It’s race week! The Indy 500 is set to take place this Sunday, May 24th, with the race getting underway at 9:30pm PT. All of the action can be viewed nation wide on FOX.
The Indy 500 is one of the two most popular car races in the United States each year (along with the Daytona 500) and I’m expecting plenty of new bettors looking to wager on the race. For this reason I wanted to add this page to help new California bettors understand how to quickly and easily get action on the 2026 Indianapolis 500.
On this page I will recommend our top rated betting site for Californians, look at the outright winner odds for the race, and provide a simple 3 step guide you can follow to place your bets online within minutes.
Best Betting Site for California Residents
Bovada.lv is our top rated betting site for anyone looking to bet on this years Indy 500. They accept players from most States in the US, including California, and have built a strong reputation as a popular, trusted and easy to use sportsbook serving the USA market over the past 10+ years.
Sports Betting in California
It is not currently legal to operate a sportsbook in the state of California. Two ballot measures failed by significant margins in November 2022, but the issue could once again appear on the ballot during the 2026 midterms. There is currently not timeline for regulated sports betting to come to California.
That said, California residents still have the option to place bets through offshore betting sites that are licensed and regulated outside of the US while allowing American bettors to join. Bovada.lv falls into this category as an offshore sportsbook licensed in Curacao, while serving the US betting market.
Indy 500 Winner Odds
Here are the odds for the Indy 500 winner from BetOnline.ag. These odds were taken on May 20th, 2026 (the Wednesday before the race), so they could still change leading up to the race.
You can see the up to date odds at the Bovada website by opening the ‘All Sports A-Z’ drop down menu and selecting ‘Motor Sports’ -> ‘IndyCar’ -> ‘Races’.
Alex Palou is the favorite midway through race week, while Pato O’Ward, David Maukas, Alexander Rossi, and Josef Newgarden are the other top contenders. The Indy 500 is traditionally anyone’s race, and there are several contenders as you can see from the odds.
The above odds were taken on May 20th. To see the full list of up to date odds head to Bovada.lv.
Bet On The Indy 500 In California – 3 Steps
Follow these three steps to get your Indy 500 bets placed online.
Step 1. Open a Bovada.lv Account
Click the above link and complete the overlay sign up form on the home page to open your account.
Step 2. Deposit
After logging into your new account click on the green ‘Deposit’ button. Select your preferred deposit method (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Bitcoin, Ethereum, etc) and follow the instructions to complete your deposit.
New sign ups receive a 50% matching bonus up to $250 on first deposits (75% up to $750 on crypto deposits). There are rollover requirements associated with these bonuses.
Step 3. Place Your Indy 500 Bets
Click on ‘Sports’ from the top navigation bar, open the ‘All Sports A-Z’ drop down menu and select ‘Motor Sports’. Then select ‘IndyCar’ -> ‘Races’ from the ‘Motor Sports A-Z’ menu.
Bovada has a wide variety of Indy500 betting markets available on this page including outright winner, head-to-head matchups, top finishes, winning team, winning manufacturer, and more.
Select the odds of the bet you want to place to add it to your Bet Slip. Enter your risk amount and click ‘Place Bet’ to lock in your wager.
If you’re new to betting online I suggest checking out our guide section for some beginner articles (general tips, odds explained, bonuses explained, etc) that will help you feel more comfortable placing your wager.
Ready to bet? Click here to visit Bovada.lv.
Tagged With : California betting • Indianapolis 500 betting • Indy 500