The Grand National weekend has coincided with a number of sports events that will be a godsent to struggling bookmakers looking to get back on track. Most British bookies have kept thriving thanks to their exposure to online betting, but the return of physical shops will give them a noticeable boost.
Grand National, Masters, Soccer, and Formula 1 to Drive British Betting
The weekend will be a time of several prominent events that makes betting companies optimistic about their immediate future with as much as £250 million ($326 million) in total betting handle expected in the space of as many days.
The Grand National horse racing meet-up is just part of the story. The Australian Grand Prix on Sunday and the Manchester City vs Liverpool soccer game, along with Tiger Woods‘ possible return to the US Masters are all set to drive the betting handle up through the end of the weekend.
Nearly all of the above sports will have some fixtures for the weekend, meaning sustained interest in the events starting on Thursday with the Masters. There are several reasons why sports betting handle is expected to be much better.
At least one has to do with the fact that more betting shops are finally fully opened and serviceable which will make more punters come out – never mind the preference for sports bets placed interactively. This should bring in an uptick in the handle compared to last year when the Randox Grand National had betting shops on shutdown.
William Hill Expecting the Results to Grow Across the Board
Industry experts admitted that many people turned to online betting successfully but the reopening of the betting shops would surely guarantee an even better overall betting handle. Sports fans will have so much more outside of horse racing to pick from and if they are looking to place a wager – they would have the opportunity to, said William Hill’s Tony Kenny for the Irish Mirror, adding:
“We’re predicting it to be one of the busiest periods we’ve ever had at William Hill, with industry turnover for the National alone likely to be heading towards £200 million ($261 million).”
William Hill’s Tony Kenny
The National is hardly just it, though. According to William Hill golf trader Nick Wilson, The Masters is easily the most wagered on a golf tournament at William Hill. In 2021, the company took in as many as 350,000 bets and similar results are expected this year.
If Tiger turns up for the first time in a year, he will definitely drive subsequent interest in betting throughout the event’s end this weekend. Other upcoming events include the UFC 273 ticket fight between Alexander Volkanovski and The Korean Zombie.