Conference Program

State of the regulator nations: Are regulators currently facing mission impossible? What is the model for the modern regulator

Panel led by IAGA, moderated by Luke Orchard, Senior Vice President, Chief Compliance & Risk Management Officer, IGT, with panelists: 

• Peter Cohen, Director of Regulatory Affairs, The Agenda Group
• Martha Sabol, Vice Chair, Greenberg Traurig
• John Stawyskyj, Partner, Ashurst

More than ever, regulators are under close and noisy scrutiny from consumers, media, lobby groups, governments and powerful global operators. The distance is sometimes growing in terms of capability to oversee operators and suppliers efficiently, effectively and consistently. The regulator’s scope is increasingly blurred through internationalization and the blurring of legal products and delivery channels, while the operators and suppliers are becoming more diversified and complex.

Should the regulatory model evolve, and if so, how?

E-Sports into the light

Michael Morton, Senior Policy Counsel, Nevada Gaming Control Board

With a number of jurisdictions bringing e-sports wagering out of the black market and into the light, it’s crucial that any regulation of this already mature but still growing industry does not stifle economic growth.

As gaming companies have tried for years to get a younger demographic to walk through casino doors, it’s imperative that regulatory bodies both protect this younger generation as legal wagering increases and foster the industry’s growth as it continues to intersect with the legacy gaming industry.

Why the Women’s World Cup 2023 will be the biggest betting event ever

Christina Thakor Rankin, 1710 Gaming Ltd

Everything we know about sports betting, integrity and problem gambling is based on men.

We know that prevention is far better than cure so why are we not starting to think about this now?

We need to change the way we think about sports betting and bettors to reflect the cultural shift in women’s sports and betting that the Women’s World Cup 2023 will bring in terms of players and customers.

This means re-thinking everything we know about sports-bettors,  processes, policies and technology that is biased towards old perceptions of sports-bettors.

The world is changing and we need to change with it or risk the creation of a new generation of hidden problem gamblers.

Why waste a good ‘crisis’? From Royal Commission to regulatory reform: Setting a higher standard for Victoria’s gambling industry

Fran Thorn, Chair, Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission 

With a stronger regulatory approach, the new Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCCC) is setting a much higher standard for the Victorian gambling industry which is focused on integrity, safety and fairness for all.

In 2021, a Royal Commission found Melbourne’s casino operator, Crown Melbourne Limited, was operating in an ‘illegal, dishonest, unethical and exploitative’ way, and was unsuitable to hold its casino licence. It also found the existing independent regulator – the Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation – did not have the legal powers or resources to hold the casino to account.

In response, the Victorian Government created a new, dedicated casino and gambling regulator, bolstering the VGCCC with stronger powers and a clearer remit. It also imposed unprecedented scrutiny over casino operations, and gave the casino operator a two-year deadline to prove it is operating legally and responsibly.

With a stronger legal backing and renewed regulatory posture and approach, the VGCCC is now setting a much higher standard for the gambling industry and the casino. The Commission has worked through a renewed regulatory posture and is building the confidence of the regulator to act where the industry does not meet standards.

Applied across the regulator’s role in licensing, monitoring, education and enforcement, it now expects participants to recognise their legal and social obligations that accompany the licence to operate gambling businesses. It supports those who do the right thing, but has zero tolerance for those who opportunistically or deliberately contravene the law.

As VGCCC Chair, Fran Thorn will speak to this new regulatory approach that is focused on integrity, safety and fairness for all.

Gaming Regulatory Reform: A Canadian Perspective on designing and implementing an iGaming Regulatory Framework

Tom Mungham, Chief Executive Officer and Registrar, Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario

Canada has long had a mature, unregulated internet gaming market. In April of this year Ontario, Canada’s most populous Province implemented an iGaming regulatory framework to oversee the emerging open and competitive market. Ontario consulted internationally.

Learning from gaming regulators world-wide, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) put into operation a modern iGaming regulatory framework that addresses areas of key regulatory risk while lightening regulatory burden and red tape.

This session will be of particular interest to those jurisdictions who are considering opening a regulated iGaming market or seeking to make changes to their existing regulatory framework.

