Author: Olivia Cole

The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) decided to significantly increase the financial penalties against gambling operators while companies are being warned to make sure they do not take advantage of consumers during the second coronavirus pandemic lockdown. A few days ago, the gambling regulatory body published its latest Compliance and Enforcement Report, providing more information about the efforts it took over the 12 months that ended in March 2020 to make sure that all licenced retail and online gambling companies were in line with the rules. At the same time, the…

According to industry sources, Australian billionaire James Packer had already established a blind trust to hold his 36% stake in Crown Resorts after an inquiry into the gambling operator’s business heard that the casino giant is unsuitable for its Barangaroo casino licence. The beneficiaries of the blind trust do not know of the holdings of the trust. They are also not given permission to intervene in the holdings in any way. According to experts, there are definitely some red flags for Mr Packer and the future of his majority stake…

The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) announced its decision to revoke the operating licence of the company that operates Park Lane Casino – Silverbond Enterprises Ltd. As the major gambling regulatory body of the UK shared, the decision was made because the watchdog is not satisfied with a recent change in corporate control at the gambling company, as it was concerned about the suitability of the new controller. According to the Commission, the latter has had an unsatisfactory history in providing information that the watchdog had required as part of its…

The future of Crown Resorts’ casinos in Melbourne, Sydney and Perth is under question after a public inquiry into the gambling group’s operations heard that the company is unsuitable to hold a casino operating licence. On November 3rd, the inquiry also heard that the influence of the casino group’s major shareholder James Packer affected the mass arrest of Crown’s staff in China. The assertions came as part of the closing statement from the lawyer who was running the probe aimed at establishing whether Crown Resorts is fit for holding its…

The online gambling company Kindred Group revealed a decision to pull its 32Red brand from the Italian market after operating for about 8 years in the country. As confirmed in a statement published by the company, the Italy-facing website of the brand – 32Red.it – is set to cease operation as of November 30th. The gambling firm calls for local customers to make sure they withdraw their funds by November 29th as after that they will no longer be able to access the website. The message found by the Italian…

The British gambling and sports betting giant GVC Holdings has issued a statement to estimate the expected impact of the recently enforced sports betting outlets’ closures on the company’s operations. The gambling operator, which owns a number of brands, including Ladbrokes, Coral, Bwin and Foxy Bingo, confirmed that the safety, health and well-being of its employees and customers is a matter of paramount priority but also provided guidance about the expected effect that the betting outlet coronavirus-related closures across Europe and the UK retail sector is likely to have on…

The casino watchdog in the state of Victoria did not make an attempt to interview staff members of Crown Resorts, who were taken into custody and imprisoned in China for participating in the illegal promotion of gambling, until after one of them appeared on television. At the time this happened, the regulatory body’s investigation had been underway for two years. The Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation (VCGLR) tabled its annual report in the state parliament on October 29th. The report unveils the lack of progress in the watchdog’s…

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) upheld a complaint against a gambling operator for using an advert that could be found particularly appealing to underage individuals. The gambling advert, which features fluffy animals, has been suspended after the regulator tagged it as “irresponsible”. The Gala Spins ad, which appeared as a paid-for post on Facebook, was seen by the complainant on August 12th, 2020. The post included a video that features five toy animals, as well as a caption “It’s a rollercoaster of cuteness!” The person who filed the complaint to…

Two of the most popular British betting brands – Ladbrokes and Coral – will no longer operate on the betting rings in the UK and Ireland after it was confirmed that the owner of the two companies, GVC Holdings, has reached an agreement to sell its 106 pitches to a competitor and exit on-course operations. In a statement released on October 27th, the trading director of GVC Holdings, Rom Ritzema, said that it was not an easy decision to make and explained that a number of factors had been taken…

One of the major retail and commercial banks in the UK, National Westminster Bank (NatWest), unveiled a gambling ban option on the use of debit cards that would provide the bank’s customers who may be problem gamblers with a “cooling-off” period of 48 hours before they are able to make such payments again. The new feature is part of the bank’s efforts to help customers who could suffer from gambling addictions to better control their spending on gambling services. As mentioned above, NatWest customers will be forced to wait 48…