TAB sent an e-mail to all users on Thursday saying "just prior to and after the Melbourne Cup, NetTAB experienced a virtual shutdown in Internet betting due to unprecedented and unexpected demand.
"This unprecedented demand was primarily caused by the sudden change in weather which resulted in many customers attempting to re-access NetTAB to make additional bets in a short period of time.
"This demand pushed the existing NetTAB betting servers to their maximum capacity".
TAB said it was in the final stages of building new RaceTAB and SportsTAB Web sites -- whose functionality includes 24-access to account balances, 90-day account histories, information customisation options, improved betting functionality, multiple languages, currencies and timezones -- to replace the current sites. These are scheduled to be launched in early 2005.
Mare Makybe Diva won the so-called 'race that stops a nation' on 2 November for the second consecutive year in steady rain on a soft track.