Time for change? Reflections on the policy landscape and developments in Great Britain

Andrew Rhodes, CEO, Gambling Commission United Kingdom

Gambling Commission CEO, Andrew Rhodes, will talk through how the British market is evolving as it moves on from the pandemic, the lessons and trends other jurisdictions might learn from and how through working more closely together, gambling regulators can achieve greater compliance from their licensees.

Is there actually a place for black market gambling? Does a regulated market just create a black market that is more risky than it would be otherwise?

IMGL Panel session led by Jamie Nettleton, Partner Addisons (former IMGL President) with:

• Andrew Hensher, General Counsel, Pointsbet
• Becky Harris, Distinguished Fellow, Gaming & Leadership, University of Nevada
• James Moller, Senior Project Officer, Sporting Integrity Intelligence Unit, Victoria Police Force

The black market is demonised in some jurisdictions, tolerated in others and just the norm in others. This panel will consider what we can learn from a global rather than local perspective on the black market. What is the trade-off between commerciality and regulation. As a global organisation how can/should IAGR seek to work on challenges that are common for all? What does the future hold for the black market as more markets move from black to grey to fully regulated?

The pandemic – a market trend accelerant or the start of something different?

Ben Haden, Director, UK Gambling Commission

Ben will use a wide range of data to examine the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the UK gambling market – both operators and consumers. He will consider the impacts in terms of potential risks posed and what it might mean for the future.

Casino operators and culture: the missing link

Philip Crawford, Chairperson, NSW Independent Liquor & Gaming Authority

When a public company is running a casino, it doesn’t seem to matter how many protections are in place if their culture is poor.

In this session, Philip Crawford will discuss the recent New South Wales experience and potential lessons for other jurisdictions seeking to address problems with how casinos are operating, and in particular getting their culture right.

Anti-money laundering regulation in the gambling industry in Australia

Peter Soros, Dep CEO Austrac

Peter Soros will provide an overview of AUSTRAC’s regulatory and intelligence functions and obligations of gambling entities under the anti-money laundering regime. He will also share regulatory insights into the gambling industry more generally and speak to the extensive work and investments by AUSTRAC into the gambling industry in recognition of the unique risks and challenges posed by casinos, betting agencies and pubs and clubs.

Gambling behaviour and Covid

• Tony Clarkson – Principal Clinical Advisor, Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation
• Dr Rebecca Jenkinson – Senior Research Fellow (Gambling, Alcohol and Other Drugs) and Manager, Australian Gambling Research Centre

The Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in various consequences for people experiencing harm from gambling, some foreseen, others less so. The presentation will focus on two key areas related to gambling and Covid; research and individual behaviour.

Dr Rebecca Jenkinson lead a national research project in the first year of the pandemic which focused on the impacts of Covid on gambling spend and people’s wellbeing. The second part of the presentation will focus on how individual gamblers have responded to Covid, including any changes in their gambling behaviours or attitudes.

Online poker and Australia’s awkward prohibition

Paul Newson, Principal, Senet

Australia maintains the highest gambling spend per capita globally and state governments accrue the associated substantial and escalating gambling taxation revenue, but the industry occupies an awkward position in the political psyche and cultural milieu. Simply put there is limited political interest in an actively engaging with gambling policy and there is no enthusiastic recognition of the sectors contribution to local employment and broader economic and social benefits.

This talk will consider the distinguishing characteristics of online poker and examine why prohibition is rarely the right approach and often results in aggravating harms and significant perverse and adverse consequences.

Online Gaming Standard Integrations – Untangling the web

Mark Pace, Vice-President, IGSA

A discussion on the third-party Interface that IGSA has developed which is a standard communication tool for integrations between Remote Gaming System, Aggregator Platforms and Internet Gaming Platforms, instead of the myriad proprietary ones that exist, each of which do basically the same thing.

Opening remarks

Regulating emerging technology

Anthony Sinkovic, Technical Group Supervisor, GLI

Adoption of new technology and integration of various platforms including Digital Wallets into the gaming environment create opportunities and risks for regulators. Opportunities for regulators to use more data driven decisions that come with technologies present greater insight into the KYC and improvements in AML/CTF objectives.

In this session, Ian will present advantages and disadvantages of prescriptive versus objective based regulations in addressing emerging technology.

