Focal Points Newsletter - March 2026
Hello,
Get ready for the March issue of Focal Points.
At the forefront is:
- Trial of Focal’s New Prevent System to Start April 1st in Brisbane, Australia
- Highlights from Regulating the Game 2026
- Focal Partners with International Gaming Standards Association (IGSA)
- Research Fellow, Dr. Robert Heirene, joins Focal as a collaborator on safer gambling research
- President, Tracy Schrans, to speak on RG panel at G2E Asia Global Gaming Expo in Macau
Scroll down for all the details!
Read time: 4 minutes
On April 1st, we will launch a live trial of Prevent with Kedron-Wavell. Prevent aims to identify emerging risks, providing proactive support, automated messages, and tailored resources. This initiative will enhance Player Protection for Kedron-Wavell guests and the wider community.
This year’s Regulating the Game conference was a valuable chance to reconnect with researchers, regulators, and industry partners from around the world and to be part of key conversations about the future of gambling regulation, research, and technology.
Tracy presented Detecting the Invisible: Smarter Approaches to Affordability and Overspending, sharing insights from the FocaL Adult Gambling Screen (FLAGS) and how behavioural research can help identify those spending beyond affordable limits as well as sharing our new Prevent system with Pitch! attendees.
We were also honoured to be named a finalist for RegTech Solution of the Year, alongside other organizations advancing safer gambling and player protection.
Prevent is designed to identify and help staff respond to at-risk gambling behaviours in real-time for both carded and uncarded play.
We’re pleased to share that Focal is now a member of the International Gaming Standards Association (IGSA), an important global forum that brings together regulators, operators, and technology providers to develop and strengthen gaming standards.
With more than three decades of applied research, responsible gambling evaluation and player protection experience, we look forward to collaborating on practical, evidence-based standards that help keep players safe across jurisdictions.
We are happy to announce our collaboration with Dr. Robert Heirene, a Research Fellow at the University of Sydney. Working with the Gambling Treatment & Research Clinic and the Technology Addiction Team within the Brain and Mind Centre, his work focuses on understanding and preventing harms associated with gambling and substance use.
His current research leverages online and land-based gambling customer account data to identify markers of risky play and to evaluate the impact of harm-prevention interventions and policies, insights that align strongly with Focal’s commitment to data-informed, measurable player protection.
Tracy will bring Focal’s perspective on evolving responsible gambling programs to the Global Gaming Expo (G2E) Asia—one of the region’s key events for gaming-entertainment innovation, networking, and learning.
She’ll be joined by fellow panellists, Joseph Bufalino (Executive Director of Responsible Gambling, Marina Bay Sands), Peter Cohen (Director Regulatory Affairs, The Agenda Group), and Al Watson (Chief Executive Officer, DataWorks Group) for a timely discussion on how programs can evolve to meet emerging expectations across the region.
We’re looking forward to sharing lessons from our affordability and overspending research, and the practical application of tools like Prevent as part of broader conversations about safer gambling in Asia.
The leader in safer gambling research and innovation, Focal transforms behavioural data into practical, evidence-based tools.
Continuously pushing boundaries with research and product development, our vision is grounded in a future where technology, research, and compassion intersect to protect customers, communities, and the business from gambling-related harm.
Let us know if we can assist you with your safer gambling needs.
Sincerely,
The Focal Team
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