Wagering Info & FAQ

It's the age-old question!

There is no right or wrong way to pick a horse. Here are some approaches that may work well for you:

• Look at Past Performances: See how each horse has done in its most recent start. Visit an on-track program stand to purchase a paper copy, or get free digital Equibase past performances here. Need help learning how to read the form? Check out the NYRA Bets Handicapping 101 guide.
• Make a selection based on jockeys or trainers: Consult the leaderboard to see who is doing well during the current meet.
• Find out who the experts like: Check the Expert Picks page to view free daily selections.
• Follow your instincts: What's your favorite color? Which horse has the funniest name? Did one of them wink at you from the paddock? Even for the most serious horseplayer, "hunch bets" are part of the fun of racing.

There are a multitude of different bet types in horse racing. Let's start with the simple ones.

Straight Bets

• Win – Your horse must win.
• Place – Your horse must finish first or second.
• Show – Your horse must finish first, second, or third.
• Across the Board – Separate Win, Place, and Show wagers of equal amounts on the same horse.

These basic wagers are perfect if you’re new to horse racing.

Exotic Bets

Exotic bets require you to correctly predict multiple outcomes in a single wager. They're tougher to pull off, but the payouts can be enormous – especially in the Pick 5 and Pick 6!

Exotic Bets Within Each Race (Vertical Wagers)

• Exacta – Pick the first two horses in the correct order.
• Quinella – Pick the first two horses in either order.
• Trifecta – Pick the first three horses in the correct order.
• Superfecta – Pick the first four horses in the correct order.

Exotic Bets Across Multiple Races (Horizontal Wagers)

• Daily Double – Pick the winners of two consecutive races.
• Grand Slam – Pick a horse to finish in the top three in three straight races, capped by the winner of the fourth race in the sequence. If there is no show wagering in one of the first three legs, the horse must finish second.
• Pick 3 – Pick the winners of three consecutive races.
• Pick 4 – Pick the winners of four consecutive races.
• Pick 5 – Pick the winners of five consecutive races.
• Pick 6 – Pick the winners of six consecutive races.

Boxing Your Bet

“Boxing” your choices in exacta, trifecta, and superfecta bets allows you to win if your selected horses finish in any order! Adding more combinations (or horses) to your wagers will raise the price of your ticket, but gives you more chances to win.

This strategy applies to horizontal wagers, too – choosing one or more races to "single" (selecting just one horse) in a multi-race bet is the key to keeping your ticket cost reasonable.

Different wagers have different bet minimums. You can make a wager for as little as ten cents ($0.10) playing the Superfecta, or $1 for a Win bet.  Although these are the minimums, many guests wager more and $5, and $10 Win bets are quite common. NYRA also has designated windows for guests wagering a minimum of $50 per wager.

Bet Minimums

• Win, Place Show - $1
• Exacta - $1
• Trifecta - $0.50
• Superfecta - $0.10
• Daily Double - $1
• Quinella - $1
• Pick 3 - $1
• Pick 4 - $0.50
• Pick 5 - $0.50
• Pick 6 - $1
• Grand Slam - $1

There are three different options for placing a wager:

Option A: Online with NYRA Bets

NYRA Bets is the Official Betting App of Aqueduct, and the best way to play the races worldwide! Skip the lines at the track and bet from your phone. Signing up is fast, easy, and secure.

New members receive a special sign up bonus. Join now to get started!

Option B: On-Track at a SST

Self-service terminals (SSTs) are automated teller machines available throughout the track. To place a bet, you'll need to obtain a betting voucher. SSTs also accept winning tickets.

Watch this handy tutorial to learn how to use SSTs.

Option C: On-Track with a Live Teller

Live tellers are stationed throughout the track on race days. Tellers accept cash, betting vouchers, and winning tickets.

To place your wager, state the name of the track, race number, amount to bet, type of bet, and number of the horse(s).

Example: "Aqueduct, 4th race, $10 to Win on 5."

Click here to sign up for NYRA Bets. Joining is fast, easy, and secure.

Congratulations on your win!

If your wager was placed online with NYRA Bets, your account balance will automatically be credited with the winning amount once the race is made official.

If you have a physical paper betslip, you may collect your winnings one of two ways: Either in-person at the track, or by mail.

Cashing On-Track

Visit any live teller during normal business hours.* Please note that winning pari-mutuel tickets from all races conducted at Aqueduct, Belmont, Saratoga or any simulcast track NYRA offers wagering on must be presented for payment on or before March 31 of the following year.

*Aqueduct business hours: Monday - Sunday, from 11:00am through the end of simulcasting programming.

