2023's most daring bets revealed

By Luke Kirkness

TAB New Zealand has spilled the beans on this year’s boldest bets, and it’s safe to say some punters have nerves of steel.

Multi-bets took centre stage for the daring souls out there. One punter threw down a cool $50 on a 22-leg multi, covering cricket, baseball, tennis, rugby union, rugby league, volleyball, AFL, golf, basketball, and e-sports. The result? A jaw-dropping $53,326 windfall.

But that’s not the only success story. In September, another punter transformed a $50 racing multi, spanning eight legs across four meetings, into a whopping $76,478. Meanwhile, a savvy bettor snagged $21,739 from a mere $10 bet on a seven-leg winning team and margin combo across four Rugby World Cup games, two NPC matches and an international rugby league showdown.

For those on a budget, a single sports bet under $1000 hit the jackpot when one punter walked away with $37,750. How? A $250 correct score bet on a football match between Lyon Women and Slavia Prague Women (9-0) at odds of $151 did the trick.

In the world of thoroughbreds and harness racing, New Zealand showcased its equestrian prowess with three standout meetings. The New Zealand Cup at Riccarton took the lead with a whopping $7.4 million, closely followed by the NZ Trotting Cup at Addington flaunting a substantial $6.9m. Not to be outdone, Pukekohe’s Karaka Million pranced in with a stylish $5.7m.

The crown for the top race by turnover went to the Melbourne Cup at Flemington, boasting a colossal $12.6m.

Speaking of big wins, Boys Get Paid lived up to their name by snaring the two biggest racing victories in 2023 through their Punters Club on the Karaka Million in January. A hefty $200,000 bet on Maven Belle and a $156,000 wager on Fashion Shoot left punters toasting to success with returns of $500,000 and $273,000 respectively.

Beyond the thundering hooves and flashy finishes, Kiwis displayed their love for a diverse range of sports. The top five sports by turnover were basketball, football, rugby league, tennis and rugby union.

TAB year in review

Top three New Zealand meetings:

New Zealand Cup, Riccarton (thoroughbreds) $7.4m
NZ Trotting Cup, Addington (harness) $6.9m
Karaka Million, Pukekohe (thoroughbreds) $5.7m

Top 10 races by turnover:

Melbourne Cup, Flemington (thoroughbreds) $12.6m
NZ Trotting Cup, Addington (harness) $2.0m
The Everest, Randwick (thoroughbreds) $1.9m
Flemington R10, Melb Cup Day (thoroughbreds) $1.4m
Karaka Million 3YO, Pukekohe (thoroughbreds) $1.3m
New Zealand Cup, Riccarton (thoroughbreds) $1.2m
Caulfield Cup, Caulfield (thoroughbreds) $1.2m
Karaka Million 2YO (thoroughbreds) $1.2m
Railway Stakes, Te Rapa (thoroughbreds) $1.1m
NZ 1000 Guineas, Riccarton (thoroughbreds) $1.0m

Top five sports by turnover:

Basketball
Football
Rugby league
Tennis
Rugby union

Top 10 sporting events by turnover:
NZ v South Africa, Rugby (RWC) World Cup final $3.3m
Broncos v Warriors, NRL preliminary final $2.1m
Ireland v NZ, RWC quarter-final $2m
Chiefs v Crusaders, Super Rugby final $1.7m
Panthers v Broncos, NRL Grand Final $1.5m
NZ v South Africa, The Rugby Championship $1.4m
Argentina v NZ, RWC semifinal $1.4m
Warriors v Knights, NRL semifinal $1.3m
Queensland v NSW, State Of Origin game 2 $1.1m
NZ v Australia, Bledisloe Cup, game 2 $1.1m

Top returns for single racing bets under $1000:

$112,979 - $40 First4 on Melbourne Cup
$106,333 - $5 First4 on Melbourne Cup
$79,750 - $25 First4 on Melbourne Cup
$63,135 - $10 First4 on Melbourne Cup
$56,489 - $4 First4 on Melbourne Cup
$39,875 - $2 First4 on Melbourne Cup
$26,712 - $5 First4 on BRC Sprint, Doomben, May 20
$26,583 - $100 First4 on Melbourne Cup
$26,361 - $400 First4 on Bendigo R3, June 3
$24,997 - $12 Quaddie at Randwick, April 1
$22,191 - $36 Quaddie at Caulfield, November 18
$21,335 - $100 First3 on Inglis Sires, Randwick, April 1

Top returns for single sports bets under $1000:

$37,750 - $250 Correct Score - Lyon Women’s 9-0 Slavia Prague Women’s (odds of $151) - football
$20,100 - $100 Correct Score - Georgia 8-0 Thailand (odds of $201) - football
$16,200 - $200 Power Play - Lewis Hamilton & Fernando Alonso Top 6 & Pierre Gasly points finish, Saudi Arabia Grand Prix (odds of $81) - motorsport
$11,400 - $150 Croatia v Wales - Croatia 4+ Shots On Target in Each Half & Croatia 3+ Corners in Each Half (odds of $76) - football
$10,100 - $100 Head to Head/Total Points Double - San Antonio/under 245.5 points - San Antonio Spurs v Atlanta Hawks, March 20 (odds of $101) - basketball
$10,100 - $100 Correct Score - 3-1 Deportivo Carapegua v 3 de Febrero, July 18 (odds of $101) - Paraguayan football
$10,100 - $100 Head To Head (live) - Kawasaki to beat Kashima, February 25 (odds of $101) - Japanese J1 League Football
$10,100 - $100 Outright Winner - Daniel Hillier - British Masters (odds of $101) - golf
$10,050 - $50 Correct Score - England 6-1 China (odds of $201) - Women’s Football World Cup

This article was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is republished here with permission