THE LEGAL HURDLES TO THE TABCORP-TATTS MERGER SO FAR
NOVEMBER 2016
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) started to review the proposed Tabcorp-Tatts merger in November 2016 after Tabcorp sought informal merger clearance.
MARCH 2017
After the ACCC published a statement of issues in March 2017, Tabcorp withdrew its application for informal clearance from the ACCC and sought authorisation from the ACT.
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JUNE
The ACT approved the merger .
JULY
The ACCC subsequently applied to the Federal Court for judicial review of the ACT decision. CrownBet also applied for judicial review.
SEPTEMBER
The Full Court of the Federal Court upheld the ACCC's application for judicial review, setting aside the ACT's original decision to approve the merger and sent the matter back to the ACT for reconsideration. The Federal Court dismissed CrownBet's application.
Because uncertainty existed over the ACT's jurisdiction to reconsider Tabcorp's original application for merger approval, Tabcorp also lodged a fresh application, which the ACT considered at the same time as the reconsideration of the original application.
NOVEMBER
The ACT greenlit the merger a second time but, because there was a fresh application, the matter could go back to the Full Court of the Federal Court should the ACCC and CrownBet decide to appeal the latest decision.
