Summary

The TwinSpires sportsbook is now available across several American states, which made me curious how the site compares with other competitors on the market. To get the full picture, I checked out the Michigan site using an Android device to figure out whether TwinSpires holds up.

Do Twinspires give a good bonus to new members? Do they offer a wide range of betting types? I checked out the site in a range of states to find out whether TwinSpires is worth your time.

Why Should You Choose TwinSpires?

It’s very clear from the get-go that TwinSpires values horse racing above all other markets, so if that’s what you’re looking for, you’ve sidled up to the right stall. I found that they cover most other markets pretty well, despite these sports not being their main focus.

The site has a fresh and clean look that I like, with tabs and links making it easy to move around. At the top of the homepage, I see the most popular sports are highlighted with the likes of football, basketball, hockey, soccer, and so on. There are a lot of worthwhile offers, particularly if you want to add a boost to your football bets.

The TwinSpires brand is owned by Churchill Downs Incorporated, which is the company behind the Kentucky Derby. This explains why there's such a big emphasis on horse racing. Don’t worry if you don't know the difference between Secretariat and Seabiscuit, as this operator covers many other sports if you don't find horseshoes to be all that lucky.

It is worth noting that TwinSpires' horse racing bets are available in about 30 states, while the sports section is limited to Arizona, Colorado, Indiana, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee.

Bonuses

TwinSpires is hardly first across the line when it comes to their range of offers, which are generally like the deals I’ve seen, courtesy of all other sportsbooks. The main perk is that your very first bet is “risk-free” because you get a free bet worth the same value if you lose. So, it comes down to a second chance to win. This approach isn't strictly risk-free though, as you lose the money if the second bet is a loser as well.

The big difference from other sports betting sites is that TwinSpires give you up to $1,000 back on this offer. This sounds great, but don’t forget that you need to wager this amount and lose to get it back. If your first bet is going to be for less than $500, there is no extra value to be found in a $1,000 offer rather than a $500 deal. For high-rollers, this could be a better option than other sites but for everyone else, it’s the same as many other offers out there.

A look at the terms and conditions confirms that you don’t get anything if your initial wager wins, which is as expected. The free bet is awarded within 72 hours and you then have seven days to use it. Also, the first bet you make won’t qualify for this bonus if it’s an odds boost or profit boost wager.

I studied the current promotions for existing members, where I noticed many deals for the NFL with the likes of parlay boosts and parlay insurance that I liked. Conveniently, there are basketball and multi-sport parlay deals for anyone who isn’t as big a fan of football betting as I am.

Depositing and Withdrawing

Take a look at the funding options section in the TwinSpires FAQ to get all the details you need in this respect, but to sum up and save you some time, the deposit methods you can use are as follows:

• ACH
• Online banking
• Visa or MasterCard credit card
• TwinSpires Prepaid Play+ Card
• Skrill
• Checks / Money orders
• PayPal
• Apple Pay
• Some land-based options
• PayNearMe
• GreenDot
• MoneyGram

This list is pretty similar to most sportsbooks, if not slightly longer than some, with the addition of their own prepaid card giving an extra option that might help someone who is struggling to find a method that suits them.

For the withdrawal process, there are fewer options than there are for deposits, due to some options not being accepted for this process. I also have some doubts over Skrill and Apple Pay, as they are listed on their FAQ as only being for deposits, but these eWallets are typically used for both deposits and withdrawals on betting sites.

Withdrawal method	Expected time
ACH	Not stated. No withdrawal limits.
Online banking	Up to five days after approval. Minimum $0.01, maximum $9,999.
TwinSpires Prepaid Play+ Card	Immediately after approval. Max limit $25,000.
Paypal	Immediately after approval. Max limit is $9,999.
Checks / Money orders	Up to ten days processing and mail time. No limit was mentioned for withdrawals.

You're not going to be held back by these limits. Their processing times are okay, although some of the details given cover a range of timescales so it would be unfair to judge TwinSpires too harshly. Still, the fact that they have a withdrawal processing time at all makes them slower than some rivals.

The last point on banking is that you need a separate account for horse racing and another for other sports if you’re going to bet in both ways. However, the casino can be accessed, in certain states, using a sports betting account.

Signing up is awkwardly split over three pages. It isn’t the most time-consuming process though, and the reason it's long is that they ask you a couple of security questions. This gives you a more secure betting account once you rack your brains for some secret details that nobody else knows about you.

