THE SUNSHINE COAST NEWSPAPER COLUMN: WAITING FOR THE OUTCOME OF A HIGH STAKES SHOWDOWN

By Graham Potter | Monday, April 17, 2017

Graham Potter writes a weekly column for the Sunshine Coast daily. Due to demand from those having trouble accessing the paper these columns are now also published on HRO courtesy of the Sunshine Coast daily.

We are just weeks away from knowing the outcome of the proposed multi-million dollar merger between Tabcorp and Tattsbet which, if approved, will change the gambling landscape in the country.

The bid to merge documentation has been lodged by Tabcorp with the Australian Competition Tribunal ... as so, reportedly, has a submission from Racing Victoria (RV) objecting to the proposal.

Really this is just business as usual ... by that I mean everybody is just looking after themselves.

Tabcorp and Tattsbet are looking for a deal for mutual benefit while RV’s action is designed to protect their position in 2025 when the Victorian wagering license next comes up for tender.

As RV’s Chief Executive put it, ‘Tabcorp and Tatts are the only certain Australian bidders for the next Victorian retail licence. In the event that there is only one viable bidder for the retail licence, the amount of revenue the bidder is likely to offer in its bid is likely to be less than what would be offered in a competitive bid.’

That might make good business sense ... for Racing Victoria, but I must have missed the part where they had a divine right as a protected species.

Not that I’m on the side of the merger. I simply do not know enough about the details in the fine print, but it is interesting to see those who are not necessarily renowned for accommodating others themselves trying to portray themselves as being involved in a righteous battle.

Racing Victoria’s recent purge of many of those with media accreditation who had been promoting the industry for years is fresh in the memory. If you take no prisoners when defining who has the use of your intellectual property you can only expect others to take a similar stance when trying to advance their own cause.

While two big bulls of an organisation go at it, the staff (particularly of Tattsbet) remain in limbo as to where their future lies but, then again, it is par for the course to have pawns in any big money game ... and make no mistake, this is a high stakes showdown!

*The Australian Competition Tribunal’s decision on this matter is due in May.