Regulating the Game 2027

Regulating the Game 2027 Sydney runs from 8 to 10 March 2027 at the Sofitel Sydney Wentworth on Phillip Street. It is Australia's leading gambling law and regulation conference, and it sits apart from the trade shows that dominate the gaming calendar. There is no expo hall full of slot cabinets here. The room is regulators, policymakers, compliance officers, researchers and the industry people who have to answer to all three.

The event is organised by Regulating The Game Pty Ltd, based at 55 Brisbane Street in Surry Hills, Sydney. It was founded by Paul Newson, principal at Vanguard Overwatch and a former regulator himself, who co-chairs the conference alongside Andrew W Scott, CEO of Complete Media Group and vice chairman of Inside Asian Gaming.

Regulating the Game is aimed at anyone whose work touches gambling policy, compliance or oversight. The event is relevant for:

• Gambling regulators and government policy officers working on licensing, harm minimisation and advertising reform across Australian and international jurisdictions.
• Compliance and risk leaders inside operators, casinos and wagering businesses managing AML/CTF obligations and responsible gambling frameworks.
• Gaming lawyers and advisers who need current regulatory thinking rather than published guidance alone.
• RegTech and safer gambling technology providers, particularly those considering a Pitch! slot or an exhibition presence.
• Researchers, academics and clinicians working on gambling harm who want direct exchange with industry and regulators.
• Racing and sports integrity professionals tracking betting integrity obligations.

The 2027 programme is structured around three days of plenary sessions rather than parallel tracks, which means the whole room hears the same conversation. Topics on the agenda include artificial intelligence and its practical applications, game design and product innovation, financial crime and AML/CTF obligations, black market risk, racing and betting integrity, VIP and high-value customer settings, and the intersection of cryptocurrency and gambling.

Three components sit alongside the main programme.

The Masterclass Series returns with expert-led sessions built around real compliance, policy and regulatory problems rather than general commentary.

Australia's gambling regulation is under sustained pressure, with reform proposals on advertising, cashless gaming and harm minimisation moving through federal and state processes. Anyone operating in the market needs to understand what regulators are thinking before rules land, not after.

That is what this conference gives access to. The 2027 speaker list already includes Carolyn Lidgerwood, an Authority Member at the Australian Communications and Media Authority, delivering a keynote. Having a sitting regulator on stage in a candid forum is worth more to a compliance team than any number of vendor presentations.

The mission the organisers state is to spark dialogue and collaboration in pursuit of regulatory and compliance excellence, and the format supports it. Sessions are designed to test assumptions rather than confirm them, which is unusual in an industry where most stages are bought.

The 2027 agenda deliberately pairs the regulatory conversation with the technology reshaping it. Tamara Scarlett, GTM Account Director at OpenAI, speaks alongside independent economist Dr Andrew Russell and Jay Robinson, global head of safer gambling at JR Consulting and Evive.

That mix reflects where the practical problems now sit. AI is entering player monitoring, affordability checks and customer interaction at the same time regulators are deciding what oversight of automated systems should look like. Crypto raises the same question for payments and AML. Putting technology providers, economists and regulators in one plenary rather than separate tracks is the point of the format.

Networking is structured rather than incidental. The Conference Lounge runs as a dedicated space through all three days for meetings and continued conversation, and the programme is built to encourage engagement between formal sessions.