Betting shops set to welcome Grand National punters for first time since 2019

Grand National day has traditionally been the busiest day of the year in betting shops, but Saturday will be an even more significant occasion for high street bookmakers.

It will be the first time since 2019 that betting shops will be open for the Grand National due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The only National that took place in 2020 was the virtual version, while the following year betting shops remained closed while the race took place behind closed doors.

Covid-19 was expected to accelerate the shift away from betting shops towards online betting but Ben McCann, William Hill's head of retail marketing, said that the experience of the Cheltenham Festival in shops had been encouraging.

"It will be interesting to see what the impact of two years away has on how we look compared to 2019 but we said the same for Cheltenham after one year off and from a footfall point of view it was really positive," he said.

"I think many have missed people and that particular aspect of shop betting comes into play on Grand National day. I don't think those once-a-year punters will stay online. Their instinct will be to come and visit a shop round the corner and have a chat with someone and have someone help them through the process."

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McCann said that while William Hill would be advertising their Grand National offers in the shops, it would be secondary to messaging concerning betting shop staff and player protection.

"We are prioritising our colleagues because we are prioritising player safety. Our colleagues are the first line of defence when it comes to player safety," he said.

"Our primary message will be that we are here to help. That's help from the point of view of getting your bet on and help to keep you in a safe place and enjoyable place."

Simon Clare, UK brands PR director for Entain, the parent company of Coral and Ladbrokes, said Grand National day was always the most important day of the year for betting shops.

Clare said: "This year's race takes on even greater significance than ever before as it will be the first time in three years that we will open our doors on Grand National day.

"We are preparing for our shops to be as busy as they have ever been on National day, with 'easy-slips' available to speed up bet-acceptance, and we will have extra staff on hand in many of our shops to help all the once-a-year customers get their bets on.

"With the current Gambling Act review in mind, this year's Grand National day will also be a timely reminder that betting is a mass-market activity enjoyed by millions of people, a fact that will hopefully be kept uppermost in the minds of those determining the outcome."

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