VGCCC aims to use tech and data to strengthen gambling harm prevention under Strategy 2029
Victoria’s gambling regulator has unveiled a three-year strategy focused on identifying emerging risks and strengthening harm minimisation.
Australia.- The Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCCC) has published its priorities for the next three years under Strategy 2029. The regulator is putting a focus on technology, data, research and intelligence in a bid to identify gambling harm and emerging risks earlier and enable faster regulatory action.
VGCCC CEO Suzy Neilan said gambling companies were using increasingly sophisticated technology to attract and retain gamblers, requiring the regulator to adapt its approach. “In response, we will leverage technology, data, research and intelligence to allow us to identify risks earlier and act sooner,” she said. “Combining intelligence, research and partnerships, allows the VGCCC to identify the issue early, understand its potential impacts and take proportionate action.”
The regulator said it will focus its efforts on areas where gambling harm is greatest. This will include targeted engagement, education, harm minimisation measures and regulatory action, it said. The strategy identifies the rapid development of online products, promotions and payment options as a key challenge, saying these developments are making gambling more accessible and easier to engage with while increasing the risk of harm and making activity harder to regulate across multiple channels.
Intelligence-led regulatory approach
Under Strategy 2029, the VGCCC will pursue four key outcomes: focusing on where gambling harm happens; identifying risk and acting early; holding industry to account for its legal obligations and social licence to operate; and developing a connected, capable and empowered team.
The regulator said it will prioritise locations and demographic groups experiencing gambling harm, while drawing on lived experience and community insights to inform its decisions. It will also invest in targeted public awareness campaigns and strengthen prevention and early intervention by embedding harm minimisation into settings, standards and industry practices.
A central pillar of the strategy is the use of technology, data, research and intelligence to stay ahead of emerging risks, trends and innovations and respond through regulatory changes, guidance, reform or enforcement where appropriate. The regulator also plans to strengthen strategic alliances and its participation in national and international regulatory networks, while adopting more evidence-informed approaches and simplifying regulatory processes.
For FY2026–27, the regulator plans to strengthen foundations through work already underway across technology, artificial intelligence, systems and modernisation.
In FY2027–28, the VGCCC expects earlier work in technology, AI, systems and data to begin delivering benefits, supporting stronger harm minimisation, criminal influence prevention and reductions in regulatory red tape. By FY2028–29, improved data capture and predictive analysis are expected to enable the regulator to identify risks earlier, act more proactively and better target harm minimisation activities.
Strategy 2029 also sets out a stronger expectation that gambling operators take responsibility for identifying and addressing risks within their businesses before regulatory intervention is required. The VGCCC said it will take action when standards are not met, while holding industry accountable for reducing gambling harm and criminal influence. It said it will increase transparency around regulatory priorities, decisions and outcomes to support compliance and accountability.
