It’s Preakness day! The 2026 Preakness Stakes is scheduled to take place this evening (Saturday, May 16th) at Laurel Park in Laurel, Maryland (due to construction at Pimlico Race Course). The race has a post time of 7:01pm EST and will be broadcast on NBC and Peacock from 4-7:30pm.
Golden Tempo, the Kentucky Derby winner, has chosen to skip the Preakness and focus on the Belmont Stakes in June, which means there will be no chance of a Triple Crown winner this year. That said, the Preakness still has a strong field with Iron Honor (9-2), Taj Mahal (5-1), Chip Honcho (5-1), Incredibolt (5-1), and Ocelli (6-1), as the favorites heading into the race.
On this page I will outline my favorite online betting site that Texans can use to bet on the Preakness Stakes, touch on the legality of betting on the Preakness Stakes from Texas and finish up with a simple 3 step guide to help Texas residents get their Preakness Stakes bets placed online in just minutes.
Best Online Sportsbook for Texans
BetOnline.ag is our top rated betting site for Texans looking to bet on the Preakness. They are an offshore sportsbook that accepts players from across the United States, including Texas.
New players receive a free $25 horse racing bet that can be used on the Preakness, as well as a 9% rebate on daily horse racing bets and a first deposit bonus of up to $250 in free bets. Check out our full review here.
Preakness Stakes Betting in Texas
Texas is one of the many states that do not allow residents to bet on horse races through the official racetrack websites.
That said, there are several offshore betting sites, such as BetOnline.ag, that accept Texas players and allow you to bet on the Preakness Stakes, and other horse races, from the comfort of your own home. It is legal for Texas residents to use these offshore betting sites, and until Texas comes out with their own betting platform these offshore sportsbooks are really the only way for Texans to bet on horse races and other sports.
Check out our Texas sports betting section for a further breakdown of the sports betting climate in Texas.
How To Bet On The Preakness From Texas – 3 Steps
Follow these three steps to get your Preakness Stakes placed online before the race.
Step 1. Open a BetOnline.ag Account
BetOnline is our top rated site for Texans looking to bet on the Preakness Stakes. They accept players from across the USA and are focused on providing a secure and easy to use betting platform for the American public. BetOnline has served the USA market since 2004 and are committed to continuing to offer a great betting service to American residents for the long term.
Click here to visit BetOnline.ag, select ‘Join Now’ on the home page and fill out the short registration form to open your account.
Step 2. Deposit
Click on the ‘Deposit’ button in the top right corner of the BetOnline website to deposit funds.
BetOnline accepts Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Bitcoin, Ethereum, and various other deposit methods.
Use bonus code FREE250 when making your first deposit to opt-in to the 50% matching bonus up to $250 in free bets that is currently being offered.
You can cash out your winnings via cryptocurrency, bank wire or cashiers check.
Step 3. Bet On The Preakness Stakes
Depending on if you’re betting the Preakness in the week leading up to the race, or on race day itself, the way you place your bet varies.
Before Race Day
Leading up to race day you can place a futures wager on the 2026 Preakness Stakes in the ‘Sports’ section of the website. Click on ‘Sports’ in the top navigation bar and then select ‘Horses Daily’ -> ‘Preakness Stakes’ from the ‘Horse Racing’ drop down menu.
Pick your horse -> enter your wager amount on the Bet Slip -> click ‘Place Bet’ to lock in your wager.
Here is a screenshot of the fixed winner odds and post positions (taken May 16th, 2026 – the day of the Preakness):
As you can see Incredibolt is the fixed odds favorite, while Taj Mahal, Ocelli, and Iron Honor are all legitimate contenders to win the race.
On Race Day
On race day (and a few days before) you will be able to place your wager through the ‘Racebook’ section of the site. Click on ‘Racebook’ from the top navigation bar and then select ‘Thoroughbred’ and ‘Laurel Park’ from the left sidebar. Select ‘May 16’ and race #13 (post time of 7:01pm ET) for the Preakness and select the type of wager you’d like to make (win/place/show, exacta, superfecta, etc).
**You can also select ‘Preakness Stakes at Laurel Park’ from the Featured Races menu to quickly navigate to the race.
Pick your horses(s) -> enter your risk amount -> click ‘Add To Bet Slip’. When you are happy with your bets click ‘Submit All Bets’ to confirm.
Here’s a screenshot from this years Preakness Stakes showing the clicks to make a Win bet on Taj Mahal in the Racebook as an example:
The bets you make through the Racebook will use the parimutuel betting system, which means the odds can change leading up to the race depending on the amount of money that is bet on each horse. Check out our horse racing section to learn more about the various bets you can make on the race.
Ready to bet? Click here to visit BetOnline.ag.
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