Thoroughbred Park Canberra Racing

ACTTAB - otherwise known as the Tote. The ACTTAB is Canberra’s betting agent. They generally operate out of a betting window. ACTTAB bets are not given at fixed odds - the price you get if your horse wins or runs a place is the last price the ACTTAB set before the race jumped.

BOOKIE - short for Bookmaker. You will find these fellows in the betting ring and posted around the grounds. Bookie’s will take your bet and give you fixed odds at the time of betting.

ODDS - are a reflection of the chance of a horse to win the race. The higher the odds (ie 100/1) the less likely the horse is to win and the greater your payout if they do. Odds are likely to change many times before a race jumps. They change based on the number of bets and amount of money bet on each horse before the race.

FIXED ODDS - if your horse wins, your return is based on the odds at the time you placed your bet.

SCRATCHING - a horse has been removed from the race by it's owner or trainer. If you have already made a bet on a scratched horse your money should be refunded.

TYPES OF BET

First, a few basics: the smallest bet you can make is 50 cents. 50 cents is equal to 1 unit in betting lingo.

Bets can be place in whole or half dollar increments. All bets must be made before the horses start the race.

The most common types of bets are:

Win - you are only betting on a horse to win the race. The payout if your horse wins is based on the winning odds only.

Place - you are betting on a horse to come first, second or third. The payout if your horse runs a place is based on the place odds only.

Win and a Place (also called Each Way) - you are betting on your horse to come first or to run a place. Making this type of bet costs double your wager ie if you bet on horse number 9 for $2, you will need $2 for bet for a win and $2 for the bet for a place, a total of $4.

Quinella - you are selecting the two horses that will come first or second in the race (in either order).

Trifecta - you are selecting the three horses that will come first, second and third in the exact order in a race. If you only want to select the horses that will run first, second and third in any order, you want a Box Trifecta. If you choose 3 horses in a box trifecta you will receive a payout if any combination of the 3 you selected run first, second or third.

Quinella, Trifecta and Box Trifecta bets cost more to place, but add to the excitement of the race. Ask the bookie or ACTTAB representative how much your bet will cost if you are unsure.

It's customary when placing a bet to refer to the horse/s you want by their number and the race you are betting on them in by number also. This goes something like: "Can I please have $2 each way on number 3 in race 5 at Canberra?"

If you are unsure though, don't be afraid to ask the bookies and ACTTAB staff to help you with your bet. Do be aware though, it can get frantic in the last few minutes before the race start time, so if you are unsure it pays to put your bet on at least 10 minutes early.