Royal Ascot is one of the many outstanding flat racing festivals of British horse racing. The five-day festival is steeped with history and top Group races, all with a touch of royal pageantry.
Royal Ascot Betting Sites
On this page, we look at some of the leading Royal Ascot betting sites to help punters prepare for the summer action.
Our betting experts also guide readers on where to find the best Royal Ascot betting offers for this eye-catching meeting in Berkshire.
For now, let’s get into Royal Ascot online betting.
About the Royal Ascot Festival
Before we fully dive into the different aspects of Royal Ascot betting sites, we first examine what makes this festival so unique.
There are occasions like the Grand National, the Cheltenham Gold Cup, Glorious Goodwood and Royal Ascot when even casual punters are all pulled into and wrapped up in the horse racing excitement.
That's a knock-on effect due to increased media attention on the large meetings. So when a big festival like Royal Ascot comes along, the superstars of the sport get a bit more of the spotlight.
Casual and beginner Royal Ascot punters may look at the Gold Cup or the Diamond Jubilee Stakes, where more well-known headline-grabbing horses are entered. However, more seasoned punters will have been tracking horse form across the UK flat season to attack the Royal Ascot betting with form and statistics.
So there's something for all in Royal Ascot online betting, which features 30 races across five days.
There are a total of eight 30 races, 18 being Group fixtures, and of those, 8 are Group 1 fixtures (the top level of flat racing) that attract the most of the ante-post and race day wagers.
Group 1 Race Betting at Royal Ascot
- Queen Anne Stakes
- King's Stand Stakes
- St James's Palace Stakes
- Prince Of Wales's Stakes
- Gold Cup
- Commonwealth Cup
- Coronation Stakes
- Diamond Jubilee Stakes
How did the Royal Ascot Festival get so big? The history of the Ascot Racecourse itself is just phenomenal. The course in Berkshire was opened in 1711 by Queen Anne.
The first festival that Ascot hosted was in 1768. The Ascot Gold Cup was inaugurated in 1807 when interest in the festival grew.
King George IV introduced the tradition of a Royal Procession in 1825, which exists today with members of the Royal family trundling down the straight mile at 2pm each day.
The growth of the racing festival and betting have all been interlinked. Public interest grew so prize money went up. More races were added, and all the while, bookmaking was flourishing due to the upward curve of interest.
You can look today at Royal Ascot online betting and see echoes of the past linking horse racing and betting. There is still a frenzy around racecourse bookmakers at Royal Ascot. High Street brick-and-mortar bookmakers like Boylesports get more packed out during the Festival. But the bulk of Royal Ascot betting is now done online.
Naturally, the explosion into the modern age of online bookmaking has made Royal Ascot betting even more accessible. Betting online affords punters quick and easy access to markets and, more often than not, plenty of Royal Ascot betting offers.
How to Bet on the Royal Ascot Festival
So now readers know what the Royal Ascot Festival is all about, let’s fully explore Royal Ascot online betting.
Our guide on how to bet on the Royal Ascot Festival encompasses different aspects.
We look at the different types of betting markets, types of common Royal Ascot betting offers, what features of the Royal Ascot betting sites you should expect to see and more.
Royal Ascot Festival Betting Markets
This is the meat of the Royal Ascot online betting arena - the horse racing betting markets. The race-winner market is the most common and certainly one that beginners will lean on.
But there's a lot more to explore beyond that.
Here's a simple guide to some common ways to bet on Royal Ascot.
Win - The punter picks the horse they think will win the race.
Place - The number of places on offer will depend on the number of horses in the field. Backing a horse for a Place finish, for example, could cover them getting home within the first three or four places.
Top 2 Finish - As the name suggests, you back a selection in a race to finish in one of the top two spots.
Top 3 Finish - For a bigger sacrifice in odds (as risk is reduced), you can nominate a selection to finish within the top three.
Each Way - Each way betting in Royal Ascot online betting, or any horse races for that matter, will have terms. It could be 2 Places @ 1/4 the odds, but it will alter with the size of the field.
That means if your horse Places in the Top 2 you will be paid at 1/4 odds of the price struck on the bet.
