Australian racing and wagering giant Tabcorp has announced the appointment of current Executive Director Wagering at Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) Michael Fitzsimons as its new Chief Wagering Officer.
Fitzsimons, who is expected to begin in the role within the first half of the year pending regulatory approvals, will oversee all core wagering functions including digital, retail, tote, trading, product and marketing, the company explained.
Bringing more than 20 years of global sports betting experience across the EU, US and Asia to Tabcorp, Fitzsimons currently leads strategy, trading, marketing, data and product development for fixed odds, parimutuel and lottery products at the HKJC. He also oversees one of the world’s largest totes, including the World Pool platform, along with Risk Management of China Sports Lottery’s 120,000 betting branches.
He previously served as Director of International Trading and Operations at The Stars Group where he successfully launched the PokerStars Sportsbook and relaunched SkyBet in Germany and Italy. Fitzsimons is on the executive of the World Tote Association (WoTA), Tabcorp added.
“Michael Fitzsimons is one of the world’s most sought-after wagering executives and brings extensive global sports betting experience to Tabcorp,” said the company’s Managing Director and CEO-elect, Gillon McLachlan.
“He has a deep knowledge of international sports betting, trading and tote. Michael is a rare find – he knows digital and retail wagering and is one of the few people in the world who can connect both to grow a wagering product.
“The creation of a Chief Wagering Officer is a significant uplift in wagering capability within our executive team. The simpler vertical structure brings all levers that grow wagering together under one executive to ensure first class execution.”
The appointment of Fitzsimons fills one of Tabcorp’s newly created roles as part of an Executive Leadership Team restructure announced in late December. The company has also created a Chief Commercial and Media Officer role to deliver stronger commercial outcomes and maximize the value of its assets across domestic and international media.
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