Tab.com.au Review

The TAB brand was launched in 1964 when it opened its first retail betting outlet in Victoria. After years of solid growth and the acquisition of Tab Limited - a NSW wagering company - TAB can now proudly boast a chain of more than 2,500 retail betting outlets spanning across VIC, NSW and ACT. Undoubtedly, it’s Australia most well-known bookmaker with an estimated 2.5 million punters using its services. 

In addition to its long retail history, TAB online bookmaker is governed by the South Australian Responsible Gambling Code of Practice, so punters know TAB is a trusted and well-respected bookmaker which will offer a fair service to all its punters.

TAB’s main strength is in racing and if this is your punting passion, you won’t go far wrong with this bookmaker. Customers gain access to multiple Sky Racing channels which offer wall-to-wall coverage of local and international races on a daily basis.

You can also sign up with this top brand using our TAB referral code.

The backbone of TAB online is its domestic racing. It covers every single thoroughbred, greyhound and harness race in Australia. There’s also a prime selection from other countries such as the UK, New Zealand and South Africa.

It’s the abundance of markets which highlight TAB’s superiority in this sector. The majority of races offer: Win, Place, Quinella, Exacta, Trifecta, Duet, First 4, Bundle Bet, Quaddie, Running Double and Parlay. TAB Tote betting and Fixed Odds is also available on nearly all local races. A quick comparison against Sportsbet of the fixed odds win markets slightly favoured the prices at TAB which is important if you’re a regular punter, as it means you get more bang for your buck.

A nice feature for serious punters on each race card page is the ‘Show All Form’ and ‘Compare’ buttons that can be found just above the list of runners. The form categories are: Sky Form, % Win, % Place and Prize $. The compare list highlights things such as: Track, Distance, Trac & Dist. Jockey, Weight, Class and Going (Soft, Firm, etc). This effectively orders the horses for you, making it far easier to pick the one you feel will win.

At the bottom of the racing menu, there’s a choice of future bets. This includes all of Australia’s biggest races such as: The Everest, Caulfield Cup, Cox Plate, Epsom Handicap, Melbourne Cup, Turnbull Stakes and the greyhound Million Dollar Chase among others.

The TAB sports section showcases its ‘featured’ choices first which are led by Australian Rules and NRL matches. There’s also a place for soccer and tennis in there, too. 

The average number of NRL markets per match is 55, which is inline with Ladbrokes Australia but slightly less than some others. AFL games offered 31 markets, yet the nearest round of matches was 1 week away, so we know this number will increase as the day of the matches draws closer. We were satisfied with the prices TAB offered on both of these sports - they were competitive and on-par with other leading online bookies.

International sporting action covers all the areas you would expect, ranging from soccer in numerous countries (with special attention given to the big European leagues) to MLB, NFL, golf, tennis, NBA and so forth. The number of markets is certainly adequate without being world-class. 

EPL games have 100+ betting opportunities, and less popular leagues, such as the Austria Bundesliga muster up 45+. We found the odds across all sports to be inline with several other top Australian bookmakers with some games slightly above average and others just below. The sports betting experience at TAB is enhanced by the predictive analytical tool, The Edge and the Cash Out feature that can be found on nearly all the top markets.

The TAB website has been revamped recently to offer a more seamless betting experience. It’s evident that the design has a focus on mobile users as it has collapse/expand menus and block-effect betting buttons. 

On both the desktop and mobile platform, there is a slider at the top with all the featured events, and just below you have the ‘next to go’ list. The expanding menu is simple to use, a click on racing displays options such as: Today’s racing, Tomorrow’s racing, Futures and so on. Virtually anywhere you want to go on the website can be achieved within 3 clicks, and the lightweight page structure means that load speeds are faster than your average online bookie.

Placing a bet involves clicking on your selection, entering your stake and hitting the ‘Place Bet’ button. You have tools like the Multi Builder which speeds up creating your ultimate multi and plenty of form guides to improve your bet selection

Multi builders are commonplace among Australian bookmakers online, yet some bookies reserve this feature purely for their mobile apps. TAB has gone the extra mile by offering its Sports Multi Builder on all platforms. It allows punters to quickly skim through different sports and look at different markets without the need to keep clicking back and forth on multiple screens. 

Sky’s blanket coverage of all Australia races available at tab.com.au is a standout feature, yet it’s just part of the deal. Punters at TAB get access to Sky Racing 1 and 2 plus Sky Racing Thoroughbred Central. This complete collection serves up top-quality racing from all over the world as well as all the domestic stuff. You also have one-click access to Sky Form which is one of the most comprehensive guides for racing you’ll find. Not a bad bundle there for fans of racing.

This is a revolutionary new predictive analytics tool powered by Stats Insider - a company which specialises in this niche. It uses historical data, statistical algorithms and machine learning to identify the likely outcomes of sporting events. It simulates 10,000 potential results and provides you with the data to assist in your betting. The Edge was introduced for the 2018 FIFA World Cup and it’s current available on all EPL matches.

Technically, this is not a feature of the TAB online platform as it is a separate entity in itself. Trackside is virtual thoroughbred and greyhound racing. Punters are able to place the same type of bets as if betting on a real race and you can also watch the event to see how your punt gets on. Probably not one for the purists, but for customers new to betting, it’s a fun and exciting way to learn the ropes.

The mobile website is good, but the TAB mobile betting app is even better. Like the platform, this also has been given a recent facelift and it’s now one of the best racing and sports betting apps on the market. The user-friendly design, combined with sliding menus and a search function make finding the event you want quick and easy. 

The TAB app is available for iOS and Android devices and it’s jam-packed with features such as: floating video so you can watch live and bet simultaneously, multi builder, race previews, stats, form guides, speed maps and expert analysis. A nifty feature which is exclusive to the TAB iOS app is 3D touch functionality which gives shortcuts to your favourite screens.

TAB doesn’t offer any e-wallet services which is a slight drawback but it’s still very easy to make deposits into your account via the following methods:

There are a few ways you can collect your winnings. The quickest is by going to a TAB Retail Outlet. However, if that’s not possible, EFT, cheque or money order are all available. It should be noted that certain credit card issuers now charge fees for making deposits to your TAB account. 

TAB has a very impressive Help Centre that deals with hundreds of questions related to all aspects of its products and services. Plus, there are also the following methods you can use to contact the bookie directly:

Email: is available via a built-in contact form in the Contact Us section.

Telephone: you can call TAB on: 131-802.

Live chat: not available