Kiwis smash betting records with $28.4 million spend proving Melbourne Cup stops two nations
It’s billed as the race that stops Australia but once again, New Zealander bettors have voted this country’s interest with their wallets.
The NZ TAB’s turnover on all racing came to a total of $28.4 million on Melbourne Cup day, up 10% on last year’s figure.
In the Cup race itself, Kiwis splurged $13.4 million, up 14% on last year.
Such was the popularity of the famous 3200 metre race, won this year by Without A Fight, the TAB was, at one point in the lead up to the big race, taking 6850 bets per minute.
But the money was flowing both ways.
As part of the TAB’s boosted odds promotion, two bets of $5500 and $5000 were taken on Without A Fight at $9 odds, banking those punters $49,500 and $45,000 respectively.
In total, the NZ TAB paid out $10m in winnings on the Melbourne Cup race itself.
With the First4 dividend paying a whopping $332,291, even a small percentage of the pie was worth celebrating.
One of the biggest turnarounds came via a TAB account holder who placed a $5 First4 bet that returned $106,333. Another account holder’s $10 First4 earned them $63,135.
The biggest First4 collect came from the Johnsonville TAB in Wellington where a $40 outlay turned into a $112,979 return.
A $25 First4 placed at the Cambridge TAB returned $79,750.
Some punters bet big to win big, with one account holder spending $1,008 on a First4 ticket to make $66,458 and a $200 First4 placed at Manukau City TAB netted a return of $19,937.
But for others, the smallest of investments still delivered life-changing wins.
A $2 First4 at Levin Sports Bar turned into a $39,875 payout and a $4 First4 at Grand Slam Sports Bar in Auckland won one lucky punter $56,489.
Cameron Rodger, Entain’s managing director, New Zealand, said he was thrilled to see Melbourne Cup day continue to be a massive drawcard for Kiwis.
“On the back of The Everest in Sydney in mid-October doubling in turnover, and the recent injection into stakes and other initiatives within New Zealand, we’re seeing record numbers engaging with the racing industry through TAB.”
