The ban on betting at Australia's oldest footrace, the Stawell Gift, has been lifted after modifications to arrangements.
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Bookmakers will be allowed to return to Central Park for the 2024 Powercor Stawell Gift, with spectators able to place bets related to adults on open age races.
In a statement, the Stawell Gift Event Management Limited announced bookmakers would be allowed to return to Central Park, albeit under modified arrangements.
"Following consultation with stakeholders... the Stawell Gift Event Management Limited is pleased to advise bookmakers will be on-site at Central Park for the 2024 Powercor Stawell Gift," the statement read.
"Spectators will be able to place bets related to adults on open age races at the 2024 carnival, however, minors participating in those events will be excluded from all betting markets."
In August 2023, the Victoria Gambling and Casino Control Commission issued a policy that banned betting on all under-19 sports competitions.
Defending champions - Ryan Tarrant and Bella Pasquali, currently 19 and 17 - fell within the new policy's parameters, forcing the SGEM to ban betting on Friday, March 1, 2024.
However, the committee has now established rules allowing punters to bet on races that include minors.
If a minor wins or is a place-getter in an open-age race, the nearest age-eligible athlete will be moved up in the placings to determine the place-getters (e.g. 1st, 2nd, 3rd) in the bookmaker's markets only.
The on-field result will still apply to actual event placings, Stawell Gift competition records, and prize money for participants.
Minor athletes in open-age race fields will be listed on the bookmaker's board but will not have a price next to their name (removing them from the board may infer that the athlete has scratched from the event, when they may not have).
The bookmaker's board will have a clearly visible sign advising why an athlete with no price next to them doesn't have a price and that they're ineligible to place a bet due to their age. All runners with a price listed are age-eligible (non-minors) for betting.
Betting on all under-19 sports competitions is banned, and therefore, there is no betting on all Little Athletics Victoria Races and U19 category races in the Stawell Gift.
Ben Fraser
Ben is the Editor with the Wimmera Mail-Times, Stawell Times-News and Ararat Advertiser. Ben is the former chief of staff at the Portland Observer, a qualified teacher, and an Leadership Great South Coast alumni (2019).
Ben is the Editor with the Wimmera Mail-Times, Stawell Times-News and Ararat Advertiser. Ben is the former chief of staff at the Portland Observer, a qualified teacher, and an Leadership Great South Coast alumni (2019).
