The Melbourne Cup is the biggest race on the Australian calendar, and each year, countless Aussies place a bet on this race. We provide details that help you place a bet on the Melbourne Cup and make the experience a more enjoyable one.
How to Bet on the Melbourne Cup
Step-by-Step Guide: How To Bet on The Melbourne Cup
To place a bet on the Melbourne Cup, there are a couple of simple steps you should follow. The process is pretty easy and only takes a couple of minutes. Over the years, we have honed the process and believe this is the best way to bet on the Melbourne Cup.
Step One: Choose Your Bookie
There are plenty of bookies to choose from, and we recommend taking a look at our reviews so you can find the best bookie for you. You don’t just have to choose one bookie either. You can open accounts with multiple bookies to take advantage of different odds and promotions.
Step Two: Sign Up
Once you’ve found the bookie you want to bet on the Melbourne Cup with, it’s time to sign up if you haven’t already. The sign-up process can be different with each bookie, but we have found that almost every Australian betting site makes the process as easy as possible, so you can place your bets as soon as possible.
Step Three: Deposit
You can’t put a bet on the Melbourne Cup if you don’t have any money in your account! So, make sure you make your first deposit with your chosen bookie. It’s also a good idea to think about setting up a deposit limit at this time as well.
Step Four: Place Your Bets
Now that you have money in your account, it’s time to place your bets. Head to the page with all the Melbourne Cup markets and choose a runner and bet type from the selection available. By clicking on the odds, this will take the bet to your bet slip, and you can choose how much you want to stake on the bet.
Melbourne Cup Betting Types 2025
The question of how to bet on the Melbourne Cup gets a little more complicated when you realise just how many different betting types are available. There are a few different betting markets available, and we go through all the most popular ones in this section.
Win Bet
The win bet is the simplest of all bets and includes you selecting the runner you think will win the Melbourne Cup. This market is available at all bookies, and even months before the Melbourne Cup, you can place a win bet if you wish (this is called futures markets).
Place Bet
If you aren’t 100% sure your chosen runner will win the Melbourne Cup, you can opt for a place bet. For a place bet to be successful, your chosen runner just needs to finish in the top three in the Melbourne Cup.
Each-Way Bet
An each-way bet is kind of like a hybrid between the win and place bets. For this bet type, you are essentially placing two bets of equal amounts, one on the win bet and one on the place bet. An each-way bet is a good option if you’re looking to hedge your bets.
Exacta Bet
We are getting into the exotics now with the exacta bet. With this bet type, you must select the two runners you think will finish first and second in the Melbourne Cup, in the correct order. If the runner you picked to finish first ends up finishing second and the runner you picked to finish second ends up finishing first, your bet isn’t successful.
Quinella Bet
A quinella bet is similar to that of an exacta bet. However, this time the two horses you select to finish first and second in the Melbourne Cup can finish in any order. This opens up the chances of success a little bit, but the payout isn’t as big as the exacta bet.
Trifecta Bet
One step up from the exacta and quinella bet is the trifecta bet. Here, you must select the three runners you believe will finish first, second and third, in the correct order. To increase your chances of success, you can “box” your trifecta, and this allows for the three runners you selected to finish in any order.
First Four Bet
If you’re feeling pretty confident, you can try your hand at a first four bet. As the name would suggest, you are picking the four horses that you think will finish in the first four in the Melbourne Cup. Just like the trifecta bet, you can “box” your first four, which increases your chances of success.
Quadrella (Quaddie) Bet
The quaddie bet is one of the most loved Melbourne Cup bet types going around. For the quaddie bet, you must pick the winner of four pre-selected races on the Melbourne Cup card, including the Melbourne Cup race itself. If you want, you can add more than four runners to your bet, and this will increase your chances of success.
Treble Bet
The treble bet is one step down from the quaddie bet and involves picking the winner of three pre-determined races on the Melbourne Cup race card. To make things easier for yourself, you can add more than three runners to your bet, but this does decrease the potential payout.
Double Bet
Lastly, the double bet is similar to the treble bet, but this time you only have to pick the winner of two pre-nominated races on the Melbourne Cup card. Again, you can add more than two runners to your bet, and this will increase the chances of your bet being successful.
Best Betting Apps for the Melbourne Cup
You have probably already figured it out by now, but there are a lot of different betting apps available in Australia for the Melbourne Cup. Not all betting apps are created equally, though. Over the years, we have found a handful of betting apps that really stand out from the rest.
