PuntNow Review

PuntNow is the trading name of PuntNow Pty Ltd which is a member of the Victorian Bookmakers Association which is an association that guarantees payment of all winning bets placed with their members.

PuntNow is licensed by Racing Victoria and regulated by Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission to accept wagers via the Internet and the telephone 24 hours a day.PuntNow may be licensed to accept bets over the telephone, but currently they did not.

PuntNow Pty Ltd was incorporated in October 2022, but the PuntNow betting site was launched in April 2023. The PuntNow website is powered by GenerationWeb355e, who are based in Wollongong, and provide an online platform for a number of other bookmakers, including some (starting to become many) we have recently reviewed.

PuntNow is a 24-hour operation with a Live Chat feature but I could not find the committed hours of availability published anywhere.

In addition, the PuntNow Apple and Android apps were launched soon after in May 2023 to mixed reviews. However, the PuntNow Apps and the website are designed to provide a seamless service.

PuntNow cover the majority of domestic markets for racing (thoroughbreds, harness and greyhounds) as well as large coverage of international events. As an aside at least 26 different domestic and international sports markets (including Esports) are available.  

The style of the PuntNow website will be familiar to many who use the other betting site developed by Generation Web. It will not take long to become familiar. The website homepage is a consistent yellow/black/white design which is extremely busy and it is very difficult to describe everything here, but let´s look at the key points to help with navigation.

The home page, as is usual with Generation Web, opens with 3 panels, in the left 1/5th there is the Navigation Panel, the middle 3/5th being where the racecourse or race(s) specific information is presented and the right 5th usually shows Up and Coming Sports (not racing) events or the BetSlip. The Yellow Live Chat Icon appears at the bottom right of every webpage.

The Navigation Panel allows you to access the Racing or the Sport webpages. Just below them are 5 races that are about to start, this small list can be refined to Thoroughbreds, Harness or Greyhound by selecting the appropriate icon. Then finally below these 5 races you are able to navigate to:

• Today’s Racing
• Tomorrow´s Racing
• The Day After Tomorrow’s Racing
• The Day after, the day after, Tomorrow’s Racing
• Then 3 others not visible in the screenshot that allow for fast access to:

o    Thoroughbreds – Today´s Thoroughbred Racing
o    Harness – Today´s Harness Racing
o    Greyhounds – (you guessed it) Today´s Greyhound Racing

• Racing Results – here I was able to find the results of races back to 1 December 2020.

PuntNow appears so racing focused (rather than Sport) by just reviewing the middle (2nd) section. On initial entry, the next 3 races to start are listed alongside each other and below that (by scrolling down if necessary) are up to 5 Thoroughbred, 5 Harness and 5 Greyhound races which are about to start are displayed, with the time before they start.

Across the very top of the webpage there are 7 races listed that are about to start (scroll right for 3 more (adding to 10 races)). Click on any of the 10 to go straight to that race. On the top left are 4 icons where you can refine the list to just Thoroughbreds, Harness, Greyhounds or All.

On the top row are 4 items of interest namely Racing, Sport, My Account and Promos. The screenshot below has Racing selected and displays a list of the races of Today.

Once you select only Racing list the previous column 3 (Up and Coming Sport) disappears, but if you select a specific race, the column 3 data reappears. 

For completeness, once you login, the top row  Login and  JOIN area changes to the following and provides for navigation around your Account, especially to make Deposits and Withdrawals and track wins/losses etc:

All over this webpage you can see these Icons or  to refine the Racer list. However, one thing I found strange is that if you select say, Thoroughbreds, in the Navigation Panel the list of 10 races on the very top row also changes, but if you select Thoroughbreds on the very top row the list of the 5 next races in the Navigation Panel does NOT change.

 If you want to narrow down the Centre section to only show, for example, Thoroughbreds, you need to click on the 2nd icon towards the top right of the Today´s racing list ie:

 If you click on a race a new Centre Panel is presented with details of the specific race.

You can easily see Track Conditions, Weather, Distance etc although the mix of fonts is strange.

In the Centre panel you can see familiar details of a race. I like to be able to see horses that are increasing or decreasing in odds and be able to sort the view by the Fixed Win odds, to get the favourite to the top row. The PuntNow website does NOT offer any sorting capability.

With Australian Racing, if you click on a runner, some useful details are presented including the runner´s info (Parentage, Stables, Prizemoney, Trainer and Jockey results),Career information, as well as the Form Guide, Recent Results and some Runner Remarks.

