Regulating the Game releases draft conference program for Sydney 2026 event
The organizers of leading gambling law and regulation conference Regulating the Game (RTG) have released the draft program for this year’s event, taking place at the Sofitel Sydney Wentworth from 9 to 11 March.
The draft program for the sixth edition of RTG outlines a comprehensive agenda of keynote speakers, featured addresses, panels and expert masterclasses aimed at exploring the most consequential regulatory, policy and operational issues facing the global gambling sector today.
Each conference day will be anchored by keynote and featured speakers, whose addresses are designed to frame and contextualise the broader program of talks, panels and masterclasses that follow, organizers explained.
Across the three days, the program integrates:
Context-setting sessions that frame the regulatory and operating environment and its direction, including examinations of where gambling regulation and policy are heading, how enforcement and sanctioning approaches are evolving post-inquiry, and how governments and markets are responding to persistent black-market and grey-market pressures. These sessions establish the policy, strategic and operating lenses through which the broader agenda is explored.
Moderated panels that interrogate regulatory assumptions and reform outcomes in practice, including discussions on harm minimization in increasingly data-driven environments, the limits and consequences of intensified regulation, and the interaction between market design, consumer behavior and regulatory intent.
Expert masterclasses, including a session led by Jay Robinson focused on embedding the Responsible Gambling Officer role with purpose, authority and practical impact, and a second masterclass convened by the International Masters of Gaming Law, with final scope and focus to be confirmed. Together, these sessions are designed to support practical capability uplift and address the implementation risks that sit between policy intent and operational reality.
Industry Spotlight sessions, introduced in 2026, comprising tightly curated 15-minute presentations from incumbent organizations. These sessions provide a platform to articulate strategic direction, investment priorities and innovation pathways, and to examine what lies ahead for the sector as regulatory expectations, technology and market structures continue to evolve.
Confirmed keynote Speakers include Paul James, Secretary, Internal Affairs and Chief Executive of New Zealand’s Department of Internal Affairs; Arie Freiberg AM, Emeritus Professor of Law at Monash University; Robyn Riedlinger, CEO and Founder of Your Signature Talk, LLC; Licensing Specialist Frank Schuengel; and Daniel Rule, General Manager, Regulatory & Compliance, Endeavour Group, while other featured speakers include Entain Australia and NZ CEO Andrew Vouris; GLI’s Chief Commercial Officer and CEO of GLI APAC, Ian Hughes; and AUSTRAC CEO Brendan Thomas.
Organizers explained that although the program is deliberately broad, particular attention has been given to curating sessions and contributors that surface topical and often unresolved issues facing the sector. The agenda is designed to frame the current environment and its direction, provoke informed debate, stimulate curiosity and act as a catalyst for new ways of thinking, innovation bets and next practice across regulation, policy and operations, they added.
“The program is designed to open up the problem space, not to close it down,” said Paul Newson, Principal at Vanguard Overwatch and Founder of Regulating the Game. “Early sessions are intended to frame the environment honestly and rigorously, so that the discussions that follow can interrogate options, trade-offs and solutions with clarity and discipline.
“Regulating the Game is deliberately structured to move from context to analysis to application. The draft program makes that progression clear and intentional.”
The program is supported by flagship events including Pitch!, the RTG Global Awards Gala Dinner, and an expanded Exhibition Showcase, which together complement the formal agenda and support cross-sector engagement.
The full draft program is available at
www.regulatingthegame.com/sydney-program-2026
