Straight Up – Making the call – Tabcorp rings the changes

In this edition:

• Final call – chief commentators in Brisbane, Adelaide and Hobart depart in Tabcorp purge
• Betr together – Rival makes a strong case for PointsBet acquisition
• Contrasting trans-Tasman fortunes for Entain

Tabcorp may no longer be the market leader when it comes to wagering in Australia, but the events of the week indicate that the company’s influence on Australian racing extends far wider than just how many bets it takes.

Tabcorp’s hold on the racing media landscape in Australia is massive through its Sky broadcast brands on both television and radio.

The media aspect of its business generated $192 million for Tabcorp in the first half of the 2024/25 financial year across digital distribution, venue subscriptions, advertising and international rights revenue.

It has a stated aim of providing ‘the best racing inventory in the world’ and chief commercial and media officer Jarrod Villani, an ex-TV executive, was hired in January to help achieve that.

But a key aspect of Gillon McLachlan’s time in the hot seat has been cost management, and media and content are a very resource intensive venture.

While Tabcorp has been reducing staffing for several months, this week represented the most high-profile departures, with the decision to end the race calling tenures of chief metropolitan racecallers Brett Davis (Adelaide), Josh Fleming (Brisbane) and Colin McNiff (Tasmania).

Others to leave the business include Sydney-based greyhound caller Matt Jackson and legendary corporate bookmaking figure Gerard Daffy.

News of the changes, which will see David Fowler assume all Brisbane calling duties and Tim Edwards step up in Adelaide, including this weekend’s G1 South Australian Derby, created a strong reaction across the platforms they were reported on, including The Straight.

Racecallers play a huge role in Australian racing and it is easy to characterise them as the best in the world given how many ply their trade overseas.

The narrators of the sport, they are revered and respected. They are a crucial aspect of the unique fabric of Australian racing.

Tabcorp employs the racecallers in four of the six Australian states and has a key role to play to ensure that legacy is continued. It works with the PRAs and race clubs to ensure it has the right voices to go to air, and it is its prerogative to choose who gets the privilege of narrating the unfolding drama on the racetrack to the public.

But it would be a great pity if this is also part of a broader plan to centralise commentary in a bunker-style operation in a bid to reduce costs. Some of Australia’s greatest broadcasters, including Bruce McAvaney, started out their trade on country racetracks, crafting their style and becoming important voices for racing. As an industry, racing can’t afford to lose that.

Speaking of Tabcorp, this week saw the beginning of a new five-year sponsorship deal of the Warrnambool Racing Club and its iconic May carnival.

But if you look at the club’s new blue, white and yellow branding, you’d be forgiven for mistaking it was another prominent wagering company which was sponsoring the important week of racing.

That company lost out to Tabcorp in what The Straight was told was a very competitive tender process for sponsorship late last year, but was apparently still on the mind in the racing club’s rebrand.

While many in the corporate wagering world were enjoying the western Victorian hospitality this week, betr was busy in the board room pulling together its pitch to secure PointsBet.

In a bid to upset a pending takeover offer from Japanese company MIXI, it secured 19.9 per cent of PointsBet on Monday, then confirmed it had the financing and the plan to execute its $360 million offer.

It’s a corporate story, but with significant ramifications for the broader Australian wagering industry.

Entain’s fortunes are also another significant story in 2025. A slew of executive departures, a change of strategy for the Ladbrokes Racing Club, plus an AUSTRAC investigation has put the owner of Ladbrokes and Neds in Australia firmly in the wagering spotlight.

While this week’s quarterly results confirm a tough start to 2025 for the Australian business, its activities in New Zealand through the TAB NZ and Betcha brands continue to show significant growth.

Don’t forget to check out this week’s edition of The Straight Talk Podcast, with feature interviews with bloodstock agent Sheamus Mills and Yarraman Park’s Harry Mitchell.

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Regards

Bren O’Brien

Managing Editor and Founder

The Straight