Upwardly mobile Cup punters are just phoning it in

PETER ROLFE DIGITAL technology is set to transform this year’s Melbourne Cup with more people than ever before turning to mobile devices to try to back a winner.

Up to 100,000 racegoers are expected at Flemington today when Derby Day kicks off the four-day Cup Carnival in style.

But new figures suggest the number of people trackside will be dwarfed by race fans going online to place their bets, read form guides and compare odds across multiple bookmakers.

Punters.com.au founder and chief executive Luc Pettett said more than one million people would log on to his site alone in the 48 hours around the race that stops a nation. And 62 per cent would access it from their mobile phone.

“Whereas once you had to go to the effort of going to a betting shop or a betting ring to place your bets, it’s all about having access to the most valuable information on the go now,’’ Mr Pettett said.

“Wagering is growing at a pretty significant rate, but the real move is to mobile betting . . . people want a more convenient product.”

Sportsbet estimates 80 per cent of its users bet on a mobile device. William Hill says about 90 per cent of bets are done 10 minutes before a race, but for the Melbourne Cup they are made much further in advance.

The TAB is also pushing hard into the tech world with a new digital commissions program launched this week.

Last year it reported a 12 per cent growth in digital traffic.

TAB expects a similar rise this year and has rolled out online form guides to 200 venues and customers. Tab- corp chief David Attenborough said digital betting was increasingly popular, with more customers getting involved via their mobile devices.

“Our focus is on combining our retail and digital worlds to offer customers an integrated betting experience that is market-leading,’’ he said.

Punters.com.au, owned by News Corp Australia, publisher of the Cairns Post, anticipates 250,000 people will use its race predictor on Cup Day as well as its odds comparison service.

CrownBet chief executive Matt Tripp said customers had never had more choice and were increasingly turning to technology at the track.

“For us to win the battle against the foreign-owned bookmakers, we’ve invested heavily in developing the bestin-class wagering platforms and apps,” he said.