Melbourne Spring Carnival attracts $2.35 Billion betting turnover
The Spring Racing Carnival attracted more than 686,000 attendees – an increase of 5.6% on 2016 – while total domestic wagering turnover grew by 5.4% to a record $2.35 billion.
Television ratings for feature raceday broadcasts on Channel 7/7Two grew by 18.2% during the period, while the average weekly users on Racing.com rose by 31% year-on-year.
With 40% of its digital audience based outside Victoria there was strong demand for online services with more than 2.2 million views of online replays and video features.
On the racetrack, Victoria welcomed 21 internationally-trained horses from England, France, Germany, Ireland and Scotland taking to 227 the number of internationals that have now travelled to Melbourne to compete in the Spring Racing Carnival since 1993.
2017 Spring Carnival By The Numbers
Attendance
- Total attendance across all meetings was 686,425 – an increase of 5.6% year-on-year – with 71.6% coming across metropolitan meetings and 28.4% in country Victoria
- Attendance at The Valley’s two-day Cox Plate Carnival was up 30.1% with the Friday night Manikato Stakes crowd growing by 44.1% and Cox Plate Day a sold-out 32,712
- Attendance grew on each of the three days of the Caulfield Cup Carnival for a total of 55,443
- Total attendance at the Melbourne Cup Carnival was over 310,000 people – a decline of just 2.6% despite the absence of a grandstand due to construction works
- Total attendance across 17 major Country Cup meetings grew by 5.1% with Avoca, Ballarat, Bendigo, Dunkeld, Geelong and Wodonga those attracting more than 6,000 attendees.
Wagering
- Total wagering turnover across all operators was $2.35 billion – up 5.4% year-on-year
- An Australian record for turnover on an individual meeting was set with $334.5 million bet domestically on Flemington’s Melbourne Cup meeting – an increase of 2.2%
- Total domestic wagering turnover on the Melbourne Cup topped $200 million for just the third time with $204.5 million invested
- Improved track conditions and weather delivered significant wagering growth across a number of Country Cup meetings with Sale (49.5%), Dunkeld (44.6%), Hamilton (13.4%), Geelong (8.8%) and Kyneton (6.5%) among those to realise above average growth
- Total turnover on the Caulfield Cup Carnival rose by 5.2%, however wagering on Cox Plate Day declined by 11.2% due in part to the dominance of $1.18 favourite Winx and a 9.1% reduction in average field sizes.
Engagement
- Television ratings grew by 18.2% for the 13 feature racedays broadcast from Memsie Stakes Day to Zipping Classic Day
- Online combined live broadcast and streaming audience had a total reach of over 230,000 on each of the feature racedays
- Over 2.2 million views of online videos – an increase of 32% – with the average weekly digital users increasing to 240,000 during the period
- A total of 11.5 million minutes of live racing was streamed to the digital platforms – an increase of 16% on the 2016 Spring Racing Carnival
- The number of unique online visitors to the hub for ticketing, hospitality and event information – grew by 13%
Participation
Across the 34 premier meetings held throughout metropolitan and country Victoria during the Spring Racing Carnival, the following participation rates were achieved:
- A total 1,835 horses – up from 1,769 in 2016 – competed 3,190 times with an average field size of 10.5 starters
- 269 horses, 112 trainers and 75 jockeys recorded individual wins at the 34 premier meetings/li>
- 8,110 individual owners – up from 7,184 in 2016 – shared in $57.5 million in prizemoney and bonuses across these meetings
RV Chief Executive, Giles Thompson, said the figures were further positive news for Victorian racing following the recent release of the 2016-17 financial year and major prizemoney increases announced for the 2017-18 racing season.
“The Spring Racing Carnival has long been regarded as Australia’s pre-eminent racing carnival and these figures from 2017 solidify the importance of this event to the state of Victoria and more broadly to the sport of thoroughbred racing,” Thompson said.
“The Spring Racing Carnival delivers over $700 million annually to the Victorian economy and plays a crucial role in bringing together the community, particularly in regional locations, to enjoy a memorable sporting and social occasion.
“The growth in attendance, wagering and engagement across the duration of the 2017 Spring Racing Carnival is thanks to the hard work and commitment of many stakeholders who combined to deliver exceptional racing and great raceday experiences for our customers.
“I want to acknowledge the Clubs for their outstanding work in servicing our customers on raceday and the owners, trainers and jockeys, both from here and abroad, who again supported the Spring Racing Carnival in great numbers.
“I also want to thank the racegoers, punters and viewers who continue to embrace the Spring Racing Carnival and ensure that it remains an icon for the state of Victoria, together with our media partners for their ongoing and valued support.”