November 5, 2025
After a difficult September, betting on American Thoroughbred racing recovered in October, showing healthy gains compared to last year, even if 2025 totals remain slightly behind 2024 levels.
According to data released by Equibase, betting on US races in October 2025 amounted to $867.9 million, an increase of 8.99% from the $796.3 million wagered in October 2024. The strong monthly figure came despite a 2.6% decline in race days (304 vs. 312) and fewer total races and starts.
The combination of fewer events and higher betting totals resulted in a robust 11.9% increase in average stakes per race day, which rose to $2.86 million, compared to $2.55 million a year earlier.
Purse money also improved in October. Available wallets rose 8.13% to $115.5 million, while paid wallets rose 7.59% to $109.5 million. The average available purse per race day increased by almost 11% to $379,899.
The field size remained stable, with an average of 7.69 starters per race, only slightly less than 7.73 a year ago.
Through the first ten months of the year, national betting totals totaled $9.55 billion, down 1.19% from $9.66 billion through October 2024. Despite fewer race days, betting efficiency continued to improve, with average stakes per race day increasing 3.53% to $3.04 million.
US racetracks have held 3,141 days of racing so far in 2025, down 4.56% from the same period last year, while the total number of races is down 4.19% to 25,541. The number of starts has also fallen by 3.79% to 189,278, although the average field size of 7.41 is fractionally higher than last year’s 7.38.
Available wallets for the year to date are down 1.4% to $1.09 billion, while paid wallets are down 1.57% to $1.04 billion. However, average available purses per race day improved by 3.31% to reach $347,339, continuing a positive trend for daily purse strength even as overall odds decreased.
October’s strong betting and stock market figures provided a welcome boost after weaker results in September, when betting figures fell almost 6% compared to a year ago.
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