Cashing By Mail

Address via USPS (certified or registered mail)
New York Racing Association
Attn: Mutuel Department
PO Box 90
Jamaica, NY 11417

Address via courier (FedEx,UPS, etc.)
Aqueduct Racetrack
Attn: Mutuel Department
110-00 Rockaway Blvd.
Jamaica, NY 11420

NYRA must be in possession of winning tickets no later than March 31 of the following year in order to be eligible for payment. Therefore, tickets mailed with an earlier postmark but received by NYRA after March 31 will not be processed. Please allow sufficient time to make certain that NYRA is in receipt of your ticket(s) before this deadline.  Please send your ticket along with your name, address, and contact number.

It is advised that you keep copies for your records.

For winnings that exceed 300-1 odds, the Internal Revenue Service requires that a W2-G Tax Form is completed. This form requires two proofs of identity: 1) Copy of Drivers License or State issued photo ID; and 2) Copy of Social Security Card or a card that establishes your identity and includes your social security number. All winnings subject to reporting and/or withholding as described in IRS form W2-G will be administered in accordance with applicable IRS code.

When you place a bet at any of the three NYRA racetracks – Aqueduct, Belmont Park, or Saratoga Race Race Course – you are betting against everyone who is making the same type of wager in the same race, whether they are on-track patrons or participating in the wagering process from simulcast sites across the nation. The racetrack simply deducts a percentage from each dollar wagered for payment of purses, expenses and state taxes. Unlike casino or sportsbook gambling, where you are betting against the house, Thoroughbred racing is a "parimutuel venture."

Pierre Oller introduced "parier mutuel" in his native France in 1865 meaning "mutual stake" or "betting among ourselves." Pari-mutuel odds reflect how much is wagered on each horse or combination relative to the size of the mutuel pool, and the odds will fluctuate accordingly up until the start of the race.

As money is wagered, the odds change continuously until post time, and are determined by the amount of money wagered on each horse. The odds displayed on the toteboard reflect the money in the Win pool.

Unlike sportsbook betting, payouts are determined by the final odds at the close of wagering – not by the current odds at the moment you placed your wager.

Takeout refers to the percentage amount the track removes from each pool for payment of purses, expenses and state taxes.

• 15 percent – Pick 5, Pick 6
• 16 percent – Win, Place, Show
• 18.5 percent – Exacta, Quinella, Daily Double
• 24 percent – Trifecta, Superfecta, Grand Slam, Pick 3, Pick 4
• 24 percent – Pick 6 (Carryover days)

This depends on what type of wager it is.

Win, Place, Show, Exacta, Quinella, Trifecta, and Superfecta scratches

If a horse you wager on is a late scratch, refunds will be given on all Win, Place, Show, Exacta, Quinella, Trifecta, and Superfecta bets.

Daily Double and Pick 3 scratches

If there is a scratch in the first leg of the Daily Double, the bettor receives a refund; a scratch in the second leg results in a consolation payoff combining the winner of the first leg. In the event of a late scratch before the first leg of the Pick 3, the bettor receives a refund. In the event of a late scratch after the running of the first leg, a consolation payoff is paid to bettors with winners in the other two legs.

Pick 4, Pick 5, Pick 6, and Grand Slam scratches

For Pick 4, Pick 5, Pick 6 and Grand Slam wagers, in the event of a late scratch, the bettor receives the post time favorite. There are no refunds or alternate selections.

To view a comprehensive directory of all rules, visit the New York State Gaming Commission website.

Pick 4, Pick 5, Pick 6 cancelled legs

Should there be three or more cancelled or "no contest" legs in either of the Pick 4, Pick 5, and/or Pick 6 pools, all bets are refunded.

Pick 4, Pick 5, Pick 6 and Grand Slam races off the turf

When the condition of the turf course(s) warrants a change of racing surface to a non-turf course in any of the Pick 4, Pick 5, Pick 6 races, and such change has not been known to the public before the close of wagering in any of those wagers, the changed leg(s) will be deemed an “all win” for wagering purposes. For the Grand Slam, the changed leg(s) will be deemed “no contest” for wagering purposes.

To view a comprehensive directory of all rules, visit the New York State Gaming Commission website.

• In the Pick 4 there is a mandatory daily payout of the entire pool.
• In the Pick 5, in the event there are no tickets with five winners, there is a carryover of 100% of the net pool into the next day of the meet. The Early Pick 5 will carryover into the Early Pick 5 and the Late Pick 5 will carryover into the Late Pick 5.
• In the Pick 6, in the event there is no ticket with six winners, there is a carryover of 75% of the net pool into the next day of the meet. The remaining 25% of the net pool is distributed as a consolation payout.

Will Pays do not reflect live money on scratched horses. In the event the Post Time favorite wins and there is live money on the scratched horse(s), the payout will be less than the Will Pay.

All NYRA account wagering accounts, including NYRA Bets and Cash Cards, in which there has been no wagering activity for three years, will be considered “dormant.” Dormant accounts shall be treated as abandoned property pursuant to New York State abandoned property law and will be remitted to The Office of the New York State Comptroller on an annual basis.