Where to Bet on Greyhounds

Much like horse racing, greyhound racing's origins lie in England.

Greyhound racing has progressed dramatically over the years. It started in a somewhat barbaric manner, as the method of "coursing" was originally used. This involved greyhounds chasing down live prey (usually a jackrabbit), and the winner would be the dog that caught the jackrabbit the fastest.

The invention of the artificial hare brought greyhound racing to the mainstream in 1912. The man behind this invention, Owen Patrick Smith, wanted to put an end to the practice of killing hares and jackrabbits over the course of the race. This invention worked, and greyhound racing would evolve into the style of "track racing" that is still used in this day and age.

With the artificial hare (a windsock is also used), the dogs race around the oval, trying to catch the elusive contraption. The winner of the race is the dog that crosses the finish line first.

The first greyhound racing track was constructed in 1919, and the first greyhound race using an oval track in the United Kingdom took place in 1926.

The working class in the United Kingdom quickly embraced this new form of entertainment, as it was seen as a more "common man's" sport to bet on, especially when compared to horse racing, which was mainly reserved for the upper class. Betting on greyhound racing is still popular today, though certainly less so than perhaps 60-70 years ago.

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These are the most common types of bets for greyhound races:

Tote Win - this means that all of the money that is bet on all of the dogs is divided amongst the winners, less any sports book commission

Tote Place - this means that all of the money that is bet on a dog to place (usually this means that the dog finishes first, second or third) is divided amongst the winning bettors, minus the sports book's commission.

Fixed Win - this one is simple - will the greyhound win the race or not?

Fixed Place - this one is also fairly simple, as you are simply wagering as to whether or not the greyhound will place (finish first, second or third) or not.

Some greyhound races are fairly small (8-9 dogs), while others have massive fields.

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Here are some of the biggest greyhound races of the year across the globe:

2020 Greyhound Derby
British Bred Derby
English Oaks

Ballarat Cup
Dapto Megastar
Golden Easter Egg
Queensland Derby
Queensland Futurity

The biggest countries for greyhound racing are the United Kingdom, Argentina, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa and the United States.