Entain Edition – July 2025

Tomorrow marks the end of the 2024-25 New Zealand racing season — the second full racing season of Entain Australia and New Zealand delivering racing and sports wagering to New Zealand.

The last two years and two months have brought many changes and improvements to every aspect of the betting experience for Kiwis, and now — with the ‘legislative net’ betting law changes passed late last month — the building blocks are very much in place for all parties involved in the strategic partnership to thrive. We will continue to evolve and innovate to capitalise on the opportunities that our own improvements and the legislative changes afford us.

Tomorrow also marks the first full month for Entain Australia and New Zealand’s Interim CEO Andrew Vouris. Andrew has already visited New Zealand, meeting members of our team, as well as several stakeholders, and you can learn more about him below.

In the remainder of this month’s Entain Edition, we review the Industry Excellence Awards, provide a glimpse into the last 12 to 18 months of transformation for Trackside, reflect on the changing preferences of race betting, update the TAB Racing Club ahead of a big spring, and meet Nick Conway, General Manager – Trading.

You’re very welcome to share or forward this newsletter to anyone in the industry who you think might like to read this. They can sign up to receive the Entain Edition directly by contacting Filly with special purpose joins TAB Racing Club
There’s a new addition to the TAB Racing Club, but this filly is a little different. Catwalk Queen has been donated to the CatWalk Spinal Cord Injury Trust by Nick and Nicky White, of Kaha Nui Farm. The Per Incanto filly will be raced by The CatWalk Collective syndicate formed by Entain and 25 loyal CatWalk supporters, with a portion of all of the filly’s winnings to be donated to CatWalk to progress their research. Learn more at LinkedIn.

Several other TRC runners are starting to appear with spring racing just around the corner. In Haste looks likely to be the first TRC 3-year-old to be seen at the races after a solid 2nd at the Avondale trials last week. She’ll head to the Taupo trials next week, before kicking off her campaign at Taupo on 17 August with a medium-term target of the Gold Trail Stakes at Ellerslie on 6 September. Three other TRC 3-year-olds — Adoration, Dorothea and Celtic Tycoon — are also being set for next week’s Te Rapa trials.

Moving to the TRC standardbreds, No More Dreaming had his first trial earlier this month, finishing 3rd, as the sales topper from the 2024 NZB Standardbred sales in Christchurch takes his steps towards a race debut.
In Haste, with strapper Nicole Weatherley, ahead of her trial at Avondale last week.

News in brief:Entain has been proud to support the Pearl Series since our strategic partnership began in 2023. If you have a filly born in 2023, now is the time to make sure you register her for the Entain/NZB Insurance Pearl Series Bonus scheme to be eligible for bonuses throughout their career. Visit pearlseries.nzthoroughbred.co.nz before entries close tomorrow.Follow Entain Australia and New Zealand on LinkedIn to keep up to date with the latest updates in and around our organisation.