AussieWebs.com: Your Australian Directory Guide

Online Betting on the Melbourne Cup

Making the most of your wagering dollars

Over a period of 4 days in a usually crisp November Spring, Australians and people from around the world stop to witness one of the world's most prestigeous racing events.

The Melbourne Cup is like no other racing event in Australia, or the world for that matter.

Both the finest Australian horses and jockeys, and racing horses and their riders from around the world, come to the Flemington track to pit their skill and determination against each other.

Not only a race, it is also a Melbourne cultural icon, with tens of thousands dressing up, and their are a bevy of associated fashion shows and awards. Truly, the Melbourne Cup is where Australia's elite (and not so elite), come to parade, drink champagene, and of course have a bet.

Melbourne Cup day is a public holiday in Victoria, but for the rest of Australia, it also means a long pause from daily activities, as punters stop work to check if lady luck smiles upon them. No other horse racing event in Australia has captured the hearts and minds of Aussies, it truly is a day the country holds it breaths for those few short minutes as the gallant racing horses thunder down the 450m Flemington track.

It is estimated hundreds of millions of dollars is wagered over the four day Melbourne Cup Spring Carnival, with punters from around the globe having sometimes massive bets. But the bookies do not always come out on top, with some years providing major upsets and happy punters smiling with glee as they cash in their ticket.