Australia’s Three TAB Tote Pools Are Now One

For bettors, most of the change happens in the background. Where One Pool applies, money from the three former pools is combined and one tote dividend is returned.

The setup covers thoroughbred, harness and greyhound racing in Australia. Selected races can still participate in World Pool, according to TAB’s One Pool guidance.

Eight Days From Trial to Launch

Live testing started on September 24 and widened across all three racing codes. A full domestic trial followed on September 28, four days before One Pool went into regular use. The Straight reported the testing schedule.

The short gap matters because One Pool had already been announced for October. October 2 was the switch from testing to a live national setup, not another rollout date.

Tote Was Already Going Backwards

Tabcorp is making the change while pari-mutuel wagering is losing weight inside the business. Gillon McLachlan said in the FY2026 results discussion that tote now makes up about one-third of wagering and has been falling by roughly 5%–6% each year. The FY2026 call put FY2026 in the same pattern.

BetMakers Also Worked on One Pool

BetMakers worked with Tabcorp on the One Pool technology. In August, Tabcorp agreed to acquire the company. The proposed deal values BetMakers at A$267 million ($189 million) on an enterprise-value basis.

The transaction still needs shareholder, court and regulatory approvals before it can close.

Other Operator Pools Are Still Outside

One Pool currently covers Tabcorp’s own three tote pools. Other wagering operators are not part of the same liquidity pool yet. Tabcorp has discussed adding wholesale pari-mutuel wagering later.