An each-way bet is two parts, a Win and a Place combined. If the horse only Places, you get 1/4 odds. But you lose a portion of the stake that went towards the Win part of the bet.
Each-way selections are a great approach for longer-priced options in Royal Ascot betting. A 20/1 contender, for example, would pay out at odds of 5/1 if they were to Place.
Without/XX - It's not uncommon to see some big names like Baaeed and Stradivarius as odds-on favourites in a Royal Ascot line-up. In a race with a dominant favourite, it's good to explore alternative markets for Royal Ascot betting odds.
One of those alternative markets is the Without/XX, which means the race odds are priced up without the big favourite.
At the 2022 Royal Ascot Festival, Baaeed was the hottest odds-on favourite across the five days.
He won the Queen Anne Stakes at odds of 1/6. With those short odds, punters could have looked at the 'without Baaeed market' to back a selection they thought would 'win' the race if Baaeed's result was ignored.
To Finish Second - This is a simple alternative approach for Royal Ascot betting. Instead of picking a winner, select the horse you think will finish second.
It's another good option when there's a firm favourite or when you fancy a favourite will go close but may get beaten into second.
Multi-Bets and More
Drop by a Royal Ascot betting site, and you will see a fantastic variety of betting options. The above section explores some of the single bet options for horse racing.
But betting on Royal Ascot can get much more intense and in-depth by creating multiples and total coverage bets.
The wagers below are very nuanced and usually for more seasoned punters. The appeal is that they don't need all selections to win to collect a return. But a full win can often be challenging to achieve as there's more involved.
Let's take a look at a few common ones:
Forecast - A popular approach. It's a bet where the first two horses are named to finish in the exact 1-2 order.
Tricast - A step further and adding a whole level of difficulty is the Tricast. That's naming the exact finishing order of the 1-2-3 in the race.
Doubles & Trebles - It is possible to link two or three horses together in a Double or Treble racing bet. All selections included have to win for the bet to be successful.
Lucky 15 - One of the most popular types of coverage bets used by punters in horse racing. Pick four selections, and from those, 15 bets are created. That includes singles, doubles, trebles and an accumulator. At least two of the selections have to win. A stake is required for each bet, so a £1 Lucky 15 would require a £15 stake.
Other Full Cover bets - These bets are hugely popular in horse racing. Different variations (depending on the number of selections) include the Trixie, Yankee, Canadian and Patent. Not all Full Cover bets include singles.
Royal Ascot Festival Odds
As a punter, you don't have to wait until Monday, the day before the Festival starts to look at the odds.
It's possible to look around Royal Ascot betting sites and find ante-post odds posted way ahead of the summer. From our experience, Bet365 is one of the leading betting sites for posting ante-post Royal Ascot online betting odds.
Ante-post markets are great for taking big bets on a future outcome if that's your approach. Results from races during the season affect Royal Ascot odds.
Once the final declarations are made for a Royal Ascot race (48 hours from the start), a significant shift in market odds will likely be seen. That's when the field is narrowed, and genuine support from punters comes in.
Royal Ascot Betting Tips
So now it's clear what types of bets can be made at Royal Ascot betting sites - next, we look at Royal Ascot betting tips.
As mentioned, this is a five-day Festival with 30 races played out. That's a lot of action to take in. However, daily Royal Ascot betting tips can help to steer you in the right direction.
But as with any sport, understanding what is involved will help you the most. It will aid your betting by giving you valuable experience.
Here are our top five Royal Ascot Betting Tips:
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Don't just back the favourite
As a newcomer to racing, there's a temptation to just back the favourite in every race. It doesn't work like that. Even the great teams and players in all sports are beaten.
The first of our Royal Ascot betting tips is understanding basic racing form and looking deeper than just the favourite.
There are times when the favourite isn't at a good price, so that's where learning alternative race markets, as suggested above, will help out.
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Understand current form
This is a good starting point for getting into Royal Ascot online betting. Would you fancy backing a football team that has lost its last four matches without scoring? Probably not. The current form for the season by horses is equally essential regarding racing betting.
Yards often try to time their horses to peak for the Royal Festival. Track progress and keep an eye on distance and grade performances. A horse going to Royal Ascot on a hat-trick bid in Group company is thriving.
