Sportsbet and Melbourne Racing Club Enter Five-Year Alliance

Sportsbet, a company under Flutter Group, and Melbourne Racing Club (MRC) have agreed on a five-year partnership starting from January 1, 2024. The MRC, a members club with over 12,000 members, hosts more than 80 races each year at three racetracks in Victoria: Caulfield, Mornington, and Sandown. This partnership includes Sportsbet obtaining the naming rights for the Caulfield Cup Carnival and the Caulfield Cup.

The partnership is aimed at attracting new fans to racing and expanding the sport’s reach to a wider sporting audience. The plan involves various activities spanning digital marketing, customer engagement, on-site activities, and experiences, particularly during the main racing season periods.

A notable aspect of this partnership is Sportsbet’s commitment to donate $AU 125,000 annually to the MRC Foundation. This foundation represents the charitable and community efforts of the MRC and works towards supporting local communities and individuals involved in the racing industry.

As part of Flutter Group’s ‘Do More’ initiative, which has the goal of impacting 10 million lives by 2030 under its Positive Impact Plan, this partnership aligns with the group’s objectives of community impact.

The partnership also includes:

• Sportsbet offering a prize of $AU 1 million for any horse that wins both the Sportsbet Mornington Cup and Sportsbet Caulfield Cup in the same year.
• An investment of $AU 125,000 by Sportsbet in racing development initiatives at the Mornington racetrack.
• The implementation of new LED technology for barriers in early 2024.
• Efforts to increase MRC Membership.
• Improvement of the experience for general admission customers at races.

This partnership between Sportsbet and MRC is focused on supporting the racing community and contributing to related community initiatives.

Barni Evans, Sportsbet CEO, said: “Sportsbet is excited to partner with the MRC, an incredibly successful and progressive Club, and we look forward to bringing to life our shared ambition of attracting new audiences to racing. We’re always looking to do more for the community and we’re particularly proud to be contributing $AU 125,000 each year of the partnership to the MRC Foundation, supporting local communities and helping racing industry participants.”

Josh Blanksby, Melbourne Racing Club CEO, said: “This is the most significant partnership in the Club’s history, and we’re thrilled to be working with Sportsbet, Australia’s largest wagering provider, to open up the sport to more audiences and futureproof racing on the sporting stage. We’re excited by the opportunities that partnering with a such an iconic brand in the sport and racing spaces presents, and we look forward to introducing a greater sporting audience to our racing product through Sportsbet’s impressive market share.”