So overall a few minutes invested in getting to know the website will pay dividends in successful navigating around later.

One small comment is with regards to telephone betting. In the FAQ document, PuntNow claim not to offer a telephone service, nor phone or live betting. But in the General Terms and Conditions they claim to be registered to accept wagers via the internet and the telephone (maybe the latter has simply not been implemented).  However, in the Wagering Rules there is a whole section devoted to Telephone Betting, “where a Customer submits a bet request via the telephone … said bet is taken to be accepted when the confirmation has been provided to the Customer by the PuntNow operator.”Plus In-Play wagers can only be placed by the telephone.

So I am still unclear as to whether telephone betting is an option, but since no telephone number is officially quoted, maybe I have my answer. Except, on the withdrawal funds panel there is reference to contact customer support on SMS 0451381581. 

🐴Betting Markets - 8/10
PuntNow provides the majority of the important race betting markets including selected Same Race Multi, a whole range of exotics and a range of niche offerings like Jockey and Box Challenges on Win Only bases. If you are looking for Favourite v Field or Odds v Evens then I did not see these available. It is easy to see where Generation Web have put their bespoke development for PuntNow and, as is their way, there are some many ways to navigate to a specific race quickly.

💳Banking Options - 8/10

PuntNowoffer numerous deposit methods but only 1 withdrawal method. VISA, Mastercard and POLi are the highlighted methods but Electronic Funds Transfer, OSKO and Bank Deposit (Cash, cheque) are accepted deposit methods. 

The PuntNowwithdrawal option is EFT. Note; you must turn over your deposit twice at odds of $1.80 before any withdrawals can be processed.

📱Mobile Experience - 9/10
The PuntNow mobile experience is solid, easy to learn and fast. If you are familiar with race betting sites especially those developed by GenerationWeb, you will be up to speed in no time.The website and Apps have the same look &feel and use of black background with yellow, white and occasional red. It is simply the smaller mobile device form factor that requires a little more thought in how to view and exploit the information presented. For example, on the website Win/Place, Quinella, Exacta, Trifecta, First Four and Quadrellaare all visible betting markets at the top of a race listing, but on a mobile only Win/Place, Exotics and Quadrella are present, you need to click theExotics  sbutton to access the other four Exotics betting markets. Navigating around the races and racetracks is so easy and don´t forget to click on a runner for a whole host of runner specific information. 

💸​Withdraw Speed - 8/10
PuntNow withdrawals via Bank EFT take place after 11am Mon-Fri excluding Public Holidays. Withdrawals received by 11am will be processed on the same day and PuntNow quote “funds generally reach your account on the same day but can take up to 24-48 hours depending on your ban”, which seems very conservative, but then again PuntNow do not use OSKO for withdrawal processing. 

🧩Overall User Experience - 9/10
The PuntNow website and Apps are easy to use and their design has a consistent look and feel. You just need to know where to click to get extra information. Colour coding is not used to show when a runners Odds change, you just need to keep an eye out or look at the Fluctuation list. Howevercolour coding is used in the centre 3/5th section to help you see when a race is within 29 minutesof starting (Yellow) has entered the 4 minutecountdown to start of race(red). For some reason the 5 races in the Navigation panel and 10 races in the top row run to a different colour timing turning yellow at 9 minutes and red at 1 minute.

🔒Security - 10/10

PuntNow Pty Ltd is a member of the Victorian Bookmakers Association which is an association that guarantees payment of all winning bets placed with their members.

PuntNow“does not give, sell, rent, share, or trade any Personal Information regarding their Customers to third-parties, except where you have consented to its disclosure ether expressly or impliedly”.

The PuntNow Privacy Policy states that “PuntNow is subject to the Club Bookmaker Licence Rules and the Rules of Racing and may disclose your personal information to Racing Victoria for the purpose of it fulfilling its regulatory functions such as monitoring, investigating and enforcing the Rules.”

PuntNow is a new entry to the bookmaking business so there is almost nothing known about the people behind the scenes.

From what I have observed PuntNow offer comparative fixed bet odds for Australian racing. But, as always it is a matter of timing in the market that can drive the best odds for your bet.

Being such a new entry, there have only been 25 feedbacks from Apple mobile users (with a mixed set of  feedback) and 500 downloads from the Android Google Play Store, which was only released in May 2023.  

PuntNow offer a whole host of betting options including, including Best Tote+SP which guarantees the best dividend from the VIC/QLD Totes or the Starting Price whichever is the higher, plus numerous Exotics, Fixed Odds and Multi-Legs.

