Scientific Games reports that its OpenSports™ customers processed unprecedented record-breaking account transactions during this weeks Melbourne Cup.

Despite Australia’s most famous annual thoroughbred horse race taking place behind closed doors, the event still managed to attract extremely strong levels of betting activity.

The rise in transactions follows a period of increased interest from Australians for betting on horse racing, driven by the availability of seamless and reliable entertainment experiences across web and mobile.

Compared to the 2019 event, Scientific Games reports the following across OpenSports™: Twice the volume of bets placed across the whole of the Melbourne Cup Carnival. 100% rise in stakes placed on the Melbourne Cup race.

OpenSports customers processed a peak of over 61,000 bets per minute, an increase of 75% over last year.

Scientific Games’ sports betting technology powers the world’s leading sportsbook operators, including Flutter Entertainment’s Australian brand Sportsbet and New Zealand’s racing board TAB.

Simon Noonan, CIO, Sportsbet, said: “This was an unprecedented Melbourne Cup Day for Sportsbet and the platform met record demand without compromising stability or experience for the more than 1 million customers that had a bet with us today.”

Keith O’Loughlin, SVP Sportsbook, Scientific Games Digital, said: “The Melbourne Cup is an enjoyable experience for millions of betting fans in Australia and beyond. The availability of enjoyable betting experiences across web and mobile has seen online betting surging in recent times with an influx of new customers. Through the Melbourne Cup, the OpenSports™ platform provided a seamless experience, having been tested over five times the capacity of our operators for key sporting events, as well as enabling cloud services and our ongoing investment in the technology stack.

The record-breaking figures from OpenSports™ illustrate the importance of events like the Melbourne Cup to bookmakers and bettors at present. Once again, our robust and reliable platform rose to the occasion and provided a hugely memorable sports betting experience for our operating partners and their customers.”