Yes. In fact, your phone is almost certainly the fastest way to place a Grand National bet. No queue at the bookmakers, no filling in paper slips, no searching for a pen that works. Every major UK-licensed betting operator runs a mobile app or a mobile-optimised website, and the process from opening an account to placing your first wager can take less than five minutes — assuming your identity verification goes through on the spot, which it usually does for UK residents with standard documentation.
Mobile betting now accounts for the largest share of remote gambling activity in Britain. If you have a smartphone, a debit card, and five minutes of patience, you have everything you need to bet on the Grand National from wherever you happen to be on race day.
App or Mobile Browser: Which Is Better?
Every significant bookmaker offers a dedicated app for iOS and Android alongside a mobile-responsive version of their website. Both let you place bets, deposit funds, and watch live streams. The differences are in speed and convenience rather than capability.
The app is generally the smoother experience. It loads faster, stores your login credentials via biometric authentication — Touch ID, Face ID, or fingerprint on Android — and can send push notifications for race updates, price changes, and settled bets. For Grand National day, when you want to know immediately if your horse has won or placed, notifications are genuinely useful rather than merely annoying.
The mobile browser version requires no download and works on any device with a modern browser. It is the better option if you are reluctant to install a betting app — perhaps because you are genuinely a once-a-year punter and do not want a permanent reminder on your home screen — or if your phone’s storage is limited. The functionality is almost identical, though navigation tends to be slightly slower and you will not receive push notifications unless you specifically enable them through the browser.
The scale of mobile betting in Britain is substantial. The UK gambling industry generated £16.8 billion in gross gambling yield during the 2024/25 financial year, with remote gambling — the majority of which is mobile — accounting for 46% of the total market, according to the Gambling Commission’s annual report. The infrastructure supporting mobile betting is mature, heavily regulated, and used by millions of people every day. Placing a Grand National bet on your phone is not an edge case — it is the default.
Setting Up Your Account: A Quick Walkthrough
If you do not already have a betting account, the setup process follows the same pattern across virtually every UK-licensed operator.
Download the app from the App Store or Google Play, or navigate to the bookmaker’s website on your phone’s browser. Tap the registration button — it is always prominently displayed, particularly in the weeks before the Grand National when operators are competing aggressively for new sign-ups.
You will be asked for your full name, date of birth, home address, email, and a phone number. This information is not optional: UK gambling regulations require operators to verify that every customer is over 18 and resident in a jurisdiction where the operator holds a licence. The verification is typically automated — the bookmaker cross-references your details against public databases — and for most people it completes in under a minute. Occasionally, you may be asked to upload a photo of your driving licence or passport if the automated check cannot confirm your identity. This is a regulatory requirement, not a bookmaker preference.
Once your identity is verified, you deposit funds. Debit cards are the most widely accepted method and usually process instantly. Apple Pay and Google Pay are available on many apps and offer the same instant processing with the convenience of biometric confirmation. E-wallets like PayPal are accepted by some operators but excluded from welcome offers at others — check the terms of any sign-up promotion before choosing your deposit method.
With your account funded, navigate to horse racing, find the Grand National market, select your horse, choose your bet type — win or each-way — enter your stake, and confirm. The entire sequence from registration to placed bet, for someone who has their debit card to hand, takes around five minutes.
Mobile Features That Matter on Grand National Day
Several mobile-specific features become particularly relevant on Grand National day, when the race carries unique characteristics that differ from everyday racing.
Cash out allows you to settle your bet before the race finishes, locking in a profit or cutting a loss based on the live position of your horse. During the Grand National, cash-out values fluctuate dramatically as horses fall, make ground, or fade. If your horse is travelling well approaching the final fences, the cash-out offer will spike. Whether to take it or let the bet ride is a personal call, but the option only exists if you are using a mobile app or website — betting shop slips do not offer in-running cash out on the same terms.
Live streaming is available on most major apps for customers with a funded account or a bet placed on the relevant meeting. Watching the Grand National live on your bookmaker’s app while tracking your bet in real time is the most integrated viewing experience available outside of attending Aintree in person.
According to industry data from the Betting and Gaming Council, around 30% of Grand National bettors are depositing for the first time or for the first time since the previous year’s race. Mobile makes that process frictionless. The barriers that once existed — finding a betting shop, filling in a slip, understanding the counter procedure — have been replaced by a guided digital experience that handles the complexity behind the screen.
Common Issues and How to Avoid Them
The single most common problem on Grand National day is app congestion. Millions of people are trying to place bets in the hours before the 4pm start, and even well-resourced operators occasionally experience slowdowns. The solution is simple: do not wait until 3:45pm. Place your bet in the morning or early afternoon, when server load is lower and your selection is more likely to go through without delay.
Identity verification delays are the second most common issue for new customers. If the automated check fails and you are asked to upload documents, the manual review can take anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours. Opening your account the week before the Grand National, rather than on the morning of the race, eliminates this risk entirely. You can always wait until race day to decide which horse to back — you just need the account to be ready and funded when you do.
Deposit limits are worth checking in advance. Some operators set default deposit limits for new customers, which can be lower than the amount you intend to bet if you are combining a qualifying bet for a welcome offer with your actual Grand National wager. You can request a limit increase through the app, but the approval is not always instant.
BGC chief executive Gráinne Hurst has described the Grand National as “one of the precious few sporting events in this country with the ability to unite the entire nation around a single spectacle.” Your phone is the simplest route into that spectacle. Set up your account early, check that your chosen bookmaker’s app is running smoothly, and the only thing left to worry about on race day is whether your horse can jump Becher’s Brook.