Author: Daniel Williams

A problem gambling expert has raised a red flag, saying that underage individuals are gambling online while playing computer games, often without the knowledge of their parents. The gambling addiction counsellor at Extern Problem Gambling, Tony O’Reilly, warned that the practice, known as “skin betting”, involves children gambling by encouraging minors to purchase virtual in-game items that help them make faster progress while playing. According to anti-gambling campaigners, the element of gambling involved in such “skin betting” is the fact that the player does not know the content of the…

An important new study analysing data gathered from millions of bank customers’ accounts showed that people who bet even small amounts are more likely to face financial difficulties and unemployment. According to the results of the study, people who spend more on gambling die easier. The study, which provided a report considered the largest of its kind that has been so far carried out in the UK, was aimed at tracking the links between gambling spending and problems experienced by British customers. It involved 6.5 million customers of the Lloyds…

A new report has revealed that British punters are using the services of sports betting companies operating on the black market twice as much as they did only a couple of years ago. According to information provided by the accounting firm PwC, last year, local gamblers spent over £2.8 billion with online gambling companies that offer their services without a licence. The report also revealed that the number of punters using the services of unlicensed betting websites has increased from 210,000 two years ago to about 460,000 in 2020. PwC’s…

British sporting events promoter and Matchroom Sport’s founder and chairman Barry Hearn warned the UK Government that a blanket ban on gambling sponsorship deals and gambling advertising would be devastating for what he called “every layer of sport”. Mr Hearn, however, welcomed the authorities’ plans for unveiling new regulation of the industry. According to reports, the UK Government is considering stretching its reforms of the sector to suspending the sponsorship agreements between football clubs and gambling operators by the end of 2021. Currently, there is a call for evidence that…

The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has revealed new restrictions aimed at enhancing the controls and protections for users of online slot games. Some of the new measures announced by the country’s gambling regulatory body include a permanent ban on features used to speed up customers’ play or celebrate their losses as wins, as well as more limits for spin speeds. The changes have been unveiled by the gambling watchdog following a consultation with investors and representatives of the gambling sector, players and members of the public. Under the new restrictions,…

The government review of the UK gambling legislation is already underway, with some warnings regarding betting companies’ shirt sponsorships with professional football clubs being released recently. As already reported by Casino Guardian, gambling operators are increasingly facing the possibility of facing a ban on their sponsorship agreements with British sports clubs as part of a long-delayed overhaul of the industry’s regulation. However, shirt sponsorship deals of gambling companies are not the only part of the sector that is being considered by competent authorities. According to campaigners, the 2005 Gambling Act…

A recent report revealed that NSW children at an age as young as 11 gamble with real money and play video games by using apps that simulate gambling activities, most often with their parents helping them. According to a survey carried out for the NSW Office of Responsible Gambling, about 40% of children between 12 and 17 years of age from the state of New South Wales (NSW), are playing video games. They are also using mobile applications that very much look like gambling. A total of 551 young people…

Australian gambling giant Crown Resorts is set to learn the fate of its Barangaroo casino project in Sydney within days as the former judge who has been investigating into the company’s operations is preparing to unveil the probe’s findings and to make recommendations about the operator’s suitability to run the new gambling business. The former NSW Supreme Court judge Patricia Bergin SC was heading the inquiry following allegations that Crown Resorts deliberately turned a blind eye to money laundering schemes happening in its casino venues and cooperated with groups related…

This week, the Leeds City Council heard that the number of people who referred to a gambling support charity organisation for help has declined during the course of the coronavirus pandemic. At their latest meeting, Leeds City Councillors asked what effects has the Covid-19 crisis had on the number of people using the gambling support services provided by GamCare in Leeds communities. Although officers did not provide the exact numbers of service users, they confirmed a decline was registered in the number of people who addressed professionals while looking for…

Reports say that the Government of UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is more and more likely to impose a ban on gambling sponsorship deals with football clubs by the autumn of 2021. The change is being considered at a time when the country’s authorities have been trying to tackle problem gambling rates. There was a call for evidence regarding tougher measure in the sector as part of the most extensive review of the UK gambling industry since 2005, which is set to expire in March 2021. According to people close…