TAB Review and Rating

The Totalisator Agency Board was launched as a statutory body in 1961 under the Racing Act in order to legalise off-track betting for thoroughbred and harness racing (Greyhound racing was added to the fold in 1966). This allowed punters to legally wager on these events without having to front up to the track.

The TABs all began life as government agencies before they were privatised, starting with the Victoria TAB in 1964. The TAB are owned and operated by their parent company, Tabcorp Holdings, the leading wagering operator in the country. The parent company Tabcorp,  became headquartered in Melbourne, and it listed on the ASX in 1994.

It has since gone on to purchase a number of betting companies across Australia, including Star City Holdings, Jupiters Limited, Tab Limited and Keno, becoming the country’s largest operator in the process. In 2017 the firm announced a merger with rival Australian bookie Tatts.

The TABs have extensive radio networks in Australia, where they continuously broadcast of thoroughbred, harness and greyhound racing.

Each year TAB’s operations return hundreds of millions of dollars to the Australian community, the racing industry and venue partners including newsagents, hotels, clubs and TAB agents. The company employ more than 5000 people and out of all the current bookmakers, the TAB generate the most betting turnover, which indicates a massive, loyal customer-base.

The TAB have a much storied history with racing in Australia, and today they still remain a much valued partner to the industry.

Originally established in 1964, the TAB is a massive, renowned bookmaker in Australia with a storied history in sport gambling and entertainment. Most Australians are familiar with the TAB brand, even non-punters.

TAB boasts the largest customer base in Australia and are often the first to put up odds on racing and sports. Their prices are reasonable and like many other bookmakers, they offer weekly special promotions on racing and sport markets. Additionally, the TAB are a bit more renowned for taking bigger bets and are generally less reluctant to restrict or ban astute winning punters.

TAB offers a wide range of betting markets on all three codes of racing (thoroughbred, harness and greyhound), both domestic and international, as well as international sport. Fixed odds and tote betting is available on most racing markets, and the company has the largest totalisator pools in Australia.

One of the major features that draws customers to TAB over rival bookmakers is their offering of live racing video/audio as well as replays and program content through Sky Racing for registered users.

At one point in time, when the corporate bookmakers had risen to prominence, the TAB was subject to criticism as many felt they were falling behind their competitors in multiple areas. Consequently their website undertook a complete overhaul back in 2012. It now offers a cleaner, detailed and more functional website, and a smooth betting experience.

TAB’s simple and reliable mobile app possesses many unique features and more importantly it is easy to use, with punters being able to easily access the markets they want.

One advantage TAB has over its online competitors is the fact they have the sole rights to operate betting shops in Australia. There are over 2800 TAB outlets across NSW and Victoria, so punters can walk in and place bets with cash without needing an account. The option to withdraw and deposit cash into your TAB account at any TAB outlet in Australia

Overall this section of our review finds that TAB is certainly a good bookmaker to choose. Keep scrolling down below to see the specifics of our full comprehensive review of TAB as a bookmaker.

The TAB website features everything you would expect from an online bookmaker, it contains the basic features and a relatively simple layout that the casual punters can use and appreciate. However the website also has numerous tools that the educated punter can use to enhance and speed up their TAB betting experience. Other bookies can get caught up in trying to overwhelm the punter with too much ‘flashy tech’ but the TAB opts for an uncomplicated approach.

All of the market and match-up pages feature a simple design that clearly displays odds as well as various prop bets. For more popular sports, such as the AFL, you will find predictions, tips and some insightful information regarding the matchup.

You’ll be able to find what you need on the homepage of the TAB site. The detailed, but uncluttered page features the upcoming races, featured sporting events and the drop-down menu located in the top left-hand corner of the homepage is where you can find quick links including: full Racing Schedule, A-Z list of Sports, Live Betting, Multi Builder, My Account, Promotions, and many more

One of the great features of the TAB homepage is the search bar. It is located at the top of the page and allows customers to type in any key word of a jockey, trainer, horse, greyhound, sport or team and quickly find all the upcoming markets relating to that key word! This is a great feature if you’re short on time!

Racing is where the TAB website hits a home run. There is a wealth of information available on each race page including detailed form, flucs and speed maps. Also, selecting a more complicated wager, such as a quaddie or trifecta, is quick and painless thanks to TAB’s intuitive page design.

TAB prefers you to use its Customer Service Online Help Centre, which allows you to fill in a form relating to your query. You must be logged into your account to use this service, which also lets you track the status of your questions and access withdrawal and betting statement requests.

If you do not yet have an account with TAB, you can sign up today and take advantage of a generous promotion for new customers. There are plenty of compelling reasons to bet with TAB, as it offers great market coverage in a clean, simple interface, while adding in plenty of exciting features. It is a great hub for punters, offering live exclusive streaming content, blog posts and live betting.

The TAB bookmaker is the most widely used betting platform in all of Australia and for good reason. They’ve existed for a long period of time, their successful partnership with racing dates back years, and the TAB were also one of the first to really penetrate the online market.

There was a period of time about a decade ago when the corporate bookmakers caught up to the TAB and the company was appearing outdated and behind the times in regards to their product, website and tech. However, since then they’ve only improved their services to become one of the best bookmakers around.

Even the most casual of punters are familiar with the brand and consequently the TAB are a highly trusted bookmaker. Whether it be Trackside, KENO or Sky Racing, most Australians would have used a TAB product at one point in their lives.

Perhaps the biggest advantage that NSW and Victorian punters will gain by betting with TAB is the fact it enables customers to withdraw their winnings in cash from any offline TAB, or if you like you can even deposit cash to keep on betting. With over 2000 retail outlets throughout Australia, TAB makes it easy for punters to withdraw and spend their winnings.

Overall our thorough review of the TAB found that they are WITHOUT doubt a quality bookmaker worth signing up with. Want to see how TAB compares to other Australian sports betting websites? Take a look at our bookmaker comparison for the most up to date information.