The Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCCC) recently published its annual plan for the calendar year 2025-26. The gambling regulator has outlined its agenda for the Australian state and listed upcoming projects for public viewing. It has reiterated its commitment to bringing meaningful change to Victorian communities and ensuring that gambling activities are conducted fairly and free from criminal influence.
Key Insights into the VGCCC Annual Plan 2025-26
- The VGCCC will prioritise the prevention of gambling harm and accountability among operators. It aims to implement a framework for identifying the early signs of problem gambling and enforcing responsible advertising.
- The regulator’s agenda also includes provisions for protecting minors and the vulnerable population from gambling addiction, stopping criminal exploitation, and enforcing anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) protocols.
- Among the VGCCC’s upcoming projects is a public awareness campaign to educate communities about gambling harm. The regulator has confirmed that its activities will focus on reducing gambling harm through education, empowerment, and enforcement.
VGCCC to Focus on Modernising Digital Systems for Effective Enforcement
The Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCCC), which is in its fourth year of existence, recently released its Annual Plan for 2025-26. The document highlights the regulator’s agenda for the coming days, outlines the steps it has taken to deliver on that commitment, and lists upcoming projects that are in the pipeline.
The commission has reiterated its commitment to prevention and accountability in its annual plan. Suzy Neilan, Chief Executive Officer at the VGCCC, echoed the sentiment. In her opening statement for the report, she says:
Our core purpose is to ensure that gambling operates with integrity, safety, and fairness for all.
The VGCCC’s annual plan also lists a statement of expectations for the next year. Key goals include:
- Build strong, collaborative relationships.
- Develop a robust and modern industry by identifying and responding to new risks.
- Educate consumers and operators for improved compliance.
The plan outlined that it will:
Identify and respond to new and emerging risks, and support industry to understand and go beyond their minimum regulatory obligations. Ensure the gambling industry delivers benefit to the Victorian community, e.g. through tourism, employment and economic development.
The regulator is committed to reducing gambling harm and is implementing this philosophy at all levels to improve the regulatory framework. It is also working on enforcing compliance in the casino sector by applying the lessons learnt from Royal Commission reports and testing the Crown Melbourne Transformation Plan.
The report reiterates the VGCCC’s obligation to cooperate with law enforcement and other authoritative organisations to continue preventing gambling harm. The gambling watchdog also plans to “develop a long-term strategy to transform community and industry attitudes about gambling harm and provide a framework for future awareness and education campaigns”.
Upcoming Projects to Improve Regulatory Priorities and Prevent Gambling Harm
The commission announced several projects that are in the pipeline. The initiatives aim to bolster Victoria’s regulatory framework, manage risks, and support the government’s reform plans. A key project that has surfaced is the VGCCC’s plans to support mandatory carded play on table games.
This will ensure only eligible players can access casino games and pull minors and vulnerable individuals away from the risk of gambling addiction. The commission is working on updating its digital systems to monitor the licence transition process and building a system to keep lawmakers informed on the latest developments.
Other projects in the pipeline include establishing a dedicated system for regulatory improvements.
The system will:
embed the new sector-based, intelligence-led regulatory operating model; mature the regulatory approach by developing working groups, cycle and hub initiatives; and integrate the enterprise risk and compliance management frameworks.
The VGCCC has identified seven “organisational strategic risks”, from insufficient funding for implementing legislative obligations to failure to uphold prescribed standards of accountability and transparency. The commission is proactively monitoring the situation, and solutions are either in place or under development.
As remote gambling operations surge globally, regulators are pressing for reformed measures to introduce order in the market, foster accountability among operators, and educate the public about safety protocols, gambling harm, and available resources and support groups.
Neighbouring New Zealand has already taken the initiative by introducing the casino gambling bill in the parliament. However, the Online Casino Gambling Bill is being widely criticised by the local sporting organisations, which argue that the proposed provisions would cut off funding for the small clubs, effectively starving them into extinction.