Author: Daniel Williams

A few hours ago the UK gambling and racing sectors suffered another major blow. Mark Drakeford, the First Minister of Wales, confirmed that the country will face what he called a “time-limited firebreak” as of 6:00 PM on October 23rd. The measures, which will practically take Wales back to the lockdown restrictions unveiled in March 2020, will be on for 17 days. They will result in the closure of a total of 366 betting outlets. As revealed by the authorities, the lockdown is set to affect so-called non-essential businesses that…

The Government of New South Wales (NSW) has faced accusations of undermining the new greyhound watchdog of the state by forcing it to become dependent on funding from the industry. The greyhound welfare integrity commission of the state was created after some evidence of live baiting and animal cruelty since race dogs had been killed when they were unable to participate in any more races or were not useful for races. The findings fuelled a ban of the industry in 2016 but it was lifted three months later following much…

The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has revealed further data showing how the coronavirus pandemic has affected gambling behaviour in the country. The data gathered by Licensed Betting Operators (LBOs) that offer their services on high streets across the UK reflects the period between March and August and covers in-person and online gambling operations and also includes consumer research. According to the latest data for August, the online market slightly decreased in size. The number of bets was reduced by 2%, and the number of active customers fell by 7%. Betting…

The UK Government has revealed that Merseyside casinos and betting outlets are to cease operations as of today, October 14th. The closures will be made as part of the measures taken by the authorities to stop the further spread of the coronavirus infection. On October 12th, Prime Minister Boris Johnson officially announced a new three-tier system of restrictions in England. The system is to apply to each of the country’s regions depending on the risk of transmission of the infection. The first tier would include regions with the lowest rates…

A new study revealed that players who gamble online are spending more money during the pandemic than they normally would do. According to the data unveiled by the study, one in three players registered a new betting account in June and July. The study, which was held by the Australian Gambling Research Centre (AGRC), showed that up to 79% of new account owners were men aged between 18 and 34. It was also the same group that boosted their average monthly spending from AU687 to AU$1,075. Over 2,000 individuals took…

A recent survey revealed that one-third of football fans in the UK hold off spending money on their favourite team’s kit in case it is sponsored by a gambling company. The survey also found there is widespread support among football fans to see the competent authorities cut the ties between football and the gambling industry. Currently, of the 44 top football clubs in English football championships, a total of 26 have a gambling operator logo displayed on their shirts. The last few years have seen a massive increase in the…

According to recent research of ABC Investigations involving all state and territory regulators in the country, so far there is literally no evidence that any club or pub across the country has ever faced punishment for allowing self-excluded gamblers to play the poker machines offered by them. The only case involving such evidence dates back to December 1st, 2012, when a Gympie courthouse imposed a fine to a staff member of the Freemasons Hotel for their failure to take reasonable measures in order to stop a self-excluded gambler from accessing…

The former leader of the NSW Labour party, Michael Daley, has shared his concern that an eventual implementation of the proposed gambling card that could be issued by the state government for poker machines would make it difficult for local clubs and pubs to survive. Mr Daley was one of the first who commented on the plans of the Berejiklian Government to adopt cashless poker machines and a gambling card and explained that the authorities’ focus should be on saving jobs. According to him, the implementation of the proposed change…

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) revealed that it decided to ban a type of investment that has been considered similar to gambling. As of January 2021, crypto derivatives will no longer be sold to British customers because of the risk of what the FCA described as unexpected and sudden losses. The financial regulatory body of the UK shared that consumers were at risk of being affected by such losses from investments on certain financial products based on the price of some cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin. According to the watchdog, the…

Gambling on so-called poker machines in Queensland has reached a record high since venues offering the electronic gambling terminals reopened, according to data revealed by the Liquor and Gaming regulatory body. The watchdog shared that local residents spent almost AU$293 million in July on the pokies, with the customer spending in the following months since then being similar. The massive increase in their spending seems even more serious when the amount of AU$293 million is compared to the AU$161 million spent on pokies across the state of Queensland in February…