PuntNow to stay relevant offers competitive fixed odds for every thoroughbred, greyhound, and harness racing meeting in Australia and New Zealand, as well for overseas races in so many countries including UK, Canada, Japan, South Africa, France, Ireland, Germany, USA, Sweden, South Korea, Singapore and others.

As mentioned previously the PuntNow mobile App debuted in May 2023, so it is very new. However,GenerationWeb are certainly not novices to racing, the website and Apps bear their hallmark.

Once you are logged-in, the LOGIN and  JOIN area changes to the following:

From here you can view your Account Status, the head & shoulders icon navigates to My Account and immediately below you can head to the Deposit and Withdrawal section.  

Along the bottom of the App the Next Up, Racing, Sports, Account(or Login if not Logged in) and BetSlip buttons are always present. Selecting Account give you all the options in managing your account including updating your Profile, Promotions, Deposit Funds, Withdraw Funds, Transactions and Live Chat, etc.

Countdowns times to races are shown everywhere. The time displays in red when there is less than 1 minute to start and in yellow when there is less than 9 minutes to the start. When viewing a list of races, I did not find a way to drill down to only show Australian racing.You can however select to see Thoroughbred or Harness or Greyhound or All (select the (most left) clock icon).

You can jump to Today Racing, Tomorrow Racing, the Day after and the Day after that as well as Racing Results where I was able to find results from 1 December 2020.

For any race, the weather forecast and track condition is present. There is a row of buttons next which will have Win/Place, Exotics, Quadrella, Fixed Price, Tote, Best Flucs.

The race favourite will have a F in the top left corner of the Fixed Win Odds. Since there is no ability to sort runners by Fixed Win Odds, Fixed Place Odds or Runner Number you may need to scroll down the list of runners to find the favourite.

You can choose to see Pre-Post Flucs by toggling the relevant button.

A nice feature is when you click on a runner, in this example, I am using Aladdin’s Lamp, from a prior screenshot.

A new window opens up and you can further select to view 3 distinct areas of potential interest:

1. Info – the Dam and Sire, where stabled, prizemoney, Win%, Place% etc, plus some additional Runner Remarks
2. Performance – all sorts of stats relating to Career, Track, Distance, 1st up to 4th Up, performance over the various Track conditions, Group 1, 2, 3 etc 
3. Starts – information about recent starts, including who was 1st, 2nd and 3rd position in the raceat various stages and Odds

I could not find any PuntNow tips but if you feel tipping is something you would like to have access, in preparing for your race day, it isworth reviewing our website https://onlyracing.com.au/tips/. 

PuntNow Boost

The PuntNow Boost feature allows customers to spend PuntNow Boost Tokens to increase their dividend on a given bet. The number or type of PuntNow Boost Tokens which may be made available to a customer on any given day may vary and will be issued at the absolute discretion of PuntNow Management. PuntNow Boost Tokens will only be able to be used on Fixed Odds (Win) products (in both Sport and Racing), and only where the Boost Token button appears on a given betting leg within the Betslip.

In the event that a 'Cash-Out' offer is advanced to a Customer in respect of a bet, the 'Cash-Out' settlement will be based on the original dividend rather than the 'Boosted' dividend.

Protect Payout

In the event of an upheld protest, PuntNow will pay out in respect of both the first past the post and the runner ultimately declared as the official winner.

Loyalty Rewards Program

As part of the Loyalty Rewards program, PuntNowcustomers are entitled to redeem $1 in Loyalty Rewards Bonus Bets for every 200 Loyalty Rewards Points that they have accrued.
Loyalty Rewards Bonus Bets may be placed on any product except for racing exotics and multi-leg bets.

'Money Back' Promotions

PuntNow have a whole section in their Wagering Rules documentation discussing Money Back. It is worth noting the following bulletpoints:

1. Bets on races with less than five (5) runners will not be eligible for 'Money Back' Promotions.
2. ''Boosted'' bets and Bonus Bets will not be eligible for 'Money Back' Promotions.
3. If a given race has less than eight (8) runners, only the qualifying bets on the horse finishing 2nd will be refunded.
4. The determination of eligibility and amount of refund, will be based on that Customer's FIRST Fixed Odds (Win) bet placed on the race.
5. The amount of the Bonus Bet refund will be limited to $50 for single bets only.
6. Bonus Bets awarded as part of a 'Money Back' Promotion will expire if not used within 7 days of being awarded.