A new approach to licensing – the Blockchain Licensing Tool

Mark Pace, Vice-President, IGSA

An exploration of a new tool that IGSA is planning to develop.

Why do regulators find it difficult to get a quick, consistent grip on an appropriate response to advertising, inducements and free bets? Why can’t there be a simple data driven response recognised across the globe?

Led by Julian Hoskins, Principal, Senet with panelists:

• Philip Timney, Executive Director of Liquor, Racing and Gaming, NT Department of Industry Tourism and Trade
• Fran Thorn, Chair, Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission
• Carly Richardson, General Counsel, Entain

Nothing seems to separate approaches of regulators like the question of what the right level of regulation is around advertising, free bets and bonuses. One view could be that regulators and legislators seem to veer from one extreme to another meaning that operators don’t ever really understand what is expected, struggling to adjust from one jurisdiction to another and consumers don’t get the benefits of a truly evidenced policy approach.

This panel will help understand these questions better, understand where best practice exists, what the key lessons are and reflect on how this area could evolve positively in the future.

A collaboration between industry and academia to drive innovation in responsible gambling practices.

• Professor Sally Gainsbury, Director, Gambling Treatment and Research Clinic, Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney
• Dr Robert Heirene, Lecturer in Psychology, Charles Darwin University

The presentation will share findings from the world’s largest study of online gambling behaviour using data from five separate online wagering operators. This will be the first presentation of results from across a series of studies combined with insights from a multidisplinary research approach. The presentation will be action-focused and discuss how the learnings can be directly translated into policy and practice to minimise harms.

Loot boxes: Gambling-like reward mechanisms in video games

Associate Professor Jim Sauer – Research Associate Professor, University of Tasmania

This session will cover some of the research Associate Professor Sauer has conducted, together with colleague Dr Aaron Drummond, on loot boxes.

Loot boxes are highly-prevalent reward systems in video games; offering players randomised reward outcomes of varying value, typically in exchange for real-world currency.

In 2018, Sauer and Drummond published the first empirical evaluation highlighting the similarity of some loot boxes to many conventional forms of gambling; supporting views shared by scholars, policy-makers, and gamers worldwide.

In this session, Jim will cover some of the important psychological and legal similarities between loot boxes and conventional forms of gambling, present some data demonstrating behavioural associations between loot boxes and gambling (e.g., a relationship between loot box spending and problem gambling symptomatology), and address the idea that engagement with loot boxes might serve as a “gateway” for future gambling; an idea often speculated upon, but with little direct investigation to date.

Some of Assoc. Prof. Sauer and Dr Aaron Drummond’s work on this topic can be found at https://rdcu.be/ZXTg and https://rdcu.be/b5iSr.

Special Manager for the Melbourne casino operator: Unique monitorship role

Stephen O’Bryan KC, Special Manager, Office of the Special Manager for the Melbourne Casino Operator

In 2021, the Victorian Royal Commission into the Casino Operating Licence found Crown Melbourne was unfit to retain its casino licence as Crown had engaged in significant illegal and improper conduct over numerous years.

However, rather than cancel Crown Melbourne’s licence, the Victorian Government appointed Stephen O’Bryan as ‘Special Manager’ to oversee Crown Melbourne’s operations and to monitor Crown’s reform work to address the issues and failings identified by the Royal Commission. The Special Manager’s oversight of Crown Melbourne will occur over a two and a half year period to 30 June 2024.

The role of the Special Manager is unique in Australian corporate history. The Special Manager has far-reaching statutory powers, including all the powers, rights and privileges of a Crown Melbourne director (except the right to vote). The Special Manager can direct the casino operator to take action or to stop taking action. These supervisory powers are similar to those of a corporate administrator over an insolvent company.

Stephen O’Bryan will talk about his functions and powers, and how his role differs from other monitorships that have been put in place for solvent companies. He will discuss the interplay between his role and that of the Victorian regulator of the Melbourne casino, in determining whether Crown Melbourne is suitable to retain its casino licence following the first two years of his monitorship.

Future problem gambling help services

Anders Dorph, Director, Danish Gambling Authority

A novel study identifies the number of Danes with a problematic gambling behaviour. Anders will present the results of a novel study identifying Danes with a problematic gambling behaviour and will give a status on the initiatives on responsible gambling in Denmark.

