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TAB

  1. Official Name: TAB New Zealand (TAB NZ) – New Zealand’s statutory betting agency.

  1. Former Names: New Zealand Racing Board (NZRB, 2003–2019) and Racing Industry Transition Agency (RITA, 2019–2020).

  1. Founded/Established: August 2020 (as “TAB New Zealand”) under the Racing Industry Act 2020, replacing RITA/NZRB. The original off-course betting service (Totalisator Agency Board) dates to 1951.

  1. Legal Status: Statutory monopoly for racing and sports betting in New Zealand. It is a body corporate established by Parliament (not an ordinary company).

  1. Governing Legislation: Racing Industry Act 2020 (current enabling statute), which superseded the Racing Act 2003. Recent amendments in 2024 extended TAB NZ’s sole betting rights to online platforms.

  1. Headquarters: Wellington, New Zealand. (Head Office: Level 10, Asteron Centre, 55 Featherston Street, Wellington).

  1. Ownership and Structure: Publicly created entity with no private shareholders (“owned” by the racing industry via statute). Operates independently but under oversight of the Minister for Racing. The Government can seek information and has regulatory oversight powers over TAB NZ.

  1. Leadership: Chairperson – Bill Birnie CNZM (appointed 2024). Chief Executive Officer – Nick Roberts (appointed June 2023 following the Entain deal).

  1. Board of Directors: Six members total. Current directors (as of 2024) include Chair Bill Birnie CNZM, Wendie Harvey, Hon. David Bennett (former MP and Minister), Tim Gillespie, Bill Moran MNZM (former Treasury/Sport NZ official), and Kereyn Smith CNZM (former NZ Olympic Committee CEO). (Anna Stove served as interim Chair in 2023 during the Entain transition – now departed.)

  1. Executive Management: CEO Nick Roberts; GM Commercial & Finance Jason Fleming; GM Gaming Niall Miller; Head of Legal/Regulatory Heather Hay. (Former CEO Mike Tod – ex Air NZ and TVNZ executive – led TAB NZ 2022–May 2023, then resigned post-Entain partnership. Former Chair Mark Stewart MNZM (2021–2023) oversaw the Entain deal.)

  1. Mission/Purpose: To operate betting services and maximise profits for the long-term benefit of the racing industry and sporting stakeholders. By law, TAB NZ’s profits fund ~90% of New Zealand’s racing industry revenue and also provide distributions to national sports organizations. Its statutory mandate includes promoting racing and sports, and preventing gambling harm.

  1. Activities: TAB NZ runs New Zealand’s only betting platforms (online TAB website, mobile app, ~ TAB retail outlets, on-course betting, phone betting). It also operates two racing TV channels (Trackside 1 & 2). Since 2023, most betting operations are delegated to a private operator (Entain NZ) under contract (see below).

  1. Strategic Partnership: In June 2023, TAB NZ entered a 25-year outsourcing partnership with Entain (a UK/Australia gambling conglomerate). Entain now manages TAB’s betting and broadcasting operations as an exclusive delegate, while TAB NZ retains ownership of the license and regulatory oversight. The Government approved this deal as a “strategic partnering arrangement” aimed at transforming TAB NZ’s business.

  1. Entain Deal Terms: Entain paid an upfront NZ$150 million to TAB NZ and agreed to a 50/50 gross revenue split, with minimum guaranteed payments of $150 million per year for five years. Entain also committed an additional ~$100 million incentive if NZ bans unlicensed offshore betting (see lobbying). The partnership is projected to inject ~$900 million into NZ racing over 5 years. Entain must also invest in harm minimisation (e.g. facial recognition in venues) and guaranteed to retain all ~460 TAB staff for at least two years.

  1. Stakeholders & Affiliated Entities: Racing Codes – NZ Thoroughbred Racing, Harness Racing NZ, and Greyhound Racing NZ – are primary beneficiaries (TAB distributions fund prize money and operations). Sporting bodies – 38 National Sporting Organisations and Sport NZ – also receive a share of betting profits (e.g. $17–20 million annually). The NZ Government (Department of Internal Affairs and Ministry for Racing) oversees regulatory compliance and policy settings.

  1. Regulatory Oversight: The Minister for Racing appoints the TAB NZ Board and has enhanced oversight powers (can seek information, etc.). Gambling operations are subject to the Gambling Act (harm prevention regulations via DIA) in addition to racing legislation. In 2024, Racing Minister Winston Peters introduced legislative changes to “restore TAB NZ’s monopoly” online and strengthen ministerial oversight, explicitly to protect industry funding.

