The Melbourne Cup Photo: AAP / www.photosport.nz
Punters gambled more on the Melbourne Cup at the TAB than ever before.
Betting on the Cup which was won by Australian stayer Without A Fight was up 14% up on last year, with $13.4 million gambled.
Racing turnover on the day topped $28.4m, a 10% increase on last year with the TAB paying out $10 million in winnings from the Melbourne Cup alone.
The number of TAB accounts used reached 127,000, up 15% on last year.
At the height of interest in the race shortly before the 5pm race start, 6,850 bets were being processed each minute.
At one point, more than 50,000 people were accessing the TAB on line or through the app - a number only exceeded in 2021 when Covid restrictions were in place.
Cameron Rodger, the New Zealand Managing Director of Entain - the operator of the TAB - said the Cup continues to be a huge drawcard for New Zealanders.
"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,'' he said.
Big winning bets on Without A Fight:
$5,500 on Without A Fight @ $9 returned $49,500
$5,000 on Without A Fight @ $9 returned $45,000
$10,000 on Without A Fight @ $7.50 to return $75,000