Bookies Bet on Record Weekend of Sport Bookies bet on record weekend of sport ByChris Johnston Business reporter, BBC News A bumper roster of sport consisting of the Grand National, the Masters and Premier League video games, is expected to produce a record weekend for bookmakers. The Grand National will bring in about ₤ 225m in wagers across the betting industry, William Hill forecasted. Combined with other sporting fixtures it anticipates to take "the greatest turnover levels on any weekend in history", the bookie stated. Saturday's race is expected to be seen by 600 million people internationally. "The Grand National is the public's race and we will see countless once-a-year punters coming in to wagering stores or downloading the app," William Hill representative Rupert Adams stated. The race is set to bring in over 35 million bets with the average deserving ₤ 4.41. William Hill is likewise expecting another big-priced winner in the Grand National this year. The last 5 races have produced winners at chances of 33/1, 25/1, 25/1 and 33/1. Ryanair president Michael O'Leary owns 5 of the 40 horses in Saturday's field. He is intending to become the very first owner to win consecutive Nationals with different horses since 1954 after Rule the World, ridden by David Mullins, declared victory last year. Last year, the start time for the Grand National was moved by an hour to 17:15 BST. The decision showed to be a boost for turnover and William Hill expects that trend to continue. New sponsor "The experiment of moving the start time really paid off and we expect the Grand National to smash wagering records this year," Mr Adams stated. It is the first year that the race has been sponsored by Randox Health, which analyses blood and urine samples to discover and avoid health problems.