraftKings saying additional jurisdictions will go live throughout 2026.
What Happened to DK Horse
DK Horse, the standalone app DraftKings used to operate its horse racing product, is being phased out as DraftKings Racing launches in each new state. In states where DraftKings Racing is not yet available, DK Horse remains functional and accessible. Once DraftKings Racing goes live in a given jurisdiction, DK Horse will be retired there. The March 31 press release noted that DK Horse operates as a standalone app in 23 states, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, and others — all of which will eventually transition to the integrated DraftKings Racing product.
The shift is strategic. By embedding horse racing inside its flagship sportsbook app, DraftKings can expose its existing sports betting customer base to horse racing markets in a frictionless way. A bettor who would never download a standalone horse racing app might place a Derby wager when the market is one tap away in the app they already use every day. The addressable audience for DraftKings Racing is, in theory, every DraftKings Sportsbook user in states where both products are live.
The King of the Track Promotion and What to Expect for the Derby
For the 152nd Kentucky Derby on May 2, DraftKings is running a $1 million “King of the Track” promotion available across both DraftKings Racing and the legacy DK Horse app. To participate, customers opt in and place a qualifying wager on the horse they believe will win the Derby. Winners receive a share of the $1 million cash prize pool based on their selections. The promotion runs across all eligible states, making it one of the larger Derby-specific promotional offers in the digital wagering space this year.
Horse racing odds for the Derby from DraftKings will be available through the standard pari-mutuel framework, meaning odds fluctuate based on wagering pools rather than being set by the house the way fixed-odds sports betting lines are. DraftKings Racing will offer win, place, show, exacta, trifecta, superfecta, and other standard pari-mutuel bet types on the race.
If you are betting the Derby through DraftKings this weekend and are in one of the nine states where DraftKings Racing is live, the experience is now fully integrated inside the main app. For everyone else, DK Horse remains the way to access horse racing through DraftKings. Either way, the infrastructure is in place for what the company is clearly hoping will be its largest horse racing handle to date.
Matt Brown
Head of Sports Betting and DFS
Matt’s love for sports betting and daily fantasy sports, coupled with a deep understanding of football, hockey, and baseball, shapes his innovative thoughts on Hello Rookie. He has a B.S. in Aeronautical Computer Science and a M.S. in Project Management.
