How to Bet on the Grand National – Beginner's Guide 2026

If you have never placed a bet in your life and want to know how to bet on the Grand National in 2026, you are in exactly the right place — and you are not alone. According to Entain’s research, around 30% of people who bet on the Grand National are either doing it for the first time, returning after a long break, or making their first-ever deposit into a betting account. The race has that effect. It pulls in people who would never dream of betting on a Tuesday afternoon handicap hurdle at Wetherby, and it does so because the Grand National is not just a horse race — it is a national event.

Grainne Hurst, CEO of the Betting and Gaming Council, has called it “one of the precious few sporting events in this country with the ability to unite the entire nation around a single spectacle.” Your first Grand National bet is a rite of passage shared by millions, and this guide exists to make sure you do it confidently, responsibly, and without the bewilderment that comes from encountering terms like “each-way,” “ante-post,” and “Starting Price” for the first time.

What follows is a step-by-step walkthrough: from choosing a bookmaker to collecting your winnings (or, more likely, accepting the loss gracefully). No jargon without explanation, no assumptions about prior knowledge. Just the practical information you need to place your first Grand National bet in 2026.

Step 1: Choose a Licensed Bookmaker

Before you can place a bet, you need somewhere to place it. In the UK, all legal bookmakers — online and on the high street — must hold a licence from the Gambling Commission. This is non-negotiable. A licensed bookmaker means your money is protected, the odds are transparent, and you have recourse if something goes wrong. An unlicensed operator means none of those things.

You have two broad options: betting online (via a website or mobile app) or walking into a betting shop. Both are perfectly legitimate for the Grand National. Online has the advantage of convenience — you can place a bet from your sofa at any time — and typically offers a wider range of promotional offers, including extra places on each-way bets and sign-up bonuses. High-street betting shops have the advantage of human interaction: you can ask the person behind the counter to explain anything you do not understand, which for a first-time bettor can be genuinely helpful.

If you are going online, here is what to check before signing up with any bookmaker. First, verify the Gambling Commission licence. Every licensed operator displays a licence number, usually in the footer of their website or in the “About” section of their app. If you cannot find one, do not use that operator. Second, check the payment methods. UK bookmakers accept debit cards, bank transfers, and various e-wallets. Credit card gambling has been banned in the UK since April 2020. Third, look at the app. If you are planning to bet on your phone — and most people do — download the bookmaker’s app and navigate it before you commit. An app that feels confusing on a calm Wednesday evening will be unusable at 5:10pm on Grand National Saturday when you are trying to place a bet with minutes to spare.

This guide deliberately does not recommend specific bookmaker brands. The major UK-licensed operators all offer Grand National betting, and the differences between them for a once-a-year punt are marginal. What matters is the licence, the ease of use, and — if you are betting each-way — the place terms on offer for the Grand National, which can vary between bookmakers.

Step 2: Create an Account and Deposit

If you are betting online, you will need to create an account. The process is straightforward but involves identity verification — a legal requirement under UK gambling regulations. You will be asked for your name, date of birth, address, and email. The bookmaker is required to verify your identity before you can withdraw winnings, and in some cases before you can even place a bet. This is called Know Your Customer (KYC) verification, and it exists to prevent underage gambling, fraud, and money laundering.

Have a form of photo ID ready — a driving licence or passport — because you may be asked to upload a copy. Some bookmakers verify instantly using electronic checks against public databases, but others require a manual document upload. Do this well before Grand National day. Trying to verify your identity at 4pm on race day, with the first race already underway and the Grand National ninety minutes away, is a recipe for frustration.

Once your account is verified, deposit funds. Debit cards are the most common method: Visa and Mastercard are universally accepted. Bank transfers and e-wallets like PayPal or Apple Pay are also available with most operators. The minimum deposit is typically £5 or £10.

Here is the single most important piece of advice in this entire guide: set a deposit limit before you deposit. Every licensed UK bookmaker is required to offer deposit limits — daily, weekly, or monthly caps on how much you can add to your account. Set one. If your Grand National budget is £20, set a deposit limit of £20. This removes the temptation to chase losses in the heat of the moment. You can always change the limit later, but increases take at least 24 hours to take effect, which is exactly the point. It forces a cooling-off period between the impulse and the action.

Step 3: Find the Grand National Market

On any bookmaker’s website or app, navigating to the Grand National market is usually simple — especially in the weeks leading up to the race, when every operator puts it front and centre. Look for “Horse Racing” in the main menu, then “Aintree” or “Grand National” in the featured events section. On Grand National day itself, the race will almost certainly be on the homepage.

