RTG SYDNEY 2026
CONFERENCE PROGRAM 2026
Monday, 9 March
Day 1
Conference Chair: Tom Callachor, Special Adviser to the ANZ CEO and Global Group, Entain
07:30 onwards
Registration & Accreditation
Sofitel Sydney Wentworth, 61-101 Phillip Street, Sydney
The conference registration desk is located on Level 3, at the top of the Grand Staircase. Delegates should check in on arrival to collect their individual conference accreditation. Access to the conference floor is also available via the hotel lifts.
Dress: Business Casual
08:30 - 08:45
Opening Remarks
An overview of the Regulating the Game 2026 Sydney program and associated networking events, including the introduction of the Conference Chairs and an outline of the conference’s purpose, objectives, and guiding themes.
Paul Newson, Principal Vanguard Overwatch and founder Regulating the Game
08:45 - 09:25
Data Protection in Gambling: Designing Ethical, Compliant, and Trustworthy Data Systems
As gambling operators deploy advanced analytics, AI-driven risk indicators and automated interactions, the challenge of using sensitive data to reduce harm without undermining privacy and trust has become increasingly complex. This session examines that challenge through the lens of technology law, privacy regulation and ethical data design. Led by Anita Ondine Smith, a technology and data-protection lawyer with extensive experience in regulated industries, the session explores key risks including algorithmic bias, disproportionate monitoring and opaque data use. Introducing the Compassionate Data Framework, it offers a practical approach to embedding proportionality, transparency and accountability into harm-minimisation systems.
Anita Ondine Smith, Lawyer, Author and Responsible Gaming Ambassador, LivOn Productions
09:30 - 10:10
Keynote
Paul James, Secretary, Internal Affairs and Chief Executive, Department of Internal Affairs, Te Tari Taiwhenua, New Zealand
10:10 - 10:30
MORNING TEA
10:30 - 11:10
Balancing Economic Opportunity with Social Safeguards: Singapore’s Blueprint for Policies and Laws in Asia’s Evolving Gambling Landscape
Across Asia, governments considering gambling legalisation face public resistance driven by concerns about social harm, crime and political risk. Recent debates in Thailand echo challenges previously encountered in Sri Lanka’s path to developing its first integrated resort, City of Dreams. By contrast, Singapore offers a compelling counterpoint. This session examines the evolution of Singapore’s integrated resort model, highlighting how stringent entry controls, robust responsible gambling frameworks and strong regulatory oversight have enabled economic benefits while managing social costs. It considers how similar principles can be adapted to diverse political and cultural environments in Asia to support sustainable, well-regulated gambling markets.
Lau Kok Keng, Head, Intellectual Property, Sports and Gaming, Rajah & Tann Asia
11:15 - 11:50
Featured Speaker
“Win, but not at all costs”
Andrew Vouris, Chief Executive Officer, Entain Australia and New Zealand
11:55 - 12:45
Keynote
Casino Regulation: A Crowning Achievement?
Since the early 2020s, casino operators have faced findings of serious misconduct, resulting in more than $900 million in penalties and prompting major inquiries and legislative reform. In response, several jurisdictions have dramatically increased the maximum penalties available to regulators, in some cases to $100 million. This session examines the post-inquiry regulatory schemes governing disciplinary action, sanctioning powers and decision-making processes. It identifies significant shortcomings, including unclear criteria for imposing penalties, limited requirements to give reasons, restricted rights of review and appeal, and expanded ministerial powers, raising important questions about regulatory accountability and proportionality.
Arie Freiberg AM, Emeritus Professor of Law, Monash University
12:45 - 13:25
LUNCH
13:25 - 13:40
Industry Spotlight
Gaming Laboratories International, LLC (GLI®)
Industry Spotlight sessions are short, 15-minute presentations delivered in the main plenary, providing leading suppliers and manufacturers with a platform to articulate innovation, strategic positioning and sector direction.
These sessions are designed to give delegates insight into how organisations are responding to regulatory change, emerging risks and technological evolution, and how strategic choices are shaping the next phase of industry development. While commercial context is appropriate, the focus is on strategy, innovation pathways and forward-looking capability, rather than product demonstration.
Industry Spotlights are a new feature of Regulating the Game, complementing Pitch! and policy-led sessions by offering a concise, high-level view of where the sector is heading - and why.
