It’s official: the Grand National remains the biggest draw for punters.
The Aintree steeplechase was the most bet-upon sporting event of 2025, as per the data from industry powerhouse Entain.
The Cheltenham Gold Cup jumped from 16th in 2024 to 14th last year, while the Scottish Grand National made a surprise appearance in 21st place in the standings.
The results show the enduring appeal of horse racing betting… in a year in which the sport faced some of its most challenging obstacles yet.
What Is the Most Bet On Sporting Event?
The Grand National took top spot in 2024 too, in a year in which Willie Mullins landed his second win in the race courtesy of I Am Maximus.
That 2024 renewal was controversial as a raft of safety changes implemented by the Jockey Club saw a record-low number of fallers – great news, of course, but fears remained that the race would suffer as a betting heat accordingly.
But punters piled back in at the 2025 edition, which saw Mullins land an emotional victory courtesy of Nick Rockett, aboard whom the Irish trainer’s son Patrick was in the saddle.
According to the findings published by Entain, the Super Bowl remains the second most bet-upon sporting event, with the meeting between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles holding off the US Masters golf – famously won by Rory McIlroy, who completed the career grand slam – into third place.
Another American football game – the AFC Championship contest between the Chiefs and the Buffalo Bills – was joined in the top five betting events of 2025 by the Champions League final between PSG and Inter Milan.
In 2024, six of the top ten betting events of the year were fixtures at football’s European Championships, so it will be interesting to see if the World Cup this summer dominates the 2026 standings.
But will the World Cup final be able to knock the Grand National and the Super Bowl from the top events rundown? Only time will tell.
Commenting on the 2025 results, Entain’s Greg Ferris said:
“The Grand National and the Super Bowl are cultural phenomena that transcend sports and are annual traditions for recreational customers.
“Beyond these leading top two events, the diversity in the top 50 of different sports reflects our global reach and the varied passions of millions of fans worldwide.”
Betfred Ends ARC Streaming Deal
It will be interesting to see if the 2026 list is impacted by the wide-ranging changes to gambling tax paid by operators.
Set to be phased in from April of this year, betting firms will pay considerably more tax on wagers placed online – something that is likely to be followed by weaker odds offerings and fewer promotions.
But horse racing largely escaped from the chancellor’s tax purge unscathed, with a freeze on duty paid on racing flutters.
Of course, there will still be ramifications for the sport emanating from the gruesome tax regime, but could horse racing become an even more attractive proposition to punters in 2026?
Perhaps… although Betfred customers had better prepare themselves for considerable change.
As of New Year’s Day, Betfred’s media rights deal with the Arena Racing Company (ARC) came to an end. And Fred Done’s firm has shown no willingness to sign an extension.
And so Betfred customers won’t be able to see live pictures from any of ARC’s racecourses via the firm’s online channels or in their high street betting shops. ARC also owns media rights to other courses via The Racing Partnership, so 21 venues in total will be subject to the blackout.
They include Ascot, Chester, Doncaster, Hereford, Newbury and Windsor, while Betfred has also informed customers that Best Odds Guaranteed will not be offered on any of ARC’s owned or co-operated racecourses.
A spokesperson for ARC has told the Racing Post that negotiations remain ongoing, but the loss of pictures is perhaps a cost-cutting exercise on the part of Betfred, whose sizable betting shop empire is already under the stress of reduced footfall in many UK towns and cities.
Fred Done was also one of the most outspoken critics of the government’s tax changes, claiming that he would have to close all of his 1,287 shops if the hike was pushed through.
This isn’t the first time that ARC have faced tough negotiations with an operator either, with Flutter initially refusing to re-negotiate their deal back in 2024.
Eventually, a resolution was found – but not before Flutter had refused to carry odds for ARC operated racecourses.