You will encounter two types of market. The ante-post market is available weeks or months before the race and lists all entered horses with their current odds. The day-of-race market appears once final declarations are confirmed (the Wednesday before the race) and lists only the 34 horses that will actually run. If you are a first-time bettor, the day-of-race market is simpler: every horse listed is definitely running, and the odds are close to what they will be at the off.

Over 70% of online gambling activity in the UK now takes place on mobile devices, and the Grand National is no exception. If you are using a phone or tablet, the experience is optimised for touch: tap the horse’s name, tap the odds, and the selection appears on your bet slip. It takes seconds once you know where to look. The only thing to watch for is that some apps default to fractional odds (10/1) while others use decimal (11.00). Both display the same information — check your app settings if the format looks unfamiliar.

Step 4: Pick Your Horse

This is the part everyone agonises over, and the part that matters less than you think. There are three broad approaches to picking a Grand National horse, and all of them are valid.

The first is form-based selection. This means looking at each horse’s recent race results, the weight it is carrying, its age, how many times it has run this season, and whether it has experience over the Aintree fences. If you want a data-driven shortcut, the ideal Grand National winner profile based on historical patterns is: aged eight or nine, carrying no more than 11 stone, with at least three runs in the current season, and proven stamina over three miles or more. Horses matching this profile do not always win, but they win disproportionately often relative to the rest of the field.

The second is name-based selection. You like the name, the jockey’s colours, or there is a personal connection — a birthday number matching the horse’s saddlecloth, a name that reminds you of your dog. This sounds frivolous, and in terms of edge over the market, it is. But the Grand National is a 34-runner lottery-style event where the favourite wins 15% of the time and average winning odds are around 20/1. Picking by name is not significantly worse than picking by form if you are making a single small bet for entertainment. The horse racing industry knows this and has no problem with it — the Grand National thrives on participation, not expertise.

The third is following expert tips. Newspaper racing pages, specialist websites, and television pundits all publish Grand National selections in the days and weeks before the race. Some are well-reasoned; some are not. If you follow a tip, try to understand the reasoning behind it rather than just noting the horse’s name. A tipster who says “this horse is nine years old, carries 10st 8lb, has won over four miles on soft ground, and ran well at Cheltenham three weeks ago” is giving you a form-based argument you can evaluate. A tipster who says “I fancy this one” is giving you nothing.

Whichever method you use, do not overthink it. Your first Grand National bet is supposed to be enjoyable. Pick a horse, commit to it, and move on to the next step.

Step 5: Choose Your Bet Type

For your first Grand National bet, you have two realistic options: a win bet or an each-way bet. Everything else — forecasts, tricasts, accumulators — is for another day.

A win bet is the simplest. You back your horse to win the race. If it wins, you collect. If it finishes second or worse, you lose your stake. The payout is your stake multiplied by the odds: a £5 bet at 20/1 returns £105 (£100 profit + £5 stake). Clean, straightforward, binary.

An each-way bet is two bets in one: your horse to win and your horse to place (typically in the first four). If it wins, both parts pay. If it finishes in the places but does not win, the place part pays at a fraction of the odds — usually one-quarter for the Grand National. If it finishes outside the places, both bets lose. The important thing to remember is that each-way means double the stake: £5 each-way costs £10 total (£5 on the win, £5 on the place).

For a first-time bettor, the recommendation is a small each-way bet. Here is why. The Grand National is a 34-runner race with an average winning price of around 20/1. Your horse is more likely to finish in the top four than to win outright, and an each-way bet gives you a return in that scenario. A £5 each-way bet at 20/1 that places but does not win returns £30 (£25 profit on the place part + £5 place stake). You lose the £5 win stake, so your net profit from the £10 total outlay is £20. Not a fortune, but enough to feel like the bet was worthwhile.

If the same horse wins, you collect on both parts: £105 from the win bet and £30 from the place bet, for £135 total on a £10 outlay. That is a £125 profit on what amounts to the cost of two coffees.

One more thing: when you enter your stake on the bet slip, make sure the “each-way” checkbox or toggle is selected if that is what you intend. It is easy to accidentally place a win-only bet by forgetting to tick the each-way option. On the bookmaker’s app, this is usually a toggle directly on the bet slip. In a betting shop, tell the cashier explicitly: “five pounds each-way.”

Step 6: Place the Bet and Watch

On the bookmaker’s app or website, your selected horse and odds will appear on the bet slip — usually a panel at the bottom of the screen on mobile. Enter your stake, confirm the bet type (win or each-way), and review the potential returns displayed before you tap “Place Bet.” Once confirmed, the bet is live. You will receive a confirmation screen or notification, and the bet will appear in your “My Bets” or “Open Bets” section.

If you are in a betting shop, hand your completed slip to the cashier or use the self-service terminal. Keep your receipt — you will need it to collect any winnings.

