Entain NZ leaders resign, vow to stay in racing industry

Cameron Rodger, managing director of Entain NZ, and Lachlan Fitt, the deputy chief executive and chief financial officer.

Two of the biggest names in the New Zealand racing and wagering industry have resigned from their roles at Entain, the company which runs the TAB — but insist they are staying in the industry.

Lachlan Fitt, the deputy chief executive and chief financial officer at Entain Australia, and Cameron Rodger, managing director of Entain NZ, told staff today they will be leaving the company.

The pair have been two of the main drivers of enormous change since Entain took over the operational running of the New Zealand TAB on June 1, 2023 as part of a 25-year agreement between the two companies.

While Fitt is Australian-based he has spent a lot of time in New Zealand working with the codes on boosting New Zealand racing through stake increases and developing the racing calendar and has been one of the clear leaders in the time of huge growth.

Rodger is a rare fairytale story in the competitive world of gambling, rising from selling bets as a TAB operator in Auckland to the top New Zealand job at the company as Entain and TAB integrated.

New Zealand racing has enjoyed enormous growth since Entain took over the TAB business and both Fitt and Rodger are viewed as having had major roles in that development.

Entain Australia boss Dean Shannon confirmed the departures to the Herald and says while disappointed to see Fitt and Rodger go he supports their desire to work more in the racing and breeding side of the racing business.

Fitt says the time was right for him to explore that passion.

“After a decade as an international wagering executive, now is the right time to move on to my next chapter,” he told the Herald.

“While I am resigning from Entain, I am not resigning from New Zealand.

“Racing in New Zealand still has a tremendous amount of opportunity and it is critical that the industry focus on improving its efficiency in order to achieve sustainable long-term funding.

“I hope to shortly announce what I will do next, there are a number of opportunities that combine my passion for racing and bloodstock and the global opportunities both present.”

Both Fitt and Rodger have developed close ties inside the thoroughbred industry and in particular its breeding sector.

Rodger says after almost two years helping oversee the integration of the two companies and the modernisation of the TAB, he wants to move more toward the horse side of the business.

“After more than a decade in the wagering industry and two incredible years leading Entain NZ, the time feels right to turn the page and take on a new challenge,” says Rodger.

“The progress made in modernising the New Zealand wagering landscape has been extraordinary and I leave knowing the business is in great shape.

“While my time in wagering is coming to an end by commitment to NZ racing remains.

“There are still big challenges ahead in the industry and I want to play a role in ensuring it thrives for the long term.”

Entain, and the TAB, have become key sponsors of New Zealand races and supported bonus schemes to drive participation in ownership of racehorses.

Shannon says Entain and the TAB’s commitment to and involvement in the racing industry will not be affected by today’s resignations.

Deputy chief financial officer Sam Moncur will be promoted to take over Rodger’s role as managing director of Entain NZ in a popular appointment with Moncur respected in both the wagering and horse racing industries.

Michael Guerin wrote his first nationally published racing articles while still in school and started writing about horse racing and the gambling industry for the Herald as a 20-year-old in 1990. He became the Herald’s Racing Editor in 1995 and covers the world’s biggest horse racing carnivals.