News Corp Australia has struck a deal for Ladbrokes Australia to become its major wagering partner in Queensland, South Australia, Northern Territory and Tasmania.

News Corp, publisher of this masthead, recently signalled the importance of wagering to its future growth when it purchased the country’s largest thoroughbred wagering affiliate company punters.com.au.

“Ladbrokes is committed to these markets and they have identified a holistic partnership with News Corp as integral to their plans to capture market share,” News Corp chief operating officer, publishing, Damian Eales said.

As part of the three-year agreement, News Corp’s form guides in Queensland, SA, Tasmania and the NT will carry exclusive Ladbrokes branding and odds integration.

Ladbrokes will also become the exclusive wagering partner for NRL and AFL in 23 metropolitan and regional news titles in these territories and for NRL, AFL and US Sports on news.com.au. Ladbrokes CEO Jason Scott said the deal underlined his company’s commitment to Australian punters.

We expect the partnership to add a range of innovations for readers on our print and digital assets.