When the NSW TAB opened its doors for the first time on 9 December 1964 the five original Sydney branches in Manly, Maroubra Junction, West Ryde, Parramatta and Auburn and the only regional branch in Charleston were flocked with punters.
From six TABs on day one to more than 2,100 today, the NSW TAB has an ever-expanding
customer base as part of Australia’s leading wagering provider, Tabcorp.On day 1, the NSW TAB fielded on Canterbury races in the afternoon and Menangle trots in the
evening. Fifty years later, the TAB takes bets on 90,000 races annually.Tabcorp’s Chief Operating Officer, Wagering and long-time employee, Craig Nugent has seen
many changes in TAB’s operations in his home state over his 15 years at the company.“The TAB has been at the forefront of advancements in technology and helped pioneer digital
wagering,” he said.“The NSW TAB was the first totalisator operator in the world to accept bets over the internet in
1997 and TAB was the first in the world to offer tote bets on an app in 2010.”Craig said the NSW TAB is proud to have delivered strong returns to racing and the state over
the years.“We have been significant contributors to this state over the last 50 years, returning more than $5
billion to the NSW racing industry and paid $7.7 billion in taxes,” Craig said.“We’re proud to be part of Australia’s leading wagering provider and to bring the people of NSW
the best in wagering.”NSW TAB Key Milestones
December 9, 1964 – NSW TAB open for business
1965 – Telephone betting commences with NSW TAB
1970 – First computer wagering system installed 1983 – Betting introduced to pubs and clubs
1988 – Sky Channel (Racing) introduced to TABs 1997 – NSW TAB launches online betting
1998 – Sports betting launched with Sports TAB 2001 – NSW TAB launches Flexi Betting
2004 – The “Quaddie” launched 2004 – NSW TAB acquired by Tabcorp
2007 – Electronic betting terminals introduced 2010 – The TAB iPhone app launched
2014 – NSW TAB commences pooling with Singapore and the TAB app reaches 1 milliondownloads
