Tens of thousands of punters will use 600 TAB telephone operators, TAB self-service facilities or visit their TAB outlet to place their bets for Melbourne Cup day, with punters expected to place about $60 million in bets on Cup day race meetings in Victoria this year.

About 3000 staff will also be working in Victoria's 561 TAB retail and pub/club outlets, plus 650 will be working at the 525 on-course betting windows at Flemington on Cup day.

Melbourne Cup day is celebrated by Australians from all walks of life and they have one thing in common – a flutter on the big race with the TAB.

Early bird punters can place their bets in the lead-up to the Melbourne Cup and go into a draw to win one of five $10,000 prizes – so avoid any disappointment and place a Cup bet this Sunday or Monday.

Punters can place their bets at their local TAB outlet, via self-service technology such as telephone touch tone, voice recognition and the internet or use the operator assisted facilities.

Some interesting statistics about betting on Melbourne Cup day include:

• 8 million individual bets expected using TAB facilities 
• 561 TAB retail and pub/club outlets will be open in Victoria 
• 3000 people to work in TAB outlets 
• 600 TAB telephone betting operators working on the day 
• 260,000 operator assisted and self-service calls to be made by punters 
• 200,000 TAB telephone account holders can place bets 
• 600 self-service terminals available at TAB outlets and on-course at Flemington 
• $27 million in bets expected on the Melbourne Cup race alone in Victoria 
• $60 million in bets expected on all Melbourne Cup day race meetings in Victoria

Executive General Manager (Wagering) Michael Piggott said: "It’s an Australian tradition to have a bet on the Melbourne Cup. The great race captures the imagination of the once-a-year tipsters and the expert punters."

Early-bird betting is a great way to beat the rush and back your favourite horse or jockey. By placing a bet this Sunday or Monday for the Melbourne Cup, five lucky customers will each win $10,000.

Entry coupons for the Bet Early promotion will be in The Age form guide on Friday 31 October, the Herald Sun on Sunday 2 and Monday 3 November, and available online at www.tab.com.au.

TAB Account Customers who place their first Melbourne Cup bet on either Sunday or Monday will be automatically entered into the draw to win one of five $10,000 prizes.

For racing fans eager to experience Melbourne Cup excitement, don’t forget to watch the TAB 'Parade of Champions' event between 12-12.45pm on 3 November. The horse parade starts at the corner of Bourke and Swanston Streets and travels along Swanston Street to Federation Square.

At Federation Square, a special mobile TAB betting kiosk will be operating and punters will be able to place their bets on the Cup and enter the draw to win one of five $10,000 prizes. Punters can bet at the special facility from 1-4 November.

There are many ways that once-a-year and experienced punters can have a flutter on Melbourne Cup day, they include:

TABCORP TIPS FOR MELBOURNE CUP DAY

Customer information

TAB Customer Service Line - 131 802
The Customer Service Line is a great service offered by the TAB. This provides up to the minute details on scratchings, results and approximates that can instantly be accessed using a touch-tone phone.

How to find your nearest TAB
Finding your nearest TAB is so easy - just look on the store locator on our website www.tab.com.au under the help, rules and conditions section. Or if you don’t have access to the Internet, check the Melway for the full list of TAB’s.

Retail Trading Hours
TAB retail stores will be open as follows:

• Cup Eve – Monday 3 November
  o  From 11am until at least 8pm (TABs in clubs and hotels and many regular TABs will be open later)
• Cup Day – Tuesday 4 November
  o  From 8am until at least 6pm (TABs in clubs and hotels and many regular TABs will be open later)

Telephone Betting – Trading Hours
Telephone betting will be open:

• Touch tone phone betting, opens at 8am every day – phone 132 698 
• Voice recognition betting, opens at 8am every day – phone 133 842 
• Internet betting, opens at 8amevery day – visit www.tab.com.au 
• Telephone betting (operator assisted) 131 822 – opens 15 minutes before the first race on Cup eve, and from 9.30am on Cup day.

TAB Account Customers

Internet Betting – www.tab.com.au
There are many reasons why betting online at www.tab.com.au – with your Racing or Sportsbet account - is such a good alternative for betting with the TAB.

• Its fast – even faster now with the new betsheet allowing multiple bets to be placed at once 
• Its convenient – in your own home or without moving from your desk at work. 
• It’s in your hands – total control over your betting at the tip of your fingers

You need to establish either a TAB Racing or Sportsbet account to bet online so make sure you open your account before the big day.

Some general hints for betting during the Spring Carnival:

• Get your bets on as early as you can. 
• Use the Betsheet for multiple bet placement - it's quicker! 
• Use the TAB 'Express' site if you don't need to look at the approximate odds 
• Remember to logout when you've finished. Automatic logout of the site, when you are not using it to place bets, is reduced to 15 minutes on Melbourne Cup day

Betting via the Internet is available from 8am every day, with a minimum bet limit of $0.50 between 8am and 1pm, and 5pm and 7pm. Minimum bet limit of $2 at all other times.

