Melbourne Cup Promotions & Offers 2025

The Melbourne Cup is by far the biggest betting event in Australia annually, and online bookmakers will be competing with each other to see who can offer the best Melbourne Cup promotions. 

We give you the heads up on what each promotion is about, where you can find them, and how you can make the most out of them. 

When the race gets closer and bookies release Melbourne Cup promos, this page will be updated with every promotion available. 

What are Melbourne Cup Promos?

Melbourne Cup promos are special offers from bookies that swing the odds back in favour of the punter, or offer something unique that you can’t find elsewhere. In Australia, bookmakers are not allowed to promote certain offers as it is deemed as an inducement to bet. So, the best promotions are only visible to registered users who are logged into their account and visit the ‘Promotions’ section of a bookie app or website. 

Melbourne Cup Promotions & Offers Explained

Racing promotions, and Melbourne Cup promotions in particular come in many different forms. From money back and bonus bets back, to boosted odds and special markets. This Melbourne Cup promo guide takes you through the ins and outs of each special offer, so you don’t get caught out by not understanding how they work.

Money Back 
With a money back promotion, you get your stake back in cash for a particular result. For example, money back if your horse comes 2nd or 3rd in the Melbourne Cup.

Bonus Bet Back 
Unlike money back offers, a bonus bet back means you get your stake back as a bonus bet. Bets placed with bonus bets come with rules like, you get your winnings minus the bonus bet stake. 

Boosted Odds
Sometimes bookmakers will offer higher than market odds for a particular horse in a big event. For example, you might see a bookmaker go out on a limb and take on the $5 favourite in the Melbourne Cup and offer $10. These types of offers usually come with a maximum bet limit.

Protest Payout Protection
Protest Payouts safeguard the punters against a protest in racing. Meaning, if you back a horse in the Melbourne Cup, and it wins, and then gets relegated on protest, you still win. 

Top 4 Betting 
Top 4 betting was introduced by Picklebet and now Ladbrokes have jumped on board and offer this to their customers. It gives flexibility to the punter to back a runner for first, Top 2, Top 3 and Top 4 placings instead of just Win or Place. 

Unique Special Markets
Special markets are markets that don’t generally exist at other bookmakers and have been created for a point of difference. For example, in the Melbourne Cup, bookmakers have previously offered markets like: 

  • Any Chris Waller-trained horse to win
  • Any Ciaron Maher-trained horse to win
  • Any Australian horse to win
  • Any European horse to win
  • Odds vs Evens
  • Weight of winning horse

Where to Find the Best Melbourne Cup Betting Promos

There are several bookmakers that rate among the best Melbourne Cup betting apps, and you can follow the link to view them, as well as what makes them the best for betting on the Cup.

How to Make the Most of Melbourne Cup Promo Offers

There are a few things you can do to maximise your chances of winning with Melbourne Cup promotions. And that involves being strategic when placing your bets.

Combine Special Offers at the Same Bookie
Things like odds boosts can be combined with bonus back and money back specials. As long as you are placing your first bet on the Melbourne Cup, you can theoretically take the enhanced odds offered, and then apply a bonus bet back or money back promo.

Back Multiple Runners at Different Bookmakers
If you plan on covering your bases and backing multiple runners in the Melbourne Cup, you can do it with different betting apps and apply a bonus back or money back offer to each runner. 

Which horse to Back with Melbourne Cup Promotions

The team at blackbook.com.au provides free expert Melbourne Cup tips, and hours upon hours of research go into these tips. Every tipster wants to brag that they’ve tipped the winner of the Cup, so you can be guaranteed you are getting well researched tips from racing experts with a point to prove.