Aussie Punters Rejoice: Fixed Odds Betting Coming to iPhone

Australian sports fans will soon be able to bet on sports using their iPhones with Tabcorp (or simply TAB), the largest bookmaker in the country. TAB’s current mobile betting service lets punters wager on NSW and Victorian TAB totilizator pools using their iPhones and iPads, but the sportsbook has announced that they will soon be offering fixed odds betting for iphone users as well. 

It all happens with the TAB Sportsbet iPhone App. Horse racing fans can check the results for the current and previous days, and bet on most races, except parlays. The app can be set to alert users when their favorite jockey or horse is set to race, giving them time to place their wagers in advance. Trackside info is also available, including weather conditions, helping punters to make more informed decisions. 

More complete sports betting services are on the way, according to a statement on the Tab website. In order to use the TAB Sportsbet iPhone App, punters need to have a TAB account, which can be created on the bookmaker’s website.  

While TAB has a significant presence in the country, is not the only online sportsbook in Australia, and is not the only bookmaker that offers iPhone betting. There are actually dozens of sports betting websites that let locals place bets. Some operate out of Australia, but many are headquartered overseas, in other countries where internet betting is legal.  

TAB’s iPhone betting app comes in the midst of a contriversy surrounding iPhone gambling in Australia. Senator Xenophon recently denounced freely-available iPhone gambling apps that resemble pokies, calling them irresponsible and arguing that they may entice children to become gambling addicts from a young age. While Xenophon suggested that iPhone gambling apps be banned in Australia, some suggest that instead of trying to change Australian gambling laws, a more reasonable solution might be to introduce better age verification requirements.