Scientific Games & Smarkets Reach New Betting Volume Heights

Gaming technology supplier Scientific Games (SG) announced today its OpenSports betting platform delivered to its sports betting clients over 50 million bets on the UK’s Grand National horse racing festival. Meanwhile, Smarkets smashed the betting volume record on a single event.

SG’s OpenSports Platform

The historical 3-day event which took place behind closed doors for the first time since the inaugural race in 1839 provided a seamless experience for SG’s B2B clients of OpenSports, one of which broke all Grand National betting records by exceeding 57,000 bets per minute during peak times.

Following the upward trend established during the Cheltenham Festival, SG announced over 19 million bets, an increase of 60.5% from 2019, were placed on the Grand National race itself, while the total number of account transactions for the three-day event was up 55% compared to the previous festival in 2019, as the OpenSports platform remained stable for 100% of the time.

As the Grand National in 2020 was canceled due to the coronavirus outbreak, this year’s festival was expected to deliver the ultimate test of the robustness and stability of the OpenSports platform which covers the account platform, the betting engine, trading & risk management, and front-end expertise.

“Over the last three years, teams across SG Digital have transformed our OpenSports technology to meet the demands of the world’s leading operators. Whether it’s the Grand National, the Big Game or the Melbourne Cup, we have a responsibility to the largest sportsbooks in every corner of the world to deliver on our promises and exceed their expectations.”

Jordan Levin, Group CEO, Digital, Scientific Games

SG noted its long-term customers Sky Betting and Gaming, Betfair, Ladbrokes, Coral, Paddy Power, and William Hill which continue to rely on the full suite of sportsbook products and services, saw significant increases in their trading volumes during the Grand National festival.

Single-Event Betting Volume Record

Smarkets announced the Grand National race set a new record for the betting volume of £92.8 million traded, up 21% from the £76.5 million for the last race which took place in 2019.

“After a record-breaking Cheltenham Festival for the company, to have set a new all-time high for betting volume on a single event is another big milestone for us.”

Jason Trost, CEO and Founder, Smarkets

Compared to the 3-day Aintree Festival, the Grand National generated 71% higher volume, as trading volume reached a total of £131 million, 28% higher than the £101 million for the 2019 edition of the event.

“It was a thrilling Grand National with a wonderful story as Rachael Blackmore became the first female jockey to win the race, and I’m glad more people than ever enjoyed betting on it with our market-leading prices.”

Jason Trost, CEO and Founder, Smarkets

Prior to the Grand National, Smarkets experienced its second most-traded week in the company’s history, processing bets to the amount of £263 million over the 7-day period between April 5 and April 11.