Grand National betting survey: 13% chose family member's birthday

• Coral looks at the findings from a 2024 survey on Grand National betting activity

• 66% of adults in the UK aged 18 or over have placed a bet on the Grand National

• 42% of eligible people, according to the survey, have picked a Grand National winner.

Ahead of this weekend's Grand National, the pinnacle of the horse racing betting calendar, Coral shares some rather interesting findings that came about from a 2024 survey.

Some of the interesting tidbits to come form the survey can be seen below, including the percentage of people who have betted on the Grand National, and the rationale behind those choices.

• Two thirds (66%) have placed a bet on the Grand National previously

• And 42% have backed a winner of the Grand National previously

• Of those placing a National bet, 35% will pick their horse because the horse has an attention-grabbing name, 33% will pick a horse that means something to them, 29% will pick a horse by studying the form, and 19% will pick a lucky number

• Whilst 49% don’t have a lucky number, 20% said their lucky number is their birthday, 13% said is the birthday of a close family member and 11% said is the number they always use

• 31% of those placing bets on this year’s Grand National will bet on 2 horses, with 29% saying 1 horse, and 27% 3 horses

• When placing bets, 64% would do it online and 36% will bet in a betting shop

It's interesting to note that 35% of people will pick a horse based on its name, with that being more than the percentage of people who bet based on the horse's form.

51% of people have a lucky number, with 13% saying that they pick their horse based on the birthday of a close family member.

Online survey was conducted by Atomik Research among 2002 adults aged 18+ in the UK.

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All odds and markets correct as of date of publication.