It’s Derby weekend! The 2026 Kentucky Derby is scheduled to take place this Saturday, May 2nd at Churchill Downs.
The race is has a post time of 6:57pm ET, with the NBC Kentucky Derby broadcast running from 2:30pm to 7:30pm. The Kentucky Derby is the second most bet on single day event in the USA and I expect a lot of new bettors interested in betting on the race. For this reason I wanted to add this page to help Idaho and Montana residents place bets on the 2026 Kentucky Derby.
On this page I will recommend a betting site, touch on the sports betting options in Idaho and Montana, look at the odds for the race, and provide a simple 3 step guide you can follow to bet on the 2026 Kentucky Derby online.
Best Betting Site For Americans
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Bovada.lv is our recommended betting site for Idaho and Montana residents looking to bet on the Kentucky Derby. They are a very popular offshore sportsbook that has served the US market for 15 years.
Bovada offers new players a 50% matching first deposit bonus of up to $250. This offer bumps up to 75% up to $750 if your first deposit is using cryptocurrency. Here’s our full review with more details.
Kentucky Derby Betting in Idaho and Montana
It is currently not legal to operate a sportsbook in Idaho, and this does not look like it will change anytime soon. That said, Idaho residents can place bets through offshore betting sites that are licensed and regulated outside of the USA, such as Bovada.lv.
In Montana the regulated sports betting is a state monopoly with a lot of hoops you have to jump through before you can place a bet. For example, to place a regulated mobile bet in Montana you have to be within a geofenced retail sports betting outlet. Montana residents can also place Kentucky Derby bets at Bovada.lv.
Kentucky Derby Odds
Here are the outright winner odds (with post positions) for the 2026 Kentucky Derby from Bovada.lv (odds accurate as of May 1st – the day before the race). You can find the current odds for the race at the Bovada website by selecting ‘Horses Futures & Props’ from the ‘All Sports A-Z’ menu.
Renegade is the favorite for the Derby after winning the Arkansas Derby in late March. Commandment, Further Ado, and Chief Wallabee are the other top contenders.
Bet On The Kentucky Derby – 3 Steps
Follow this three step guide to bet on the Kentucky Derby online from Idaho or Montana.
Step 1. Open A Bovada.lv Account
Click the above link, and complete the Sign Up form on the Bovada ‘Create Account’ page to open your Bovada account.
Step 2. Deposit
Log into your Bovada account and click the ‘Deposit’ link in the top right corner of the screen. Choose one of the deposit options, enter the amount of your deposit, and complete the instructions for your chosen deposit method.
Bovada accepts Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Bitcoin, Ethereum, various other cryptocurrencies, and more.
Step 3. Place Your Kentucky Derby Bets
You can place your Kentucky Derby bets through the Bovada Sportsbook at fixed odds, or through the Racebook, which has the full variety of horse racing betting options.
Sportsbook (Fixed Odds)
- Select ‘Sports’ from the top navigation bar.
- Open the ‘All Sports A-Z’ menu and select ‘Horse Racing Futures & Props’. The Kentucky Derby winner odds will be featured on this page.
- You can also click ‘Kentucky Derby Fixed Odds’ from the Trending Competitions menu to quickly navigate to the fixed odds Kentucky Derby betting markets.
- Select the odds for the horse you want to bet on.
- Enter your Risk amount on the Bet Slip.
- Click ‘Place Bets’ to make your wager.
Racebook (Parimutuel Betting)
- Select ‘Horses’ from the top menu bar.
- Select ‘Churchill Downs’ from the ‘All Tracks’ menu.
- Scroll to race #12 on May 2nd (post time 6:57pm) for the Kentucky Derby.
- You can also click ‘Kentucky Derby Advanced’ from the Trending Competitions menu in the sportsbook 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 the bets you want to place and click ‘Add To Betslip’.
- Enter your risk amount on the Bet Slip, and click ‘Place Bets’ to make your wagers.
Ready to bet? Click here to visit Bovada.lv.
Kentucky Derby • Kentucky Derby betting