The 2024 Kentucky Derby set a new record for total amount of money wagered

With sports betting now legal in 38 states, it’s expected that the amount wagered on big events (Super Bowl, March Madness, etc.) will continue to increase each year, but horse racing is in a little different category. It hasn’t experienced the same exponential growth as overall wagering on other sports in the United States.

Regardless, this year’s Kentucky Derby did indeed set a new record in terms of total dollars wagered on the race.

There was $210.7 million wagered on the 2024 Kentucky Derby, which was up from $188.7 million last year. Overall, the total amount of wagering on the 14-card race Saturday at Churchill Downs in Kentucky was a record $306.9 million, up 9.6 percent from last year.

Mystik Dan, an 18-1 long shot, won the 150th Kentucky Derby on Saturday, edging Sierra Leone and Forever Young by a nose in a photo finish.

The Derby also had a terrific attendance of 156,710 people, the highest number of people at the race since 2018.