Tabcorp's TAB Live devices clear Victorian regulator hurdle
Tabcorp has secured regulatory approval to roll out its TAB Live tap-and-bet devices from the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission — one of Australia's toughest gambling oversight bodies.
The puck-shaped devices, standing around 30cm tall, allow patrons to tap their smartphones and place wagers during live sport and racing. This has previously been restricted to self-service terminals, face-to-face TAB operators, or call centre interactions. The approval clears the way for installations across the 650 pubs and clubs Tabcorp services in the two states.
For venue operators, the news represents a meaningful boost to the in-venue experience ahead of what promises to be a bumper mid-year trading period. Tabcorp CEO Gillon McLachlan briefed pub and club partners last week, flagging a staged rollout over the coming weeks with an eye firmly on the FIFA World Cup in June.
"We are putting retail at the heart of everything we do strategically, the numbers are changing and showing that," he told venue partners on the call.
The development is a significant vindication of McLachlan's retail-first strategy, announced last May, which repositioned Tabcorp's sprawling network of 3,700 pub and club partners — spanning Victoria, NSW, South Australia, Queensland and the Northern Territory — from a legacy cost centre into a frontline competitive asset.
The new commercial model shifts venues onto a commission structure tied to weekly turnover, replacing flat terminal fees, and has been accompanied by a suite of in-venue activations including TAB Time and TAB Takeover promotions.
To sweeten adoption, Tabcorp is offering venue partners a range of incentives including event tickets, merchandise, and hospitality experiences at local sporting fixtures — including State of Origin and, for some, games in the United States. The company is targeting 75 per cent uptake of the new model by 1 July.
Not all operators are on board. Smaller pub owners and hoteliers have raised concerns they may be worse off under the revised arrangements, with some escalating grievances to Racing NSW chief executive Peter V'landys. Racing NSW holds a distribution agreement with Tabcorp and retains the right to intervene should any strategy be deemed to threaten its revenue stream.
The broader market context underscores what's at stake. In-play betting currently accounts for just 4 per cent of Tabcorp's total turnover — compared to 54 per cent in the United States. Closing that gap through the pub and club network could significantly strengthen Tabcorp's position against online rivals including Sportsbet (owned by NYSE-listed Flutter Entertainment) and Entain, both of which had reportedly expected the TAB Live devices to be ruled unlawful.
The Australian Communications and Media Authority had already weighed in on the matter in February, finding the service compliant with existing legislation and noting it offered stronger consumer protections than incumbent terminal options.
Tabcorp's share price has reflected growing investor confidence in the turnaround story, closing at $1.00 last Friday — an 89 per cent increase on the same point the prior year.
Jonathan Jackson, 21st April 2026
