‘It’s beyond a farce now’: Has Gillon McLachlan changed horses on preferred new gig?

Rumours are rife ex AFL boss Gillon McLachlan has emerged as the favourite to run gambling giant Tabcorp, meaning he couldn’t take on the Racing Victoria chair job he was expected to move to. But is it all “bullsh*t”, as Gill claims?

Has former AFL supremo Gillon McLachlan ghosted Racing Victoria in favour of a multimillion-dollar payday with a gambling giant?

McLachlan had been reported as a done deal to take on the vacant role as chair of the dysfunctional Racing Victoria, which controls the state’s billion dollar industry.

But last week, Racing Minister Anthony Carbines was told McLachlan had gone cold.

The keen punter and racehorse owner has now become short-priced favourite to run Tabcorp, which would rule him out of the RV chair role because it would create a conflict of interest.

The move would be a hammer blow to Racing Victoria after more than six months of talks with McLachlan about taking over the top job.

His name is now on the tip of everyone’s tongue to replace Tabcorp chief executive Adam Rytenskild.

Gillon McLachlan with Wylie Dalziel at Warrnambool Racecourse on May 1, 2024. Picture: Getty

The Tabcorp CEO quit in March after it was revealed he allegedly made a sexually charged remark about a female government official.

That job comes with a $2m pay packet as the wagering company tries to recover from the disastrous reign of Rytenskild.

But many in the racing industry are still hedging their bets. One keen observer said McLachlan “wouldn’t get out of bed for $2m.”

The former AFL head honcho has been tight-lipped surrounding the role after his 10-year footy stretch ended last year.

McLachlan is calling “bullshit”, vehemently denying he has even spoken to Tabcorp, sources say.

But the rumours keep persisting.

Tabcorp has been struggling for market share against online gambling companies such as Sportsbet.

A so-called global search to replace Rytenskild by high-priced headhunters Maritana Partners was said to be going about as well as Tabcorp’s share price.

Former Sportsbet CEO Cormac Barry, who has an Australian wife, is looking for a venture Down Under, oops bad turn of phrase given the Rytenskild hullabaloo, with his name also in the mix for the top job.

McLachlan has reportedly called bullsh*t on the Tabcorp job rumours. Picture: Brendan Beckett

To say there is frustration at the lack of action over the Racing Victoria chairmanship is putting it mildly.

Carbines would be unable to give McLachlan the RV role if he took up the Tabcorp CEO job.

But a decision must be made in the next two weeks before a board meeting in late June.

The decks have been cleared in anticipation of McLachlan’s arrival, with the departure of chief executive Andrew Jones from his $800,000 a year job in April.

Ben Armafio, another of RV’s top brass and former North Melbourne CEO, walked this month.

The moves were seen as allowing McLachlan to hand pick his own executive team.

Sources claim that Carbines was willing to give McLachlan more time to decide because he was an ideal candidate to take on brash Sydneysider Peter V’landys, who runs Racing New South Wales, rugby league and pretty much everything else in the harbour city.

Sport administrators Gillon McLachlan (left) and Peter V’landys (right).

Insiders say McLachlan should stop stringing things along and simply make a decision.

“It’s beyond a farce now, ”said one racing insider, adding the delay has “moved the goalpost” several times.

The wagering giant is facing accusations of a “toxic masculinity culture” as Tabcorp starts an investigation into allegations surrounding workplace language only months after Rytenskild’s abrupt exit.

Just this week Tabcorp confirmed it is investigating an anonymous complaint against general manager of corporate affairs Daniel Meers.

When asked when McLachlan would be announced as Tabcorp CEO, Meers said on Friday: “Tabcorp is running a thorough and exhaustive process, interviewing a number of high quality candidates.”

Elsewhere, the cost of living crisis has also stripped up to 20 per cent from turnover from betting companies, according to sources with knowledge of accounts.

The lower turnover will directly affect how much money Racing Victoria has to play with to attract a new chairman.

Discussions about McLachlan’s career have almost become like John Farnham’s farewell tour.

McLachlan announced his departure from the AFL’s Docklands headquarters in 2022, famously dancing with Delta Goodrem at the grand final that year.

He hung around for another season while a $1m global search for his replacement was conducted.

But the job went to Andrew Dillon, who was in the office next door.

McLachlan was long touted as taking up a role at Crown Resorts before the Racing Victoria job was mooted.

The man who was sometimes caught watching the races on his phone during meetings at the AFL, now seems to be backing another horse.