Richard Howarth, Managing Director, APAC at Gaming Laboratories International, LLC (GLI®)
13:45 - 14:45
Masterclass: Making it Matter: Embedding the RGO Role with Purpose and Influence
In this interactive Masterclass, Jay Robinson, a globally recognised safer gambling strategist and thought leader, empowers participants to define, strengthen and elevate the Responsible Gambling Officer (RGO) role so it drives meaningful, measurable impact. Participants will explore how the RGO can move beyond compliance to embed purpose, influence organisational culture, and align operator and regulator priorities for safer gambling outcomes. This is a practical session, offering frameworks, real-world examples and leadership insights, to equip regulators, operators and RGOs with the tools and mindset needed to lead cultural change, optimise harm-mitigation strategies, and make safer gambling core to everyday business practice.
Jay Robinson, Managing Director, JR Consulting
14:45 - 15:05
AFTERNOON TEA
15:05 - 15:20
Industry Spotlight
INTRALOT GAMING SERVICES & INTRALOT AUSTRALIA
Industry Spotlight sessions are short, 15-minute presentations delivered in the main plenary, providing leading suppliers and manufacturers with a platform to articulate innovation, strategic positioning and sector direction.
These sessions are designed to give delegates insight into how organisations are responding to regulatory change, emerging risks and technological evolution, and how strategic choices are shaping the next phase of industry development. While commercial context is appropriate, the focus is on strategy, innovation pathways and forward-looking capability, rather than product demonstration.
Industry Spotlights are a new feature of Regulating the Game, complementing Pitch! and policy-led sessions by offering a concise, high-level view of where the sector is heading - and why.
Marios Mitromaras, Chief Executive Officer, INTRALOT GAMING SERVICES & INTRALOT AUSTRALIA
15:25 - 16:25
Panel Discussion: Strategic Opportunities in AI
Artificial intelligence is reshaping igaming and sports wagering, enabling personalized player experiences, advanced fraud detection, and sophisticated responsible gambling tools.
This panel explores the strategic opportunities AI presents for the industry. We'll examine current implementations, discuss how technology and regulatory frameworks can evolve together, and identify best practices for leveraging AI's capabilities while advancing fair play, transparency, and consumer protection standards.
Panel moderator Dr Paul Devlin,
Global Lead, Betting, Gaming & Sports, AWS:
Bryan Jenkins, Managing Director, Angel Australasia Pty Ltd
Troy Nyi Nyi, SVP & GM, APAC, SEON
Jane Lin, A/Deputy Secretary, Hospitality & Racing, Department of Creative Industries, Tourism, Hospitality and Sport, NSW
Nicole Pelchen, Chief Technology Officer, Crown Resorts
16:30 - 17:00
Detecting the Invisible: Smarter Approaches to Affordability and Overspending
Traditional spend thresholds are a blunt tool for identifying gamblers at risk of spending beyond their means. Set too low, they flag the wrong people; set too high, they miss those most in need of support.
This session presents Focal Research’s innovative affordability construct within the FocaL Adult Gambling Screen (FLAGS) — a behavioural scale and algorithm developed through research with over 10,000 EGM players across the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. By focusing on player behaviour and decision-making rather than absolute spend, FLAGS offers operators and regulators a more accurate way to detect “invisible overspenders” who pose unique risks to themselves, communities, and the sector.
Attendees will explore evidence from international trials, practical applications for host responsibility, and the potential for smarter detection tools to strengthen safer gambling and regulatory outcomes.
Tracy Schrans, President & Co-Founder, Focal Research Consultants
18:00 - 22:00
Pitch! @RTG
Venue: Yallamundi Rooms at the Sydney Opera House
Set in the Yallamundi Rooms at the Sydney Opera House, Pitch! 2026 brings together regulators, policymakers, operators and sector leaders for an evening focused on how ideas, research, partnerships and technology are being translated into real-world outcomes. With views across Sydney Harbour and access to a private outdoor terrace, the setting provides space for conversation as well as reflection.
Pitch! is a flagship feature of the Regulating the Game conference, examining applied solutions that strengthen regulatory practice, player protection and industry capability. Rather than a traditional showcase, it presents commercially deployed systems, large-scale initiatives and emerging approaches side by side — allowing participants to interrogate what works, what scales, and what stands up to scrutiny.