If you want to place a bet on the Melbourne Cup, these are the best betting apps recommended by us:
- Dabble: Dabble is the perfect betting app for those who enjoy the social aspect of betting. They offer live streaming, and social betting features like copy bets, follow others and more.
- Palmerbet: The usability of Palmerbet’s app is second to none. It is easy to find exactly what you’re looking for and get your Melbourne Cup bets sorted in a matter of seconds.
- Unibet: Unibet is known for having an eye-watering range of markets available for horse racing betting on their app. They also offer some fairly competitive odds for racing.
- PlayUp: If you like unique promotions, you’ll love what PlayUp has to offer. Through the app, you can also access great horse racing features, like live yard and easy form.
Horses to Bet on the Melbourne Cup
Looking for the best horses to bet on the Melbourne Cup 2025? Well, we will provide information through our horse racing tips articles on the best Melbourne Cup horses closer to race day. Sometimes horses do try to back up and compete in back-to-back Melbourne Cups, but there is always a lot of new blood to check out.
For our Melbourne Cup tips, we look into each and every runner in the race and evaluate their chances. That way, we can nail down the best horses to bet on the Melbourne Cup each year. Make sure you check out our horse racing tips articles closer to race day for the biggest race of the year.
How to Bet on the Melbourne Cup FAQs
If you want to place a bet on the Melbourne Cup, it’s a good idea to wrap your head around the FAQs we have put together in this section. We have answered some of the most commonly asked questions people have about betting on the Melbourne Cup right here.
How to bet on the Melbourne Cup online?
If you’re not sure how to place a bet on the Melbourne Cup, then you have come to the right place. Betting on one of the biggest Group One races of the year is easy. After you’ve found the bookie you want to bet with, go to their Melbourne Cup markets and select your runner/s and bet type. Choose your stake amount and confirm your bet.
How to bet on the Melbourne Cup in 2025?
In 2025, betting on the Melbourne Cup is a simple process. There are plenty of new betting sites that make the process as streamlined as possible. The hardest thing will be to choose which runner and bet type you want to bet on. Once you’ve nailed that, choose your bet amount and confirm your bet using a betting site or app.
Who to bet on the Melbourne Cup?
At AustralianBettingSites, we offer horse racing tips for the Melbourne Cup each year, so we will give you some guidance on which horse to bet on for the upcoming Melbourne Cup. Our tipsters will go through every runner in the race and analyse their chances of success.
Can you bet on the Melbourne Cup today?
It doesn’t matter the time of the year, you will find that most betting sites will offer markets for the Melbourne Cup all year round. The closer we get to the big race, the more markets will open up, and you will likely even find some great betting bonuses for the race as well.
How does Melbourne Cup betting work?
Melbourne Cup betting is simple and follows the same process as any other race, like the Victoria Derby, Cox Plate or Caulfield Cup. Head to the Melbourne Cup market through the website or app and then choose the market and runner/s you have your eye on. Click on that bet type and confirm your stake amount.
Which betting app is best for the Melbourne Cup?
There are so many betting apps available in Australia, but they aren’t all created equal. Betting apps like Dabble, Palmerbet and Unibet are a great place to start as they are known for great promotions and competitive odds.
What bet type should I use for the Melbourne Cup?
All the best horse racing betting sites will offer a wide range of bet types for the Melbourne Cup. We always recommend sticking with a bet type that you have a full understanding of. It’s a good idea to start simple, and you can try new bet types as your knowledge grows.
How to put on a multi for the Melbourne Cup?
Horse racing multi bets are very popular, especially for the Melbourne Cup. Different bookies will allow different markets to be included in a multi, so make sure you double-check with the bookie you want to bet with. Select all the markets you want to bet on, go to your bet slip and find the multi section. Then, choose your stake amount for the multi and confirm the bet.
How long does it take for a winning Melbourne Cup bet to be paid out?
It usually doesn’t take that long for your winnings to hit your bookie account. However, as the Melbourne Cup is one of the biggest days on the calendar, things might take a little longer than usual. Most of the time, you should be paid out in a couple of minutes.
What are fixed-win markets for the Melbourne Cup?
For the Melbourne Cup, you’ll notice there are fixed win markets. Once you place your fixed win bet, the odds are locked in. So, if the odds for the runner go from $10 to $7.00, for example, you will still be paid out at the $10 price if that runner goes on to win the race.