Dabble Review (December 2024)

The best way to introduce Dabble is to use the quote from the Dabble website “In contrast to any other bookmaker, the first screen customers see with Dabble is an activityfeed, not a betting market. This activity feed shows the latest bets and tips from followed accounts in a similar format to other social media platforms. The activity feed is the cornerstone of Dabble’s innovation, where customers can see the thoughts of other users, interact and copy their bets.”

Pretty interesting stuff heh? The website is used for information, with hints and tips (including Betting Tips) of how to get the best use from the App. Dabble was founded in May 2020, and it´s differentiator in the market is that it is both a betting App and a Social media App.

Dabble sets itself apart from traditional betting sites by operating exclusively through its mobile app, designed for punters on the go. Available 24/7, the app is fully functional for both Android and Apple devices. It offers a comprehensive range of domestic and international betting markets, providing a seamless and modern betting experience.

🐴Betting Offerings - 9/10

Dabble provide an extensive range of race betting markets that you would want including Same Race Multi, a whole range of exotics as well as niche offerings including Jockey/Trainer/Box Challenges. I did not see any Favourite versus the Field or Odds v Evens etc.

💳Banking Options - 7/10

Debit Card (Mastercard or VISA) and PayID deposits are a minimum of 5 dollars and all deposits can only by made via the App.

The only option for a withdrawal is via bank transfer and the minimum amount (as per deposits) is 5 dollars. Dabble have recently added Fast Withdrawal so if your bank supports NPP (New Payments Platform), otherwise known as OSKO, you should be paid out extremely quickly.

Dabble do highlight an interesting problem that some punters may experience - “Some financial institutions decline online transactions to Wagering companies. If you are using a card from Citibank, Macquarie Bank, Suncorp, BOQ and American Express and experience any issues, these may prohibit your ability to deposit with Dabble. It may be worth trying and deposit using a card from a different financial institution.”

📱Mobile Experience - 9/10

Dabble is the mobile experience. The website is purely for information, social media, banter and tips. The Dabble App is fast and intuitive. It certainly will be familiar to all race followers. The new experience which does not take too long to fully comprehend is what makes Dabble interesting, sharing information, popular tipsters and Copying Bets for example. You can easily navigate from one race to another (at the same or a different racetrack) in a couple of clicks. 

💸 Withdrawal Speed - 10/10

Dabble has some of the fastest withdrawal speeds going around. Once you've initiated your first withdrawal and you met other basic qualifications, you are likely to see almost instant withdrawals.

🧩Overall User Experience - 10/10

I really enjoyed navigating all over the App to both try and break it but also to see what was being presented to me as I participated in the Social Media aspects. The website is also worth reviewing as there could be topics of interest or items to refresh yourself with regarding the Dabble App.

📧 Customer Support - 8/10

Dabble has a pretty good customer support team. They usually get back to you quickly and it seems as though they genuinely want to help get your issue resolved quickly.

🔒Security - 10/10

Dabble is fully licenced and regulated by the Northern Territory Racing Commission. Dabble also  take security seriously, if you search “Security” on the Dabble Help Centre websitethere will likely be numerous hits, ranging from login password advice to Privacy Policy and General Rules Terms and Conditions.

Dabble is unlike any of the conventional online bookmakers and when it comes to their racing offering, it is no different. You can't bet on racing through their website, but their app is robust and the social media aspect adds a new dimension.

Let's first look at the Dabble website:

While you can't bet on racing through the website, it is a useful place to start to get an idea of what Dabble is all about when it comes to racing. Through the app, there is Sky Racing TV, you can jump to other races about to start, you can sort the list of runners by Horse Number, Win or Place odds in decreasing or increasing order.

You can click on any runner to see more details of their career and recent form. You can even see if there is a Discussion in progress on the horse in question. Within Form for whatever runner you are reviewing (say runner number 6), you can scroll left to see the information for runner number 5 or scroll right for runner number 7.

A line through the runner number and name will mean they have scratched from the race. You can hone in on Thoroughbreds or Greyhound or Harness Racing.

You can see the Win/Place market which is currently visible but you can also select the Quinella, Exacta, Trifecta and (scrolling to the right) the First Four markets. Selecting Boxed or not with one click.

There is not an extensive use of colour, you do see the countdown timer in a red/orange colour but, for example, you do not see the Odds flashing briefly if they change up or down.

Even though Dabble is a relatively new player in the bookmaking arena, the addition of the Social Media and sharing facilities adds a unique string to their bow and is sure to attract new punters.