  1. Government Funding & Support: Received a NZ$72.5 million emergency rescue package in 2020 (during COVID-19) to prop up racing and the TAB’s finances. This included $50 m to the Racing Industry Transition Agency (to pay TAB NZ’s debts) and $20 m for new synthetic race tracks. Officials justified it by the industry’s economic footprint (15,000 jobs, $1.6 billion GDP), though it was controversial as a potential “bailout for a betting agency”. The TAB also benefited from tax concessions (reduced betting duty and avoided point-of-consumption levies) as part of racing reforms.

  1. Revenue & Financials: TAB NZ’s betting turnover and revenue are not publicly fully reported post-Entain, but key outputs are distributions to racing/sport. In FY2022/23 (pre-Entain) it distributed about $150 million to racing and $15.7 m to sports. With Entain, racing distributions are forecast to rise ~50% (to $225 m in 2023/24). TAB NZ’s own retained revenue is now largely a share of Entain’s takings. Notably, prior to the deal the TAB was struggling – it missed profit targets in 2022 and even cut racing payouts by 9% that year due to declining betting profits.

  1. Employees: ~460 employees (as of 2023) before outsourcing. Entain guaranteed no forced redundancies for two years in the deal. In 2020 the TAB already axed 230 jobs (30% of staff) amid a financial crisis. Post-Entain, TAB NZ’s remaining core staff is smaller, focused on oversight and liaison functions.

  1. Known Lobbyists/Consultants: No public register of lobbyists in NZ (No data). However, TAB NZ’s executives and board directly engage with ministers and officials. The organisation’s lobbying is largely conducted in-house by its leadership (e.g. CEO, Chair, Board) rather than through third-party lobbying firms, as evidenced by direct ministerial meetings and parliamentary submissions.

  1. Political Donations: None (Data Not Found) – As a statutory body, TAB NZ does not donate to political parties or candidates. (However, the racing industry’s private actors have made significant donations: e.g. racing magnates Sir Peter & Philip Vela donated $100,000 each to NZ First and Labour in 2008, sparking allegations of influence. Winston Peters, a longtime racing minister, faced scrutiny over undeclared donations from racing interests.)

  1. Government Links and Revolving Door: Strong interchange with government. The current board includes Hon. David Bennett, a former Minister for Racing (2017) and National MP. Past Chair Glenda Hughes was a former National Party adviser and Police media chief. The racing portfolio has often been held by politicians with close industry ties (notably Winston Peters, who championed racing subsidies while his party received racing donations). This raises perceptions of a “revolving door” between political and racing elites.

  1. Affiliations: TAB NZ is a member of World Tote Association and related international betting forums (Data to confirm – Not publicly listed). It closely aligns with the Racing Codes and has collaborative agreements with Sport New Zealand. TAB NZ also runs a charitable arm (through its Class 4 gaming license) now branded the “Bobby Foundation” to distribute gaming grants to community sports and racing clubs.

  1. Integrity & Accountability: TAB NZ maintains an Interests Register for directors/executives (to record any conflicts). It is subject to audits required by statute every 5 years for performance and efficiency. Despite this, critics say oversight is weak – there is no independent regulator dedicated to TAB NZ, and historically the Board was dominated by industry insiders. Transparency is improving slowly (e.g. publishing annual reports and statements of intent), but detailed lobbying interactions are opaque (no public minutes of lobbying meetings; relies on OIA requests or parliamentary questions).

  1. Controversies:

    • COVID-19 Bailout (2020): The NZ First-led government’s $72.5 m support package to TAB/RITA drew fire as preferential treatment for an industry linked to NZ First donors. Peters defended it as vital to prevent “insolvency” of racing.

    • Mass Layoffs (2020): TAB (RITA) cut 230 jobs to curb losses, ceasing radio racing broadcasts and closing outlets – prompting criticism about mismanagement prior to the pandemic.

    • Problem Gambling Concerns: Advocacy groups condemned the 2023 Entain deal, noting Entain’s “completely unacceptable” record of overseas regulatory breaches (e.g. £17 million fine in UK for anti-money-laundering and gambling-harm failures). The Problem Gambling Foundation warned NZ was handing control to a firm fined for targeting vulnerable gamblers. TAB NZ’s choice of partner was controversial, and the Foundation’s requests for delays were overridden by officials.

    • Greyhound Racing Welfare: TAB NZ’s ongoing funding of Greyhound racing has been contentious due to high dog injury and death rates. In 2021–2023, animal rights groups pushed to end greyhound racing. A 2023 official report declared the industry “no longer viable”, yet the decision on a ban was delayed amid industry lobbying. Critics allege TAB NZ and racing bodies exerted pressure to stall a ban, prioritising betting revenue over animal welfare. (In late 2024, the government finally announced a future ban under public pressure.)

