Flutter Entertainment : Sportsbet announces five-year partnership with Melbourne racing club

Agreement will see Sportsbet contribute $AU 125k each year to the MRC Foundation

Flutter-owned Sportsbet is pleased to announce a five-year partnership with Melbourne Racing Club (MRC), commencing on 1^st January, 2024. The MRC is a not-for-profit members club with over 12,000 members and conducts more than 80 race meetings annually across three premier racetracks in Victoria - Caulfield, Mornington and Sandown. This new agreement encompasses all three racetracks and is highlighted by Sportsbet becoming the naming rights partner for the Caulfield Cup Carnival and the iconic Caulfield Cup.

With exceptional brand synergies and a strong alignment in core values between the two, the partnership aims to re-position the sport to new racing fans and open up racing to more sporting audiences. This will come to life across all touchpoints from digital, marketing, customer engagement, on course activations, and experiences throughout the year, with particular emphasis on key Carnival periods throughout the racing season.

One major initiative Sportsbet has committed to is making a $AU 125,000 cash contribution to the MRC Foundation each year. This foundation is the charitable arm of the MRC, housing the club's charitable and community work under a centralised brand. The MRC Foundation ultimately aims to support local communities and help racing industry participants.

Sportsbet's efforts to give back to the racing community and ensure its longevity forms part of Flutter Group's goal to Do More for its communities. Do More's ambitious target to improve 10 million lives by 2030 is a core component of Flutter's global sustainability strategy, the Positive Impact Plan, to which all of its worldwide portfolio of brands contribute.

The partnership will also feature:

• Sportsbet offering a $AU 1 million prize for any horse that takes out the Sportsbet Mornington Cup and Sportsbet Caulfield Cup double in the same calendar year
• Sportsbet investing a separate $AU 125,000 into racing growth initiatives at Mornington racetrack
• World-first LED technology for barriers to be rolled out early 2024
• Investment in growth of MRC Membership
• Enhancement of on course experience for GA customers

Barni Evans, Sportsbet CEO, said: "Sportsbet is excited to partner with the MRC, an incredibly successful and progressive Club, and we look forward to bringing to life our shared ambition of attracting new audiences to racing. We're always looking to do more for the community and we're particularly proud to be contributing $AU 125,000 each year of the partnership to the MRC Foundation, supporting local communities and helping racing industry participants."

Josh Blanksby, Melbourne Racing Club CEO, said: "This is the most significant partnership in the Club's history, and we're thrilled to be working with Sportsbet, Australia's largest wagering provider, to open up the sport to more audiences and futureproof racing on the sporting stage. We're excited by the opportunities that partnering with a such an iconic brand in the sport and racing spaces presents, and we look forward to introducing a greater sporting audience to our racing product through Sportsbet's impressive market share".

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