The USA’s Best Pools Betting Sites – Updated For 2022

Pool betting has long been popular in the USA. In the past, however, it’s been a pretty informal affair between groups of friends or coworkers. Nowadays that no longer needs to be the case, since the laws surrounding betting in the USA have been relaxed. Along with many other things, this has opened up pool betting on professional, modern sports betting sites to a wide range of punters. 

In this article, you’ll learn all the details you need to know about pool betting in the USA. We’ll explain what it is, how it works, and the very best sites at which you can try it for yourself. 

How We Rank the Top Pools Betting Sites

Online pools betting has become increasingly popular in the USA, to the point where – nowadays – you’ve got plenty of suitable bookmakers to choose from. We’ve narrowed those down to a top 10 for you, as you can see above, with these being five of the main criteria we looked at.

Top 5 Pool Betting Online Sites Reviewed

Towards the top of this page, you can get a quick overview of our 10 recommended pool betting sites in the USA. Let’s look a little more closely at the five best options of all. 

1. Bovada – Excellent Sports Betting App for iOS & Android

Bovada is one of the most famous online betting brands in the USA. It was launched in 2011 as its own independent betting platform, and has gone from strength to strength ever since. It features detailed sections for poker, casino games, and sports betting. 

The sportsbook is excellent, particularly if you’re a fan of horse racing. You’ll find a range of horse racing pool, as well as pools for all of the biggest sports across the USA.

2. BetOnline – Plenty of Horse Racing Pool Betting Options

BetOnline is one of the oldest, busiest and most trustworthy online sportsbooks in the world. It has a reputation for offering a great user experience, early lines, quick payouts, and very large bonuses.

BetOnline will give you a 50% free play welcome bonus worth up to $1,000 when you sign up for a new account and use our BetOnline code. You will earn a 100% welcome bonus if you use crypto for your initial deposit, and BetOnline will throw in an extra 5% if you use Bitcoin as opposed to an altcoin. Creating an account is a quick and simple process. You will also benefit from lots of reload bonuses and free bets.

The odds on offer are very competitive, and it caters to casual horse racing betting fans and high rollers alike. You will come up against a maximum bet amount, but you can then re-bet multiple times if you would like to place a large wager.

BetOnline is also a lot quicker to process payout requests than most rival pool racing betting sites. It excels in every important area, so we have made BetOnline our number two pool horse racing  betting operator for 2022. It is one of the world’s best all-round gambling sites, as it also includes one of the most impressive online casinos on the market.

3. Everygame – Wide Range of US and International Races

With Everygame, you can pool bet on the Kentucky Derby, official prep races, and even a racehorse winning the Triple Crown. Everygame also has daily racing down with pari-mutuel odds available on all the main US tracks including harness races. There is also international action from countries where the sport of kings is popular.

Credit cards, cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, & Litecoin, and wire transfers allow you to fund your gambling. Bigger ranges of payment methods are available with other providers.

An FAQs section is the main form of customer support, meanwhile, with questions and answers on various topics. Live Chat is also available around the clock.

This sportsbook might not offer the same level of optionality as some of the competition when it comes to game day and live-in-play betting, but Everygame does broadcast generous odds for horse racing futures bets .

4. MyBookie – Top Choice For Placepot Pools for Horse Racing

MyBookie is a middle-aged online sportsbook in modern terms, having launched in 2014. Like other sportsbooks it has pursued an ambitious advertising strategy, which has helped to see its popularity rise dramatically in recent years. 

For pool betting fans, MyBookie provides three different options. Alongside the traditional ‘survivor contest’ and ‘super contest’ varieties, you will also find the innovative ‘Squares’ pool, which is fairly random but still fun to play. Add in a variety of great bonuses, including a big-time ‘Refer a Friend’ deal, and there’s plenty to like about MyBookie. 

5. BetNow – Place Pools Bets Using Crypto

With a Curacao license and just over 5 years of experience, BetNow easily makes it as one of the most trustworthy horse racing pools betting sites available to US bettors. With a decent selection of BetNow promo codes getting released regularly, the bookie surely doesn’t skimp on boosting customer bankrolls. The bonus section has a little something for just about every type of bettor.

BetNow features a top-notch mobile betting site, allowing you to access its full range of horse racing pools betting markets on the move with a few finger swipes. Many US bettors prefer to create a web app and use the mobile website instead of the desktop platform.