If that hat-trick bid has been built on lower-class handicaps, it doesn't read as well, especially if that horse is pitched into a red-hot Group race.
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Course/Distance Form
Next, for Royal Ascot betting tips, it's essential to look at course form. Ascot doesn't have a lot of undulations in it. So it's a good firm, fair track. Horses with prior track experience (especially in front of unsettling big crowds) can often hold an advantage.
Form at distances is something to watch too. Horses to move up and down race distances. Some have ability unlocked at specific trips, while others have a broader scope and are more versatile.
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Jockey/Trainer
We would always recommend looking back through trainer and jockey stats. Come the Gold Cup - it could be worth looking at trainers Aidan O’Brien or jockey Ryan Moore for example, if they have produced recent winners.
Look for the number of entries in a particular race from a yard. A specific trainer will always have a top contender with others potentially supporting, even as a pacemaker.
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Draw Bias
So many times, this is overlooked. Horses come out of the stalls and face a right-handed Ascot track. That means that horse-drawn wide (larger stall number) from the rail has extra work to do at the start. They have to move across the track to get to that inside rail. Draw bias can badly undo a horse's chances in a race.
Royal Ascot Daily Tips Bonus
Our Mansionbet experts will throw one more bonus Royal Ascot tip into the hat for readers. That's a simple one of being patient and shopping around for odds.
Call up an odds comparison site to see which of the leading Royal Ascot betting sites offer the best quote on your selection.
Grab the best you can, as that means more potential profit. With that in mind, also try and scoop up any other Royal Ascot free bets and offers. Adding price boosts or extra places to selections can go a long way.
Which is the Best Betting Site for the Royal Ascot Festival?
Now we have examined some Royal Ascot betting tips - where do you go to place bets on the big Festival?
We aren't calling just one Royal Ascot betting site a recommendation for readers.
Instead, we are going to throw five of the leading names into the hat.
SBK
One of the big reasons we like SBK is that they are innovative and do things differently - they are only available through their mobile app.
New customers can get a Bet £10 Get £30 in Free Bets welcome bonus at SBK.
Because they are app-only, that's where all of their focus is, and the SBK mobile app is one of the best available. It's functional, quick and wonderfully powered by the Smarkets betting exchange.
So there is enormous value odds coverage for Royal Ascot betting. Another huge plus is that they indicate when they are offering the best price against select competitors on their race markets. So you can see the value.
It's possible to follow punters to see who is rolling along on a hot streak. Total account management is done through the mobile app.
SBK is an excellent platform. However, it does lack that web interface on a computer, so if you don't have current phone access, then you are stumped. All in all, though, SBK ranks very highly.
Bet365
Bet365 is one of the best for getting early prices out there for horse racing betting. That's important for punters planning for some Royal Ascot betting.
Royal Ascot betting Offers at bet365 also offer a lot. For example, they have their ITV Racing, and Feature Race 4/1 promo - punters get a risk-free bet on the following race after landing a 4/1 winner.
Bet365 won't be topped for a horse price on any UK or Irish racing shown on ITV Racing. For the last Royal Ascot, they went Best Odds Guaranteed, and Non-Runner No Bet on all races.
On top of all that, bet365 continuously ranks well in odds comparison for horse racing betting prices.
New customers signing up can claim their Bet £10 Get £50 in Free Bets offer. With an excellent mobile app and live streams, bet365 ranks well.
BetUK
While we find that BetUK falls a little short regarding racing offers, new customers get access to a superb welcome bonus offer.
There is a Bet £20 Get £60 sign-up offer from BetUK.
The horse racing coverage at BetUK is pretty solid, as they provide good international coverage alongside the domestic fare like the Royal Ascot Festival.
The odds for racing are good at BetUK, which is one of the main reasons they get on our list for Royal Ascot betting sites.
They aren't flush with other features and don't have an app. But it's straightforward betting on a good-looking site offering excellent racing odds.
Live racing streaming is available at BetUK, which is a huge plus.
10bet
Access to different types of horse racing bets at 10bet is good. In addition, the design of their site is a huge positive because it's easy on the eye.
They have some basic form in their racecards and perform well in odds comparison for racing betting.
