Albury bookmaker Tom Wright makes it to the Wagga Gold Cup every year

There's not as many betting men and women on the ground these days with the advent of online gambling and not many dress up replete with a suit, tie and a dapper trilby hat like Tom.

The Albury bookie brings up 40 years in the game this year and makes it up the Olympic Highway for the Gold Cup carnival every year.

"1983 I started, but I worked for a bookmakers prior to '83, in the late 70s," he said.

"My first bookmakers licence was fielding at the Dapto dogs, so I started with a dog licence and then got a gallops licence later on."

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Tom and his high school friends were all into the horses, he said, so a career in the betting ring was always on the cards.

His first Wagga Gold Cup saw Mill Court take the honours in 1990.

"It was very well supported, it was a local horse, but bear in mind that year there was 69 bookmakers, now there's 19," he said of that year.

"They used to be lined up all the way to the secretaries office, it was highly competitive."

And while the atmosphere at some race days has been dampened by the lack of action in the betting ring in recent years, the Wagga Gold Cup always brings the goods and is one of his favourite meets of the year.

"There's a good atmosphere here, this is one of the most popular carnivals in the state ... they'll get a huge crowd here today with no half-day holiday."

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