Born in a time when SP bookmakers ruled the roost, the NSW TAB was a revolution.

The TAB changed the way of betting, and it has led and supported racing into the future and continues to do so as it celebrates its 50^th birthday on Tuesday.

On December 9, 1964 betting changed when the NSW TAB opened agencies in Manly, Parramatta, Maroubra Junction, West Ryde and Auburn in Sydney and Charlestown in Newcastle.

There were only two meetings to bet on that day – the races from Canterbury and trots from Menangle – and bets had to be on 40 minutes before the start, which is remarkably unimpressive by modern standards.

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The six original agencies have become more than 2000 outlets as the business has evolved into one of the biggest gaming companies in the world.

The TAB has continued to develop, with betting available in pubs and clubs in 1983, and phone betting was a forerunner to the internet.

"The TAB has been at the forefront of advancements in technology and helped pioneer digital wagering. We were the first totalisator operator in the world to accept bets over the internet in 1997 and the first in the world to offer tote bets on an app in 2010," chief operating officer Craig Nugent said.

"People were lined up at the doors of outlets on day one of the TAB 50 years ago and retail is still the most popular way for customers to bet, but digital sales now account for 25 per cent of bets."

The TAB, 50 years on, is a publicly-listed company that counts its turnover in billions and profit in hundreds of millions of dollars, which has been backed by its ability to be a market leader.

Punters can watch and listen to races from around the world on TAB-owned media and bet until the jump of races.

On its 50^th birthday it will field on 24 meetings from around the country and the world, including race meetings from South Africa and England, dogs from New Zealand and trots from the United States.

There are still challenges for the TAB, these days coming from corporate bookmakers. The next move will be co-mingling into the world's biggest pool from Hong Kong, which is probably a forerunner to a national TAB pool.

It already happens in Victoria, where turnover on all bet types is up 29 per cent. The win and place, which has been available since 1964, is up five per cent.

The regulators still have to give co-mingling the tick of approval in NSW, but that will come in the next couple of months.

It is hard to imagine what a punter, who had two shillings and sixpence on their fancy on opening day in 1964 would make of that.