GBG is the front runner at the Grand National
The Grand National is a centrepiece in the horse racing season in the United Kingdom and the most valuable jump race in Europe. In a typical year, 800 million people will watch the race live in over 140 countries with more than 150,000 in attendance at Aintree on the day.
The ‘ultimate test of horse and rider’ attracts significantly more punters than the average steeplechase, both at the racecourse and online. So, for gaming operators, it’s an important date in the racing calendar, typically pulling in bets from around 13 million people, roughly a third of the number of adults in the UK, each year.
ID verification that's ready to win on race days
“Our race-leading digital identity verification solution saw a 34% increase in transactions in 2024 from online sports betting compared to the previous year, but despite record online betting volumes, it cleared all the peak-betting hurdles."
We have been backing gaming operators and protecting vulnerable players during this historic sporting event for over 10 years, and we are on form and ready to continue in 2025.
Record-breaking online betting
In 2021, our race-leading digital identity verification solution saw a 135% increase in transactions as players enjoyed a lockdown flutter from their sofas due to an increase in online sport betting during the pandemic.
Despite the record online betting volumes, GBG technology cleared all peak-betting hurdles with 100% uptime. We’ve kept pace during all races since the pandemic, processing identity verification checks for each bet in an average of 1.5 seconds and maintaining 100% uptime during the 2021 to 2024 Grand National events.
Onboard more players at speed with Multi Bureau
A safe bet for resilience and speed of transaction
Once normality and racegoers returned to the track at Aintree, online betting levels reduced as punters enjoyed the thrill of the race in-person once more. After the covid spike, transactions returned to a steady volume over the next few years, but digital betting levels were still up on pre-pandemic levels. As we look ahead, operators are anticipating high volumes with more than half a million transactions predicted in 2025.
“Our digital identity verification solutions are here to help winning operators sign up more players swiftly and safely, while getting player protection and gaming affordability checks right so everyone has a great day at the races.”
Player protection in line with UKGC regulation
As the global leaders in player identity verification, partnering with gaming operators and major UK credit reference agencies, we are the go-to supplier for operators wishing to protect vulnerable players and implement financial risk checks at this year's Grand National following the UKGC announcement. Our financial vulnerability checks are designed to identify players who have experienced financial difficulty and are at greater risk of gambling harm.
On Friday 28th of February, the UKGC announced the threshold for light touch financial vulnerability checks conducted by remote operators will reduce from £500 net deposits per 30-day rolling period to £150 net deposits per 30-day rolling period.
These light touch checks can be automated by GBG to your risk-based approach, helping you to protect those particularly financially vulnerable (such as where there is bankruptcy).
Protect players from gambling beyond their means with affordability checks
Bet on the favourite at this year’s Grand National
Here at GBG, we understand the importance of a big-ticket fixture like the Grand National to gaming operators.
Our digital identity verification solutions are here to help winning operators sign up more players swiftly and safely, getting player protection and gaming affordability checks right so everyone has a great day at the races. So, before the runners and riders are off at this year’s Grand National, speak to our player onboarding experts.
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