The Melbourne Cup is meant to be the “race that stops a nation”.
However amongst rising group concern about playing and animal welfare, does it cease us for the best causes? As Cup Day dawns at Flemington, how is our relationship to the Cup altering?
Playing in Australia
Playing is a major a part of Australian tradition. Helped by the actual fact we’ve got pokies in golf equipment and pubs, we lose more cash on playing than some other nation. Per capita, our playing losses are greater than double these in the US.
Dan Himbrechts/AAP
However analysis exhibits playing participation is dropping. A just lately launched examine, led by Nerilee Hing at CQUniversity, and funded by Playing Analysis Australia, was the primary nationwide playing prevalence examine since 2010-11. It included a phone survey of 15,000 Australian adults in 2019, giving an perception into the character and extent of playing in Australia.
In accordance with this report, 56.9% of these surveyed had gambled within the earlier 12 months, in contrast with 64.3% the last decade earlier than. Participation on each playing type has declined, aside from varieties that weren’t obtainable ten years in the past, reminiscent of betting on e-sports and playing inside video video games. Race betting has dropped from 22.4% to 16.8%.
What do folks consider playing?
Regardless of this decline, whole race betting turnover continues to climb, up by about A$4 billion in at the moment’s {dollars} from A$22.9 billion in 2010-11 to A$26.9 billion in 2018-19.
This can be partly as a result of rise in on-line playing, which has doubled over the previous decade. Race betting is definitely extra accessible than ever, with numerous promotions able to entice you to put a wager, or wager greater than you supposed.
Dan Himbrechts/AAP
For a lot of, nonetheless, a wager on the Melbourne Cup would be the solely race wager they place every year. The decline in race betting prevalence, regardless of a rise in turnover, suggests it’s these less-engaged punters who usually are not betting anymore.
There definitely seems to be a rising concern about playing locally. A 2019 state authorities playing survey of greater than 10,000 adults in New South Wales included a query about whether or not playing has achieved extra hurt than good for the group. Of these surveyed, 46% strongly agreed playing has achieved extra hurt than good, and an additional 32% agreed. Solely 8% disagreed or strongly disagreed.
Animal welfare
In 2020, the horse Anthony Van Dyck grew to become the sixth horse to die within the Melbourne Cup, and the seventh to die in a race on Cup day, since 2013.
These deaths have been met with mounting concern in regards to the racing trade. A 2019 report inspecting stewards’ paperwork from August 2018 to July 2019 discovered 122 horses died on race tracks in Australia. In 2019, the ABC’s 7.30 program aired an expose on cruelty, with former racehorses being despatched to slaughterhouses, regardless of animal welfare ensures.
Earlier this yr, Racing Victoria introduced it was implementing new measures to scale back danger to horses. Many of those seem to revolve across the Melbourne Cup specifically, particularly worldwide horses, given deaths in recent times have all been overseas runners. However for horses within the 1000’s of different races throughout Australia, the dangers stay as actual as ever.
Altering attitudes
The rising visibility of the influence on animals has soured the Cup. A 2019 evaluation of Melbourne Cup tweets discovered that #nuptothecup was the third hottest hashtag related to #melbournecup. The hashtags #horseracingkills and #animalcruelty additionally appeared within the prime ten.
The hashtag #youbettheydie was additionally related to #nuptothecup. These findings recommend the animal welfare challenge is a powerful driver of anti-Cup sentiment.
Rising public consciousness of how the Cup (like different main sporting occasions) is accompanied by a spike in home violence has additionally tarnished the “feelgood” environment.
Past the Cup, public opinion round horse racing shouldn’t be reliably supportive. In 2018, the barrier draw for one more status race, The Everest, was projected onto the Opera Home sails. This was met with vital public outcry, regardless of the sails beforehand getting used for projections about sport, together with the Wallabies and the Ashes, and even for Samsung cell phones. Protesters cited considerations about animal welfare and playing.
What subsequent?
This isn’t to recommend the race goes wherever.
For a lot of, the Melbourne Cup isn’t actually about playing, and even horses. It’s a motive to decorate up and have a couple of (or extra) drinks with buddies. Or take pleasure in a sweep and a few nibbles within the workplace. It’s additionally a welcome public vacation for Victorians.
However there’s additionally a rising realisation this social gathering day has actual prices to others.
Learn extra:
Whether or not groups win or lose, sporting occasions result in spikes in violence in opposition to ladies and kids
Within the final 5 years, Alex Russell has obtained funding from Victorian Accountable Playing Basis; New South Wales Workplace of Accountable Playing; South Australian Authorities; Playing Analysis Australia; New Zealand Ministry of Well being; Australian Communications and Media Authority and the Alberta Playing Analysis Institute. Journey bills have been paid by the Victorian Accountable Playing Basis, PsychMed and the Hawthorn Hawks Soccer Membership Gamers Affiliation, for analysis shows. He has obtained an honorarium from Movember for assessing functions for funding. He’s a member of the Worldwide Playing Suppose Tank.