Verification is carried out in the usual way, with the site asking you to confirm the last four digits of your SSN. Once you get going, their responsible gaming section gives you the details you need on setting limits for deposits, time, wagers, and largest bets.

I found the TwinSpires site easy to use, although it isn’t quite as slick and modern-looking as some rival sportsbooks. The FAQ section is awkward at first, which makes it tricky when looking for specific information. As for the banking, it would've been nice to have more withdrawal options, but their selection is competitive enough to not make it a big issue.

The Mobile App

There's no doubt that using a mobile app to place sports bets is now on-trend. As expected, the TwinSpires mobile app is available for both Android and Apple devices from the Play Store and App Store, respectively. They've got a few different apps, with one covering horse racing, another with sports and casino, and the other for NJ users. Unless you're from NJ, you just need to download the app that has their sports and casino on it.

You can get registered and claim your welcome bonus on the mobile app, so it's handy that you don't need to go to the desktop site to get started. The process is exactly the same as what we've seen on the desktop version. Another useful feature is TwinSpiresTV, which provides live streams of horse races, but I didn’t see any sign that this will come to other markets anytime soon.

The app needs access to your location services to make sure that you are in a state where they can accept bets. After that, you’ll find that it is a fast, easy process to place bets or move funds around. All of the same sports and wagers from the desktop site make it across to the app, so you won't miss a touchdown or a home run if you didn't happen to bring your laptop to the bar.

One feature that will have horse racing fans ready to break into a betting sprint is TwinSpires' mobile expert analysis, handicapping data, and picks for different races - all of which were easily accessible from the app. With data on jockeys, trainers, and even the parentage of specific horses available, TwinSpires seems to have really doubled-down on its horse racing offering. I found that this was all easy to use on mobile, possibly even being easier to use than the desktop site, as it feels slightly more modern.

Betting Options

TwinSpires is clearly one of the top options for anyone looking to bet on horse racing. If you’re looking to bet on ‘the Greatest Two Minutes in Sport’ - that is, the Kentucky Derby, not Shufflin’ Joe’s famous first-round knock-out of Max Schmeling - then you’ve come to the right place. They cover a huge variety of events from the US and abroad with a lot of valuable information such as the latest news, handicapping, and details of how to place bets such as exacta and superfecta.

It's good to see that TwinSpires covers the fundamentals when it comes to horse racing. Simple bets on placing (top two finish) and showing (top three) are easy to make, with all odds and payouts showcased in an easy-to-use betting display. If you're looking to start betting on horses, you could do a lot worse than here.

In other markets, I saw a broad selection of sports that includes all the major leagues (NBA, NFL, NHL, etc) and many others. Soccer is the sport with the most bets available, as the site gives odds on leagues from all over the world. After that, comes basketball followed by hockey and then football.

Looking more closely at the NHL and NFL sections, I discovered the usual range of bets on things like moneyline, next goals, and TDs. In the football section, I checked the Steelers' upcoming game against the Vikings, and I liked the variety of touchdown bets, from the first player to score one to whether any player would get two or three TDs in the game. Even more obscure bets like picking specific plays for rushing, receiving, and passing were available - TwinSpires makes a solid effort to break down every smaller bet available.

Parlays are prominent on the TwinSpires site too, with an easy process that lets me combine different bets with no fuss. All the major sportsbooks have a simple betting slip process and TwinSpires hasn’t been left behind in this respect.

Odds Comparison

The odds at TwinSpires are solid across most markets, with a few areas standing out. For example, the NBA moneyline and NFL spread figures will cover everything you will need. Their worst odds tend to come on NFL totals and NBA spreads, but even these markets aren’t too bad.

I’ve seen with other sportsbooks that their offers such as odds boosts are crucial. You need to find promotions like this to get the best possible odds as often as possible. I suggest that smart use of their promotions will allow you to get competitive odds on the majority of occasions.

What Other Betting Products Do They Offer?

TwinSpires is strongest in horse racing, with sports betting and a casino added in recent years - if you’re settling down to bet on the Kentucky Derby, they’ll do everything for you short of pouring a traditional mint julep. Fancy drinks aside, other offerings such as their online casino have the usual selection of slots and table games, with many of the big-name slots from top developers, such as Da Vinci Diamonds and Dead or Alive. They’ve also included a high limits section and a leaderboard challenge where cash prizes can be won.