Best Tote plus SP

PuntNow offer the Best Tote plus SP prices on all Australian Thoroughbred markets. This product provides you with the highest dividend between the Victorian TAB, the Victoria Tab, the Queensland Tab and the 'Official On-Course Starting Price (SP)' for the Win portion of a bet. This product is a highly useful feature as it almost guarantees punters are usually receiving the best tote odds possible on the race (note the NSW TAB is not included in the calculations).

PuntNow offers a wide range of markets and features, which should make PuntNow something to consider for race betting:

• PuntNow offers an extensive range of markets for Thoroughbred, Harness and Greyhound racing.
• PuntNow offers competitive fixed odds markets for both Australian and International horse races.
• PuntNow has Exotic betting options such as Trifectas, Quadrella, Quinellas, First Four and Exacta for all races.
• PuntNow offer their Best Tote + SP betting option, a great way to guarantee the best tote prices available. 
• Multi Bets which is a combination of numerous single bets which multiply the individual odds creating the total dividend. PuntNow accepts Multi Bets from 2‐10 legs including a combination of Racing and Sports.
• PuntNow 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. The maximum number of Same Race Multi legs is 4.
• In addition,PuntNow offer, on selected races, bothJockey & Box Challenges on a Win only Basis.

The offerings from PuntNow are certainly comprehensive and may be worth considering whether to add to your race betting options.

PuntNow state that “All in-play wagers must be placed via the telephone”, but there is no official telephone number with which to make contact, this is a bit strange or incomplete. 

There are however numerous niche markets that I could not find including:  Favourite Versus the Field, Back The Field (Versus The Favourite or a specified runner), Head to Head, Trainer Challenge, Winning Race Time, Favourite Out, Winning Saddlecloth – Odd or Even and Inside v Outside.

LiveChat provides a message service where the usual reply time is extremely quick if requested during mainstream hours. 

PuntNow also offer email support via [email protected]

Also, deep in the funds withdrawal panel, there is that reference to a mobile customer service telephone number.

Signing up is straightforward, once you navigate to puntnow.com.au and select the  Join option at the top right of the screen the following page will request your input:

After entering your first name, surname, Date of Birth, Gender, Address, email and contact details press Go To Step 2 Of 2 to enter your username, password and any Deposit limit you wish to set.

All done easy.

How To Deposit at PuntNow

How To Deposit at PuntNow

1. Selecting the Account button at the bottom of the App
2. Selecting the Head & Shoulder icon at the top of the App
3. Select the DEPOSIT WITHDRAWAL button at the top of the website 

You can make deposits via Debit/Credit Card or POLi directly to PuntNow or you can make a Bank Deposit into the PuntNow Bank Account. The PuntNow bank details are present in the EFT Notification panel and so you could also deposit cheque or cash directly.

If you use a credit or debit card to fund your account, we may require that you provide us with a legible copy of the front and back of the relevant card.

When sending a copy of the card, the middle 8 digits of the credit card may be redacted for security purposes.

If you deposit funds via POLi Payments, PuntNow may (at its discretion) postpone the authorisation of any withdrawal requests until such time as the deposited funds are cleared funds.

Credit Card or POLi deposit minimum is 5 dollars.

If paying via bank deposit ensure your newly created PuntNowuserIDis quoted on the deposit slip.

How To Make a PuntNow Withdrawal

Similar to making a deposit navigate to the Banking section in My Account and select EFT Withdrawal. The minimum withdrawal limit is $10 unless the total balance is less than the minimum withdrawal amount, in which event the customer can submit a request for the entirety of their remaining account balance.

You must turn over your deposit twice at odds of $1.80 before any withdrawals can be processed.

All deposited funds must be turned over at least once before withdrawals from your Customer Account will be authorised.(Note: additional turnover may apply for deposit offers.)

PuntNow does not use Osko or any other instant payment services when processing withdrawals.

Inactive Account

A word of warning, PuntNow will levy a monthly administration & management fee in the sum of ten dollars ($10) in respect of inactive accounts. Customer Accounts will be deemed to be inactive if the Customer has not made a deposit or placed a wager for a period of more than six (6) months.

There are officially 2 contact options for customer service, being email and LiveChat.

The list of documentation is fairly large and all are available online via the App or website:

• General Terms & Conditions – 9 sections
• Wagering Rules – the 1st 9 of 36 sections are racing related
• Privacy Policy – 12 sections

They should quickly be reviewed to get a clearer picture as to whetherPuntNow is worth joining.