{"id":777037520,"date":"2026-02-02T10:15:35","date_gmt":"2026-02-02T13:15:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/?p=777037520"},"modified":"2026-04-21T14:47:29","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T17:47:29","slug":"finalists-announced-for-inaugural-regulating-the-game-global-awards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/finalists-announced-for-inaugural-regulating-the-game-global-awards","title":{"rendered":"Finalists announced for inaugural Regulating the Game Global Awards"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Regulating the Game has unveiled the finalists for the inaugural RTG Global Awards, recognising leadership and excellence across gambling regulation, compliance, safer gambling, technology and community impact, following strong engagement in the program\u2019s first year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<p>Press release.- <a href=\"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/angel-smart-tables-announced-as-the-next-innovation-to-feature-at-pitch-regulating-the-game-2026-sydney\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/angel-smart-tables-announced-as-the-next-innovation-to-feature-at-pitch-regulating-the-game-2026-sydney\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Regulating the Game<\/a> has announced the finalists for the <strong>inaugural RTG Global Awards<\/strong>, following an exceptional level of interest, nominations and engagement in the first year of the program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Global Awards were established to recognise regulatory and sector leadership, stewardship, and excellence across gambling policy and regulation, safer gambling, compliance, technology, and community outcomes &#8211; acknowledging the role these disciplines play in underpinning integrity, public confidence, and sustainable sector development. The breadth and quality of submissions received in the inaugural year have confirmed a strong appetite for recognition that is rigorous, independent, and grounded in demonstrable, real-world impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Among the finalists confirmed this year are several individuals and organisations recognised for leadership and impact within their respective categories, including <strong>Dr Eugenia Chidhakwa (Lotteries and Gaming Board, Zimbabwe)<\/strong>, <strong>Rob Annable<\/strong> (<strong>Picklebet<\/strong>) and <strong>Duncan Garvie (BetBlocker)<\/strong> for community impact; <strong>Dominic Monti (Wests Illawarra)<\/strong>, <strong>Nathan Hinde (PointsBet)<\/strong> and <strong>Sue Pemberton (Parramatta Leagues Club)<\/strong> for compliance excellence; <strong>Michael Simone (Bankstown District Sports Club)<\/strong> and <strong>Vicki Le (Cabravale Club Resort)<\/strong> as emerging leaders; <strong>Chris Dimou (Parramatta Leagues Club), Gaming Laboratories International<\/strong> and <strong>Danny Munk (Wests Illawarra)<\/strong> for leadership voice; and <strong>CherryHub<\/strong> and <strong>KONAMI Australia<\/strong> recognised in the RegTech category as well as <strong>Crown PlaySafe<\/strong>, <strong>Parq<\/strong> <strong>Casino<\/strong> and <strong>The Star Entertainment Group<\/strong> for safer gambling champion.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"900\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/02\/RGT-2026-Global-Awards-900x600.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-777037548\" srcset=\"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/02\/RGT-2026-Global-Awards-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/02\/RGT-2026-Global-Awards-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/02\/RGT-2026-Global-Awards-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/02\/RGT-2026-Global-Awards.jpg 1089w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Finalists have now been confirmed across all six categories. The <strong>full list of finalists<\/strong> will be available on the <strong>Regulating the Game Global Awards<\/strong> website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Finalists were shortlisted across six award categories following independent assessment by a judging panel comprising senior leaders with deep expertise spanning regulation, law, integrity, governance and responsible gambling:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Don Hammond<\/strong>, Chief Executive&nbsp; Officer, Leagues Clubs Australia.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Jamie Nettleton<\/strong>, Former President, International Masters of Gaming Law and Partner, Addisons.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Khalid Ali, Chief Executive Officer, International Betting <\/strong>Integrity Association (IBIA).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>TracyParker<\/strong>, Senior Vice-President \u2013 Accreditation, Advisory and Insights, Responsible Gambling Council (Canada).