To date there has been over 100,000 downloads from the Google Play Store and over 1,200 feedback ratings from Apple users. I saw that one of the Popular Tipsters has over 150,000 followers!

There has been a fairly frequent number of releases (>20!) since 2022 and not just bug fixes (which always seem to be claimed as minor!), for example, sorting Runners in a race, by Race Number or Odds, arrived in May 2023and as of February 2023 withdrawals are now processed 24/7.

You are truly spoiled for choice when it comes to the products and features available with Dabble. I've gone through and found some of the most popular and listed them here:

Sky TV

Dabble offer live TV via Sky Racing. This is a great feature if you want to see how your runner(s) perform(s).

Dabble Banter

There are numerous Dabble Banter Channels, all of which allow for Chat all day and night with other (sports and) racing fans. Good banter is encouraged but if you take things too far, you will be 'put in the sin bin'. There is even a suggestion box if you want to feedback on the Banter feature (or anything else about the App).

Bet Description

Dabble Bet Descriptionis your opportunity to justify your bet, and to explain why you have chosen your selection. You can put whatever reasoning you have used to come to your bet decision, and others can then Copy Bet if they like your logic. If you are successful, you could gain a following.

Rocket Boost

There is a Rocket icon in the top right corner of your betslip that indicates how many (if any) Dabble Rocket Boosts you have available. Rocket Boosts are given out to reward active users of the Dabble platform. Adding commentary, joining Banter conversations, adding descriptions to your bets all help.

Rocket Boosts are available on:

• Racing - Single Fixed Odds Win bets with odds of $2 or greater.
• Multi - Select 3+ legs on Fixed Odds Racing and/or Sports multis with odds of $2 or greater.
• SGM - Select 3+ legs on Same Game Multis with odds of $2 or greater.

Rocket Boosts will reach a 'Max Available Boost' point, and then crash and disappear (so timing when to use is important!).

Copy Bet

This is such a simple concept and Dabble are the first to make it available. Clicking ‘Copy Bet’ on another punter’s ticket will load the selection(s) directly to your betslip. You can then choose your stake and place the bet seamlessly. Try and do that with a 10 or more Multi on other platforms.
There is also a feature called Copy Bet Special, whereby (for eligible Dabblers) if you copy a nominated Dabbler´s bet, you have the chance to have your stake returned if it loses, just monitor the Banter Channels or the App for announcements.

Copy Cash Program

All eligible Dabble account holders will receive $0.10 into their Dabble account for every ‘Unique Copy’ per bet that they receive on their betting activity.

The number of ‘Unique Copies’ will be automatically calculated by Dabble, and the relevant payments will be made once per week on a Thursday, for the prior Thursday 12.00am – Wednesday 11.59pm period.

The maximum amount you can earn is $1,000 per week, wow that would be a large number of bets in a week.

DabbleDiv

(Background - Dabble Racing Exotic dividends (Quinella, Exacta, Trifecta and First Four) are calculated for any given event and exotic bet type based on the probability of the winning combination occurring.  Each of these dividends is referred to as the DabbleDiv for that bet type for that event.)

The DabbleDiv formula uses the last price offered by Dabble before the market closed for the winning selections (SP prices), the places the selections finished, the prices of other runners in the market, and the type of race meeting to calculate the dividend.

Most Australian bookmakers pay dividends that match those declared by the Victorian TAB, whileDabbleDiv will sometimes pay more than the declared TAB dividend and sometimes less, it has been designed to pay a higher dividend (on average) than the Victorian TAB.

For DabbleDiv to operate, there must be at least 6 runners (Horses or Greyhounds). 

Protest Payout

Dabble offers Protest Payout for all Win, Place and Exotic bets. Protest Payout ensures that Dabble customers are paid out on either the original result, or the amended result, based on the most favourable outcome for the customer.

Dabble offers a wide range of markets and features, which means these guys are serious about race betting:

• Dabble offers an extensive range of markets for Thoroughbred, Harness and Greyhound racing.
• Dabble offers competitive fixed odds markets for both Australian and International horse races, with a minimum bet starting at 1c.
• Dabble(with DabbleDiv) has Exotic betting options such as Trifectas, Quadrella, Quinellas, First Four and Exacta for all races.
• Dabble offer Multi Bets which is a combination of numerous single bets which multiply the individual odds creating the total dividend. Multi-bets can be from 2 to 25 legs.
• Dabble offer Same Race Multis (SRMs), which allow you to combine two or more runners to win or finish top 2, top 3 or top 4 and receive a multi price for your selections. 
• Dabble offer a few niche markets – Jockey Challenge, Trainer Challenge etc.