Sessions highlight how organisations are lifting capability in practice: embedding safer gambling frameworks, advancing compliance, improving intervention models and informing policy through evidence and experience.
The evening also provides a valuable opportunity to connect informally with peers and sector leaders, with drinks and catering served throughout to support discussion and networking in one of Australia’s most iconic venues.
Dress code: Elevated Business Casual
Host: Tara Stapley, British TV, Radio & Stage presenter
Tuesday, 10 March
Day 2
Conference Chair: Andrew W Scott, Vice Chairman and CEO, Inside Asian Gaming (IAG)
08:30 - 09:30
Panel Discussion: All in, call or fold? Where is gambling regulation and policy heading, and what is the right regulatory model?
Casino instability, uneven regulatory settings and the growth of underground criminal activity raise critical questions about the effectiveness of current gambling regulation. This panel examines whether Australia’s regulatory models are sufficiently agile to respond to emerging technologies, shifting consumer behaviour and evolving criminal typologies. Drawing on domestic and international experience, panellists will consider where existing frameworks have succeeded, where they have fallen short, and how regulatory approaches may need to evolve. The session aims to stimulate informed discussion on designing adaptive, resilient regulatory models capable of operating effectively in complex and rapidly changing environments.
Panel moderator Monique Bielanowski, Principal Consultant, Monandia Consulting:
Linda Woo, Former Executive Director, Office of Regulatory Policy; Principal, Linda M Woo Consulting; Senior Advisor, Focal Research Consultants
Mark D’Andrea, Senior Consultant, Gaming Associates
Joel Williams, General Manager, Government & Regulatory Affairs, Tabcorp
Dr Andrew Russell, Independent Economist
Nadine Ewing, Head of Safer Gaming & Regulatory Affairs, Endeavour Group
09:35 - 10:15
Keynote
Stage Confidence: Master Yourself, Master Your Message
Stage confidence is often mistaken for volume or extroversion. This session challenges that assumption, arguing that effective presence is grounded in self-mastery rather than performance. Drawing on her own journey, Robyn Riedlinger explores how internal barriers shape how leaders show up, communicate and influence. The session examines the connection between clarity, authenticity and credibility, and offers practical tools for translating ideas into confident, grounded communication. Designed for leaders, speakers and practitioners, the session focuses on developing presence that builds trust, enables impact and allows your message to land with conviction.
Robyn Riedlinger, CEO/Founder, Your Signature Talk, LLC
10:15 - 10:45
MORNING TEA
10:45 - 11:45
IMGL Masterclass: Offshore Gambling - why is it so attractive?
Grey markets and the prevalence of offshore gambling have become one of the primary topics of interest at gambling conferences globally. Generally, the focus has been on the availability of grey market operators to consumers in regulated markets.
Today’s panel is brought to you by the International Masters of Gaming Law (IMGL) and will focus on why offshore jurisdictions are attractive to businesses commencing and conducting an online gambling business. It will also consider some of the hot topics in the gambling sector, including products which are novel and attractive to consumers globally that are likely to be made available by offshore gambling operators.
This IMGL masterclass is one of many IMGL Masterclasses taking place in 2026 and IMGL is pleased to present this IMGL Masterclass at RTG.
Panel moderator Jamie Nettleton, Partner, Addisons:
Ben Blaschke, Managing Editor, Inside Asian Gaming
Samuel Gauci, Senior Foreign Lawyer (admitted in Malta), Addisons
Lau Kok Keng, Head, Intellectual Property, Sports and Gaming, Rajah & Tann Asia
11:50 - 12:30
Speaker
“Technology Disruptors in Wagering” - the impact of technology and predictive markets in wagering
Ian Hughes, Chief Revenue Officer for Gaming Laboratories International, LLC (GLI®)
12:30 - 13:20
LUNCH
13:20 - 14:00
Keynote
Grey Market Operations in an ever more regulated world: state of play & future predictions
As regulatory frameworks tighten globally, scrutiny of grey market gambling activity is increasing. This keynote examines the role grey markets play within the broader gambling and digital entertainment ecosystem, particularly in jurisdictions shaped by regulatory ambiguity, uneven enforcement or strategic toleration.
Using case studies and regional comparisons, the session explores where grey market activity persists, how operators are responding to regulatory pressure, and how enforcement priorities, tax objectives, consumer protection narratives and political realities interact in practice.
