Print - Annual Plan 2025-26 | vgccc.vic.gov.au

Date:: 17 Sep 2025

A message from the CEO

Our core purpose is to ensure that gambling operates with integrity, safety, and fairness for all.

This year marks our fourth as a standalone regulator for the casino and gambling industry in Victoria. We remain laser focused on our purpose, acknowledging that there is still much to do in the regulation of a highly contentious gambling industry that operates in a fast-paced, increasingly complex environment.

Our focus

Since our establishment in 2022, the VGCCC has demonstrated a firm commitment to making the gambling industry accountable for compliance with legal responsibilities and upholding its social licence to operate.

Notable examples include directing Crown and Tabcorp to implement major transformation programs and maintaining ongoing oversight of these initiatives. We have also enforced a zero-tolerance policy towards providers that permit underage gambling.

In 2025–26, we will build upon the substantial progress made in transforming gambling regulation across Victoria, advancing further into the next phase of our organisational development.

The VGCCC will continue to support operators in meeting their regulatory obligations while firmly communicating that non-compliance will not be tolerated. Strengthening partnerships with other regulatory bodies and law enforcement agencies will remain a priority as we work to identify and prevent criminal activities. Additionally, we will enhance efforts to inform both industry stakeholders and the wider community about gambling-related risks and promote harm reduction practices.

Our priorities

Looking ahead, the VGCCC will focus on consolidating recent changes and continuously refining our core services to ensure Victorians can place their trust in a gambling industry that is fair, safe, and free from criminal influence.

Our regulatory scope spans all sectors operating within Victoria, including the Melbourne casino, poker machine and venue operators, wagering service providers, bookmakers, sports controlling bodies, Keno and public lotteries, as well as community and charitable gaming providers.

To achieve our objectives, we have introduced a sector-based operating model for comprehensive regulation and are strengthening the risk-based, intelligence-led approach that informs all regulatory activity. Fundamental to our strategy is the continued implementation of a multi-year project to modernise our digital infrastructure, replacing legacy systems with a secure, efficient platform. This initiative aims to streamline operations, reduce administrative burdens, foster greater awareness of regulatory responsibilities, encourage self-regulation, and improve outcomes for the broader community.

Our aspiration is to adopt smarter working methods, leverage new technology, and remain bold and agile as we evolve as a leading regulator.

Finally, our planned relocation this year to new premises in Melbourne’s CBD will enable us to further reinforce our organisational values and enhance workplace culture by promoting stronger connections and collaboration across the Commission.

This year represents the beginning of a new chapter for the VGCCC – a time to consolidate our regulatory framework and services, strengthen our foundation as an innovative regulator, and advance the maturity of our organisation to better support Victorians.

Suzy Neilan

Chief Executive Officer

17 September 2025

About VGCCC

The VGCCC was established in 2022 under the Victorian Gambling and Casino Commission Act 2011 as Victoria’s independent gambling regulator.

We also operate under, and enforce, the Gambling Regulation Act 2003, Casino Control Act 1991, Casino Management Agreement Act 1993 and Racing Act 1958.

Our role is to hold the gambling industry to account, educate gambling providers about, and assess their compliance with, all their obligations, and act when they engage in wrongdoing.

We help to keep Victoria’s gambling industry free from criminal influence and protect the community from gambling harm.

While we are independent, we report to the Victorian Parliament through the Minister for Casino, Gaming and Liquor Regulation.

The government provides the legislative framework we operate within, governs our regulatory functions and powers, and issues ministerial directions, determinations, and approvals to establish rules or requirements we must consider.

Our purpose

Our purpose is to ensure integrity, safety and fairness for all.

Our strategic ambitions

Be renowned for regulatory excellence.

Provide an exceptional employee experience.

Have a fit-for-purpose operating model.

Our values

Statement of expectations

The Minister for Casino, Gaming and Liquor Regulation’s 2-year statement of expectations of the VGCCC comprises 10 initiatives. Progress against the expectations, which apply until 30 June 2026, is addressed in our annual report. The full statement of expectations is published on our website.

