SafeCharge, a leading payments technology company, today announces that it recorded an increase of 60% in number of processed transactions for Saturday’s Grand National, the biggest race in the British horseracing calendar, compared to last year’s event. With over £200m in bets placed each year during this event, SafeCharge payments data suggests that Grand National bets are significantly increasing in payment processing volumes, challenging payment processing infrastructures just like Valentine’s Day or Black Friday.

This year, SafeCharge payments data shows that the peak number of transactions processed per second soared by 118%, whilst the value of bets placed throughout the race increased by more than 60% compared to the 2017 event. Furthermore, the speed at which transactions were processed through SafeCharge’s payments platform increased by more than 10%, highlighting the need to rely on a robust processing architecture able to guarantee zero downtime and an always-on approach.

"Our data suggests that the volume of online transactions being processed during the Grand National, as well as the speed these are being processed, is increasing significantly year-on-year to become the de-facto method for placing bets at this major event. This obviously puts strain on payments infrastructure which needs to be up to the task,” said David Avgi, CEO, SafeCharge. “We are proud to support payment processing for some of the most prestigious and best-known operators at the Grand National. Our technical expertise and robust payments architecture is trusted by the biggest names in the industry, with a solid track record going back to 2007.”

“The Grand National is a landmark event for online betting, attracting huge numbers of players every year,” stated Jim Noakes, Head of Strategic Development and Optimisation at Ladbrokes Coral. “The robustness, scalability and quality of SafeCharge’s Payments Engine has been instrumental to deliver an unparalleled user experience for our customers at the event.”