Bookmakers reported a surge in phone and internet wagers for Race Week 2007, with Paddy Power alone expecting almost 8m of its 20m Galway receipts to come from online bets. Boyle Sports is banking on 8m in bets, including 2m online.

Celtic Bookmakers estimates a 3m take for Galway bets, with around 600,000 placed over the phone. Ladbrokes doesn't break down its online figures, but a spokesman said their Irish website was seeing double-digit growth in betting compared to last year.