Tabcorp Holdings will undertake an end-to-end review of its advertising and marketing accounts in 2026, as the ASX-listed wagering group reassesses all of its existing agency partnerships.
As reported by AdNews, the operator has issued a formal Request for Proposal (RFP) calling on Australian agencies to pitch for its media spend, sponsorship strategy and creative services mandates.
The review is understood to form part of a ‘standard cycle’, for Tabcorp to examine the efficiency of advertising spend which was reported as AU$125m (£64.9m) on FY2024/25 accounts.
Incumbent media agency OMD Australia has handled Tabcorp’s media planning and buying for more than two decades. The account was last reviewed in 2017, when it retained the high-spend account.
On the creative side, Tabcorp has rotated partners in recent years. In 2023, Accenture Song and Ogilvy secured creative duties, replacing M&C Saatchi.
More recently, Bastion has led brand work for TAB, as lead creative for its ‘Shout’ campaign, celebrating the in-venue sport and racing experience.
New leadership, new marketing
The agency review also lands against the backdrop of a broader ‘corporate reset’ led by CEO Gillon McLachlan.
McLachlan was headhunted by Tabcorp in late 2024 to take the reins following the high-profile exit of former CEO Adam Rytenskild, who departed amid allegations of serious inappropriate workplace behaviour.
Year one of McLachlan’s leadership has been framed internally as a financial inflection point. Tabcorp returned to operating profitability of approximately AU$50m, a performance described by leadership as a “turnaround moment” after two consecutive years of statutory losses exceeding AU$1bn.
Since his appointment, McLachlan has reshaped the senior executive team to impose tighter cost discipline. The review of advertising accounts comes at a strategic juncture for Tabcorp as it continues to bed down in pure-play wagering and media business following the 2022 demerger of its lotteries arm into The Lottery Corporation.
As CEO, McLachlan has pledged to return Tabcorp to its former status of being Australia’s ‘highest valued gambling business’.
Strategically, the turnaround has centred on three core projects: modernising the exclusive Victorian TAB wagering licence; relaunching the Sky Racing and media platform; and rebuilding Tabcorp’s digital wagering proposition to better compete with international rivals such as Flutter Entertainment’s Sportsbet and Entain’s Australian brands Ladbrokes and Neds.
For industry observers, the marketing review forms part of this wider revitalisation agenda aligning agency partnerships with a sharpened commercial focus wanted by CEO McLachlan and his new leadership team.