10bet does offer a lot of sports promotions. However, they chop and change them often, and many are event-specific. With that said, they are usually only triggered after a high minimum amount of stake.
But for horse racing, they do go Best Odds Guaranteed on all UK or Irish Racing. For Royal Ascot, they had a Money Back offer if your horse was beaten by a neck or less.
Improvements to the 10bet mobile app have helped as well. It's super quick in loading markets, user-friendly and intuitive.
Fitzdares
Also making it onto the list of Royal Ascot betting sites is Fitzdares. They are horse racing specialists.
You aren't going to find an extensive sportsbook at Fitzdares like you are at other sites like bet365. But what they have (predominantly racing and football), they excel in.
Fitzdares have an excellent mobile betting app, offering an innovative text-betting service for their customers.
The racecards at Fitzdares are presented very nicely, with good insight and tips.
It's an excellent service, and their promotions page is worth looking at come Royal Ascot time.
Offers like Money Back on a selection that's second to a 20/1 Winner or a matched bet for landing a 4/1 or bigger boost their ratings with us.
Royal Ascot Free Bets
So now readers know some of the leading Royal Ascot betting sites for services and odds.
It's common to see bookmakers offering things like Extra Places or Enhanced Odds.
But what about Royal Ascot betting offers that give punters the chance of free bets? Sounds good?
Let's explore some types of free bets to look at.
↪ How to use your Royal Ascot free bets
One way to get into Royal Ascot free bets is through the welcome bonus at a site. That is going to be a one-time offer only.
Register, meet the welcome bonus requirements, and get credited with a free bet. That can, in turn (if the timing is right as free bets expire after a short time), be used for a bet on Royal Ascot.
Just before the start of Royal Ascot, always explore promotions pages at individual betting sites. That's a target to plan for around early June.
It's where you could see an offer like a lost stake refund as a free bet if your selection loses under certain conditions crop up.
↪ Royal Ascot Free Bets
Looking back at the 2022 festival, some stand-out Royal Ascot betting offers were available.
➳ Bet365 had their 4/1 Featured Race Offer up and running. For select races (also includes live races on ITV), if you landed a winner at odds of at least 4/1, a risk-free bet was credited to be used on the following race.
If that next race yielded a winner at 4/1 or more, the promotion rolled on until you lost and got your lost stake back. This is a staple of bet365 excellent suite of ongoing racing offers.
➳ 888Sport came in big with their 4/1 winner offer as well. This is one that continually runs beyond Royal Ascot. Land a winning bet at 4/1 or bigger on any sport and get a free bet back from them.
Other Royal Ascot betting sites took different approaches. It's worth considering various options to look forward to the next festival.
➳ Fitzdares have their matched free bet on a winner of at least 4/1. Plus, there's unique coverage of a free bet if your horse is a runner-up to a 20/1+ winner.
➳ Boylesports have a Money Back as a free bet if 2nd to the SP FAV promotion for coverage. They also have a lot of Extra Place Offers and Acca Loyalty bonuses.
For Royal Ascot betting offers for the next time it rolls around - we would recommend poking around at other sites like 10bet, BetUK, and Ladbrokes.
Royal Ascot Favourites
Because Royal Ascot is such a star-studded show, plenty of big names get in the picture.
2022 was full of stars, and punters can expect to see a few of them back at Royal Ascot 2023.
Seeing Kyprios as the ante-post favourite for an Ascot Gold Cup title defence in 2023 wouldn't be a surprise. He now seems to have a firm edge in this division over the great Stradivarius. But Trueshan is never one to write out either.
Baaeed will have plenty of options for Royal Ascot 2023, with potentially the Prince of Wales's Stakes on the radar. A defence in Queen Anne wouldn't be out of the question either.
Punters may expect to see more big Royal Ascot favourites like Coroebus and Lusail. Both are excellent young 1-miler stars who could potentially be stepped up in distance.
