Punters who don’t often watch or bet on horse racing during other times of the year usually place at least one bet on the Grand National, which takes place at Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool.The greatest test (for horse and rider) in British horse racing takes place in April when 40 horses and their jockeys line up for what is considered to be the hardest course in the sport.
With 30 fences to leap over a distance of 4 miles and 2½ furlongs (4 miles 514 yards/6.907 km), it’s an impressive performance that is made all the more thrilling by its unpredictable nature.
We have put together some useful information and guidance in this betting guide on what you need to consider before you place your bet, choose a Grand National betting site, as well as a step-by-step guide to putting an online bet for new customers if you are going to place a bet on the Grand National this year for the first time, or perhaps this will be your first time ever placing a bet online.
How To Place a Bet On The Grand National & Sign-up With An Online Betting Bookmaker
While the specifics of each website’s registration and sign-up procedure for online betting on the Grand National may vary, most of them adhere to the same guidelines. Signing-up may be completed in as little as ten minutes, but if you need to go slowly, it’s best to allow yourself a little more time.
- To create a new bookmaker account, choose the “join now” or “sign-up” button on the bookmaker’s website
- Enter your personal information that the the betting site requires.
- To activate any sign-up betting offers and incentives, enter your information for your preferred deposit method and make sure you are betting or depositing the proper amount.
- Place your Grand National bet after choosing your horse.
How To Find The 2024 Grand National Betting Section
While the process for finding the Grand National betting section varies depending on the site, we have created the ultimate guide to help you along. Navigate over to the sportsbook’s horse racing area. From there, a second tab labelled “Grand National ante-post” will appear at the top or side of the page at the best betting sites.
It should be simple to locate, even if the Grand National will not be the only race featured there. You may then add the horse of your choice to your bet slip after clicking on that.
Adding a selection to your bet slip: Free bets, Each-way Bets and more
After finding the horse you wish to wager on and getting access to the website with a list of all the Grand National runners, you must add them to your bet slip and deposit your bet. Follow these easy steps:
- To place a bet on the horse you want to bet on for the Grand National, click on the Grand National odds next to it. Your bet slip should then appear on your screen with the horse name added to it.
- Enter the amount you wish to bet on your horse in the relevant field. Check the box on the bet slip labeled “each-way” or “EW” if you want to bet each way.
- Once you have deposited the necessary amount by entering your card details, all you need to do is click the “place bet” or a similar option to use your deposited funds to place your wager. The bet slip will notify you when this is finished by updating.
- You will be required to make a deposit if you haven’t already before you can make your Grand National wager.
- Your bet slip will often contain a button or box that you can check to use free bets if you have gathered them and would like to use them to place a wager on the Grand National.
Betting Shops
Additionally, there are typical betting shops spread around the grounds, where you can shop around, or so to say. You may wager on the races as well as any other events with them; this is helpful if you wish to bet on races at several courses at the same time.
Everything You Need To Know About Betting Terms
Accumulator: A wager in which the profits from one race are used to fund the wager on another, including two or more selections in races.
Allowance: The weight reduction that the horse receives in order to make up for the inexperience of the rider; a better horse weighs less.
Also ran: Any horse not finishing 1st, 2nd, 3rd or 4th in a race or event.
Bar: A betting phrase meaning that all horses for a race that aren’t currently on the market will be at the bar price or have longer odds.
Each way bets: A bet in two equal parts – one backing a horse to prevail and the other backing it to finish in the first three.
Evens: The odds for betting where your deposit and profits are exactly equal £5 gains an additional £5 at evens.
Form: A horse’s history in races. Figures next to their names on a racecard indicate this: 1 = 1st, 2 = 2nd, etc. U = unseated rider, SU = slid up, BF = defeated favourite, P = pulled up, R = declined to race, F = fell.
Odds on: Odds in which you earn less money than you bet at UK bookmakers or local bookies; for example, a £2 bet that prevails at 2-1 gives you £1.
Penalty: The excess weight that a winning horse has carried since the race’s weights were first announced.
