The TAB’s no deductions rule for fixed odds betting will stay in place for summer racing and could become permanent.
The policy means punters are guaranteed the final field win or place price for any bet placed on either New Zealand or overseas racing, regardless of how many scratchings there are in that race after the bet is placed.
That differs enormously from the usual TAB policy, which is also standard practice for bookmakers worldwide, that final field dividends reduce for each scratching, with the amount the dividend is reduced decided by the scratched runner’s price.
That can be enormously frustrating for punters who think they have found a fair price only for their horse to win but their dividend to be halved or worse because of scratchings.
Faced with competition from overseas bookmakers the NZ TAB started their no deductions promotion in August, initially to run for spring and end at the completion of New Zealand Cup week mid-November. But it was extended and will be again, this time until the end of March.