Looking ahead, it considers whether regulation will push activity underground or narrow the grey space, and what this means for regulators, operators and policymakers over the next decade.
Frank Schuengel, Licensing Specialist & Journalist, Asia Gaming Brief
14:05 - 15:05
Panel Discussion: From Policy to Practice: Delivering AML/CTF and Regulatory Compliance in Clubs (and How RegTech Helps)
With regulatory expectations increasing across AML/CTF, harm minimisation, privacy and operational controls, clubs are being asked to implement compliance programs that are both robust and workable on the floor. This session brings together venue compliance leaders to share what’s working in practice, where the pressure points are, and how the club environment differs from other gaming and hospitality segments, as well as sectors like financial services that have longer-established AML frameworks. The panel will also explore where RegTech can genuinely assist (data, monitoring, reporting and governance), and where technology alone isn’t enough without process, training and culture.
Panel moderator Frank Makryllos, Managing Director & CEO, Ebet Systems & Co-Founder, Director of Cherry Hub
Arna Orr, Chief Legal and Risk Officer, Canterbury League Club
Andrew Kelly, Group Head of Risk, Castle Hill RSL Group
Lisa Chapman, Compliance Manager, Liverpool Catholic Club
Sue Pemberton, Governance, Risk & Compliance Manager, Parramatta Leagues Group
15:25 - 16:05
A New Institutional Microeconomics of Casino Gambling, and Why It Matters
Policymakers and the general public often model casinos as polluting factories that generate social harm as a negative externality. This session argues that this analogy is fundamentally flawed and biases regulation toward punitive, inefficient outcomes. Drawing on New Institutional Economics, the presentation offers an alternative microeconomic framework that views casino gambling as a series of contractual exchanges, where table play involves executing financial contracts and casino chips function as relationship-specific assets. This perspective reframes casinos as institutional solutions to legitimate economic problems, providing a more accurate foundation for regulatory design and policy debate.
Dr Andrew Russell, Independent Economist
16:10 - 17:00
Panel Discussion: Black Market Gambling: Drivers, Dynamics and Policy Challenges
This panel will examine the dynamics of black-market gambling through law enforcement, criminal intelligence, regulatory, and industry perspectives. It will consider how policy settings, enforcement capability, market incentives, and consumer behaviour shape illicit gambling activity across different jurisdictions.
Drawing on Australian and international regulatory and sector experience, as well as criminal intelligence insights, the discussion will explore common patterns and points of divergence, and compare black-market gambling with other illicit markets, including tobacco, to better understand how such activity adapts to regulatory and enforcement responses.
Panel moderator: Ben Blaschke, Managing Editor, Inside Asian Gaming
Michael Phelan APM, Strategic Advisor with Kroll and former Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC)
Carolyn Lidgerwood, Authority Member, Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA)
David Foster, Group Director of International Regulatory Affairs, Entain
Armina Antoniou, Chief Risk Officer, Crown Resorts
18:30 for 19:00
Global Awards & Gala Dinner
The inaugural 2026 Global Awards & Gala Dinner will unfold in the renowned Wentworth Ballroom at Sofitel Sydney Wentworth, a landmark setting known for its heritage and refined sophistication.
This signature evening unites a broad cross-section of the gambling and regulatory community to celebrate excellence in compliance, leadership, innovation, integrity, safer gambling, collaboration, and community impact. The Global Awards acknowledge those driving a more sustainable and responsible sector.
Venue: Wentworth Ballroom at the Sofitel Sydney Wentworth
Address: Wentworth Ballroom, Level 3, 61-101 Phillip Street, Sydney
Host: Tara Stapley, British TV, Radio & Stage presenter
Dress code: Cocktail
Wednesday, 11 March
Day 3
Conference Chair: Richard Howarth, Managing Director, APAC at Gaming Laboratories International, LLC (GLI®)
10:35 - 11:00
MORNING TEA
11:00 - 11:40
Global Perspectives on Betting & Gaming
Personalisation, customer acquisition, fraud detection, and speed to market are front of mind for all operators in a digital era. We share global perspectives as the trusted infrastructure powering the world's leading gaming operators worldwide. This session will explore our observations and learnings across the industry.