While several payment methods are available, Bitcoin is an easy winner. It has the highest deposit and withdrawal limits and quickest transaction time frames. Other popular crypto banking methods like Tether and Ethereum aren’t available yet but we’ll likely see them soon as BetNow expands its cashier section.

BetNow has a decent customer support system going on, but the only challenge is you have to sign up to get the finer details on pretty much everything. You can contact the support team 24/7 via phone, live chat, and email.

6. BetUS – Best Horse Racing Pools Site for Small Stakes

BetUS has an exceptional track record, stretching back to 1994. It has a fully-featured online sportsbook and casino section, and even runs its own radio station and betting podcast, and provides live streaming. 

Most importantly for our purposes, BetUS offers plenty of pools betting opportunities too. These are split across several different varieties, although survivor pools are definitely its specialty. We were particularly impressed by the staking flexibility here, with anything from a $10 to a $500 buy-in being permitted.

7. XBet – A Top US Sportsbook for Horse Races

Not to be confused with the excellent 1xBet, XBet itself is also a fantastic sportsbook in its own right. It has a solid casino section and ‘Racebook’ alongside its regular sports betting area, which is packed out with markets and has several enticing offers. 

Pool betting is also given its own ‘Contests’ subsection here, which will typically feature a ‘Survivor Contest’ during the NFL season. This only costs $10 to enter, but there’s a hefty $10,000 prize pool up for grabs for the victors. 

Explore Our Expert-Written Sports Betting Guides

What is a Horse Racing Betting Pool?

You already know what the best pool betting sites in the USA are right now, how we arrived at those rankings, and have a little more detail on our top five picks. Now though, it’s time to look at what exactly pool betting is. 

With regular, fixed-odds betting, you’re essentially wagering against the sportsbook. They set the odds, and – if you think they represent good value – you place your wager. If it wins, you get a payout. If it loses, they keep your money

With pool betting, by contrast, you’re going against other users. You may still need to pay some money to the sportsbook to join a contest. These entry fees – collectively – are usually called the ‘pool’. After entering the contest, it’s your picks versus your competitors’. Whoever makes the best picks over the course of the contest usually gets either the entire pool, or a slice of it if there are multiple winners.

That’s the general concept of pool betting explained, but let’s see how it works when it comes to horse racing.

Different Types of Pool Betting

Technically, anything in which punters pile their money together into a collective prize fund could be called a ‘betting pool’. In reality though, this term usually refers to one of following categories. 

Pool Betting and Fixed Odds Betting Compared

Pool betting offers a fascinating alternative to regular, fixed odds betting. Like any form of gambling, of course, it has its good and bad points, with these being the main pros and cons. 

Pros

Cons

Winning and Losing Examples of Pool Betting

By now, you should have a pretty good idea of how pool betting works. To help make things crystal clear though, here are both successful and unsuccessful examples of how you might join one.

Winning Example

• Sign up with GTBets
• Stick $10 into your account
• Head to the Horse Racing Betting Section
• Select your Pick 4 with 4 horses you think will win
• Enjoy the racing and watch as your choices win
• Take home your share of the prize pool, along with the rest of the lucky winners

Losing Example

• Create an account on GTBets, deposit $10, and choose your Pick 4
• Pick a losing horse in your first race
• A losing horse means you are immediately out of the pool, resulting in a loss

Our Top 5 Betting Tips for Online Pool Betting

As with any other form of gambling, there are no guarantees of turning a profit in pool betting. There are definitely steps you can take to boost your chances though, with these being five of the most important.

Betting Pool Apps 

Betting brands in the USA tend to be a little behind the times when it comes to mobile features. While some sites do indeed provide separate mobile apps for each of its offerings (including Daily Fantasy), the likes of MyBookie still have no apps available. 

When you can find them, the appeal of mobile betting pool apps is obvious. It allows you to make your picks, check the status of your pools, join new pools, and so on, all with unrivaled convenience. Below, you can check out three of the best brands for betting pool apps right now. 

Even when a brand doesn’t have an actual app, however, it’s not the end of the world. These bookies will invariably still provide a mobile version of their main website, which – even if the performance is slower than an app – still has all the same functionality. 

Explore Our Top Betting App Guides

How to Sign Up to a Pool Betting Site

Modern-day betting sites in the USA tend to be very user-friendly, and it’s no different when it comes to pool betting. These are the few simple steps you must take to get up-and-running.

