This years Kentucky Derby will take place at Churchill Downs Racetrack at 6:57pm ET this Saturday, May 2nd, 2026. The race will be broadcast in the United States on NBC.
The Kentucky Derby is the second most wagered on single day sporting event in the United States each year, and for this reason I’m expecting a lot of new bettors interested in wagering on the Derby. I added this page to help Arkansas and Mississippi residents understand how to quickly and easily place a bet on the 2026 Kentucky Derby online.
On this page I recommend a sportsbook for Kentucky Derby betting, look at the sports betting regulations in Arkansas and Mississippi, and provide a simple 3 step guide you can follow to place your Kentucky Derby bets.
Best Kentucky Derby Betting Site
Bovada.lv is our top rated betting site for Arkansas and Mississippi residents looking to bet on this years Kentucky Derby. Bovada is a popular and trusted betting site that has served the US betting market since 2011. Bovada accepts players from most US States, including Arkansas and Mississippi.
Bovada offers new players a 50% matching bonus up to $250 on first deposits. Check out our full review.
Kentucky Derby Betting in Arkansas and Mississippi
Sports betting is legal and regulated in both Arkansas and Mississippi.
Sports betting has been legal in Arkansas since 2018, but bettors would have to place bets on-site at one of three casino locations in the state. This changed in March of 2022, with a couple regulated online sportsbooks launching in the state. There are currently three regulated online sportsbooks available in Arkansas.
Sports betting has also been legal in Mississippi since 2018, however bets are must still be placed while on-site at a licensed casino. Users can register from anywhere in Mississippi, but to place a bet you must be on-site at a water or land based casino in Mississippi.
Arkansas and Mississippi residents also have the option to place bets online through offshore betting sites that are licensed outside of the United States, while accepting US bettors. Bovada.lv falls into this category as a site located offshore, that has served the US betting market since 2011.
**Arkansas residents can also bet on the Kentucky Derby at local tracks that offer simulcast betting such as Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs.
Bet On The Kentucky Derby – 3 Step Guide
Follow these three steps to bet on the Kentucky Derby online from anywhere in Arkansas or Mississippi.
Step 1. Join Bovada.lv
Click the above link and complete the overlay sign up form on the home page to open your Bovada account.
Step 2. Deposit Funds
After logging into your Bovada account click the ‘Deposit’ link under your accounts drop down menu and choose your preferred deposit method. Enter the amount and complete the instructions for your chosen method to fund your account.
Bovada accepts Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Bitcoin, ETH, and other cryptocurrencies.
You can cash out any winnings through most of those same methods, as well as by bank wire or check through the mail.
Step 3. Place Your Kentucky Derby Bets
It’s time to bet on the 2026 Kentucky Derby.
You can place your Derby bets in either the ‘Sports’ or ‘Horses’ sections of the Bovada website. In the Sportsbook you can bet on the race winner at fixed odds, while in the Racebook you have the full variety of horse race betting options (win/place/show, exacta, trifecta, etc), but the parimutuel betting system is used.
**With the parimutuel betting system your horse racing bets are not locked in at the odds you see at the time of your wager. Instead the odds are determined by the amount of money wagered on each outcome relative to the total amount of money bet into the pool.
Sportsbook Bet (Fixed Odds)
- Click ‘Sports’ from the top menu bar.
- Open the ‘All Sports’ drop down menu and select ‘Horses Futures & Props’. This will bring up Kentucky Derby winner market and other Kentucky Derby betting markets using fixed odds.
- You can also select ‘Kentucky Derby Fixed Odds’ from the Trending Events menu to quickly navigate to the Kentucky Derby fixed odds markets.
- Select the odds of the horse you want to bet on to win the Derby.
- Enter your risk amount on the Bet Slip and click ‘Place Bet’ to lock in the wager.
Here are the odds from the Sportsbook for the Kentucky Derby (odds taken on May 1st):
Racebook Bet (Parimutuel Betting)
- Click ‘Horses’ from the top menu bar.
- Open the All Tracks drop down menu and select ‘Churchill Downs’.
- Scroll to race #12 (post time of 6:57pm) on May 2nd for the Kentucky Derby.
- You can also select ‘Kentucky Derby Advance’ from the Trending Events menu to quickly navigate to the Churchill Downs races on May 2nd. You will still have to scroll to Race #12 for the Kentucky Derby.
- Select your bets and click ‘Add To Betslip’.
- Enter your Stake amounts on the Bet Slip and click ‘Place Bets’ to make the wagers.
**The below screenshot is an example from last year showing the clicks to place a Win bet on in the Racebook.**
For a full breakdown of the different bets you can make on the Kentucky Derby in the Racebook, check out our horse race betting section.
Ready to bet? Click here to visit Bovada.lv.
Tagged With : Arkansas betting • Kentucky Derby • Kentucky Derby betting • Mississippi betting