Bookmakers Expect Record Grand National Numbers

UK bookmakers hope for record earnings on the 2015 Aintree Grand National.

Sports betting operators in the United Kingdom expect to see record numbers on the 2015 Grand National, with some €4 million set to be wagered across the Irish betting industry alone.

Grand National is one of the most popular horse racing events in the world and it traditionally takes place at Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool, England. The three-day event will be taking place between 9th April and 11th April this year, with the flagship race scheduled for Saturday at 16:15 BST.

The fact that legendary jockey Anthony Peter McCoy will be retiring soon after the event adds an extra appeal, and he has a great chance to go out with a bang seeing as the horse he will be riding, Shutthefrontdoor has been made the number one favourite.

€4 Million to be Wagered in the Irish Market

This is one of the reasons why Paddy Power expects around €4 million to be wagered on the 2015 Grand National with the Irish bookies, and they will be hoping for a serious improvement on the Cheltenham betting results, with the majority of sports betting operators suffering losses on the back of some predictable results.

Meanwhile, one of world’s leading payment providers WorldPay anticipates that online bookmakers will be in for the largest ever Grand National event when it comes to the volume and value of bets placed on the Aintree meeting.

The UK company also revealed that there had been a stunning 71% increase in volume of online bets on the 2014 Grand National, with bookmakers seeing a 43% increase in betting value compared to the week prior to the event.

A large percentage of Grand National bets will be placed via smartphone and tablet this year as there will be quite a few punters taking advantage of the opportunity to place their bets while watching the races online or in pubs across the country.

With over £1 million in prize money distributed to participants, Grand National is widely regarded as the world’s biggest horse racing event, watched by over 70,000 fans at the Aintree racecourse and another 600 million enjoying the action on television and online.