Step 1 – Pick a Bookie

This is the easy part. Simply take a look at our recommended bookies, pick one that appeals to you, and click through to the site. Remember that you can choose to do this either on a desktop or mobile device; the following steps will work the same way regardless.

Step 2 – Create an Account

Head to the homepage of your chosen brand, then click the ‘Sign Up’ button (or similar). Follow each of the steps in turn, alternately providing personal details such as your date of birth and home address, or setting account details like a username and password. Once you’ve done so, agree to the general T&C’s then hit ‘Sign Up’ again. 

Step 3 – Make a Deposit

Log into your account, then click the ‘Cashier’ or ‘Deposit’ button to see your payment options. Pick one, fill in the requisite details, enter the amount you wish to deposit, and confirm the payment. You can see a typical list of payment methods on a pool betting site below.

Step 4 – Join a Betting Pool

With your account funded, it’s high time to join a betting pool. Head to the subsection for pools, and pick one of the contests that’s currently running. You will normally be given an option between different buy-in amounts here. Choose the one best suited to your budget and pay your entry fee, then be sure to make your first pick before the deadline for that round of the pool expires.

Discover Our Top Betting Guides

Is There Pool Betting In Other Sports?

Although horse racing does have a huge range of pools to bet on, there are other sports that you may want to have a look at once you’ve found that you enjoy the pool betting format.

Football Betting Pool

The NFL sees the most pool betting action by an absolute landslide. Every respectable pool betting site will run at least one contest throughout each season, and – with a bit of searching – you can typically find options for all of the three main types of betting pools (see below).

Because it’s such a big market, some bookies are also willing to get more creative in their pool betting formats here. For example, you may find Fantasy Betting, which combines the popular fantasy sports with pool betting.

Basketball

The NBA might arguably be a bigger betting market overall, but there’s no doubting which competition dominates when it comes to pool betting. Each year, March Madness sees a colossal amount of money being ploughed into betting pools. This comes not just from serious punters, but from casual sports fans too.

Specifically, March Madness pools usually involve filling in a ‘bracket’ for the entire tournament. If you somehow get your bracket right (which is incredibly difficult to do), you can end up with a seriously big payday.

What Types Of Pools Can Be Found In Other Sports?

Survivor Pool

This is the most common form of pool betting. It usually applies to the NFL, and is extremely easy to both understand and take part in.

Starting in Week 1 of the NFL season, you’ll need to pick one team to win their matchup that week. If they do win, you stay in the pool. If they lose, you’re out. The catch here is that you can only pick a team once in the entire season, meaning that – if you choose the Patriots in Week 1, for example – you can’t ever pick them again afterwards.

SuperContest / Mega Contest

Technically, the ‘SuperContest’ itself refers to a specific competition, run by Westgate in Las Vegas. You’ll find similar pools elsewhere though, which might be called ‘Super Contests’, ‘Mega Contests’ or something similar.

Regardless, these usually work in the same way. Each week of the NFL season, you’ll need to make a certain number of picks (usually five). Successful picks get ‘points’, and players with the most points at the end of the season get a share of the prize pool.

Again though, there’s a catch here. Rather than making simple money line selections, you must actually make your five picks against the spread each week.

Final Thoughts 

If you’ve only ever tried fixed odds betting before, pool betting will represent a fascinating alternative. It’s harder to win in this area, of course, but the rewards for doing so are massive compared to the buy-in amount. You’ll also find a decent amount of variety in both how betting pools are structured, and the sports for which they’re available. 

All that remains for you to do now is pick one of our recommended sportsbooks, sign up, trigger the welcome offer if it appeals to you, and join a betting pool. Stay patient and sensible with your picks, and you’ll give yourself the best possible chance of turning a big profit.

FAQ

What types of pools are available?

When it comes to horse racing, the main pools are jackpot pools, placepot pools and win pools.

How much do I need to pay to join a pool?

This varies massively from pool to pool, and from site to site. You may find entries as low as $5, although the biggest pools may need an entry fee of $100.

What is a sports betting pool?

When you join one of these contests, you pay an entry fee. Other users will join too, and the collective stakes are called the ‘pool’. If you win the contest, you might get a share of the pool or even the whole thing.

What sports can I bet on?

The main sports to bet on pools are horse racing, football and basketball, with a range of pools available for each sport.

Can I join a Super Bowl betting pool?

Technically you can find ‘squares’ pools for the Super Bowl, but these are extremely random. It’s much more common to wager on the Super Bowl in a private betting pool, with friends or coworkers.