April 30th, 2024, Rishad Dsouza
A fifth of Britons placed bets on the Grand National (19%). Overall, 12% bet on the event online either through a website or an app and 5% bet in-person, another 5% said they took part in sweepstakes or other unofficial bets with family, friends or colleagues. It must be noted that a small percentage of bettors bet using multiple modes – for instance, 10% of online bettors also engaged in sweepstakes/unofficial bets.
Looking specifically among Brits who actually watched the Grand National live, four in ten said they bet on the event online. A fifth bet in-person at a betting shop (18%), while 14% had unofficial bets. Only a third of those who watched the event live said they didn’t place a bet on the Grand National (33%).
But how much did bettors bet and do online and offline bettors wager different amounts? Nearly half of online bettors (47%) said they bet under £10 compared to 37% of offline bettors. The scales are almost reversed in the £10-£49.99 where offline bettors over-index their online counterparts by eight percentage points. Giant bets – including bets of £500 or more – are rare overall, but are more likely to come from the offline camp (3%) than the online one (1%).
The types of bets placed also differed slightly between the two groups, with the offline cohort more likely to indicate they placed a multiple bet – i.e., bets with more than one selection (25% vs 16%). Online bettors were more likely to have placed straightforward bets to win only (37% vs 25%).
The study also probed deeper into the betting-related activities of online bettors with respect to the race. The study found that roughly a third of them picked one of their existing online providers because of a special feature that the provider offered either generally (35%) or for this race in particular (34%).
While special features can sway decisions in a big way, the odds offered can also make an impact – 11% said they used a odds-checking website to compare odds and an identical share said they checked odds offered by at least two accounts they already had opened.
Just under a tenth of online bettors also opened fresh accounts specifically to avail of an introductory offer (8%).
The survey revealed that there is a substantial market for indirect betting with consumers placing their bets through other people’s accounts. About one in seven online bettors said placed bets on behalf of a friend or family member (16%).