Under the deal, announced over the weekend, Tabcorp will pay A$0.24 per BetMakers share, giving the business an enterprise value of approximately A$267m. This represents premiums of 41%, 42% and 37% to BetMakers’ one-, three- and six-month volume-weighted average share prices, respectively.
Confirmation of the deal comes after BetMakers in February rejected media reports that it was close to an acquisition by Tabcorp. The company confirmed talks had taken place but denied that a deal was imminent and said the discussion had ended.
Tabcorp CEO Gillon McLachlan and BetMakers chair Matt Davey were identified as the primary figures involved in the initial talks.
Tabcorp eyes tech overhaul and international growth
According to Tabcorp, the acquisition will accelerate the modernisation of its wagering technology stack. The deal will enable Tabcorp to adopt BetMakers’ product suite and replace existing technology platforms, with the operator expecting this to help improve speed and efficiency.
Tabcorp also said the deal will expand its wider, international B2B capabilities. It will combine BetMakers’ wagering infrastructure, data, analytics and tote technology with its own existing rights, content and customer relationships. This, Tabcorp said, will provide greater scale and diversification across its international business.
Australia-based BetMakers provides B2B wagering infrastructure, data and analytics, racing content and pari-mutuel technology to operators across regulated markets. These include Asia, Europe, the UK and the Americas, as well as in Australia. Its business is split between ‘Global Betting Services’ and ‘Global Tote’.
Subject to regulatory and shareholder approvals, the acquisition is expected to close in Q3 of Tabcorp’s 2027 financial year. This means BetMakers could become a part Tabcorp in the opening months of the 2027 calendar year.
Tabcorp is targeting around A$30m in run-rate cost synergies by the end of the second year following completion. This, it said, would be driven by both operational efficiencies and technology savings.
Tabcorp CEO: acquisition will ‘accelerate our strategy’
Commenting on the deal, Gillon McLachlan, managing director and CEO of Tabcorp, said the acquisition will support the company’s ongoing “strategic transformation”. He added that it provides an “excellent opportunity” to accelerate its ambitions.
“The acquisition of BetMakers will accelerate our strategy across multiple areas,” he said. “BetMakers has undergone a significant transformation over the past two years and built impressive wagering technology and a talented team.
“Accessing those advantages will uplift our own tech capability and fast track our product ambitions, particularly for our unique media and tote offering. Combining BetMakers’ business with our rights, content and customer relationships creates a differentiated offering that will unlock growth and deliver attractive financial returns.”
BetMakers CEO Jake Henson was equally optimistic about the acquisition. He said together, Tabcorp and BetMakers would build a “market-leading global wagering and media business”.
“Bringing together Tabcorp’s rights, content and relationships with BetMakers’ platforms, data and B2B wagering services will create a more complete and compelling global offering for our customers, and an exciting future for our people,” he said.
BetMakers ends FY26 on a high
The deal follows a strong final quarter of FY26 for BetMakers. Last month, the company posted A$24.2m in Q4 revenue, up 9.4% year-on-year, while adjusted EBITDA rose 89.3% to A$4.5m.
Gross margin reached 68.5%, with BetMakers highlighting new and expanded partnerships with operators including Stake, CrownBet, ATG, BetConstruct, Evoke and UK Racing.
The quarter also saw the full integration of BetMakers’ technology with Stake, following a deal signed in December 2025. The three-year agreement gives Stake access to BetMakers’ fixed-odds pricing, tote and trading capabilities, as well as racing content, data, streaming and Racelab products.
Dingnews.com 11/08/2026