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The composition of the panel reflects the cross-sector perspective required to assess excellence in a complex and increasingly scrutinised regulatory environment, bringing together domestic and international insight across public policy, legal frameworks, integrity assurance and harm prevention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>RTG Founder and Principal at Vanguard Overwatch<strong>, Paul Newson<\/strong>, said the inaugural Global Awards reflected a growing appetite for recognition grounded in substance and sector contribution. He then added: \u201cThe response to the first year of the Global Awards shows there is a clear place for recognition that goes beyond profile or promotion. These Awards are about surfacing leadership and stewardship &#8211; the people, organisations and solutions that are lifting standards, shaping practice and contributing to better sector and community outcomes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe independence and calibre of the judging panel have been central to that credibility.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The RTG Global Awards Gala Dinner will be held as a flagship networking event within the <a href=\"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/regulating-the-game-2026-draft-programme-unveiled-spotlighting-the-issues-shaping-the-sector\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/regulating-the-game-2026-draft-programme-unveiled-spotlighting-the-issues-shaping-the-sector\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Regulating the Game<\/a> program. Tickets are available separately, enabling colleagues, finalist teams, and sector stakeholders who may not be attending the full conference to join the Awards evening. Further information on conference registration and Global Awards Gala Dinner tickets is available via the Regulating the Game website.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Regulating the Game has unveiled the finalists for the inaugural RTG Global Awards, recognising leadership and excellence across gambling regulation, compliance, safer gambling, technology and community impact, following strong engagement in the program\u2019s first year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":680,"featured_media":777036838,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"is_press_release":true,"is_interview":false,"is_opinion":false,"focusai_summary":"Regulating the Game has announced the finalists for its inaugural RTG Global Awards, recognizing leadership and excellence across critical iGaming verticals including regulation, compliance, safer gambling, technology, and community impact. The program's strong engagement and rigorous independent assessment underscore a growing industry appetite for substantive recognition of best practices and sector contribution.","focusai_entities":"Regulating the Game, RTG Global Awards, Dr Eugenia Chidhakwa, Lotteries and Gaming Board, Zimbabwe, Rob Annable, Picklebet, Duncan Garvie, BetBlocker, Dominic Monti, Wests Illawarra, Nathan Hinde, PointsBet, Sue Pemberton, Parramatta Leagues Club, Michael Simone, Bankstown District Sports Club, Vicki Le, Cabravale Club Resort, Chris Dimou, Gaming Laboratories International, Danny Munk, CherryHub, KONAMI Australia, Crown PlaySafe, Parq Casino, The Star Entertainment Group, Don Hammond, Leagues Clubs Australia, Jamie Nettleton, International Masters of Gaming Law, Addisons, Khalid Ali, International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA), Tracy Parker, Responsible Gambling Council (Canada), Paul Newson, Vanguard Overwatch","focusai_location":"Zimbabwe, Australia, Canada","focusai_target_profile":"ceo_executive (0.9), regulator (1.0), compliance_legal (1.0), operator_casino (0.9), tech_data (0.8), investor_analyst (0.7), supplier_vendor (0.9), journalist_researcher (0.9)","focusai_suggestions":[{"label":"Industry Impact","query":"How will the recognition of these finalists influence the adoption of enhanced regulatory compliance and safer gambling frameworks across diverse iGaming jurisdictions?"},{"label":"Strategic Value","query":"What strategic advantages do the recognized operators and technology providers gain from these awards in terms of market positioning and stakeholder confidence?"}],"footnotes":""},"categories":[16336,4,25032,159],"tags":[25012],"class_list":["post-777037520","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-australasia-news","category-events-articles","category-regulating-the-game-2026","category-shows","tag-regulating-the-game-2026-sydney","press-release"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/777037520","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/680"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=777037520"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/777037520\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":777037549,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/777037520\/revisions\/777037549"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/777036838"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=777037520"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=777037520"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=777037520"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}