Expectation	Summary
Towards best practice	Apply the principles in Better Regulation Victoria’s new guide for regulators, Towards Best Practice: A guide for regulators, in business planning.
Build strong, collaborative relationships	Engage on an ongoing basis with a range of stakeholders, including people with lived experience of gambling harm and the wider community, industry peak bodies and gambling operators, Victorian government departments with gambling harm reduction functions, such as the Department of Justice and Community Safety (DJCS), local government, law enforcement and other relevant regulators. Ensure industry can deliver new initiatives within current technological and regulatory environments.
Build a robust and modern industry through a risk-based approach to regulation	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.
Continued rigour in regulation of the Casino	Through business-as-usual activities and Royal Commission into the Casino Operator and Licence-related reform activities, like testing and monitoring Crown’s Melbourne Transformation Plan programs and initiatives.
Ensure compliance and prevent criminal activities	Maintain strong relationships and collaborate with law enforcement agencies and other relevant regulators and leverage them to support monitoring of the gambling industry.
Harm minimisation	Effectively integrate and prioritise harm minimisation into all aspects of the regulatory approach.
Educate industry to improve compliance	Establish and communicate regulatory priorities that address known and emerging areas of compliance risk. Use a mix of communication channels to guide industry on the areas where compliance must be improved.
Gambling harm prevention and campaigns	Engage with DJCS, Department of Health, Gambler’s Help providers, gambling harm experts, academia and industry to develop a plan to continue the important public health approach to gambling harm. Develop a longer term strategy to transform community and industry attitudes about gambling harm and provide a framework for future awareness and education campaigns.
Advise the Minister	Provide advice on the operation of gambling legislation, the Commission’s functions, and how the law may be improved to achieve a gambling industry that is free of harm caused by criminal infiltration and minimises the harm caused to individuals in their use of gambling products.
Reporting and business planning	Prepare a framework against which to report on the application of the 10 principles for good regulatory practice. Consider its suitability for performance reporting e.g. on the implementation of this statement of expectations.

Organisational structure

Download 'Organisational structure'

The VGCCC is organised into 9 divisions.

Reducing harm

The ripple effect of gambling harm means that it is not limited to people who gamble. Affected others can include family members, friends, colleagues, acquaintances and the broader community.

Protecting Victorians from gambling harm is central to our regulatory approach. Preventing and reducing gambling harm must also be central to the approach of gambling operators.

The VGCCC’s position on gambling harm is as follows.

Our harm minimisation objective guides all our regulatory decisions, actions and expectations.
Gambling causes harm.
Recovery from harm does not alter the causal role played by gambling.
Harm is preventable.
Gambling markets gravitate toward harmful offerings.
Gambling regulation seeks to prevent harm.
Gambling providers have a duty to care for the wellbeing of their customers and their communities.

Regulatory priorities

Criminal influence and exploitation

Key activities:

monitoring for indicators of money laundering
encouraging providers to take timely action to identify and prevent criminal activity
educating industry about the risks of criminal influence and exploitation.

We will continue to identify suspicious activity and expand and strengthen our relationships with AUSTRAC, Australian Federal Police and Victoria Police. We will monitor licence holders and regulated entities for compliance with their obligation to have adequate measures in place to prevent criminal activities.

Gambling harm

Key activities:

monitoring for signs of gambling harm and appropriate interventions
protecting excluded customers and minors from accessing gambling products and venues
ensuring marketing activities comply with legislation
educating industry about the risks associated with providing gambling products.

We will support industry to comply with legislative requirements to minimise the risk of harm associated with providing gambling products and reduce negative effects on individuals and the broader community. We will help regulated entitles to understand their obligation to implement policies, procedures and measures that promote the responsible service of gambling and monitor for compliance.

Performance measures

Performance measure	2025–26 target
Quantity
Casino applications, monitoring and audit activities	2,016
Gambling and casino information and advice	25,000
Gambling applications, monitoring and audit activities	10,814
Gambling audits completed	1,600
Quality
Gambling audits conducted at high-risk times	20%
Proportion of high-harm gambling breaches resulting in regulatory action	95%
Timeliness
Calls to VGCCC client services answered within 60 seconds	80%
Gambling approvals, licence, permit applications and variations completed within set timeframes	85%

Core activities in 2025-26

Regulatory services

Our independent Commission is tasked with statutory decision making under gambling legislation. This includes sitting as a tribunal to consider complex or high-risk matters and make decisions on applications for various licences relating to poker machines, appeals on exclusion orders and disciplinary actions against major licensees.
The Commission also sets our strategic vision and oversees our functions, powers and duties.
We encourage and enforce compliance by actively monitoring the ability and efforts of gambling operators to meet their obligations.
Our activities include:
- collecting, evaluating, collating and analysing data and other information (environmental scans, research) to identify emerging issues, trends or ‘red flags’ for potential non-compliance, increased risks of gambling harm or criminal activity such as money laundering
- assessing the adequacy and integrity of operators to meet industry, licence, ministerial and legislative expectations and obligations, responsible gambling codes of conduct and harm minimisation requirements
- assessing compliance of gambling systems and products with legislative and technical requirements
- conducting targeted inspections, audits and assurance work, including to assess the effectiveness of controls for managing risk
- working closely with other regulatory bodies and law enforcement agencies to detect and prevent criminal infiltration into the gambling industry
- overseeing the Crown Melbourne and Tabcorp transformation programs
- overseeing compliance with relevant measures under the National Consumer Protection Framework for Online Wagering.
We help gambling operators to understand and meet their obligations and support Victorians to make informed decisions about gambling.
Our activities include:
- marketing campaigns to increase awareness of the risks associated with gambling and promote behaviours that reduce harm e.g. Gambling Harm Awareness Week
- producing education materials, guidance and other resources to support industry to comply with obligations
- responding to enquiries from the public and industry, including receiving, investigating and responding to complaints and tip-offs
- regularly and proactively engaging with major licensees and industry peak bodies, venues, relevant government departments, gambling regulators in other jurisdictions, law enforcement agencies, local councils and community groups, including harm minimisation advocacy groups
- participating in community forums, local government events and other public facing education opportunities
- utilising a mix of communication channels, including our website, newsletter, the media, publications and social media.
When breaches are detected, we take action that is proportionate to the risks posed and harm caused by an operator’s non-compliance with its obligations. We have zero-tolerance for operators if we detect deliberate or opportunistic contraventions.
Depending on the sector, the enforcement tools available to us can include:
- notices of non-compliance
- directions
- disciplinary action
- fines
- criminal prosecution
- censure
- licence suspension
- licence cancellation.

