Bookies bank on record weekend of sport
ByChris Johnston
Business press reporter, BBC News
A bumper roster of sport including the Grand National, the Masters and Premier League games, is anticipated to produce a record weekend for bookies.
The Grand National will bring in about ₤ 225m in wagers across the betting industry, William Hill forecasted.
Combined with other sporting fixtures it anticipates to take "the greatest turnover levels on any weekend in history", the bookmaker stated.
Saturday's race is expected to be seen by 600 million individuals globally.
"The Grand National is the public's race and we will see millions of once-a-year punters can be found in to wagering shops or downloading the app," William Hill spokesman Rupert Adams stated.
The race is set to draw in over 35 million bets with the average being worth ₤ 4.41.
William Hill is also hoping for another big-priced winner in the Grand National this promotion code year. The last 5 races have produced winners at chances of 33/1, 25/1, 25/1 and 33/1.
Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary owns five of the 40 horses in Saturday's field.
He is hoping to end up being the first owner to win successive Nationals with various horses because 1954 after Rule the World, ridden by David Mullins, declared success last year.
Last year, the start time for the Grand National was moved by an hour to 17:15 BST. The choice showed to be a boost for turnover and William Hill anticipates that pattern to continue.
New sponsor
"The experiment of moving the start time truly settled and we expect the Grand National to smash wagering records this year," Mr Adams stated.
It is the first year that the race has been sponsored by Randox Health, which analyses blood and urine samples to find and avoid illnesses.
The Northern Ireland-based company was established in 1982 by Dr Peter FitzGerald - an eager horse racing fan.
Meanwhile, the meeting at Aintree could be impacted by a 24-hour strike including members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) at Merseyrail and Arriva Trains North.
Tens of thousands of people travel by train from central Liverpool to the racecourse.
Jan Chaudhry-van der Velde, managing director Merseyrail, said the operator had developed a schedule focused on carrying as numerous travelers as typical on Grand National day.
Andy Bell, from Bookies.com, external, stated: "this promotion code is a bumper weekend of betting and the Grand National is often the occasion that sees individuals have a flutter for the yohaig code really very first time. The brand-new start time means individuals are back from their Saturday shopping and activities and it is efficiently the start of their Saturday evening celebrations. It's perfect timing."
Aintree all set for Grand National
Pinstickers' guide to the Grand National
6 April 2017
Family money in 1974 Grand National bet
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