Placed: When one of the horses places in the top three. SP, or starting price, is the official price (odds) at which racetracks settle wagers for individual customers.
Bet Types You Can Place On The Grand National
The following two are the bet types that gamblers most frequently use to place a bet on the Grand National; a to win or each-way bets. They are explained below:
Each-way Bets
It can be difficult to predict the winner of the Grand National at Aintree because there are often 40 runners vying for the title each year, particularly if you’re more of an occasional bettor than a die-hard follower of horse racing.
The majority of Grand National bettors will try to place an each-way (commonly shortened to EW) bet. By essentially putting two bets—one on the horse to finish in the top and another on the horse to finish within a certain number of places as stated in the each-way terms at the head of the running order—betters will have a higher chance of prevailing.
Your each-way bet’s place part of the bet will pay out at a smaller percentage than the stated “to win” odds. Here, if your horse places in the top five, the place portion of your each-way wager will pay out at a rate equal to one-half of the win odds. You will also get payment for the prevailing portion of the bet at the full win price specified if your horse becomes victorious in the race.
Consider placing a £10 each-way bet (total investment of £20) with the each-way terms on a horse at odds of 50/1. Based on a fifth of the to-win odds, you have £10 on the horse to win at 50/1 and £10 on the horse to place in the top five at 10/1.
The win and place portions of your each-way bet will be paid out if your horse goes on to come first the Grand National, bringing your total returns to £620. Your win bet (£10 x 50 = £500), your place bet (£10 x 10 = £100), and your whole stake return (£20) make up this.
If bookmakers provide each-way betting, they will either offer these conditions or better:
- Less than three runners: win bets only; no spots available; three or four runners: all to win. A bookmaker may give place terms for three or four runners if they would like to change from this default position, but they must do so at odds of one in five. 1–2.
5–7 runners total, inclusive: probabilities of placing first or second are 1/4 (one quarter).
More than eight runners: Chances of placing first, second, or third are 1/5. - Handicap races with 12 to 15 competitors (inclusive): 1/4 chances to place first, second, or third.
- Handicap races with 16 to 21 runners (inclusive): 1/5 odds for finishing 1st, 2nd, 3rd or 4th
- Handicap races with 22 or more runners: 1/4 odds for finishing 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th
Win-only Bet
You wager on the horse to win the race in a win-only wager, which is pretty self-explanatory. Your chosen horse needs to win the Grand National in order for you to get paid for your wager at your chosen bookies.
Odds for Other Grand National Betting Markets
Some bettors also want to check the chances on various types of bets at the Grand National, offered by bookmaker sites in addition to winning or each-way wagers on certain racers. They could be referred to as unique bets. There are also several types of Grand National winner markers you can try your luck at should you want to place a bet. These include:
- Grand National Odds on Number of Finishers in The Race
- Grand National Odds on First Fence Fallers
- Odds on a UK or Irish Trained Winner
- Betting on the winning distance
Collecting Your Winnings at the Best Betting Sites
T&cs apply to collect your winnings, so make sure you read them before placing your bets.
Once your bet is settled and there has been an outcome, to reassure you that your betting slip will be valid, or if you placed your bet at a physical bookmaker, you need to give your betting slip to a member of staff there, and you will then receive your winning part of your bet from them.
Similarly, to collect your refunds in the case that the horse you backed doesn’t place, if you are at the Aintree racecourse in person, you will need to return to the bookmaker you used and have your bet ticket with you. If you placed your Grand National bets online or via a mobile app, go onto the bookmaker’s website and log in to your online account using the information you provided. The choice to “withdraw” or “deposit” your earnings will appear when you select “My Account.”
Your profits will be transferred—though not immediately—to the bank account you used to open your bookmaker account if you decide to “withdraw.” The transaction period could range from a few hours to several days or perhaps over a week. Your profits will stay placed in your bookmaker account if you choose to “deposit,” allowing you to use them for future stake and bet types.
That’s it; betting on the Grand National will be easy the next time it takes place. Not only will putting your own bets improve your experience, but winning will also make you feel even more accomplished!
