We are into the second day of what is considered to be one of the most important weekends for bookmakers, with major sports events taking place over the globe. And when a roster of such major events is held over just two days, this certainly bodes for increased betting activity.
The Grand National 2017 took place on Saturday at Aintree Racecource in Liverpool, England, and One For Arthur ridden by jockey Derek Fox claimed the horse race’s glory, with Cause of Causes, Saint Are, and the contest favorite Blaklion finishing second, third, and fourth, respectively.
Saturday’s horse race was reportedly seen by over 600 million people in different parts of the world. The event annually attracts huge betting volumes and bookmakers believed that this year would not be an exception. William Hill, one of UK’s and the world’s largest gambling companies with presence in the field of over eight decades, predicted that the amount of £225 million would be bet on this year’s edition of the Grand National.
According to the bookmaker, the horse race has attracted more than 35 million bets this year, with an average bet totaling £4.41. As William Hill spokesman Rupert Adams has told media earlier this week, “the Grand National is the public’s race” and aside from regular betting customers, it annually attracts millions of one-off bettors to betting shops, websites, and mobile apps.
According to the bookmaker, betting activity was once again boosted by the event’s start time. Last year, organizers moved the start time to 17:15 from an hour earlier in previous years, which proved a favorable move for betting turnover.
Official figures for the stakes placed on the Grand National are yet to be announced by bookmakers. And as already mentioned, the horse race was not the only major sports event to have been scheduled for the weekend. Along with Premier League fixtures that are a constant presence during weekends, The Chinese Grand Prix and the 2017 Masters Golf Tournament are also currently taking place and probably attracting the attention of a huge number of bettors.
William Hill said it believed this would be one of the biggest and best weekends for bookmakers in history.
It became known earlier this week that the gambling operator has paid out on a winning bet made more than four decades ago. The bet was placed back in 1974 on Red Rum, one of the legends of British horse racing and winner of three Grand Nationals, to win that year’s event. The winning betting slip was worth £130 and its owner was given an additional £130 to bet on this year’s edition of the racing contest as well as £130 to donate to a cause of his own choice.
William Hill revealed that the slip was presented to them by 74-year-old retiree Bob Holmes who had found it while looking through papers of his late father-in-law. Mr. Holmes had explained that his in-law had only been an occasional bettor, placing bets on one or two events a year.
