THE GRAND NATIONAL is the most famous race in the world - and takes place on April 13th at Aintree.
Millions will be tuning for the showpiece of the Aintree Festival.
More than 8.5 million people tuned in to watch Rachael Blackmore create history by becoming the first female jockey to win the Grand National with Minella Times in 2021, and you can expect big numbers again this year – with an estimated 500-600 million people tuning in from around the world. The stable of talented horses and jockeys make this race a must-watch event.
If you're interested in online betting promotions, racing bet tips, and each-way selections, our review is here to highlight the best customer offers. If you want to know more about which jockeys and horses to bet on, who has the best bonus bets, and how to place them, just read on. We will also discuss the deposit requirement, eligible bet-slip options, and each-way bet strategies to maximize your betting experience.
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On top of watching the race, people love to have a bet on the Grand National, and everyone from your grandmother to the local milkman will be looking at the Grand National odds and the Grand National form in order to choose their bets and calculate their potential winnings. Handicap races like the Grand National often attract a wide range of bettors, from casual fans to experienced punters.
Betting on the Grand National is huge, and as a result, bookmakers are keen to entice you to bet with them through bet settlement offers and other promotions. There are some fantastic offers to be had on the Grand National Festival, and we’ve given you some top tips and advice about betting on the 2024 Grand National in this handy guide.
Grand National race previews
Here's what our betting experts have to say about the 2024 Grand National:
- Grand National Day preview
- Grand National Thursday betting preview
- Grand National Ladies’ Day preview
Best betting sites for the 2024 Grand National
To find the best bet offer for our customers, we've examined countless betting sites and found the ones with the best sportsbook markets and welcome bonuses, including those that accept card payments for bet placement. With these options, you can ensure a seamless betting experience on the Grand National.
- Sky Bet
- Paddy Power
- bet365
- Coral
- BoyleSports
- Betway
- BetUK
- Spreadex
- BetVictor
- 10bet
Which operators have ‘Best Odds Guaranteed’ for the Grand National?
Most bookmakers offer Best Odds Guaranteed’ (BOG) for every single race in the UK and Ireland, but to save you a job, we’ve looked at every bookmaker on this list to see if they offer it for the Grand National Festival and from when. The total number of bookmakers offering BOG is quite impressive, providing a wide array of choices for bettors.
The exact details differ from bookmaker to bookmaker, but several from the above list of 10 operators offer ‘Best Odds Guaranteed’ in some shape or form, ensuring that you get the best value for your bets.
1. bet365
bet365 also offers BOG on every single horse race from 8 am on the day of the contest – except for races in New Zealand, Australia, Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore.
2. BetVictor
BetVictor has BOG on every race in the UK and Ireland from 9 am on the day of the race, which means any bets placed on the Grand National after 9 am on Saturday 13th April will automatically have BOG.
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3. William Hill
Meanwhile, William Hill offer BOG on every race in the UK and Ireland from 10 am on the morning of race day, which means any bets placed on the Grand National after 10 am on Saturday 13th April will automatically have BOG.
Unfortunately, none of the others offer ‘Best Odds Guaranteed’ at the moment, though kwiff does have a pretty unique function on offer. Despite this, the range of bookmakers available ensures that bettors have plenty of options when it comes to placing their bets on the Grand National, making for an exciting and engaging betting experience.
Spreadex is another bookmaker in the list which doesn’t offer BOG, but they are more of a specialised provider. They do offer traditional ‘fixed odds’ betting on the Grand National, but their main offering is spread betting.
Spread betting allows you to predict what will happen on sports in specific ways, meaning that you have more chances to both win and potentially lose. This is a good option if you fancy a jockey to have a particularly good day at the Grand National Festival – Paul Townend for example – and placing a spread bet on her performance for the day can give you a high return if you are right.
If this is your thing, Spreadex is an excellent option, though its sportsbook is also great for those who just want to place conventional win bets.
