The retention of the fifty cent bet allows the TAB to:

1. Round down more severely than necessary to the detriment of all its punters, but particularly those whose bets are usually in the shorter price bracket;

2. Declare dividends which are sometimes theoretical, ie no such dividend was actually paid or received (as is the case with a single live ticket at 50c);

3. Provide a betting medium that is now inferior to a growing number of non-tote off-course alternatives;

4. Pretend that the value of 50 cents has remained constant over 35 years or more;

5. Forget about the TAB punter as a service consumer. The TAB is serving its own interest first;

6. Disregard the changing demographic of their clientele;

7. Increase their take of every pool beyond the acknowledged percentage;

8. ummm ...... can't think of any more but I'm sure someone else can. :smile:

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