While it is true that most sports betting related to horse racing is done at the actual race track at which the race is run, off-track betting is a sanctioned form of sports betting during which the betting takes place outside of the race track. Ironically enough, despite the United States’ strict regulations on sports betting in regards to sports teams, betting on horse races is considered completely legal, and off-track betting occurs with fairly high regularity. There are a variety of legal off-track betting parlours where individuals can place their bets, with winnings being charged a percentage that is paid to the parlour directly out of the winnings, in the exact same way that a bookie in the UK operates.
New York actually has a different set of rules where bettors involved in off-track betting can avoid paying the surcharge by placing their bets through the off-track betting corporation’s account wagering service, or what is called a super-branch or teletheater that charges a daily admission fee. Meanwhile, states like Pennsylvania have no surcharge on winnings. Instead, most individuals participating in sports betting related to horse races actually place their bets with licensed services out of the Caribbean and Central America who run sites that offer them rebates on bets should they win. Off-track betting is more prevalent in the United States than in the UK, largely given the fact that it is one of the few forms of legalized sports betting allowed to US citizens, directly resulting in supply and demand popularity.