The best California horse racing betting sites offer horse racing fans great sportsbooks bonuses, secure payouts and hundreds of online wagering options each day. Legal pari-mutuel wagering is offered at track betting parlors and other venues and users can play at online sports betting sites for Californians, although depending on each site, some extra benefits might be missed. The current gambling laws are friendly when it comes to this historic industry. It is already 2023 and US-regulated sports betting is still pending in the Golden State, but do not get confused, things are quite different for horse racing bettors. This iconic thoroughbred racing event has been held in CA for almost a century. Southern California is home to the final stop on the Road to the Kentucky Derby the Santa Anita Derby is typically the last prep race before the horses and their jockeys head to Churchill Downs. California is, unsurprisingly, one of the biggest markets when it comes to wagering on horse races.