Enabling services

- Leads the development of a workplace environment in which staff can excel, grow and achieve outcomes.
- Supports the delivery of strategic and operational programs and initiatives across the areas of: business partnering; talent acquisition; organisation development; health, safety and wellbeing; inclusion and diversity; maintenance of human resource systems and payroll processing.
- Ensures adherence to statutory financial requirements and the provision of all accounting and finance functions
- Building and facilities management including fleet
- Provides advice on the application of procurement policy, governance, and compliance.
- Leads corporate and performance reporting activities.
- Responsible for the collection of licence and taxation revenue with a total administered revenue of $2⁺ billion.
- Manages a broad suite of digital applications, infrastructure and solutions.
- Protects systems against security threats and ensures accurate, safe and accessible data.
- Provides day-to-day support services and drives long-term projects to improve digital capabilities and innovation.
- Manages the records management function.
- Provides advice and operational support to the CEO, including strategic advice based on developing matters in the external environment, and responding to issues.
- Supports strategic and corporate planning and implementation of our strategic direction.
- Liaises with the Minister’s office, DJCS and other government agencies and stakeholders.

Projects

Projects included in the annual plan are subject to business case approval by the Executive Management Team (EMT) and are overseen by a steering committee that reports into the EMT.

We’ve identified a number of projects for inclusion in this annual plan. These will be complemented by additional projects to embed our values and enterprise excellence.

- Support implementation of hotel and club reforms, including mandatory carded play and pre-commitment.
- Support implementation of casino reforms, including mandatory carded play on table games.
- Plan for the monitoring licensee transition, including developing technical system standards.
- Build a Crown Data Committee data repository.
- Input to ministerial direction reviews.
- Gambling regulations 2025.
- Complete phases 2 and 3 of the Salesforce system project.
- Conduct an AI adoption trial.
- Embed our new sector-based, intelligence-led regulatory operating model.
- Mature our regulatory approach by developing working group, cycle and hub initiatives.
- Mature and embed our enterprise risk and compliance management frameworks.
- Drive efficiencies to achieve reduced operational costs.
- Input to Better Regulation Victoria public reporting.
- Gender Equality Action Plan 2.
- Adopt a wholistic approach to health and wellbeing, beyond compliance.
- Relocate to new accommodation.
- Execute 5-year gambling harm awareness campaign strategy.
- Develop and roll out a corporate communication strategy.

Risk management

The VGCCC is committed to meeting the requirements of the Victorian Government Risk Management Framework.

We have identified 7 organisational strategic risks, which are regularly monitored and reviewed by the EMT. Treatment plans for each risk are either in place or in development.

Our strategic risks

Insufficient funding to deliver legislative obligations, VGCCC strategic ambitions and meet government, industry and community expectations.

Failure to take reasonable steps in our regulatory approach to minimise gambling harm and prevent criminal influence.

Inability to keep pace with industry change and innovation.

Inadequate systems that are not fit for purpose to achieve our strategic objectives.

Insufficient capability and/or capacity to deliver on VGCCC’s strategic ambitions.

Inadequate systems and processes to support the health, safety and wellbeing of our people.

Failure to uphold those standards of integrity, transparency and accountability which would undermine public trust and confidence in the VGCCC.

Annual Plan 2025-26

On this page

A message from the CEO

Our focus

Our priorities

About VGCCC

Our purpose

Our strategic ambitions

Our values

Statement of expectations

Organisational structure

Organisational structure

The VGCCC is organised into 9 divisions.

Reducing harm

Regulatory priorities

Criminal influence and exploitation

Gambling harm

Performance measures

Core activities in 2025-26

Regulatory services

Enabling services

Projects

Risk management

Our strategic risks