Despite being wooed by corporate bookies such as Ladbrokes and Sportsbet, following the passing of legislation in Queensland parliament to end Tabcorp’s exclusive on-course deal, south-east Queensland’s major provincial race clubs have struck a five-year deal to stay with TAB.
The new legislation, which comes into play on Thursday, accompanied a Point of Consumption Tax increase, meaning race clubs were free to negotiate deals with corporate bookmakers.
Despite the competition, the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Ipswich and Toowoomba Turf Clubs have partnered together to sign a five-year deal with TAB as their official wagering partner. The new partnership will include the development of major race day activations, new media content via the TAB App and enhanced coverage of the race clubs via Sky Racing and Radio TAB.
“These are more than wagering sponsorships, they’re genuine partnerships to use our entire ecosystem to grow each club. From creating activations that attract people to the track to using our media network to promote each club,” said Jenni Barnett, Tabcorp’s Chief Customer Officer.
“This is an opportunity for us to help grow Queensland’s richest race day in Magic Millions, innovate night racing and partner with the clubs as they host more Saturday metropolitan race meetings.”
The deal leaves the Brisbane Racing Club (Doomben and Eagle Farm) as the only major club in Queensland to align with corporate bookmakers, with Barnett stating that TAB would not sponsor any other clubs in southeast Queensland.
“Our focus has been to partner with progressive growth clubs, and we’re thrilled to have achieved that goal and now look forward to implementing those plans with each club,” she said.
