Sports betting and gaming group Entain reported a record-breaking number of bets on Saturday’s Grand National, the largest event in the horse racing industry. The race, held at Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool, is the most valuable jump race in Europe and a landmark event for British culture, as well as the biggest betting day of the year for the UK industry.
Customers celebrated the first in-person Grand National in two years by returning to high street shops and getting in on the action online. This meant business for Entain, with fans flocking to the company’s popular betting brands, which include Coral and Ladbrokes, to back their favorite at the race, described as the biggest 10 minutes of the year in the horse racing calendar.
“We were delighted to see the Grand National returning in all its glory with a huge crowd to cheer on the runners and riders,” said Dom Grounsell, Deputy Director of Digital at Entain. “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.”
The annual event, known to bring out millions of once-a-year customers, proved to be “another great day out” for Entain’s customers, the company says. “It was made extra special as fans were able to both physically attend the annual festival and step inside betting shops to wager on the Grand National for the first time since 2019,” a press release reads.
On his retirement ride Sam Waley-Cohen steals the headlines by riding Noble Yeats to victory at 50/1
Who was #YourHorse? pic.twitter.com/dvdbwvU112
— Coral (@Coral) April 9, 2022
Entain took a total of 12.75 million bets through its brands across the three-day Grand National festival, marking an increase in bets from pre-pandemic 2019, which was the last time customers could use both retail and digital channels to wager. On Saturday in particular, the business reported a total of 4.1 million bets, and total stakes up 72% when compared to 2021.
Also on Saturday, over 20,000 bets-per-minute were placed online in the run-up to the race, “demonstrating the scalability of Entain’s industry-leading platform.” That day, 538,000 active customers were online, for Ladbrokes and Coral combined, and customer service agents responded to customers in less than half a minute on average.
“The event culminated in a fairy tale Grand National win for 50-1 winner Noble Yeats, ridden by amateur jockey Sam Waley-Cohen,” Entain describes. A total 65,000 bets were placed on Noble Yeats across Entain’s brands, the company reported.
“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,” added Grounsell. “Whether it’s in-person or online, Entain is committed to transforming horse racing to make the sport even more exciting for our customers.”
Proof that jockeys are the bravest athletes 💪
Watch this incredible @JockeyCam footage from last week’s @Coral Scottish Grand National at @AyrRacecourse 🏆
Who’s #YourHorse in today’s Grand National from @AintreeRaces? 🏇 pic.twitter.com/qPdd26Y07J
— Coral (@Coral) April 9, 2022
Last month, ahead of the event, the Betting and Gaming Council – the industry body for the legal UK betting and gaming industry- warned Ministers “not to spoil the enjoyment of punters or ignore the tens of thousands of jobs” supported by the regulated industry in the government’s upcoming Gambling Review.
The warning came up as millions of bettors prepared to return to bookies for the first time since 2019 to wager in person on the Grand National competition. “Millions of us are going to come together this weekend, from all walks of life, to have a bet on the Grand National,” said Betting and Gaming Council CEO Michael Dugher ahead of the event.
However, while Dugher celebrated bookies being once again open on high streets, he warned there could be “a sting in the tail” next year “if anti-gambling prohibitionists get their way.” According to the executive, research shows punters would react “badly” to being asked to submit to instructive affordability checks, or curbs on their consumer experience, “with any ban on promotions.”