Now the enjoyable part: watching the race. The Grand National is broadcast live on ITV in the UK, with extensive build-up coverage starting in the early afternoon. The race itself typically goes off at around 4pm. If you are watching on a phone or tablet, most major bookmakers offer live streaming within their apps for customers who have a funded account or have placed a bet on the race. The quality varies, but it is convenient if you are not near a television.

The race takes around eight to ten minutes, depending on the going and the pace. It is four miles and two furlongs — the longest race most people will ever watch — and the early stages can be chaotic as 34 horses negotiate the first few fences at speed. Do not panic if your horse is near the back early on. Grand National winners frequently sit in the middle or rear of the pack through the first circuit and make their move on the second. The race is not won at the first fence; it is won in the last half-mile.

Step 7: Collect Winnings or Accept the Loss

If your horse wins or places and you bet each-way, your account will be credited automatically — usually within minutes of the race result being confirmed. Online winnings appear in your account balance immediately. In a betting shop, take your receipt to the counter.

If you want to withdraw your winnings, most bookmakers offer the same methods used for deposits: debit card, bank transfer, or e-wallet. Withdrawal times vary — debit card withdrawals typically take one to three business days; e-wallets are often faster. There should be no fees for standard withdrawals, though some methods have minimum withdrawal amounts (often £5 or £10).

Now for the reality check. Most bets lose. In a 34-runner race, even an each-way bet with four places means 30 of the 34 runners produce no return on the win part, and 30 of 34 produce no return on the place part either. The Grand National is not a reliable way to make money. It is a spectacular sporting event that becomes more engaging with a small financial stake attached.

If your bet loses, you are in very large company. Of the roughly £250 million wagered on the Grand National each year, an estimated £150 million comes from casual, once-a-year bettors — people who put on a fiver or a tenner for the fun of it and do not expect to retire on the proceeds. That is the spirit of your first Grand National bet: a small outlay for a few minutes of genuine excitement. If you win, wonderful. If you lose, the damage is the cost of a sandwich.

What you should not do is chase the loss. Do not place another bet on a later race to try to recoup what you lost on the Grand National. That is how a £10 entertainment budget becomes a £50 regret. Close the app, enjoy the rest of the Aintree coverage, and come back next year.

Essential Jargon Glossary

Horse racing has its own language, and the Grand National — as the race that attracts the widest audience — is where most people first encounter it. An OLBG survey found that 17% of British adults planned to bet on the Grand National in 2025, with the most active age group being 35–54 year-olds. Many of those bettors are experienced enough to know the terminology; many are not. Here are the terms you are most likely to encounter on Grand National day, in plain language.

Ante-post — A bet placed before race day, often weeks or months in advance. You typically get better odds, but if the horse is withdrawn before the race, you lose your stake unless you have a Non-Runner No Bet guarantee.

Best Odds Guaranteed (BOG) — A promotion where the bookmaker pays you at whichever is higher: the odds you took when you placed the bet, or the Starting Price. If you back a horse at 14/1 in the morning and it goes off at 20/1, you get paid at 20/1.

Each-way — Two bets in one: a win bet and a place bet. Costs double your unit stake. The place part pays a fraction of the win odds if your horse finishes in the designated places (usually first four in the Grand National).

Going — The condition of the ground. Ranges from “firm” (dry, fast) to “heavy” (waterlogged, slow). The going is officially assessed and announced before each raceday. Some horses perform better on particular ground types.

Handicap — A race where each horse carries a different weight, assigned by the official handicapper based on its assessed ability. The aim is to make the race competitive. Better horses carry more weight.

Non-Runner No Bet (NRNB) — A guarantee that if your horse does not run in the race, your stake is refunded. Normally applies to ante-post bets. Not all bookmakers offer it, and it is often a promotional concession specific to the Grand National.

Over-round — The bookmaker’s built-in profit margin. If you add up the implied probabilities of all horses in the market, the total exceeds 100%. The excess is the over-round — it ensures the bookmaker has a theoretical edge.

Place terms — The rules governing the place part of an each-way bet: how many positions pay out and at what fraction of the win odds. Standard Grand National terms are 1/4 odds for four places.

Punter — British slang for a bettor. If you are reading this guide and planning a bet, you are a punter.

SP (Starting Price) — The official odds at the moment the race starts. Determined by independent assessors at the racecourse. If you do not take a fixed price in advance, your bet settles at SP.

Tissue price — The preliminary odds drawn up by a bookmaker’s in-house odds compiler before the market opens. Not published to customers, but it forms the basis for the opening prices you see.

Declarations — The formal confirmation that a horse will run in a specific race. For the Grand National, final declarations are made on the Wednesday before the race, reducing the entry list to the final field of 34.