Best free bets and offers for the Grand National
The Grand National is one of the biggest betting days of the year, which means that there are always some fantastic offers to take advantage of, as bookmakers compete for your custom.
Some of the price boost offers on leading horses tend to surface in the last couple of days leading up to the big race, but there are plenty of free bets to be had in the meantime.
William Hill are currently ‘non-runner, money back’ on the 2024 Grand National, which means if you place a bet on a horse in the race and they don’t line up, you’ll get your stake back. On top of that, if you’re not a customer you can get yourself £30 in free bets when you sign up and stake £10. What’s more, they also offer a daily bet boost, which lets you boost the odds of your Nap for one bet on stakes of up to £20.
Spreadex have a generous sign up offer at the moment, as you can get £40 in bonuses if you sign up and stake £10. Simply register for an account and place a £10 bet on their sportsbook on a horse at prescribed odds or greater and they will credit you the bonuses. You’ll get fixed odds free bets and free spread bets.
bet365 have some decent offers for the Grand National, too. They’re offering boosted prices on selected runners in the National every day leading up until the big day. On top of that, they are best price on every race at Aintree which is screened on ITV Racing. If you’re not already a bet365 customer, you can get £30 in free bets when you open an account with them and stake £10 from your app.
How to claim free bets for the Grand National
Once you’ve chosen your offer, it’s just a case of activating it. Let’s say in this instance that you’re interested in bet365’s best price promotion on all ITV races and you want to sign up and get your £30 in free bet credits.
We’ll explain how to do it in this handy step-by-step guide:
- Head to bet365’s website and click ‘Join’
- Enter your details and create an account
- Head to the sportsbook and place a £10 bet on whatever you want
- Once that bet settles, your account will be credited with £30 in free bet credits for you to use
- You can use the free bets anywhere you like on the sportsbook, but let’s say you want to save them to Aintree. Head to ‘Horse Racing’ and navigate to Aintree – which runs from Thursday 11th April to Saturday 13th April – you’ll find all of the markets there to place your Grand National bets.
There are also a few conditions to keep in mind before you start betting:
- When opening accounts, players will need to provide a phone number and addresses during the registration process. You will likely need an SMS verification code before completing your registration.
- Each betting offer is usually limited to one IP address, one phone number, and one household. You won't be able to claim them multiple times.
- Some bookmakers have payment restrictions for certain bonuses, so you might not be able to use Skrill, Neteller, PayPal, Apple Pay, or similar banking options for your 1st deposit. Debit card deposits are usually available. Each website has a list of deposit methods available in the FAQ section. You can also ask customer service for a list of available payment methods.
- In addition to the sports bonus, a lot of operators will also offer a casino bonus to newcomers. If you like casino games, you should check them out, just bear in mind the wagering requirements for each bonus.
Grand National - 5 betting tips
- Learn more about the racehorse you want to bet on - Everything from the horse's weight to its age and the previous race events it participated in will help you place a bet and make a profit.
- Learn more about the jockeys - A horse can only truly shine on a race course with a good jockey. If you're a fan of sports betting and want to place bets on winners, you need to know who you're betting on.
- Watch horse races often - Horse racing has special rules and jargon that will come in handy when betting on Aintree Hurdle or any other race.
- Find a good sports betting site - Some sportsbooks offer odds boosts, best odds guaranteed offers, and other exclusive bonuses for customers. Look at our list of top bookies and you can start betting on your favorites. Account opening should be easy, and after making your qualifying deposit, you'll be able to claim the customer offer and start betting. Bear in mind that there might be payment method restrictions for each bonus.
Remember to gamble responsibly
A responsible gambler is someone who:
- Establishes time and monetary limits before playing
- Only gambles with money they can afford to lose
- Never chase their losses
- Doesn’t gamble if they’re upset, angry, or depressed
- Gamcare – www.gamcare.org.uk
- Gamble Aware – www.gambleaware.org
Find our detailed guide on responsible gambling practices here.
For help with a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 or go to www.gamstop.co.uk