NSW Crime Commission’s Stephen Dametto confirmed to join 2027 Regulating the Game conference as speaker

Leading Australian gambling law and regulation forum Regulating the Game (RTG) has announced Stephen Dametto, Commissioner of the New South Wales Crime Commission, as a speaker for 2027 – the latest senior regulatory, law enforcement and financial intelligence leader to confirm their attendance.

The seventh edition of RTG will be held from 8 to 10 March 2027 at the Sofitel Sydney Wentworth. According to the organizer, the 2027 speaker program has been built around the pressures now bearing on regulated markets, chief among them being the scale and persistence of illegal supply and the financial crime that moves through licensed channels.

The New South Wales Crime Commission is the principal standing body in the state for the investigation of serious and organized crime and the recovery of criminal assets. Its 2022 inquiry into money laundering through electronic gaming machines in hotels and clubs set out in detail how criminal proceeds move through a licensed venue network.

Dametto was appointed Commissioner in February 2026 after close to three decades in Australian and international law enforcement, including service as an Assistant Commissioner of the Australian Federal Police and senior operational roles in the United Kingdom.

He is joined by a high-level array of speakers, including AUSTRAC CEO Brendan Thomas; the Chief Executive of Singapore’s Gambling Regulatory Authority, Daniel Tan; Secretary for Internal Affairs and Chief Executive of the Department of Internal Affairs Te Tari Taiwhenua, which is implementing New Zealand’s licensing of online casino gambling, Paul James; Director Gambling at the Department of Internal Affairs Te Tari Taiwhenua, Vicki Scott; and Authority Member of the Australian Communications and Media Authority, Carolyn Lidgerwood.

Tim Miller, Founder and Managing Director of GamReg Consulting and formerly Executive Director of the UK Gambling Commission, was also recently confirmed as a keynote speaker, a Conference Chair and a member of the independent judging panel for the 2027 RTG Global Awards. Tan and Lidgerwood will similarly deliver keynote addresses.

After Australia, Canada is the most heavily represented jurisdiction on the 2027 program so far. Paul Burns, President and CEO of the Canadian Gaming Association, and Amanda Brewer, the Association’s Senior Vice President, Policy and Communications, are both confirmed, alongside Peter McMahon, Chief Executive Officer of the Commercial Gaming Association of Ontario. They are joined by Tracy Schrans, President and CEO of Focal Research Consultants, and Dr Melissa Salmon, the firm’s Senior Research Lead. Tracy Parker of the Responsible Gambling Council returns to the independent judging panel for the 2027 RTG Global Awards.

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. Canadian regulation sits across federal and provincial lines, with Ontario having built a commercial online market from a standing start, and the Australian audience has had few opportunities to examine that experience at close range.

“The international dimension is what lifts the program,” 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.

“Regulation is a state and national function applied to problems that cross borders and present much the same challenge and complexity wherever they arise, and the people responsible are too often working through it in isolation instead of marshalling multilateral capability.

“Bringing them together to share their strategic lens, expertise and insight builds a better understanding of what the sector is dealing with and supports more cogent responses to common challenges.”

For program details, to apply to speak, to express interest in the popular Pitch! night or to nominate for the awards, visit www.regulatingthegame.com or contact the team at info@regulatingthegame.com.