Melbourne Cup 2024 Betting

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Known locally as ‘the race that stops a nation’, the Melbourne Cup is the most coveted prize in Australian thoroughbred horse racing. It is the biggest betting event of the year, always run on the first Tuesday in November.

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Melbourne Cup Betting Tips

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How To Bet On The Melbourne Cup

The Melbourne Cup has the same betting options as other major races, like the Gold Cup at the Cheltenham horse racing or the Grand National. These three types of bets are the most common wagers placed each year during the Melbourne Cup festival:

Melbourne Cup Odds Explained

The odds in the Melbourne Cup are presented to Australian punters in a different way. Each of the 24 horses running in the Melbourne Cup will be presented as a dollar amount. This means that if a horse is valued at A$5, every dollar you bet on that horse will return A$5 if it wins. To convert this into fractional odds, punters can split the A$5 payout into a profit of A$4 with a A$1 outlay. This would give odds of 4/1.

The best betting sites like to provide Melbourne Cup odds in this fashion as an alternative to fractional or decimal odds as it may be easier for a first time gambler to understand on the day of the Cup. Most online bookmakers will, however, provide all bets in fractional or decimal odds for more traditional punters too.

Consider these points when plotting your horse racing betting strategy.


Established 2001
Sports with Antepost Betting
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Yes
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Yes
Yes
#ad. 18+. Gamble Responsibly. Begambleaware.org. New Customers only. Bet £10* & Get £30* in Free Bets. Sign up, deposit between £5* and £10* to your account and bet365 will give you three times that value in Free Bets when you place qualifying bets to the same value and they are settled. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits. Min odds/bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Registration Required. T&Cs, time limits & exclusions apply.
Established 2007
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Cash Out Tooltip Can you cash out of bets before an event has finished?
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Yes
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Yes
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#ad. 18+. Gamble Responsibly. Begambleaware.org. New customers. Max £10 (exc. PayPal). 100% Odds Boost Token. Keep it fun - set your deposit limit. T&Cs apply.
Established 2006
Sports with Antepost Betting
Cash Out Tooltip Can you cash out of bets before an event has finished?
21
Yes
Special Bets
Antepost Multis?
Yes
Yes
#ad. 18+. Gamble Responsibly. Begambleaware.org. Min Stake: £5. Maximum Free Bet: £30. First bet on a Football or Horse Racing multiple with 3+ selections. Overall odds: 3.00 (2/1) or higher. Free Bets available upon settlement of the qualifying bet. 100 Extra Spins on Gold Blitz (£0.10 per spin) credited on settlement of qualifying Acca bet. No wagering requirements on extra spin winnings. Debit Card deposit only (exclusions apply). This offer is valid 7 days from the new account being registered. 18+ BeGambleAware.org. Bet the Responsible Way. Full terms apply.

Melbourne Cup 2020 Prize Money

Prize money for the Melbourne Cup has been above AU$6 million since 2010, with trophies valued at a staggering $250,000 dollars. Melbourne Cup prize money in 2020 totals AU$7million, the first 12 horses to finish awarded from that pool as follows:

  1. Winner - AU$4million (plus $250,000 in trophies)
  2. Second - AU$1million
  3. Third - AU$500,000
  4. Fourth - AU$250,000
  5. Fifth - AU$175,000
  6. Sixth - AU$150,000
  7. Sixth-12th - AU$150,000

The owner of each prize winner in the Melbourne Cup receives 85% of the prize money, with the trainer receiving 10% and the jockey getting 5%. There is a AU$500,000 bonus for the owner of the winning horse if it has also won the Irish St. Leger run the September prior to the Melbourne Cup.

The Race That Stops a Nation

As mentioned above, Australia's Melbourne Cup is known to the locals as ‘the race that stops a nation’ and is the most coveted prize in Australian thoroughbred horse racing. It is a huge horse racing betting event, run on the first Tuesday in November each year - a day designated as a national holiday.

More than 200,000 eager bettors flock to Flemington Racecourse on the day of the Melbourne Cup. Offices across Australia stop work close to race time, and throughout the country it is televised on screens at local race tracks.

The Melbourne Cup reaches around 650 million people through its live television broadcast and over the course of the four-day Melbourne Cup Carnival, over AU$650 million is wagered - $350 million of that spent betting on Cup day itself.

Established 2001
Daily Racing Specials
Live Streaming Racing
Yes
Yes
Ante Post Racing
Tote/Other Markets
Yes
Yes
#ad. 18+. Gamble Responsibly. Begambleaware.org. New Customers only. Bet £10* & Get £30* in Free Bets. Sign up, deposit between £5* and £10* to your account and bet365 will give you three times that value in Free Bets when you place qualifying bets to the same value and they are settled. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits. Min odds/bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Registration Required. T&Cs, time limits & exclusions apply.
Established 2020
Daily Racing Specials
Live Streaming Racing
No
No
Ante Post Racing
Tote/Other Markets
Yes
No
#ad. 18+. Gamble Responsibly. Begambleaware.org. Welcome Bonus: New players only, 1st Deposit, Min Deposit: £15, Max £10 Free Bet valid for 14 days. Bets Must be placed at odds of 1/1 or greater and be settled within 14 days of placement. System bets no eligible. Neteller, Skrill and PayPal not eligible. T&Cs apply
Established 2000
Daily Racing Specials
Live Streaming Racing
No
No
Ante Post Racing
Tote/Other Markets
Yes
No
#ad. 18+. Gamble Responsibly. Begambleaware.org. New UK+IRE Customers only. Certain deposit methods & bet types excl. Min first £5 bet within 14 days of account reg at min odds 1/2 to get 4x £5 free bets. Free bets available to use on selected sportsbook markets only. Free bets valid for 7 days, stake not returned. Restrictions + T&Cs apply.

Interesting fact about the Melbourne Cup:

In the Melbourne Cup's 157-year history, only five horses have won the Cup more than once, Makybe Diva holding the record of three. The 2017 winner Rekindled did not return for 2018, but owner Lloyd Williams was looking for a third straight Melbourne Cup win with betting favourite Yucatan.

Most Recent Melbourne Cup Winners' Odds

YearWinnerOddsJockeyTrainer
2019Vow And Declare10/1Craig WilliamsDanny O’Brien
2018Cross Counter8/1Kerrin McEvoyCharlie Appleby
2017Rekindling14/1Corey BrownJoseph O'Brien
2016Almandin10/1Kerrin McEvoyRobert Hickmott
2015Prince of Penzance100/1Michelle PayneDarren Weir
2014Protectionist7/1Ryan MooreAndreas Wohler
2013Fiorente6/1fDamien OliverGai Waterhouse
2012Green Moon19/1Brett PrebbleRobert Hickmott
2011Dunaden15/2Christophe LemaireMikel Delzangles
2010Americain12/1Gerald MosseAlain de Royer-Dupre
2009Shocking9/1Corey BrownMark Kavanagh
2008Viewed40/1Black ShinnBart Cummings
2007Efficient16/1Michael RoddGraeme Rogerson

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