‘Prevent’ by Focal Announced as the Next Innovation to Take the Stage at Pitch! – Regulating the Game 2026 Sydney
Regulating the Game is pleased to announce Prevent, Focal’s real-time gambling risk identification and safer gambling messaging system, as the next innovation selected to feature at Pitch!, the high-tempo showcase of ideas and technologies reshaping casino, gaming, and wagering regulation. Pitch! will take place at the Sydney Opera House on 9 March 2026 as part of Regulating the Game 2026 Sydney.
Pitch! is designed to surface solutions that confront real regulatory challenges — ideas that strengthen consumer protection, enhance governance, and offer operators practical capability uplift. Prevent exemplifies this mission by reframing player protection as a core operational system rather than an ancillary responsibility.
Making Safer Gambling Mainstream
Land-based venues face a complex task: identifying risk across millions of interactions, spanning both carded and uncarded play, while meeting stringent regulatory expectations and supporting frontline teams with reliable tools.
Prevent advances this space by using live behavioural data to detect risk early, generate real-time alerts, and deliver safer gambling messaging directly to customers. Built specifically for land-based environments, Prevent is the next evolution of Focal’s award-winning ALeRT Bettor Protection System, bringing faster insights, automated outreach, and a more complete picture of customer behaviour.
Prevent expands the reach of player protection by:
Identifying emerging risk in real time
Monitoring both carded and uncarded play
Delivering instant, automated safer gambling messages
Supporting venue teams with accurate, consolidated risk information
Streamlining compliance reporting and documentation
Developed from more than 30 years of global gambling research, Prevent integrates evidence-based behavioural models with the operational realities of gaming venues, delivering measurable harm-prevention impact.
A Step Change in Venue-Level Protection
“Prevent is exactly the sort of innovation Pitch! is built to spotlight,” said Paul Newson, Principal at Vanguard Overwatch and founder of Regulating the Game. “We’re looking for solutions that lift capability, that translate research into operational practice, and that show what is possible when technology meets real-world regulatory challenges. Prevent is pushing safer gambling further upstream — and making it part of mainstream operations.”
Nadine, presenting on behalf of Focal at Pitch!, said:
“Venues face mounting expectations to identify and respond to risk early, consistently and transparently. Prevent gives teams live data, clear insights, and automated communication tools that allow them to act faster and with greater confidence. It’s about supporting venues to protect customers more effectively, no matter how they play.”
Pitch! will bring Prevent before an audience of regulators, policy makers, technology leaders, venue operators, and international delegates, creating a platform for deeper dialogue about the future of player protection technology.
Regulating the Game 2026 Sydney is proudly supported by its sponsor community, whose commitment to capability, integrity and innovation strengthens the platform for conversations and technologies like Prevent to take hold. We extend particular thanks to GLI as our Gala Dinner Partner and Amazon Web Services as a Silver Sponsor. We also acknowledge and appreciate the support of ebet, CherryHub, Intralot Australia, IGT, Everi, Vanguard Overwatch, Leagues Clubs Australia and Thomson Geer, whose involvement helps deliver a world-class conference program.
For details on sponsorship, Pitch!, exhibition options, and the broader conference program, visit www.regulatingthegame.com or get in touch with our team at info@regulatingthegame.com