Mike Bentzen, Senior Solutions Architect, AWS
Matt Allan, Solutions Architect, AWS
11:45 - 12:00
Industry Spotlight
This presentation outlines how significant money‑laundering failures in British Columbia’s gaming sector—exposed through the “Vancouver Model” forced a fundamental reset of casino compliance. The Cullen Commission’s findings revealed billions in illicit cash flowing through BC casinos and led to targeted recommendations for BC casinos. In response, BCLC issued a RegTech RFP. Everi’s AML Solution was selected and enabled BCLC to mitigate the operational burdens placed on them through these reforms. A similar pattern of events is taking place in Australia today, forcing operators to think about leveraging technology to comply with new regulatory expectations.
12:00 - 13:00
LUNCH
13:00 - 13:40
Facilitating conditions for safer gambling and vibrant industry: A Lived Experience Perspective
This session brings lived experience into safer gambling policy and practice, offering insight into how gambling harm is experienced and what genuinely supports recovery. Drawing on his personal journey through addiction and long-term recovery, responsible gambling ambassador Randy Livingston explores the emotional, cognitive and behavioural dynamics that sustain harm, as well as the barriers that prevent help-seeking. The session highlights how safer gambling tools, messaging and interventions are perceived in moments of vulnerability, and the often-overlooked role of supporters. It concludes with experience-informed insights for designing earlier, more compassionate and more effective harm-prevention approaches.
Randy Livingston, Responsible Gaming Ambassador, Professional Basketball Coach, former NBA Player, LivOn Basketball
13:45 - 14:25
Getting ahead of the game: How do organisations prepare ahead of regulatory investigations?
Regulated entities like clubs, hotels and casinos are firmly in the eye of regulators. Thomson Geer Lawyers is at the forefront of advising the clubs industry and has successfully handled several disciplinary investigations, leveraging this experience to advise organisations on how best to get their compliance in order and avoid harsh regulatory scrutiny. We're seeing trends which aren't permitting these entities to easily put their best foot forward with regulators – generic AML / CTF programs little different to an otherwise unregulated jewellery business for example!
Partners Arj Puveendran and Liam Hennessy draw on their respective expertise in gaming regulation and AML/CTF compliance to walk participants through a practical, step-by-step approach to compliance uplift.
The session examines where organisations commonly miss opportunities, why controls often fail in practice, how those failures can be avoided, and what regulators are actively looking for in effective, operational compliance frameworks.
Liam Hennessy, Partner, Thomson Geer
Arjunan Puveendran, Partner, Thomson Geer
14:30 - 15:10
Safer Gambling at a Crossroads: Constructive Engagement or Costly Illusion?
Despite enormous advancements in safer gambling over the past three decades at times it feels that scepticism from stakeholders (politicians, press and public) seems stronger than ever. Is there anything the gambling industry can do to earn trust when it comes to safer gambling? Will critics ever be mollified? Is there a middle way? Hear from a pioneer with 30 years’ experience in safer gambling issues where both industry and critics have erred, where they are right, and possible ways forward.
Keith S. Whyte, Founder & President, Safer Gambling Strategies LLC
15:15 - 16:15
Panel Discussion: As technology removes the operational burden, what shape should Harm Minimisation take?
As technology reduces operational burden across gambling environments, this panel examines what effective harm minimisation should look like in practice. Drawing on perspectives from behavioural science, AI development and venue operations, the discussion explores how emerging tools are enabling a shift from reactive compliance to earlier, more informed intervention. Panellists will consider what meaningful detection of gambling harm entails, how data and analytics can support proportionate responses, and the practical realities of integrating these capabilities at scale. The session reframes harm minimisation as a systems design challenge rather than a compliance exercise, equipping regulators, policymakers and operators to assess what is realistic, what is required and what comes next.
Panel moderator Lars Oleson, CEO, Xailient
Dr Sally Gainsbury, Director, Professor of Psychology, Gambling Treatment & Research Clinic, University of Sydney
Joe Mayer, Systems Sales & Operations Manager APAC, Konami Australia Pty Ltd
Dr Jamie Wiebe, Group EGM, Crown PlaySafe Strategy & Policy, Crown Resorts
Tracy Parker, Senior Vice President, Accreditation, Advisory and Insights, Responsible Gambling Council
16:15 - 17:00
Conference Close & Afternoon Tea
*The conference program is subject to change.
