Regulators from five countries to meet in Sydney on illegal gambling and financial crime
The Regulating the Game 2027 conference will feature officials from Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Canada and the UK.
SYDNEY — Senior officials from Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Canada and the United Kingdom will gather in Sydney next March to examine regulatory challenges, financial crime and illegal gambling.
The Regulating the Game 2027 conference will be held from March 8 to 10 at the Sofitel Sydney Wentworth.
The 2027 speaker programme has been built around the pressures now bearing on regulated markets, chief among them the scale and persistence of illegal supply and the financial crime that moves through licensed channels.
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Confirmed speakers include Stephen Dametto, commissioner of the New South Wales Crime Commission, which investigated money laundering through electronic gaming machines in hotels and clubs in 2022.
He is joined by Brendan Thomas, chief executive officer of AUSTRAC, Australia's financial intelligence unit.
"The international dimension is what lifts the programme," said Paul Newson, founder of Regulating the Game and Principal at Vanguard Overwatch. "When heads of agencies from several jurisdictions take part, delegates see the same problem addressed from different regulatory and political starting points, and that is where assumptions and practices get examined."
Newson said regulation is a state and national function applied to problems that cross borders. "The people responsible are too often working through it in isolation instead of marshalling multilateral capability," he said.
Other speakers include Daniel Tan, chief executive of Singapore’s Gambling Regulatory Authority; Paul James, secretary for internal affairs and chief executive of New Zealand's Department of Internal Affairs; Vicki Scott, director gambling at the same department; and Carolyn Lidgerwood, authority member of the Australian Communications and Media Authority.
Tim Miller, founder and managing director of GamReg Consulting and formerly executive director of the UK Gambling Commission, is confirmed as a keynote speaker, a conference chair and a member of the independent judging panel for the 2027 RTG Global Awards.
Canada's representation
After Australia, Canada is the most heavily represented jurisdiction on the programme so far.
Attendees include Paul Burns, president and chief executive officer of the Canadian Gaming Association; Amanda Brewer, the association’s senior vice president, policy and communications; and Peter McMahon, chief executive officer of the Commercial Gaming Association of Ontario.
They are joined by Tracy Schrans, president and chief executive officer of Focal Research Consultants, and Dr Melissa Salmon, the firm’s Senior Research Lead.
A dedicated session, "Canada’s Gambling Landscape at a Crossroads: Defining Success in a Changing Environment," will examine sector stewardship in Canada and what success looks like for a market reshaped by new regulatory models, technological change and rising expectations of accountability.
The conference will also feature the Pitch! competition, where presenters have ten minutes to set out an idea to the full delegation. Expressions of interest for 2027 are open now.
Nominations for the 2027 RTG Global Awards remain open until December 21, 2026, across twelve categories spanning regulatory practice, integrity, harm prevention and sector contribution. Finalists will be announced on February 1, 2027.