    • “Integrity Washing”: TAB NZ has tried to burnish its image through funding “good causes” – e.g. launching the Bobby Foundation to highlight grants for grassroots sports, or touting new harm-minimisation technology. Some watchdogs call this integrity washing, when such PR obscures ongoing issues (like problem gambling and industry capture).

  1. Notable Lobbying Efforts:

    • Monopoly Extension (2022–24): TAB NZ heavily lobbied for legislation to block offshore gambling websites that compete with it. In negotiations, Entain/TAB offered an extra ~$100 m sweetener if the Government agreed to “restore TAB’s monopoly” online. Racing Minister Kieran McAnulty admitted Cabinet agreed in principle to this law change, with geoblocking of overseas betting sites on the table. By late 2024, legislation to enforce an online monopoly (“legislative net”) was introduced, explicitly tailored to benefit TAB/Entain. This has been described as a custom-made law for a lobby client, effectively trading policy for cash injection into racing.

    • Racing Reform (2018–2020): TAB NZ (then NZRB/RITA) and racing industry figures influenced the Racing Reform Act 2019 and Racing Industry Act 2020. They pushed for tax reductions and new revenue tools – e.g. a point of consumption fee on offshore bookmakers and charges for using NZ racing data. Many of these asks were adopted by the government in 2019. The Messara Report (commissioned by Winston Peters) had urged partnering the TAB with an international operator; NZRB initially resisted selling control to a foreign company (“Kiwi oligarchs” lobbied against it), but the idea resurfaced in 2023 when finances worsened.

    • Select Committee Submissions: TAB NZ and the Codes made submissions supporting the above legislative changes (e.g. arguing for TAB’s exclusivity and more flexible gambling regulations – specific submission records not publicly available, Data Not Found). In the Racing Industry Bill 2020 hearings, industry lobbyists emphasised the need for greater returns to racing and were largely heeded by MPs (the final Act enshrined TAB NZ’s monopoly and ability to outsource).

    • Tax & Funding Lobbying: The TAB has repeatedly lobbied Ministers of Finance and Racing to reduce betting duty and gambling levies. Notably, in 2017–18, racing lobbyists convinced the Government to repeal the betting levy – directing tens of millions annually back to racing clubs (this was achieved in 2019). In 2023, TAB NZ welcomed proposals to eliminate the “point of consumption” tax on overseas bets (citing it as unnecessary once a monopoly is in place).

  1. Political Influence and Networks: TAB NZ and the racing industry wield outsized political influence relative to their size. Winston Peters (NZ First leader) has been a patron of racing; during 2017–2020 he poured public funds into the industry. This patronage raised conflict-of-interest concerns due to past undeclared donations from racing businessmen to Peters’ party. Another example is former Racing Minister David Bennett now sitting on the TAB NZ Board, reflecting close ties across party lines. The organisation maintains active contact with cross-party MPs from regions where racing is big (Waikato, Canterbury, etc.), often leveraging rural electorates’ support. Select committee reviews of racing often see bipartisan sympathy to TAB NZ’s position, suggesting a degree of regulatory capture – policymakers internalise the industry’s priorities.

  1. Transparency and Disclosure: TAB NZ publishes annual reports (financial statements) and statements of intent on its website, but detailed information on its lobbying and political activities is scarce in the public domain. There is no mandatory lobbying register in NZ, and TAB NZ’s communications with ministers typically only surface via Official Information Act requests or sporadic parliamentary questions. For instance, ministerial diaries for 2023 (voluntarily released) showed meetings with TAB officials around the Entain deal (exact details redacted – indicative, Data Not Found). The Integrity Institute’s unofficial Lobbying Register (in which this report is included) is one of the first comprehensive attempts to document TAB NZ’s political influence practices.

  1. International Linkages: Entain’s takeover links TAB NZ to global gambling interests. Entain NZ is a subsidiary of Entain plc (owner of Ladbrokes, etc.), meaning a British-Australian corporation now influences New Zealand’s betting landscape. This raises new regulatory considerations: NZ authorities must monitor a foreign operator’s compliance. TAB NZ’s situation is unusual internationally – most countries do not grant a single private company a national betting monopoly by law. The closest parallel is TAB Corp in Australia (formerly state TAB monopolies, since privatised). Like TAB NZ, Tabcorp and its rivals heavily lobby Aussie governments for favourable rules (e.g. tax breaks, online restrictions). In the UK, by contrast, the betting market is open, but the industry lobby (e.g. the Betting and Gaming Council) exerts influence to fend off stricter regulation. TAB NZ’s new partnership model will be watched by overseas regulators as a test case in blending a statutory mandate with commercial operators.

