Former Queensland Racing boss Bob Bentley takes leave of absence from Tatts Group role Former Queensland Racing director Bob Bentley. Picture: Glenn Barnes Source: The Courier-Mail CONTROVERSIAL former Queensland racing supremo Bob Bentley has fallen on his sword and stepped aside from his role as a director of the gaming giant Tatts Group. Pending a commission of inquiry into the former Labor-aligned Queensland racing board, which Bentley chaired, he has taken a " temporary leave of absence" from the Tatts board. The inquiry, to be heard by Court of Appeal judge Margaret White, follows a series of questions about decisions worth more than $200 million taken within the racing industry. The inquiry will also spend time probing the decision by Queensland Race Product Co - a non-profit subsidiary of RQL - to grant almost $100 million worth of deductions to gaming giant Tatts Group against legal advice. Central to that matter is a possible conflict of interest for Bentley who was then boss of RQL while also holding a position with Tatts Group. On Monday, Bentley wrote to the Tatts Group board to advise of his decision to temporarily stand down, a decision which was accepted. "I make this request (to take leave of absence) in light of the commission of inquiry into Queensland Racing," Bentley wrote. Whilst I am very confident that my actions whilst a director of Racing Queensland will be found to have been beyond reproach, I do not wish to see the company of which I have been a proud office bearer since 1999 become collateral damage in this process. I have always sought to act with the utmost professionalism and it is for this reason I seek your agreement to my taking leave of absence for the duration of the inquiry.