Scientific Games sets Melbourne Cup betting record

New York-listed supplier Scientific Games has lauded a record performance across its OpenSports platform during today’s (3 November) Melbourne Cup in Australia.

Scientific Games’ OpenSports platform processed record-breaking account transactions during the prestigious annual horse race, which took place behind closed doors and was won by Twilight Payment.

Compared to the 2019 event, stakes placed via the OpenSports platform on the Melbourne Cup race increased by 100 per cent. OpenSports customers, such as Flutter Entertainment’s Sportsbet and New Zealand's TAB, processed a peak of over 61,000 bets per minute, an increase of 75 per cent over last year.

“The Melbourne Cup is an enjoyable experience for millions of betting fans in Australia and beyond,” said Keith O’Loughlin, senior vice president of sportsbook, SG Digital. “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.”

Sportsbet chief information officer Simon Noonan added: “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.”

Shares in Scientific Games Corporation (NSQ:SGMS) closed up 4.27 per cent at $33.24 per share in New York Monday.