Royal Ascot 2023 Schedule
Tuesday, June 20th 2023
- Queen Anne Stakes - 8f, 4yo+, £340,260, Group 1
- Coventry Stakes - 6f, 2yo, £88,800, Group 2
- King's Stand Stakes - 5f, 3yo+, £283,550, Group 1
- St James's Palace Stakes - 8f, 3yo colts, £283,550, Group 1
- Ascot Stakes - 20f, 4yo+, £51,540, Handicap
- Wolferton Stakes - 9f, 4yo+ £65,120, Listed
- Copper Horse Stakes - 14f, 4yo+, £51,540, Handicap
Wednesday, June 21st 2023
- Queen Mary Stakes - 5f, 2yo fillies, £68,080, Group 2
- Queen's Vase - 14f, 3yo, £155,400, Group 2
- Duke Of Cambridge Stakes - 8f, 4yo+ fillies & mares, £103,600, Group 2
- Prince of Wales's Stakes - 10f, 4yo+, £599,708, Group 1
- Royal Hunt Cup - 8f, 3yo+, £94,500, Heritage Handicap
- Windsor Castle Stakes - 5f, 2yo, £59,200, Listed
- Kensington Palace Stakes - 8f, 4yo+ fillies and mares, £51,540, Handicap
Thursday, June 22nd 2023
- Norfolk Stakes - 5f, 2yo, £65,120, Group 1
- King George V Stakes - 12f, 3yo, £51,540, Group 3
- Ribblesdale Stakes - 12f, 3yo fillies, £113,420, Group 2
- Gold Cup - 20f, 4yo+, £283,550, Group 1
- Britannia Stakes - 8f, 3yo colts and geldings, £64,800, Heritage Handicap
- Hampton Court Stakes - 10f, 3yo, £59,200, Handicap
- Buckingham Palace Stakes - 7f, 3yo+ £51,540, Handicap
Friday, June 23rd 2023
- Albany Stakes - 6f, 2yo fillies, £59,200, Group 2
- Commonwealth Cup - 6f, 3yo colts and fillies, £283,550, Group 1
- Duke Of Edinburgh Stakes - 12f, 3yo+, £51, 540, Handicap
- Coronation Stakes - 8f, 3yo fillies, £283,550, Group 1
- Sandringham Stakes - 8f, 3yo fillies, £51,540, Handicap
- King Edward VII Stakes - 12f, 3yo colts and geldings, £142,058, Group 2
- Palace Of Holyroodhouse Stakes - 5f, 3yo, £51,540, Handicap
Saturday, June 24th 2023
- Coronation Stakes - 7f, 2yo, £59,200, Listed
- Jersey Stakes - 7f, 3yo, £65,120, Group 3
- Hardwicke Stakes - 12f, 4yo+, £134,828, Group 2
- Platinum Jubilee Stakes - 6f, 4yo+, £567,100, Group 1
- Wokingham Stakes - 6f, 3yo+, £94,500, Heritage Handicap
- Golden Gates Stakes - 10f, 3yo, £51,540, Handicap
- Queen Alexandra Stakes - 21 1/2f, 4yo+, £54,000
Royal Ascot Live Streaming Sites
Live streams will bring the top horse racing action to a punter's fingertips. Some bookmakers offer these racing streams on their sites.
For those bookmakers that provide this service, it should also be available on mobile apps. But, again, the benefit is being able to watch a race that you have an interest in.
It's not always possible to sit in front of the TV and watch the racing. So having available streams on the same platform as where the betting is done ties things together nicely.
As an example of how this works, you have to place a bet on the race to watch a live stream with Ladbrokes. Then one minute before the off, the live stream will be active. You can't access the stream if you don't have a wager on the race.
That's not exclusive to Ladbrokes - that's the standard across other live-streaming bookmakers like bet365, Boylesports and Quinnbet.
Other Royal Ascot Festival betting features
From Royal Ascot betting offers to live streams, there is a fantastic experience with online betting.
It is certainly more expansive than just looking at odds. Here are some of the features we recommend looking out for at horse racing betting sites for Royal Ascot and all racing odds.
Odds & Coverage
The biggest thing to watch for at the end of the day is Royal Ascot odds. Many leading bookmakers offer Best Odds Guaranteed on UK and Irish racing. That ensures you get the best odds that the particular bookmaker delivers on a race selection. But still, always compare odds between different bookies to see who is giving the best price on the horse you want to back.