Voice Recognition Phone Betting - 133 842
The TAB’s voice recognition betting service is open from 8am each day. The service is a voice-activated system that enables you to simply talk to the betting system to place your bets.

A minimum bet limit of 50 cents applies to all bets placed before 1 pm and between 5pm and 7pm, with a limit of $2 at all other times.

Touchtone Phone Betting - 132 698
Touchtone phone betting is the TAB's convenient automated telephone betting service. It’s convenient, easy to use & extremely efficient. With touchtone phone betting, TAB account customers can avoid being caught in a queue to speak with an operator because they simply key in the information themselves.

A minimum bet limit of 50 cents applies to all bets placed before 1 pm and between 5pm and 7pm, with a limit of $2 at all other times.

Just dial the Touchtone phone betting number 132 698 and step-by-step instructions will clearly talk customers through the service. Avoid peak times and get your bet on early.

Operator assisted telephone betting - 131 822
TAB telephone betting operators offer excellent service to TAB account customers wanting to place a bet over the phone. Phone lines will be open 15 minutes before the first race on Cup eve and from 9.30am on Cup day. A minimum bet limit of $5 applies for all telephone operator services during all hours of operation.

On Course - trading hours and betting facilities
For those lucky enough to be at Flemington, TAB windows will open by 9am on Cup day. The first race is scheduled to commence at 10.30am so bets can be placed early and everyone can get on with the celebrating.

The TAB will have 525 windows operating on-course at Flemington on Cup day.

Customers will also be able to place bets at Flemington through any one of 123 easy to use self-service betting terminals located on-course. The terminals operate via a simple touch-screen and TAB customer service staff will be on hand to assist customers in placing their bets.

About 60 TAB kiosks operating in selected hotels and clubs throughout Victoria also support these self-service betting facilities. TAB kiosks enable customers to place bets themselves using a touch screen terminal. It’s a quick and easy way to place bets and there is no need to fill out a betting card.

Austext
The Austext screens in TAB stores provide jockey and horse names as well as their number, so if customers know the name of the horse they want to back or want to follow a particular jockey, they can quickly find the information by looking at the TV monitors displaying the Austext pages.

Austext can also be accessed at home using any television with the teletext feature tuned to Channel 7.

FIXED RETURNS BETTING - HORSE RACING

For the chance to get the good odds early, have a bet with TAB Sportsbet fixed returns. It’s just like betting with a bookie at the track. When you place a bet with TAB Sportsbet, the odds at the time of your bet remain unchanged. Even more exciting is the fact that your winnings will be calculated on those odds. Late scratching refunds and deductions apply on race day.

Fixed Returns betting is also available to account holders on 133 390 and at www.tab.com.au. You must have a fixed returns Sportsbet account to use this service. To set up an account contact customer service on 131 802 or visit the web site.

FOR THE FIRST-TIME PUNTERS

For the millions of people who only have a flutter on Cup day, and are not quite sure what to do, or which horse to back, the TAB can help.

Expert Assistance
Many TAB outlets will have dedicated staff in store to assist customers with information about the races and to help fill out their betting cards. Customers should not be afraid to ask for help from any of the TAB staff and to ask for assistance in filling out betting cards.

Melbourne Cup Betting Cards
The TAB has produced 6.5 million special Melbourne Cup betting cards this year to make it as easy as possible for customers. These are a win~place card, and quinella~exacta~trifecta cards just for the Melbourne Cup so customers who only want to bet on the Cup can select one of these cards, fill in their selections and put the cards straight through the card reader machine at the counter. These cards are clearly marked and are situated in-store with special backing cards so they are easy to find.

Melbourne Cup Race Lists
Special race lists giving horse names and their jockeys will be on display in all outlets from Cup eve so customers can easily assess the field and make their selection.

Mystery Bets
If customers want to have a bet on the Cup but don’t know whom to pick, they may want try a Feature Race Mystery Bet.

The TAB offers a $2 Quinella Mystery Bet, $1 Trifecta Mystery Bet and $3 Box Trifecta Mystery Bet. These bet types will be available on both the Melbourne Cup race (Feature Race Mystery Bet) and the next race to jump as per the normal Mystery Bet type.

A $1.00 Mystery Bet selects a $1.00 bet on the first three horses in the order of finish, a $2 Mystery Bet selects the first two horses in any order of finish and a $3.00 Mystery Bet selects a .50c bet on the first three horses in any order of finish.

The TAB endorses a responsible approach to gambling. It is worth remembering that punters should only bet what they can afford during the Spring Racing Carnival and if gambling becomes problem, contact Gambler’s Help on 1800 156 789.

STATISTICAL INFORMATION

Melbourne Cup Day sales (includes all meetings on the day)