Regulating the cashless sector

Bringing together panelists with experience from Europe, Australia and the US to discuss regulation, technology and innovation for cashless gaming.

Panel led by Jennifer Carleton, Chief Legal Officer, Sightline Payments, with:

• Theodosis Engelis, Gaming Strategy, OKTOpay
• Roger Webber, General Manager CXS, APAC, Aristocrat
• Samantha Powell, General Manager, APAC, Gaming Laboratories International (GLI)

Innovation in gaming is at the forefront of regulators’ minds.  Touchless gaming with a seamless patron experience is at the forefront of operators’ minds.  How to bring these two together is the focus of this IAGR conference panel.  The panel will discuss how understanding emerging gaming payments methods and how to regulate them will be a key focus for gaming regulators worldwide.

Innovation in Lagos

Are Bashir, Chief Executive officer of the Lagos State Lotteries and Gaming Authority

The session delves into the regulatory agenda of the state of Lagos through the Lagos State Lotteries and gaming authority, a regulator and law which have brought several innovations to advance the efficiency and effectiveness of gambling business in the State of Lagos.

What has changed in our way of thinking as it concerns the gaming business in Lagos? What issues have strengthened our resolve on how business was before now? We’ll share how the innovations we implemented has encouraged us to throw off old thinking, processes or policies and to best reflect the cultural, technological and consumer change we have witnessed in the Lagos gaming business.

Identifying EGM risk in real-time

• Tracy Schrans, President Focal Researc
• Dr Tony Schellinck, CEO, Focal Research Consultants | Adjunct Professor, Dalhousie University

The use of technology for identifying risk among online/digital customers and members of loyalty schemes has been well established. Yet, reliable identification of risk in real time, during play, among those who gamble without using an identifier is more challenging. And it represents a significant gap in coverage of player protection tools at present.

Being able to accurately identify in-play risk means that such identification can be linked to meaningful EGM custom messaging and safer gambling actions hence Smart RG EGMs rather than the blunt instruments currently in play.

Opening remarks

Gambling advertising, public sentiment and regulatory approaches

Natalie Wright, Director Office of Responsible Gambling, Australia

Natalie will provide an overview of some of the evidence regarding public sentiment towards gambling advertising in sport, and of the Reclaim the Game partnership approach taken by the Office of Responsible Gambling to reduce advertising in sport and challenge the normalisation of sports betting and sports betting advertising.

How regulators can use lived experience to prevent gambling harm

Panel session led by EPIC Risk Management with:

• Dan Spencer, Director of Safer Gambling, EPIC Risk Management
• Martin Bland, Commercial Director, EPIC Risk Management
• Mike Holinski, Head of Business Development, EPIC Risk Management
• Prof. Sally Gainsbury, University of Sydney
• Imasha Ranasinghe, General Manager, Tabcorp

EPIC Risk Management is a problem gambling awareness and harm minimization organization in the UK and the US.  Their IAGR2022 panel discussion will include senior directors, all of whom have had their own lived experience of gambling related harm.

The EPIC directors will talk about the dynamics that led to their pathological gambling addictions and impart their industry knowledge with the aim of elevating the use of lived experiences and preventative action to effectively minimise gambling harm.

The panel discussion will also include insight from industry experts who can talk of their own experiences of implementing lived experience programmes and how effective they were in changing approaches to safer gambling.

EPIC will use the panel discussion to discuss how stakeholders move towards more efficient and effective gambling regulation with a commitment to effective measures for safer gambling.

How to move to a sustainable future

• Henrik Nordal, Deputy General Director, Norwegian Gaming Authority
• Atle Hamar, General Director, Norwegian Gaming Authority
• Professor Sally Gainsbury, Director, Gambling Treatment and Research Clinic, Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney
• Peter Cohen, Director of Regulatory Affairs, The Agenda Group

Henrik will lead a panel that considers how with growing awareness and knowledge about the cost for individuals and society from betting related harm, the expectations of a more sustainable approach to it increases.

Will this trend continue or is it a fad? How can regulators, researchers and industry affect this development? Should they?

Closing session