NSW Greyhound Wagering Reaches Record Levels

BETTING turnover on NSW greyhound racing reached a record $58 million last week, the highest seven-day hold in the sport's history, sources told the Greyhound Recorder.

With state bodies reporting surges in wagering turnover in recent months during the coronavirus pandemic, results on NSW greyhound racing had been mixed due to the industry's unfortunate wagering revenue structures.

Yet with both TAB and corporate bookmakers reporting spine-tingling results in recent times, the numbers prove that NSW greyhound racing has never been more popular.

It's understood pre COVID-19 weekly holds on NSW greyhounds would hover between $25 to $35 million, giving context to last week's reported mind-boggling $58 million mark.

Such is the spike in wagering, last week's "average" mid-week Wentworth Park card chalked up remarkable betting figures. 

Reaching in the vicinity of $4.2 million, the staggering hold is on par with the 2018 Golden Easter Egg meeting, one of the sport's premier events.

Since then that record mark has only been bettered by the Million Dollar Chase meetings in both 2018 and 2019.

One of the corporate bookmakers reporting huge rises in turnover is the always progressive TopSport.

"Our greyhound holds are accelerating significantly," TopSport's Tristan Merlehan said.

"To give you an idea, our June year-on-year holds on greyhounds is up 4 ½ times. And it's the volume of greyhound bets we are taking as well which is encouraging. The uplift isn't because of a select group of punters."

Offering customers attractive betting limits, Merlehan attributes the increase at TopSport to a few things. 

"While the coronavirus situation has played a part I think for us it also has to do with being really aggressive in the market more recently," Merlehan said.

"We are offering a really strong product to our customers and people are responding to that and sticking."

Such is the rise in turnover, it's understood that major meetings in NSW on a Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday are currently holding more than a traditional Saturday night Wentworth Park card prior to the coronavirus pandemic.

Credit must go to GRNSW for the changes made to their 2020-21 racing schedule, implemented to reinvigorate wagering turnover.

The changes saw a number of venues switch from their traditional time-slot, in a move which was centred around optimising wagering opportunities.

And on early figures, it's a move that is clearly working.

They say "with crisis comes opportunity" and on the back of the huge wagering spike there's no question more and more people are betting on greyhound racing.

The next challenge is to now get the wave of new punters to stick.