Gaming Racing and Wagering Australia Conference was held at Sydney between 8^th to 10^th August. This conference brought together over 150 of Australia’s leading sports betting, gaming and racing executives to learn about the latest developments in industry, incoming regulations and disruptions, and strategies to stay ahead of the curve. Many operators in Australia and from around the world attended this conference to keep themselves ahead of the game within Australia’s highly competitive marketplace.

This 7th Annual Gaming, Racing, and Wagering Australia (GRWA) conference at the Novotel Darling Harbour had the attendees listened to keynote speakers and engaged them in collaborative workshops.

The agenda for this GWRA conference was based on taking advantage of Australia’s positive economic indicators, namely discretionary income and tourism. This direction for the conference’s instructional aims was cemented earlier in August, when global business consulting and market research firm IBISWorld identified Australia’s gambling industry as a potential driver of global iGaming industry growth.

Among the speakers highlighting this year’s GRWA conference were Michael Toohey, who serves as Director for land-based casino equipment company Australasian Gaming Specialists, and Oonahgh Chan, Head of Broadcasting Services for the Hong Kong Jockey Club.

According to the GRWA website, the conference’s overall objective was to ‘provide attendees with competitive advantage in the Australian market through offering insights and innovation from over 15 industry leaders specializing in activities down under.’

Topics under discussion included the utilization of social media platforms to expand iGaming participation, the advent of daily fantasy sports (DFS), creating synergy between land-based gambling enterprises and online operators, and the new wave of federal gaming regulations expected to take place under Sen. Nick Xenophon’s influence.

The official lanyard sponsor of this year’s GWRA conference was Royal Wins, a digital games studio specializing in real money mobile gambling. The turnkey online gaming solutions firm North Alley was the sponsored exhibitor.

Royal Wins Digital Marketing Executive Michael Moretti also served as a guest speaker, along with RewardBet Managing Director Greg Conroy; Sydney Business School Senior Lecturer Rohan Miller; and Leet Co-founder Carson Knuth.

This year’s GWRA was held alongside the 2016 Australasia Gaming Expo (AGE), a three-day trade show between August 9th and 11th which featured more than 280 exhibitors displaying new product lines, startups ventures, table games, and casino equipment.

In the 27th year of AGE, the event recorded record-breaking attendance figures, with 6,813 visitors making their way to the Sydney Exhibition Centre.

The list of exhibitors at AGE was highlighted by Aristocrat Leisure – a global leader in slot machine design and manufacturing based in the Sydney suburb of North Ryde. Other exhibitors showing off their wares at AGE were Allpride Signs & Marketing, Bergstrom Architects, ICU Security Cameras, Good Nuts, Global Payment Technologies Australia, Harcor Security Seals, Innova Group, Interloc Lockers & Seating, and Rohrig Hospitality.