As I like to cherry pick, I did not see reference to Favourite Versus the Field, Head to Head, Back The Field (Versus The Favourite or a specified runner), Winning Race Time, Favourite Out, Winning Saddle– Odd or Even and Inside v Outside.

Dabble have really disrupted the bookmaker market as their offerings are extensive and certainly worth considering whether to add to your race betting toolkit.

It is important to note that all licensed Australian bookies aren't able to provide promotions or bonuses to entice new customers to sign up. The rules, however, are a bit different for existing customers and any bettor who has an account with a bookie knows about the range of promotions available. 

Once you sign up with Dabble, you will see a solid range of promotions and bonuses on both sports and racing. The promotions you are eligible for will be shown in your feed and most of them centre around the social media side of things (i.e. the requirement to copy a certain Dabblers bet).

Dabble has certainly got better at the value of their promotions and bonuses over the last couple of years. However, I still feel that some of the more established bookies have bonuses that give you more bang for your buck.

If you're interested in learning more about all the promotions and bonuses Dabble has to offer, you'll have to sign in to your account. If you haven't signed in, all the promotions will be hidden.

Signing up is straightforward, just follow the  Sign Up icon (on the website or App) or the Profile icon, bottom right on the App. 

When you first open the App, you get a clue as to the “Home Page” which will be Feed, so the implicit emphasis is to Chat and catchup before entering the Racing. Along the top row you will see the TV iconbutton and to the right of that a cog wheel which if selected will take you to the Settings panel here you can see the Live Chat and the heaps of online documentation.

If you select Join you will be requested for the usual registration information, email address, new password, your full name, Date of Birth, Address, acknowledge that you have understood the Privacy Policy, press   Next -> then just follow the prompts and you will be registered within minutes.

How to Deposit

Deposits are made through the App and there are 3 options – Debit Card (Mastercard or VISA) and PayID.

To make a deposit tap on the Balance of your Account in the tp right corner of the App, then select Deposit Funds, then Select Manage Payment Methods, then choose either Card or Payid, finally enter the amount (the minimum is 5 dollars) and press Deposit. 

In this Deposit section of the App, you can also update card details, expiry date, CVN etc.

How to Withdraw

Withdrawing funds is only available from the App but is straightforward,select the Settings cog, choose the Withdraw option, select your bank (or add for the first time the Holder Name, the BSB and Account Number and Save), select the amount you want to withdraw, the minimum is 5 dollars and finally press Withdraw button.

Note: Dabble require that any deposits into your Account be turned over at least once or 'bet through' prior to authorising a withdrawal from your Account.

Dabble have numerous Customer Service routes, between 8:30am to 8:00pm every day (till 11:00pm Thu-Sat) you have access to Live Chat, then there is an Online Form, or you can call 1800 DABBLE (1800 322 253) or even email support@dabble.com.au. I have not seen many other bookmakers with so many options.

With regards to online documentation, Help and Q&As the information is extensive. Never mind General Rules, Terms and Conditions, Privacy Policy Dabble Promotion Terms etc, being a significant user of Social Media, there is a whole section devoted to Community Guidelines.

If you have any questions, feedback, or ideas, Dabble would love to hear from you!

Monday to Wednesday  8:30am - 8:00pm AEDT
Thursday to Saturday    8:30am - 11:00pm AEDT
Sunday                          8:30am - 8:00pm AEDT

You can call Dabble on 1800 DABBLE (1800 322 253) and there is also a Dabble Customer Support email address - support@dabble.com.au.

Each bookie will take a cut, i.e. the margin and this is somewhat of a hidden cost to bettors. The higher the bookie margin, the less amount of cash goes to the bettor. I've found that the margin is different depending on which bookie you bet with.

Therefore, it is important to note Dabble's margin and the corresponding odds you are getting. Dabble usually has some of the best odds going around (meaning their margin is lower than other bookies). It's a bit of a mixed bag though, so it is worth shopping around if you have the time.

For racing, in particular, they have decent odds. So, if you are a racing-focused bettor, using Dabble as your first choice will usually mean you can better odds. However, it isn't a guarantee and it doesn't take into consideration and promotions they are offering as well.

If you're looking for a bookie that's a little different, you have certainly found it with Dabble. They were the first to market with their social betting features and all the other major bookies in the country have since cottoned on to what Dabble is doing.

For those who enjoy the social side of betting, you'll feel right at home with Dabble and they have an amazing range of features that you'll love. They don't have a website where you can bet with, but their app is fast and they offer a wide range of markets.