Market Variety
Horse racing is a massive global affair. Most bookies will have international racing coverage. What sets some of them apart is when things like form and insight are integrated.
Non-Runner No Bet
While this will not be available for all races, NRNB is a good feature. With it in place, a qualifying stake will be refunded if the horse doesn't make it to the start. So it's excellent coverage to snap up when it is available.
In-Play Betting
In-play betting is another good feature at Royal Ascot betting sites, particularly when you can access it through mobile betting apps. Having live odds at your fingertips and live racing streams keeps the engagement and excitement rolling along wherever you are.
Virtual Racing
Aside from Royal Ascot betting, a lot of bookmakers have Virtual Racing. When you see this, these are games of chance. They don't have anything to do with real horse racing. But they are quick, fun, computer-generated races which can be bet on without the work of studying race form.
Betting Apps
Convenience is the game's name when it comes to mobile betting apps. Prices fluctuate a fair bit in Royal Ascot horse racing closer to the start of a race. So having reliable, quick betting apps to hand so you can quickly get to those odds is something we here at Mansionbet highly recommend.
UK & International Horse Racing Competitions
The Royal Ascot Festival is just one of many top meetings worldwide. It is one of the most well-known.
Royal Ascot is broadcast around the globe, such is its pull.
Next, we look at some of the other top racing festivals from the UK and abroad.
Cheltenham Festival
Another of the leading UK horse racing Festivals. It’s the most important National Hunt meeting, including the feature race, the Cheltenham Gold Cup, and the blue riband fixture of jumps racing.
Glorious Goodwood
Goodwood hosts one of the highlights of the summer, and like Royal Ascot is a five-day racing festival on the flat. Feature races include the Stewards Cup, the Goodwood Cup and King George Stakes.
Ebor Festival
Hosted at York Racecourse, the Ebor meeting is stacked with Group grade races on the flat. Highlights are the Gimcrack and Ebor Handicap.
Irish Derby Festival
The Irish Derby Weekend at the Curragh near Dublin is iconic and features three days of top racing.
Grand National Festival
The Grand National is arguably the most famous race in the world. It’s unique, the ultimate test of horse and rider, and it’s part of the Grand National Festival at Aintree.
Newmarket July Festival
Another of the British summer flat highlights is the Newmarket July Festival. It’s a lighter, party-going atmosphere for the 3-day event but features big thoroughbred racing like July Cup.
Dubai World Cup
With huge purses at Meydan in the United Arab Emirates, the Dubai World Cup Carnival attracts some of the biggest talents from across the world.
Melbourne Cup Carnival
The Melbourne Cup is one of the greatest races on the planet. Hosted at Flemington in Melbourne, the Spring Carnival is a natural spectacle.
Kentucky Derby/Oaks Weekend
The famous Churchill Downs, Kentucky Derby Weekend always lights up the calendar. It hosts the Derby and the Oaks.
Royal Ascot FAQs
When and what is Royal Ascot?
Royal Ascot horse racing is a five-day festival at Ascot Racecourse in Berkshire. It is a Flat racing festival with an assembly of the best thoroughbreds from the UK and around the world. Members of the Royal family put in an appearance, and it is hosted in the British summer, traditionally in mid-June.
How many Group 1 races are at Royal Ascot?
Ascot Racecourse is home to one-third of the 36 annual Group 1 Flat races in British Racing. Eight of those 13 appear at Royal Ascot and the biggest race of the Festival is the Gold Cup.
How to bet on Royal Ascot?
Find a bookmaker with features that will give you the best experience. Consider the best odds, market coverage, customer support and features like Royal Ascot offers and live streams. Then, register an account, deposit and place your bets. Among our recommendations are bet365, SBK and Fitzdares.
Can anyone go to Royal Ascot?
Yes. The Royal Ascot Festival is open to the public. Some enclosures are off-limits to most, however, and the Royal Enclosure can only be accessed via invitation from someone who has been there for the last four years. The Queen Anne, The Village and the Windsor are the other enclosures.
When was Royal Ascot founded?
Queen Anne established Royal Ascot in 1711. It maintains its Royal heritage with the tradition of dress rules, class distinction, grandeur and a daily Royal Parade.
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