Zeljko Ranogajec - Punting Profiles:

Inquiries are often made, in circles where wagering is a high priority, as to who the biggest gambler in Australia is. Occasionally these discussions expand their scope to the world and who bets more than any other man. Usually, with an ale in hand and three in the belly and the heavy murmur of barroom chatter acting as a comforting soundtrack, names are thrown out to be met with either praise or derision and nothing in between. Kerry Packer was generally accepted to be the big dog for a decade or two. Sean Bartholomew tends to get a fair amount of air play and support. Eddie Hayson and Steve Fletcher, their names are usually bandied about. There is the inevitable vociferous debate as to whether bookmakers are to be included in the list. As always, nothing is resolved with the debate sure to raise its head at a later date.

The actual name of the biggest punter in Australia and most likely the world, however, is rarely mentioned. And the reason is simple. He is not widely known, just as he prefers it. He shuns the limelight and has no desire to see his name in the newspapers. He just wants to gamble and without hassle. He covets privacy and the harassment free lifestyle it entails. He avoids trouble like the plague and the fastest way to trouble is celebrity. So when discussions turn to Australia’s biggest punter, the name Zeljko Ranogajec is seldom uttered despite those two words being unquestionably the correct answer.

Zeljko Ranogajec is very real in both breathing and betting yet he resides in the shadows of obscurity, only occasionally poking his head from the darkness, similar in style to the none-too-often appearances of that beast whom hangs in Loch Ness. He is a mystery wrapped in a riddle wrapped in about six mansions, eight Ferraris and only the best Armani threads. Well, one would imagine. When he makes his bets, they aren’t seen in the Sunday papers. And be it win, lose or push, business continues on as normal.

Very little is known about the man who is often only referred to as Zeljko. Most of what is known cannot be verified as he refuses to engage with the media and he insists that those who work for him keep their lips sealed. There is very little written about the mammoth punter and most of what is comes from the Chinese whisper line of racecourse rumour. Ranogajec, in the absence of hard facts, has been mytholgised by those in the business of gambling. And seemingly not without reason as there is little evidence to doubt many of the claims.

But we shall push on, ever wary that the legend and the reality of Zeljko Ranogajec is often formed into one, the shroud of mystery ever present.

Zeljko was born in 1961 in Australia’s most southern metropolis, Hobart. The son of Croatian immigrants, Zeljko soon realised he had ability. He had a natural intellect, a way with numbers rarely seen and a memory that was seemingly photographic. Some deemed him to be a “mathematical genius.” School was certainly no problem for him and he had his mind set on a life in law. But it wasn’t to be. He decided there were more efficient ways to use his memory and intellect to make some scratch.

His first foray into the world of gambling was a card counting venture that saw his business “politely declined” at Wrest Point in Tasmania and Jupiters on the Gold Coast. Zelkjo had all the tools a successful card counter required and he made his hay. The card counter is never hard to find but while it is far from illegal, casino proprietors prefer to avoid their custom as it has a tendency to end poorly for the casino’s bottom line. In 1998, Star City limited his action. He had obviously taken a quid or two from them as well.

It wasn’t just at the card table where Zeljko took the house cash. He reportedly made a hefty sum playing, of all things, the chocolate wheel when still in Hobart. He is alleged to have said that he only needed a stop watch and half an hour to figure where it would land. He took the casino to school. He is also reported to have found an edge playing Keno, taking a number of hefty jackpots.

It hasn’t been at the casino, however, where Zeljko has ascended to the position of world’s largest gambler. It has been the racing game that has consumed Ranogajec and propelled him into the highest echelons of punting extravagance.

That extravagance measures out at over $1 billion in turnover per year. That is greater than the GDP of 25 countries. On racing across the world, from Australian thoroughbreds at carnival time to a lowly Portugal trots meeting, Zeljko bets and bets big. With a staff of over twenty experts, hired through a detailed questionnaire to test their abilities as form experts, he unleashes his huge bank. His staff study form, watch videos and make assessments. His investments are so great that he has been described as a “major, major player” by the executive vice president of Thoroughbred Racing Associations in the US. He is reported to wager $500 million on Australian racing a year and accounts for nearly 5% of total tote turnover across the country. That gives Zeljko essential control of tote prices in this country.

He is big time. The biggest. He once sought rebates from PubTab operators for his losses. When the publicans refused, he bought the pubs. That is how he operates.

Zeljko’s game plan, on the whole, is relatively simple. And it is successful. He plays the percentages and finds (or creates) value. He is a numbers man through and through. There is no skullduggery or tomfoolery from his end. He doesn’t orchestrate plunges or sort out races. He is pure numbers. He plays a high turnover game so success isn’t based on big wins but on returns of 1% and 2%. He once responded to a gentleman who turned over $37.5 million per year that it “must be hard to show a profit on such a small outlay.” Combined with his surely hefty rebates on his losses, which he receives the world over despite attempts in the US to prohibit the practice, he would be returning an incredible amount.

And that is as much of the tale that has been revealed. Zeljko Ranogajec, Australian, is not only the biggest punter in the country but in the world. But as for details, well, they are kept as closely guarded as the crown jewels.

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