Andrew Vouris: Chief Executive Officer, Australia & New Zealand, Entain

Andrew Vouris is Chief Executive Officer of Entain Australia & New Zealand, the wagering group behind Ladbrokes and Neds. He took the job on an interim basis on 30 June 2025. He was confirmed as permanent CEO on 26 August 2025, after a global search. He replaced Dean Shannon, who stepped down after almost six years in the role. Vouris inherited a business mid-way through an AUSTRAC anti-money-laundering court case. He also inherited a landmark expansion into New Zealand’s betting market. Few new CEOs in Australian wagering have taken the chair with quite so much regulatory weight already on the table.

Andrew Vouris’s Career Timeline at Entain

Vouris built his career inside Australian wagering before esports pulled him overseas and Entain brought him back.

• 2007-2017 – Nearly ten years at Tabcorp. He rose through General Manager roles in Luxbet, fixed odds and wagering. He then became Deputy Chief Operating Officer of the group’s Wagering & Media division. He helped grow Tabcorp’s wagering business to roughly $13 billion. He also worked on remediating Tabcorp’s operations after its own AUSTRAC proceedings.
• February 2018 – Left Tabcorp to become Chief Operating Officer of Unikrn, a Seattle-based esports wagering platform. He led its push into European regulated markets from offices in Seattle, Las Vegas, Sydney and Berlin.
• August 2021 – Entain acquired Unikrn. Vouris moved into a newly created role as Chief Operating Officer of Entain Esports. He helped integrate the business into the wider group.
• March 2024 – Left Entain to co-found 3 Kings Capital, an entrepreneurial venture that lasted only a few months.
• 30 June 2025 – Entain called him back as Interim CEO of Entain Australia & New Zealand. This came immediately after Dean Shannon’s departure.
• 26 August 2025 – Confirmed as permanent CEO of Entain ANZ, following a global talent search. Group CEO Stella David said his interim leadership had shown his commitment to a “sustainable, compliance-led and customer-focused culture.”

Vouris holds a Bachelor of Commerce from Charles Sturt University. He also completed an Executive MBA program at AGSM at UNSW Business School. That mix of an accounting background and postgraduate business training shows in his career. He has spent most of it in operations and compliance roles, rather than marketing or trading.

Why Andrew Vouris’s Appointment Matters

Entain didn’t just need a new CEO. It needed someone who could rebuild trust with regulators in two countries at once. So it picked an internal candidate who had already lived through this exact kind of crisis at his previous employer.

• Vouris’s Tabcorp background included direct engagement with the Northern Territory Racing and Wagering Commission. He also did hands-on remediation work after Tabcorp’s own AUSTRAC proceedings. That gave him a template for the job now facing Entain.
• His appointment closed out a leadership change. Entain framed it as coinciding with two milestones: its AML/CTF Uplift Programme and New Zealand’s new “legislative net” regime.
• He was chosen over external candidates despite a global search. Entain’s board framed this as confidence in continuity, rather than a need for outside disruption.

Vouris has set “win, but not at all costs” as his stated cultural priority. He has said the phrase sits above his office door. He has also called for closer scrutiny of Australian banks over transactions linked to illegal offshore betting sites. That positions compliance as a competitive tool against the black market, not just a cost of doing business. Watch for how far he can push that message while Entain’s own compliance history is still being tested in court.

Andrew Vouris’s Role in the TAB NZ Partnership

New Zealand is now central to Entain ANZ’s growth story. Vouris runs the day-to-day relationship that makes it possible.

Entain struck a 25-year strategic partnership with TAB NZ in June 2023. It took on management of TAB NZ’s wagering and Trackside media businesses. In exchange, it committed to heavy upfront funding and revenue share. New Zealand’s government then passed a “legislative net” amendment to the Racing Industry Act. It took effect on 28 June 2025, giving TAB NZ an exclusive monopoly over online sports and racing betting. Offshore operators were forced out of the market as a result. That trigger point released a further NZ$100 million payment from Entain to TAB NZ. It came on top of the NZ$160 million paid upfront in 2023.

Vouris has since said Entain expects to maintain an annual contribution of around NZ$200 million to New Zealand racing. That would extend beyond the deal’s initial five-year guarantee period, which runs to 2028. He has publicly ruled out Entain walking away from the 25-year commitment, so long as wagering volumes keep growing.

