Lottoland in talks over Melbourne Cup sponsorship
Lottery disruptor could replace outgoing sponsor Emirates, whose deal runs out later this year
Lottoland has opened negotiations with Victoria Racing Club (VRC) over the sponsorship of the prestigious Melbourne Cup, arguably the most high-profile race in the Australian racing calendar.
The Melbourne Cup is currently sponsored by long-term backer Emirates, but with that deal due to expire later this year, EGR Intel understands the bet-on-lotteries operator is keen on replacing the airline with a five-year deal up for grabs.
A source close to the negotiations informed EGR Intel that Lottoland had held talks with the VRC but that it was still “early days”.
A VRC spokesperson declined to comment bar to say it had been “exploring a number of prospective partnership opportunities”.
Any deal between the two parties is likely to attract criticism from anti-gambling campaigners, which recently took umbrage to the operator’s sponsorship of rugby league side Manly Sea Eagles, which included the renaming of the team’s stadium to ‘Lottoland’.
Local operator TAB, which has a VRC partnership stretching until 2024, could also provide opposition – parent company Tabcorp operates various lottery related products in the country.