Sources

  1. Racing Act changes to boost racing industry sustainability, Beehive.govt.nz, https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/racing-act-changes-boost-racing-industry-sustainability

  2. TAB New Zealand (TAB NZ) – Wikipedia Article, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TAB_New_Zealand

  3. New TAB Board appointments announced, Beehive.govt.nz, https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/new-tab-board-appointments-announced

  4. About TAB NZ – Our Story/Board, TAB New Zealand (official site), https://www.tabnz.org/about-us

  5. Integrity Briefing: Banking lobbyists 1, Justice 0, Point of Order (Bryce Edwards), https://pointofordernz.wordpress.com/2025/04/15/integrity-briefing-banking-lobbyists-1-justice-0/

  6. TAB NZ appoints Mike Tod as Chief Executive Officer, Seqel Partners News, https://seqelpartners.com/news/tab-nz-appoints-mike-tod-as-chief-executive-officer

  7. The NZ Lobbying and Influence Register (Launch Article), Good Oil (Bryce Edwards), https://goodoil.news/the-nz-lobbying-and-influence-register/

  8. Mike Tod to step down as TAB NZ CEO following generational deal, TAB NZ News, https://www.tabnz.org/news/mike-tod-to-step-down-as-tab-nz-ceo-following-generational-deal

  9. Britain’s Entain gets green light to take over TAB’s betting operations, Stuff (Pullar-Strecker & Sommerville), via Inspire Racing, https://www.inspireracing.co.nz/ (archived Stuff content)

  10. A British gambling giant just took over the TAB. Here’s why that’s bad news, The Spinoff (T. Leisman), https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/26-05-2023/a-british-gambling-giant-just-took-over-the-tab-heres-why-thats-bad-news

  11. Racing and sport win big with TAB NZ strategic partnering arrangement, TAB NZ (News), https://www.tabnz.org/news/racing-and-sport-win-big-with-tab-nz-strategic-partnering-arrangement

  12. Annual Report – TAB NZ (2022), TAB NZ (static), https://static.tab.co.nz (financial statements excerpt)

  13. Entain Cuts TAB New Zealand Worth by $422 Million, iGaming Post, https://gaming-awards.com/NEWS/entain-cuts-tab-new-zealand-worth-by-422-million/

  14. Government reveals $72.5m racing industry Budget package, RNZ News, https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/416417/government-reveals-72-point-5m-racing-industry-budget-package

  15. TAB confirms 230 job losses, RNZ News, https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/business/417551/tab-confirms-230-job-losses

  16. New Chair for TAB New Zealand following commencement of strategic partnership, TAB NZ News, https://www.tabnz.org/news/new-chair-for-tab-new-zealand-following-commencement-of-strategic-partnership

  17. TAB NZ launches Bobby Foundation, TAB NZ News, https://www.tabnz.org/news/tab-nz-launches-bobby-foundation

  18. Greyhound Racing in New Zealand – “no longer viable” article, Stuff (via GREY2K USA), https://www.grey2kusa.org/about/worldwide/newzealand.php (Footnote 10)

  19. Vela cash goes to Labour, NZ First, NZ Herald (C. Trevett), https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/vela-cash-goes-to-labour-nz-first/OLZ4ISYDDGUSAT3CBKMQW5RXYI/

  20. Peters: Donations didn’t influence racing policy, Otago Daily Times, https://www.odt.co.nz/news/politics/peters-donations-didnt-influence-racing-policy

  21. NZ Racing’s future entirely dependent on partnering TAB NZ, Harnesslink (The Optimist), https://harnesslink.com/new-zealand/nz-racings-future-entirely-dependent-on-partnering-tab-nz/

  22. Question No. 8—Racing (Hansard Oral Questions 22 Aug 2023), NZ Parliament Hansard, https://www.parliament.nz/en/pb/hansard-debates/rhr/document/HansS_20230822_071580000/8-question-no-8—racing

  23. UK gambling lobby group accused of inaccurate statements on regulation, The Guardian, https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/jul/10/uk-gambling-lobby-group-betting-and-gaming-council-accused-of-inaccurate-statements-on-regulation

  24. Lobbying & Influence Register – Democracy Project Substack, Bryce Edwards, (Referenced) democracyproject.substack.com (April 2025 Draft Entries).

Spot anything in this entry that is wrong? Please either leave a comment at the end or email, in confidence: bryce@democracyproject.nz

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