Entain reports record year for Grand National bets
It’s been another successful year for bookmakers taking bets on the UK’s biggest horse race.
UK.- The Grand National at Aintree last weekend offered another successful event for bookmakers. Entain has reported that its brands, which include Ladbrokes and Coral, took a record 12.75 million bets over the full three days of the festival, which was held with crowds for the first time since 2019.
The operator put the success down in part to the end of Covid-19 lockdowns, with retail betting shops open again for the first time since 2019.
Saturday, the main day of the event, saw 4.1 million bets placed which is an increase of 72 per cent compared to 2021. Some 538,000 customers placed bets on the Ladbrokes and Coral websites, with bets reaching 20,000 per minute.
Dom Grounsell, Entain’s deputy director of digital, said: “We were delighted to see the Grand National returning in all its glory with a huge crowd to cheer on the runners and riders.
“We pulled out all the stops to add to the moments of excitement for our customers across all our brands, apps and shops, and we were the only major operator to provide uninterrupted service from our platform and our customer support teams.”
Entain said that it had taken 65,000 bets for Saturday’s winner, the 50/1 outsider Noble Yeats.
“The magical ending to the race reinforced that there is no event quite like the Grand National to generate passion and interest among our horse racing fans,” Grounsell said.
“Whether it’s in-person or online, Entain is committed to transforming horse racing to make the sport even more exciting for our customers.”
UK betting operators hand MPs’ Grand National winnings to charity in BGC initiative
UK betting operators have donated Grand National bet winnings won by MPs to charity under an initiative promoted by the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC).
Some 40 MPs took part in the initiative. They were each given £50 by the BGC to back a horse in the world’s most famous steeplechase, with all the winnings going to a charity of their choice.
Participating MPs included shadow minister for technology, gambling and digital economy Alex Davies-Jones MP, cabinet minister and COP26 president Alok Sharma MP and shadow DWP minister and former jockey Guy Opperman MP. They were joined by shadow defence secretary John Healey, Caroline Dinenage MP and Toby Perkins MP.
Ahead of this year’s race, which was held with live crowds for the first time since 2019, the BGC had stressed the event’s importance as a national symbol in the UK. The body called on ministers to recognise the importance of the race as a heritage event supporting racing and high street jobs.
