Regulating the Game 2027 to convene international gambling regulators in Sydney

SYDNEY · The Regulating the Game 2027 conference will bring together regulatory, law enforcement and financial intelligence leaders from several countries to examine illegal gambling, money laundering and cross-border enforcement. The event will be held from March 8 to 10, 2027, at the Sofitel Sydney Wentworth. Confirmed speakers include Stephen Dametto, commissioner of the New South Wales Crime Commission, and Brendan Thomas, chief executive officer of Australia's financial intelligence unit, AUSTRAC. The conference programme is built around pressures on regulated markets, including the scale of illegal supply and financial crime moving through licensed channels.

Dametto was appointed commissioner in February 2026 after decades in law enforcement, including roles with the Australian Federal Police. His agency's 2022 inquiry detailed how criminal proceeds move through electronic gaming machines in licensed venues. Thomas's agency, AUSTRAC, holds the national picture from sector reporting and can reveal how money laundering actually moves through gambling businesses. The conference will compare the sector's exposure to that of banking, digital currency, real estate and other professions.

"The international dimension is what lifts the programme," said Paul Newson, founder of Regulating the Game. "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."

Other confirmed speakers for Regulating the Game 2027 include Daniel Tan, the chief executive of Singapore’s Gambling Regulatory Authority. From New Zealand, Paul James, the secretary for internal affairs and chief executive of the Department of Internal Affairs Te Tari Taiwhenua, and Vicki Scott, the director gambling at the same department, will also attend as the body implements the country's online casino gambling licensing. Carolyn Lidgerwood, an authority member of the Australian Communications and Media Authority, which enforces the Interactive Gambling Act, is confirmed alongside Tim Miller, founder and managing director of GamReg Consulting and former executive director of the UK Gambling Commission. Both Daniel Tan and Carolyn Lidgerwood are scheduled to deliver keynote addresses at the conference.

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Canadian representation and focus

After Australia, Canada is the most heavily represented jurisdiction on the programme so far. Confirmed Canadian delegates include Paul Burns, president and chief executive officer of the Canadian Gaming Association, and Amanda Brewer, the association’s senior vice president of policy and communications. They are joined by Peter McMahon, chief executive officer of the Commercial Gaming Association of Ontario, Tracy Schrans, president and chief executive officer of Focal Research Consultants, and Dr Melissa Salmon, the firm's senior research lead. A dedicated session titled "Canada’s Gambling Landscape at a Crossroads: Defining Success in a Changing Environment" will examine sector stewardship in Canada. It will explore what success looks like for a market reshaped by new regulatory models, technological change and rising expectations of accountability. The session will note that Canadian regulation sits across federal and provincial lines, with Ontario having built a commercial online market from a standing start.

The conference will also feature the Pitch! session, which moves to the main plenary for 2027. Presenters will have ten minutes to set out an idea to the full delegation. The format is open to products, services, research, and regulatory and policy initiatives. Expressions of interest for the 2027 Pitch! are now open. Nominations for the 2027 RTG Global Awards remain open until December 21, 2026, across twelve categories including the Black Market Disruption Initiative and the Sport and Wagering Integrity Initiative. Finalists will be announced on February 1, 2027, with winners recognized at a gala dinner on March 9.