With the 2011 Spring Racing Carnival now in full swing, we thought this guest blog post from Nick Wilby, Racing Editor at Bettingpro.com, made for perfect timing. Read on to find out more about the most popular races and how affiliates can leverage this Australian sporting event.

This year’s Spring Racing Carnival will see Aussie racing fans pump $500 million into the economy and the nation is likely to gamble more than $1.5 billion over 65 splendid days of action.

It is little wonder that an increasing number of affiliates are promoting the Melbourne Cup and other key races that form part of the Carnival, with big volumes of potential traffic just waiting to be channeled to their sites.

There are many ways to convert traffic at this busy time and the best plan is to identify the bookmakers who are offering the best odds, promotions and free bets over the next few weeks. As with other parts of the world, there are customers who are price sensitive and others who want a concession when it comes to betting on horse racing.

With more than AUS$40 million (£26m) of prize money on offer over the next two months, the Carnival has always been held in the highest regard by racing fans and this passion is reflected in the vast amounts of money gambled on the event.

With the Spring Racing Carnival now extended to 65 days which take in 112 meetings, there are plenty of races to bet on, but it will be the Melbourne Cup that captures the imagination of most and we can be sure to see Australian bookies pull out all the stops with best odds guaranteed and special promotions for affiliates to help convert valuable traffic.

There are some fantastic Australian bookmakers ready to claim their share of the pie, including Luxbet and Centrebet. The good news is that many major Australian bookmakers use the Income Access affiliate marketing software, meaning that affiliates can partner with quality Aussie brands with complete tracking and reporting, plus leverage the geo-targeting tools that allow them to feature brands to players from various geographical locations.

The Flemington showpiece is the most important sporting and cultural festival in Australia and the race itself remains the most watched five minutes of television Down Under, year in and year out without fail. Vast amounts of money are turned over on this race alone.

In 2010, Melbourne Cup day saw Luxbet take a staggering $110 million on the biggest race on the Australian calendar.  Victorian TAB tote customers wagered $70 million on the entire Flemington 10-race meeting, while NSW TAB punters were happy to spend $73.5 million on the day’s action.  Turnover was up once again and Tabcorp delivered an Emirates Melbourne Cup fitting of its 150th running through Luxbet and other brands.

Similarly, sensational promotions and money-back specials saw leading bookmakers revel in another ultra-successful Carnival, which once again proved that the level of interest in betting on the meeting continues to be enormous.

Ever since the heroics of the legendary Phar Lap during the Great Depression, Australian racing fans have shown an unbridled passion for trading with the layers and while Australia’s leading trainers and jockeys battle it out on the course, the nation will go to war with the bookies at another enthralling Spring Racing Carnival.

Nick Wilby is the Racing Editor of Bettingpro.com which covers all Spring Racing Carnival Races live online.

• Spring Carnival is near!
• Australia’s Autumn Racing Carnival at Luxbet
• The Melbourne Spring Carnival rides into town!
• Betting on the Melbourne Cup? Odds Are, We’ve Got you Covered
• Bookies on the Back Foot for the 2012 Cheltenham Festival – but expect lots of promotions!

Tagged as: Aussie racing, Bettingpro, bookmakers, centrebet, luxbet, melbourne cup, Spring Racing Carnival

9 people have already commented. Get in on the action.