By Yadarisa Shabong and Padraic Halpin
(Reuters) – British bookmakers had one of their busiest periods this weekend with punters worldwide gambling on major sports events: the Grand National, the Masters and the Premier League clash between title chasers Manchester City and Liverpool.
888, a pure online sports-betting player, said the National, which welcomed back fans for the first time in three years on Saturday, was its biggest horseracing event ever, with “customers placing bets from all around the globe”, helping the bookmaker attract a record number of new customers.
“Falling only short of the Euro 2020 final between Italy and England, the popularity of the Grand National … clearly showcases its importance in the UK’s sporting calendar,” it said.
Industry turnover over the weekend will have hit around a quarter of a billion pounds, sports betting firm William Hill’s spokesperson Tony Kenny said on Monday.
“The last few days were heaven for sports fans. With the Masters, Grand National, and the big Premier League game between Manchester City and Liverpool all taking place, we had one of the busiest periods we’ve ever had at William Hill,” he said.
Turnover for the Grand National alone was in the region of 200 million pounds ($260 million), William Hill, which has over 1,400 betting shops across the United Kingdom and now owned by Las Vegas-based Caesars Entertainment, said.
Flutter Entertainment, owner of brands Sky Bet, Betfair (sports book) and Paddy Power, said it saw more than 13 million bets placed on the Grand National.
Noble Yeats’ victory was an “excellent result in the trading room”, William Hill’s Kenny added, with Sam Waley-Cohen’s mount, one of outsiders in the 40 runners, going off at odds of 50-1.
Ladbrokes-owner Entain declined to comment.
British bookmakers in the past two years have seen more punters flock online as pandemic restrictions forced shut their retail shops. Last year’s Grand National set a record for UK online sports betting.
But as curbs in England have been lifted this year, customers have returned to the high street, with it being too early to tell how much of the online betting behaviour sticks.
Also attracting bets online and in retail shops was the pulsating 2-2 draw between Manchester City and Liverpool.
And the weekend saw Scottie Scheffler take a three-shot victory at the Masters on Sunday to earn the coveted “Green Jacket” and cement his status as the world’s top ranked golfer.
($1 = 0.7677 pounds)
(Reporting by Yadarisa Shabong in Bengaluru and Padraic Halpin in Dublin; Editing by Alison Williams)
