Author: Olivia Cole

The financial regulatory body of the UK is facing criticism that is has ignored reports, according to which a payment processor operator was facilitating transactions to online gambling sites through fake e-commerce sites. As reported by The Times, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) was warned in 2019 that the payment processor Wirecard was linked to a website network for what was described as transaction laundering masked under offering commercial goods but actually processing money transactions for online gambling companies across Europe and some that even offered their services to US…

UK gambling giant William Hill has revealed a decision to merge its domestic retail and online units, which the Managing Director of its retail division, Nicola Frampton, set to depart the company at a time the latter is preparing for some changes that would hopefully make it fitter for the gambling sector in 2021. As it was revealed, William Hill is set to merge its retail and online divisions in the UK, with the move scheduled to take effect in September 2020. The British bookmaker also shared that some job…

UK gambling giant Rank Group revealed that 36 of its Mecca Bingo venues are set to reopen in England as of July 4th as part of the Government’s policy to gradually relax the coronavirus lockdown measures for local businesses. Now, restaurants, pubs, museums, cinemas, hotels and bingo halls would be allowed to reopen their doors after more than three months of closure because of the Covid-19 outbreak. In accordance with the public safety measures unveiled by the UK Government, Rank Group has shared that it is to initiate phased reopening…

The Australian lottery business Jumbo Interactive revealed that it has extended its resale deal with the local gambling giant Tabcorp until 2030. As the announcement goes, the online lottery ticket retailer explained that it is set to pay new fees under the agreement that would probably reduce its earnings in the short term. The extension of the deal, which was announced earlier today, was found disappointing by the group’s investors, after an unexplainable two-week trading halt that saw Jumbo’s shares decline by 13%. Currently, Jumbo Interactive runs the website of…

The Australia Institute think tank has published a report, according to which, reopening poker machines, also known as pokies, would negatively affect the state of Tasmania. The information follows a call by Meg Webb, an independent MLC from Nelson, who urged the state’s authorities to put off the reopening of poker machines until further evaluation of the actual impact of the machines’ closure during the coronavirus outbreak. The report of the Australia Institute has been unveiled after Premier Peter Gutwein confirmed that casinos and gaming rooms would be permitted to…

The inquiry held by the New South Wales (NSW) Government into Crown Resorts’ Barangaroo casino licence is set to immediately resume with a smaller scope after Lawrence Ho’s Melco Resorts sells its 9.99% stake in the Australian casino company to Blackstone. The probe that is led by Patricia Bergin, SC, on behalf of the NSW Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority, had suggested examining the relationship between Lawrence Ho and his father, late Stanley Ho, who had allegedly been linked to criminal organisations. However, in April 2020, Melco Resorts revealed a…

Some of the UK’s largest gambling companies announced their decision to redirect the funding they have pledged for tackling gambling addiction. The companies in question include William Hill, Sky Bet, Flutter Entertainment, GVC Holdings, and bet365. Last summer, the five major operators said they were willing to contribute £100 million in response to demands for a higher 1% levy on their revenue. The sum is intended for the funding of problem gambling treatment, research, and education. The gambling operators initially intended to transfer the funds via Lord Chadlington’s charity organisation…

The largest gambling and entertainment operator in Australia, Crown Resorts, revealed it intends to reopen its Crown Perth venue this Saturday. The casino will open its doors to customers after three months of inactivity as the local government imposed a lockdown to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The gambling operator has reached an agreement with the authorities of the Western Australia state to resume its operations with temporary restrictions in place. Under the governmental guidelines, the venue would resume operations at a limited capacity. The maximum allowed density of visitors…

Problem gambler Ho Ming Wong confessed to stealing over $6 million from his former employer to fuel his gambling addiction. Wong was previously employed as a team manager at the Australian superannuation saving trust company AMP until he was eventually dismissed in 2019. During his employment there, the gambler grew into the habit of withdrawing hefty sums from AMP clients’ accounts to try and recoup the losses he incurred while gambling. Wong eventually decided to fight his gambling addiction and voluntarily confessed his massive theft to the local police authorities.…

A survey held of the UK Government found that most gambling operators have experienced a revenue decline of no less than 50% year-on-year because of the coronavirus pandemic shutdown. The research, called the Coronavirus Business Survey, was conducted by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). Around 4,000 businesses from various industries in the UK took part in the survey in the period from April 23rd to May 22nd, 2020. The major objective of the survey was to find out what impact has the coronavirus outbreak been having on…