Regulatory Context Facing Andrew Vouris

The AUSTRAC case is the defining challenge of Vouris’s tenure. It will not be resolved before his second year in the job ends.

• December 2024 – AUSTRAC launched Federal Court civil penalty proceedings against Entain Group. It alleged systemic breaches of the AML/CTF Act 2006 across Ladbrokes, Neds and Bookmaker.com.au, spanning December 2018 to August 2024.
• October 2025 – Entain filed its defence. It acknowledged that its old AML/CTF program “missed the mark” and had certain deficiencies. The company still disputed several of AUSTRAC’s specific allegations. It said it had already closed the 17 customer accounts at issue, some dating back to 2020.
• 30 November 2026 – The Federal Court has set aside two weeks from this date, before Justice Cameron Moore. The hearing would be the first real test of the AML/CTF Act against an online betting provider.
• Throughout 2025-2026 – The two parties have pursued confidential mediation alongside the court timetable. Neither side appears to have walked away from settlement talks, as of the most recent update.

Entain’s UK parent set aside a $100 million provision against possible penalties. That figure was based on prior AUSTRAC settlements in the gambling sector, which ranged from $45 million to $450 million. The company has stressed this is an accounting estimate, not a prediction of the outcome. Vouris has publicly framed the years since 2024 as a “fundamental transformation” of Entain’s compliance program. That includes a tenfold increase in AML/CTF staffing, closure of cash payment channels, and new leadership oversight. Whether the Federal Court agrees with that framing will shape his standing, and Entain’s, in Australia well beyond November 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions About Andrew Vouris

Who is Andrew Vouris, CEO of Entain Australia & New Zealand?

Andrew Vouris is the Chief Executive Officer of Entain Australia & New Zealand. He was appointed permanently in August 2025, after serving as interim CEO from June that year. He oversees Ladbrokes, Neds and Entain’s TAB NZ partnership. Vouris brings almost two decades of wagering and compliance experience from Tabcorp, Unikrn and Entain Esports.

How did Andrew Vouris become CEO of Entain ANZ?

Vouris stepped in as Interim CEO on 30 June 2025, when Dean Shannon departed after nearly six years. Entain then ran a global talent search for a permanent replacement. On 26 August 2025, the board confirmed Vouris in the role. It cited the “compliance-led and customer-focused” direction he had already set during his interim months.

What was Andrew Vouris’s career before Entain ANZ?

Vouris spent almost ten years at Tabcorp, rising to Deputy Chief Operating Officer of its Wagering & Media division. He helped the business grow toward $13 billion in that time. He then led esports operator Unikrn as COO from 2018, and ran Entain Esports as COO from 2021. He briefly co-founded 3 Kings Capital in 2024, before returning to Entain in mid-2025.

Is Entain still facing AUSTRAC’s Federal Court case under Andrew Vouris?

Yes. AUSTRAC’s civil penalty case against Entain was filed in December 2024. It is scheduled for a Federal Court hearing beginning 30 November 2026, before Justice Cameron Moore. Mediation is still ongoing alongside the court timetable. Entain has admitted past compliance deficiencies but disputes several of AUSTRAC’s allegations.

What role does Andrew Vouris play in Entain’s TAB NZ partnership?

Vouris oversees Entain’s 25-year strategic partnership with TAB NZ. The deal gave Entain management rights over TAB NZ’s wagering business, in exchange for major funding commitments. He has committed to an ongoing annual contribution of around NZ$200 million to New Zealand racing beyond 2028. He has also ruled out Entain exiting the deal early.

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Gambling Executive Sources

Career timeline

• Andrew Vouris, CEO – Gambling Insider
• Unikrn Hires Gambling Industry Titan, Andrew Vouris, as New COO – Business Wire

Why this appointment matters

• Entain ANZ appoints Andrew Vouris as permanent CEO – Entain Group
• Vouris: Compliance a key capability in fight against the black market – The Straight

TAB NZ partnership

• Entain to pay Tab NZ NZ$100m following new regulations – Gambling Insider
• ‘Strength to strength’ – Entain says its fully committed to New Zealand opportunity – The Straight

Regulatory context

• AUSTRAC takes Ladbrokes and Neds’ operator to Federal Court – AUSTRAC
• Court date set in late 2026 for Entain/AUSTRAC case – The Straight
• Mediation continues ahead of landmark AUSTRAC Federal Court case – The Straight

Background

• CEO Transition of Entain Australia and New Zealand – Entain Group