TAB stands for Totalisator Agency Board, the name most states gave the boards they set up from 1960 to run legal off-course betting on the totalisator, or tote: a pool that shares the money bet among the winners. Queensland's was the Totalisator Administration Board of Queensland.
Today TAB is a brand rather than a board, selling tote bets and fixed odds. Outside Western Australia it trades through seven licence holders on ACMA's register (7 September 2026) that are in the Tabcorp group as reported, and in WA the TAB is TABtouch. NSW and Victorian statutes spell it totalizator, with a z; Western Australia's 1960 Act says totalisator. Betting accounts in Australia covers a TAB account alongside every other kind.
How the state TABs began
| State | The founding law | What the record shows |
|---|---|---|
| Western Australia | Totalisator Agency Board Betting Act 1960 | Assented to on 28 November 1960 and repealed from 30 January 2004 |
| Victoria | Racing (Totalizators Extension) Act 1960, in force from 20 July 1960 | Off-course betting on the tote came into operation at the race meeting held on 11 March 1961, the state's Auditor-General reported |
| New South Wales | Totalizator (Off-course Betting) Act 1964 | Began operations in December 1964 as a statutory monopoly on off-course tote betting, according to the NSW Department of Gaming and Racing's later Racing and Betting Legislation National Competition Policy Review (paragraph 3.4.6) |
What an SP bookie was
SP stands for starting price, a runner's official price as the race starts. An SP bookie was an illegal off-course bookmaker who took bets away from the track and settled them at the starting price. In NSW, the Kinsella Royal Commission into off-course betting recommended a TAB in 1963 as the preferred way to fund racing and to counter illegal SP bookmakers, according to that same review.
SP bookies belong to history; unlicensed betting does not. Under the Interactive Gambling Act it is an offence to offer online or phone betting to people in Australia without a state or territory licence, so check any bookmaker on ACMA's register.
Tote and fixed odds under the TAB name
Racing NSW's reference manual describes the totalisator as a common pool: after the pool owner, usually the TAB, deducts its commission, the rest is shared as dividends among the winning bets. Under the same brand the TABs also sell fixed odds: Liquor & Gaming NSW lists TAB Limited's licence under the Totalizator Act 1997 as covering both totalizator and fixed-odds wagering (checked October 2026).
Example: Illustrative prices, not a real race or a current market. A $15 win bet on Runner 3 can be struck at fixed odds or on the tote.
| Bet | Known when you bet? | Return if Runner 3 wins |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed odds at $4.20 | Yes | 15 x 4.20 = $63 |
| Tote, dividend declared at $3.80 | No, declared after the result | 15 x 3.80 = $57 |
| Tote, dividend declared at $4.60 | No, declared after the result | 15 x 4.60 = $69 |
A tote dividend is quoted per $1 and includes the stake, and tote betting explains how the pool sets it. Tabcorp has moved its tote pools to a single national pool (reported from October 2026). Tabcorp's national pool, reported under the name One Pool (as at October 2026), has its own entry: TAB One Pool.
TAB the brand vs the tote system
The tote is how a pool bet works, and the TAB is who runs it: who owns TAB sets out the Tabcorp companies, and TABtouch, run by RWWA covers WA. The brand also means shops: TAB Limited runs all off-course retail betting in NSW, as at October 2026.
On a fixed-odds bet the TAB acts as a bookmaker, setting a price and taking your bet on. On a tote bet it takes no side at all. Corporate vs on-course bookmakers explains how the other two kinds of operator differ.
Comparing prices before a TAB bet
A dividend only exists once the result is official, so no screen can set it against other prices before the race. Fixed prices can be compared: the Terminal lines up racing and sports prices from 40+ bookmakers in columns, with Betfair back and lay and each price's flucs beside them. Prices are read on a repeating cycle, so confirm the price in your account before you bet. A free account opens a limited view of the Terminal with live odds. Bookmaker names are trade marks of their owners. B337 is not affiliated with them.
Risk: Betting involves risk. A tote dividend can finish below the fixed price you passed up, or above it, and there is no guarantee of profit either way. See responsible gambling for limits and support.