Queensland Hotel Group takes on Tabcorp over pub TAB contract overhaul
A dispute between a prominent Queensland hotelier and wagering giant Tabcorp is threatening to unravel one of Australian pub culture's most enduring traditions — the beer and a bet.
Rob Comiskey, who heads the Comiskey Group across six South East Queensland hotels with a seventh under development on the Sunshine Coast, has gone public with his opposition to Tabcorp's revamped retail contract model, which he says will cost his group alone around $200,000 annually.
The tension follows Tabcorp chief executive Gillon McLachlan's announcement last year of a $50 million investment to modernise the company's 3,700-strong retail venue network — a plan framed around transforming ageing pub TAB setups into contemporary entertainment destinations.
Comiskey argues the cost of that transformation is being unfairly pushed onto venue operators, who under the proposed five-year contracts must now fund the installation of new betting terminals — previously a Tabcorp expense — while simultaneously absorbing reduced commission rates.
Comiskey told the Courier-Mail the arrangement was fundamentally inequitable.
"It's absolutely disgusting what they're trying to do. Tabcorp's registered profit is up 20 per cent over the last three years and we're having to pay for their new (TAB) terminals, have dedicated staff to operate them and take all the risk and liability. The terminals cost between $6000 and $21,000 each, we have to pay for them and yet we don't even own them. The lack of consultation over this stinks. It's un-Australian, quite frankly."
The Comiskey Group has already begun acting on the threat, with the Cooroy Hotel in the Sunshine Coast hinterland removing its TAB entirely on viability grounds. Comiskey suggested even pool tables would generate a stronger return than the revised TAB terms, and indicated further removals were possible across the group.
He also took aim at Tabcorp's competitive position in the broader wagering market, arguing the company had lost ground to app-based rivals Sportsbet and Ladbrokes and was now seeking to offset those shortfalls through venue operators. Comiskey called for the retail betting space to be opened up to competitors, breaking what he described as the TAB's monopoly on in-venue wagering.
Tabcorp pushed back on the characterisation, telling the Courier-Mail that only two per cent of its 3,700 venues nationally had declined to sign the new agreements. A company spokesman defended the overhaul as a net positive for the hospitality sector:
"This is the biggest upgrade to our retail network in the company's history because we want more people going to pubs and clubs. We are injecting unprecedented levels of new initiatives into our retail network as we aim to revitalise our retail offering with a true omnichannel experience. This will bring more punters to pubs and clubs, new offers and products that are only available in our retail network."
On the question of industry consultation, the spokesman maintained the company had engaged transparently with all relevant bodies:
"The simpler commercial model builds towards the long-term sustainability of the retail network and allows us to invest more. This investment will make pubs and clubs busier and is at the heart of our business."
Jonathan Jackson, 27th May 2026
