Regulating the Game 2027 confirms NSW Crime Commissioner Stephen Dametto as speaker

Stephen Dametto, Commissioner of the New South Wales Crime Commission, will speak at Regulating the Game 2027, the organiser confirmed. The seventh annual Regulating the Game (RTG) forum runs from 8 to 10 March 2027 at the Sofitel Sydney Wentworth, and the 2027 programme is framed around the twin pressures of persistent illegal supply and financial crime moving through licensed channels.

Regulating the Game 2027 speaker line-up includes Stephen Dametto

The New South Wales Crime Commission appointed Stephen Dametto as Commissioner in February 2026, following nearly 30 years in Australian and international law enforcement. His prior roles include serving as an Assistant Commissioner of the Australian Federal Police and senior operational positions in the United Kingdom. The Commission is the principal standing body in New South Wales for investigating serious and organised crime and for the recovery of criminal assets.

Dametto’s agency led a 2022 inquiry into money laundering through electronic gaming machines in hotels and clubs that mapped how criminal proceeds can move through a licensed venue network. The inquiry remains a central reference point for regulators and operators examining venue-level controls and reporting obligations.

Other senior speakers confirmed for RTG 2027 include:

• Brendan Thomas, Chief Executive Officer of AUSTRAC

• Daniel Tan, Chief Executive of the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Singapore

• Paul James, Secretary for Internal Affairs and Chief Executive of the Department of Internal Affairs Te Tari Taiwhenua (New Zealand)

• Vicki Scott, Director Gambling at the Department of Internal Affairs Te Tari Taiwhenua (New Zealand)

• Carolyn Lidgerwood, Authority Member at the Australian Communications and Media Authority

• Tim Miller, Founder and Managing Director of GamReg Consulting and former Executive Director of the UK Gambling Commission, who is also confirmed as a keynote speaker, Conference Chair and a member of the independent judging panel for the 2027 RTG Global Awards

Canadian representation is substantial on the 2027 programme. Confirmed Canadian participants include Paul Burns, President and CEO of the Canadian Gaming Association; Amanda Brewer, Senior Vice President, Policy and Communications at the Canadian Gaming Association; and Peter McMahon, Chief Executive Officer of the Commercial Gaming Association of Ontario. Research voices include Tracy Schrans, President and CEO of Focal Research Consultants, and Dr Melissa Salmon, Senior Research Lead at Focal Research Consultants. Tracy Parker of the Responsible Gambling Council will return to the independent judging panel for the RTG Global Awards.

Why illegal supply and financial crime are centre-stage at Regulating the Game 2027

The organiser says the 2027 programme has been constructed around pressures now bearing on regulated markets. Central among those are the scale and persistence of illegal supply and the ways financial crime can move through licenced channels. The presence of the New South Wales Crime Commission and other law-enforcement and financial-intelligence leaders reflects that focus.

The 2022 NSW Crime Commission inquiry into electronic gaming machine money laundering demonstrated the pathways criminal proceeds can take when they move through licensed venues. That evidence underpins several planned sessions which will address detection, reporting, inter-agency cooperation and asset recovery.

Canada session and comparative regulatory perspectives

A dedicated session titled "Canada’s Gambling Landscape at a Crossroads: Defining Success in a Changing Environment" will examine sector stewardship in Canada. The session will look at new regulatory models, technological change and rising expectations of accountability, and will feature Canadian industry leaders and research experts.

Canadian regulation spans federal and provincial jurisdictions, with Ontario singled out for having built a commercial online market from a standing start. The RTG organiser notes Australian delegates have had few opportunities to examine the Ontario experience at close range; the Canada session is designed to provide that comparative perspective.

Conference structure, awards and judging

RTG will run across three days from 8–10 March 2027 at the Sofitel Sydney Wentworth. The 2027 speaker programme pairs agency leaders, enforcement officials and industry executives to view shared problems from different regulatory and political starting points.

The event also includes the RTG Global Awards. Tim Miller and Tracy Parker are among the confirmed members of the independent judging panel. The organiser continues to accept expressions of interest for Pitch! night and other participation opportunities; for programme details delegates are asked to contact the event team directly.

"When heads of agencies from several jurisdictions take part, delegates see the same problem addressed from different regulatory and political starting points," said Paul Newson, Founder of Regulating the Game and Principal at Vanguard Overwatch.

"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," Newson added.

What the programme signals for regulators and operators

The composition of the RTG 2027 roster signals that regulatory and enforcement priorities will continue to centre on cross-border criminality, financial intelligence and venue-level controls. Speakers from AUSTRAC, the New South Wales Crime Commission, the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Singapore and New Zealand’s Department of Internal Affairs will provide operational perspectives on detection, reporting and inter-agency coordination.

For operators, suppliers and advisers attending RTG 2027, the agenda offers an opportunity to compare practical approaches to compliance, to hear recent enforcement work such as the 2022 NSW Crime Commission inquiry, and to benchmark responses to illegal supply and financial crime against peer jurisdictions. Panels combining policy makers, intelligence agencies and research bodies aim to surface tactical measures that are already in use as well as gaps that require policy attention.

Practical details and participation

Regulating the Game 2027 takes place at the Sofitel Sydney Wentworth on 8–10 March 2027. The organiser has built the programme to foreground enforcement and financial-intelligence perspectives and to encourage multilateral conversation between agencies and industry. Interested parties should contact the RTG events team for information on programme updates, speaking applications, Pitch! night entries and award nominations.