Australia's gambling industry has recently settled a highly watched merger rumor—Tabcorp's potential acquisition talks with BetMakers have officially ended. BetMakers confirmed in a statement on Wednesday that there had been "preliminary and informal" discussions, but no formal offer was received, and the dialogue has now ceased. In plain terms, it was just at the "talked about" stage, without even seeing a bid. Tabcorp reportedly hoped to leverage BetMakers' technology to accelerate its own platform transformation, but this "technical marriage" ended before it began. The two companies still maintain their existing business cooperation, with BetMakers continuing to provide horse racing technology and content distribution services to Tabcorp. Want to track the latest trends in global gambling industry mergers and technology partnerships? PASA's official website continues to capture the pulse of the industry.
From "talked about" to "no go": An acquisition that never started
According to the Australian Financial Review, Tabcorp proactively approached BetMakers last December, intending to accelerate its technology transformation through acquisition. However, BetMakers' statement put an end to these rumors:
Nature of negotiations: Merely remained at the "preliminary and informal" stage
Key missing: BetMakers never received a formal offer
Current status: Dialogue has ended, with no further progress
BetMakers emphasizes that the two parties still maintain their existing business relationship, continuing to supply horse racing technology and content distribution services. To date, Tabcorp has not formally responded to the media and BetMakers' statements.
Why did Tabcorp set its sights on BetMakers?
Insiders reveal that Tabcorp's interest in BetMakers stems from multiple strategic considerations:
•Technological reinforcement: Utilizing BetMakers' gambling technology to optimize its own internal platform
•Synergistic effects: Achieving significant operational synergy and cost savings through acquisition
•Global ambitions: Enhancing industry capabilities, advancing B2B business and international strategic implementation
BetMakers has indeed been active in technology and market movements in recent years. It just completed the acquisition of Las Vegas gaming solution provider LVDC at the beginning of 2026; renewed a three-year cooperation agreement with Penn Entertainment in January; and continues to provide a full suite of gambling technology stacks for Betfair Australia's CrownBet in Australia.
Tabcorp's joys and concerns: Performance recovery, entangled in regulation
Tabcorp's interest in BetMakers is built on its improved financial performance for the fiscal year 2025:
Revenue: 2.61 billion Australian dollars, up 11.8% year-on-year
Net profit: 36.6 million Australian dollars (net loss of 1.36 billion Australian dollars in fiscal 2024)
The new CEO, Giron McClaren, who took office over a year ago, has been pushing for cost control, capital discipline, and focused execution, describing the company as "healthier and leaner."
However, the recovery in performance does not obscure the regulatory shadows. Just this week, Tabcorp was fined 158,400 Australian dollars for illegally accepting in-play bets on tennis matches—this is the third violation of in-play betting rules since 2021. A long list of fines in recent years:
January 2026: Violated self-exclusion rules, named alongside multiple operators by ACMA
June 2025: Fined 4 million Australian dollars for sending over 5700 illegal VIP marketing messages
November 2024: Again fined 262,920 Australian dollars for in-play betting violations
Earlier: Issued a record fine of 4.6 million Australian dollars in Victoria
ACMA clearly warns: "The law is the law, operators cannot outsource responsibility to third parties."
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This article is from "PASA-Global iGaming Leaders," a gambling industry news channel: https://t.me/pasa_news
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