Aintree’s Grand National is unquestionably Britain’s biggest horse race. It attracts a television audience four times greater than the Cheltenham Gold Cup, while its estimated worldwide audience is estimated to be in excess of 600 million. No wonder Grand National betting is so popular. In fact, across the UK, it’s more unusual not to have a Grand National bet.
Not that many years ago, it was possible to identify the fact that some very special horse racing was being staged at Aintree by the length of the queues to be seen outside of bookmakers’ offices on the morning of the race.
Virtually all bookmakers opened their shops early on ‘national day’ simply to cope with the volume of bets they would take before the race.
It was invariably early-rising female punters who would queue to get their Grand National bet on. These were women who wouldn’t ordinarily go anywhere near a bookmaker, but the National was the race that everyone had a bet on, so before they went Saturday shopping, they placed their stake on the great race.
While many punters had a passing interest in horse racing, they would consider betting on Grand National day to be as vital as watching the FA Cup final, though they wouldn’t be too bothered if they didn’t place any bets for the rest of the year!
Of course, the internet has changed many of these attitudes. In 2010, there was more Grand National online betting than ever before. One bookmaker, with a high street and an online presence, reckoned the shift from high street shops to internet-based betting was part of an unstoppable trend.
“Horse races such as the Grand National and the Derby are part of Britain’s sporting fabric and betting on Grand National day is a social thing, as much as it is a serious wager.”
He’s right. For many years, offices, factories and other places of work would have a ‘sweep’ before the big race, an opportunity to bet on the Grand National amongst workmates In many workplaces, this still happens, although online Grand National betting has overtaken it as workmates bet against each other using the internet as their preferred method of staking their bets.
It means that in the space of perhaps a decade, Grand National betting has been transformed. Where once punters stood outside of a bookmakers’ premises before placing their bets (and England is not renowned for great weather in April), online Grand National betting is increasingly the norm.
If the trend continues –and there’s every reason to suppose it will, then the early-morning queues will disappear and become a thing of the past. Few will lament their loss, however, as Grand National betting, like so much else in our lives has been revolutionised. Why stand for hours in the rain and cold when you can place your bet via the internet in the comfort of your own home?