- Exchange wagering platform Smarkets reports that £92.8 was traded on the platform during the 2021 Grand National festival.
- This represents a 21% increase in betting volume over the 2019 Grand National.
- The 2020 Grand National was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
More impressive numbers from the 2021 Grand National horse racing festival are being reported by exchange platform provider Smarkets. The London based company reports that they processed £92.8 in wagers on the 2021 Grand National which further validates predictions that the event was the biggest online sports betting handle in UK.
In mid-March, Smarkets reported record betting handle on the Cheltenham Festival, the annual four day jump racing meet. During the event a grand total of £210m was processed on the Smarkets exchange platform and the company’s SBK sportsbook app. This was a 40% increase on the previous record from 2019 (£151m). The company shared this graphic with a number of key data points from the Cheltenham handle:
It doesn’t look as if Smarkets’ creative team has had time to prepare a similar graphic for the Grand National but the impressive numbers keep coming. A total of £92.8 million was traded on the platform in comparison to the 2019 figure of £76.5 million, and the 2018 earnings of £57.4 million. This represents a 21% increase in betting volume from 2019. The Aintree Racecourse fixtures from Thursday to Saturday also saw over £131 million in betting action.
Jason Trost, CEO and Founder of Smarkets, said that his company’s exchange and sportsbook platforms have both experienced significant growth of late:
“After a record-breaking Cheltenham Festival for the company, to have set a new all-time high for betting volume on a single event is another big milestone for us. The growth of both our products, but especially SBK, has been phenomenal recently.”
Not surprisingly, Saturday’s Grand National ‘main event’ accounted for 71% of total bets. Race winner Minella Times with Rachael Blackmore aboard was the second most wagered horse on Smarkets’ SBK sportsbook app. Blackmore made history by becoming the first female jockey to ever win the Grand National. Favorite Cloth Cap received the most betting action but failed to finish the race. CEO Trost cited Blackmore’s unprecedented ride as a highlight of the race:
“It was a thrilling Grand National with a wonderful story as Rachael Blackmore became the first female jockey to win the race, and I’m glad more people than ever enjoyed betting on it with our market-leading prices.”
“We have a lot of momentum as a business right now, and with a summer football tournament one of several big events coming up, I’m excited for the next few months.”
In 2020, Smarkets entered the US market for the first time launching their SBK sportsbook platform in the new industry epicenter of Colorado. The company also has plans to launch the SBK app in Indiana.
