Betfair has taken aim at TAB's newly launched One Pool betting system, releasing figures showing its Betfair Starting Price (BSP) delivered higher dividends on more than 70% of winning horses during the national tote's first ten days.
According to analysis released by Betfair on 13 October, BSP produced a better return than TAB's One Pool on 391 of 553 winning results across 551 Australian thoroughbred races between 3 and 12 October.
That's 70.7% of winners returning a higher price through Betfair, based on the operator's comparison of historical BSP results and published tote dividends.
The findings raise an interesting question for Australian racing punters heading into the busiest part of the Spring Racing Carnival: is TAB's new national tote delivering the value punters are looking for?
Land Legend Delivers a Huge Difference in Returns
The most eye-catching example came from Caulfield on Saturday 10 October, when Land Legend caused a major upset in the Group 1 Might And Power Stakes.
The outsider defeated heavily fancied Sheza Alibi and returned a remarkable BSP of $190 through Betfair.
By comparison, the TAB dividend was just $44, while the best corporate fixed odds identified by Betfair at the jump were $71.
For a $10 win bet, the difference was substantial.
| Betting Option |
Winning Price |
Return on $10 |
| Betfair BSP (after 8% commission) |
$190 before commission |
$1,748.80 |
| Best corporate fixed odds |
$71 |
$710 |
| TAB tote dividend |
$44 |
$440 |
Returns include the original $10 stake. Figures supplied by Betfair.
That represents more than $1,300 in additional returns from the same $10 winning bet when comparing BSP with the TAB dividend.
The $44 tote return was also reported in connection with the international World Pool, which operated on major races at Caulfield that day. World Pool and TAB's domestic One Pool are separate arrangements, an important distinction when comparing dividends.
Bigger-Priced Winners Show the Largest Differences
Betfair's analysis suggests the price advantage was particularly noticeable among longer-priced winners.
Of the 30 winners that returned a post-commission BSP above $20, Betfair reported that 26 paid more than the corresponding One Pool dividend.
Across those 26 winners, the average advantage was 67% after commission.
They also compare dividends on winning runners rather than the profitability of backing every horse across every race. Punters shouldn't interpret the 70.7% figure as a guarantee of better returns on their individual selections.
What Is TAB One Pool?
Launched on 3 October 2026, TAB's One Pool combines the previously separate NSW, SuperTAB and UniTAB totalisator pools into a single national betting pool. Instead of different tote dividends being declared across Australian states, participating races now have one combined dividend.
The main advantages are larger betting pools, greater liquidity and potentially more stable dividends, particularly on races that previously attracted smaller amounts of money.
However, a bigger betting pool doesn't automatically mean better odds.
TAB deducts a percentage of the betting pool before distributing dividends to winning punters. The win market takeout for One Pool is 14.5%, excluding World Pool events.
How Does Betfair BSP Work?
Betfair Starting Price operates differently from both traditional fixed-odds bookmakers and TAB's totalisator.
Rather than accepting a bookmaker's quoted price or receiving a dividend calculated from a tote pool, BSP is determined by activity on the Betfair Exchange.
Backers and layers effectively establish the starting price through the exchange market, with the final BSP calculated as the race begins. Punters can select BSP when placing a bet without needing to follow the exchange market or manually trade prices.
Betfair then charges commission on net winnings. The company's latest comparison uses an 8% commission rate, although individual commission arrangements can vary. For punters unfamiliar with betting exchanges, BSP offers a relatively straightforward way to access exchange prices.
Should Punters Choose Betfair BSP Over TAB?
The early figures provide a strong argument for including Betfair BSP when comparing racing odds, particularly when backing horses at longer prices.
However, neither product will necessarily offer the best return on every runner.
Fixed-odds bookmakers can still offer competitive prices, while promotional products and enhanced tote dividends may produce better returns in certain circumstances.
There is also an important difference between the products: fixed odds lock in a price when the bet is placed, while both BSP and tote dividends are determined closer to the race start.
The most useful takeaway for punters is that checking more than one betting option can make a significant difference to the return on a winning bet.
With the Caulfield Cup, Cox Plate and Melbourne Cup approaching, Betfair's early comparison is a timely reminder that the price received can matter just as much as picking the winner.
