One of the great allures of the Grand National race each year is that it can often throw up betting value that is not widely available on other major races. We have seen a few 100/1 and 66/1 winners in the 21st century, and there have been recent winners like Noble Yeats (50/1) and last year’s winner, Nick Rocket (33/1), that have come home and decent prices, too.
Yet, the trade-off for that value is that it is a notoriously hard race to predict. The big field, the stern test of the Aintree fences, and the distance all combine to make it hard to parse out the favorites. Yes, there are trends and strategies that can help, but the market is often ‘wrong’ for the Grand National, and that means when you get those long-odds winners, it is the bookies that recoup the biggest profits as the favorites fail.
There is, however, a new form of betting that has come to the fore that feels a bit like the antithesis of the free-for-all offered by the Grand National – predictions markets. There’s been a massive boom in these platforms in recent years, pioneered by cryptocurrency-adjacent companies, yet they have now moved into mainstream sports betting platforms. For example, DraftKings Predictions Markets have launched online recently, offering customers the chance to bet on sports predictions as well as real-world political, cultural, and financial events.
Predictions Markets Can Be Based on Anything
So, what exactly are prediction markets and how do they differ from regular sports betting? Well, the starkest difference is that you can bet on just about anything. In some cases, the market itself can be created by the bettor. Say, for instance, you wanted to create a market on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to win 4 NBA regular season MVPs by 2030, you could technically do so, albeit it might take a long time to settle.
The markets usually revolve around a yes/no settlement principle, and the potential odds/payout structure is driven by contrarian bettors taking an opposing view. This, you might say, is very similar to what happens on betting exchanges, but there is a broader market availability on offer.
As mentioned, predictions markets are relatively new, and they came about to offer markets to bet on real-world events. Right now, with the Iran War on the agenda, you might see a healthy trade on people betting on the price of oil by a specific date later in 2026. Yet, the arrival of platforms like DraftKings into the mix has opened up the sports predictions markets even further.
Choose the Best Odds For Your Wager
So, which is better? Traditional sports betting or sports predictions? Well, we would say that there is no right answer. Moreover, there is a best-of-both-worlds aspect to it. With sports betting, you get the odds set by the bookmaker. With prediction markets, you get the odds based on what people are betting on and against. Thus, one market might be more generous than the other.
And that essentially is the rub: the widespread availability of sports predictions markets means that you can start to compare the odds from the traditional sportsbook to the predictions market, choosing the best price. Indeed, it might be the case that you can find better odds for the upcoming 2026 Grand National in a predictions market. After that, all you need to happen is for your horse to conquer Aintree.