Tabcorp maths: cut jersey logos, add three new teams
It’s near the end of the blockbuster that is the media and gambling sectors versus the public and most of the industry is keeping its head down, covered in mud among the tree roots, trying desperately not to trip the fury of the government.
Tabcorp CEO Adam Rytenskild.
Stay perfectly still, guys. Hell, we should probably reduce the number of TV ads we run for a while, too (keep going on TikTok, though).
Someone forgot to tell Tabcorp. The betting giant has just signed three new sponsorship deals: the AFL’s GWS Giants and Brisbane Lions, and the NRL’s Parramatta Eels. And those are just the new ones we know about.
This is the company whose boss, Adam Rytenskild, told a parliamentary inquiry in April we’d reached a “critical, line in the sand moment” for gambling advertising. Tabcorp already sponsors rugby’s ACT Brumbies and NRL’s North Queensland Cowboys, deals that Rytenskild says have the explicit goal of promoting the company to adult supporters.
“Sport and racing are our product. We are a betting company,” he told the inquiry. “Our interest is their adult fans.”
That parliamentary inquiry called for literally all gambling ads to be banned. The only certainty to the future of wagering advertising now is that it is uncertain. And yet, this is the moment Tabcorp chose to ink three new sponsorship deals.
Interestingly, Tabcorp says its new deals are “content partnerships”, which means it can promote the teams’ athletes across its own platforms. Tabcorp owns Sky Sports Radio, Sky Racing and the TAB app. It has 24 per cent market share, second only to Sportsbet.
“Tabcorp will not be using the TAB logo on any sports jerseys in 2024,” a spokesman told us. “We see this as a great opportunity to grow the brand of clubs and
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