Company Reports

Sportsbet, the biggest corporate bookmaker in Australia, has gotten away with yet another controversial ad that many viewers from Down Under found offensive. The ad in question aims at promoting the sports betting operator’s iOS app. It alleges the mobile product is so user-friendly that it is “foolproof”. The promotional clip depicts certain social groups like activists and vegans in unfavourable light, painting them as scruffy, overly indignant, and permanently offended. It also re-enacts the notorious 2014 incident that involved NRL footballer Todd Carney who urinated in his own mouth…

The regulatory body of the British advertising business slammed two gambling operators for being irresponsible in their advertising materials and for encouraging gambling. Today, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) published rulings against BetIndex LTD and Coral Interactive Ltd, after investigating some issues which had been previously reported to the body. BetIndex Ltd Feels ASA Backlash for Encouraging Gambling The ASA investigated an issue related to a sponsored video which BetIndex Ltd released under the title “How to make money from football index”. The complainant saw the advert on the YouTube…

The leading gambling charity organisation in the UK, GambleAware, has joined forces with Parent Zone, a company which has vast experience in digital family life, to release a new campaign aimed at keeping children safer in online games. The two companies want to popularise the possible gambling-related risks which could be faced by minors while playing online games. They are also willing to provide their parents with simple and practical advice that would help them recognise signs of gambling-related harm and keep their children safe. Parent Zone partnered with the…

The largest casino operator in Australia, Crown Resorts, is still facing a series of regulatory investigations into its dealings following revelations in local media hubs that it partnered with some junket operators associated with criminal and money laundering organisations to attract wealthy Chinese casino players. Earlier today, the executive chairman of the company, John Alexander, who has previously backed the company’s due diligence procedures and oversight of its business partners, informed Crown Resorts’ shareholders that the gambling operator’s business was run with no tolerance for criminal elements. In the 2019…

The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has imposed a licence warning and some additional licence conditions, as well as a monetary fine of £1.8 million to Park Lane Club for social responsibility and money laundering failures. Two personal management licence holders at the casino venue have also been issued formal warnings and were also warned that they need to improve their record on money-laundering prevention and player protection. An investigation which the gambling regulatory body held into the operations of Mayfair-based Park Lane Club that is currently run by Silverbond Enterprises…

SkyCity Casino in Auckland has seen hundreds of workers walk off their jobs for a second straight week in what is considered the biggest migrant strike in the entire history of New Zealand. Reportedly, almost 900 casino employees refused to take night shifts and required better working conditions for working overnight and weekend. According to the spokesman of the union representing the casino workers, Joe Carolan, SkyCity suggested that its casino employees would not have to work over the weekends but the workers do not want that. They simply insist…

The money losses continue to be registered at the owner of Casino Canberra, Hong Kong-based Aquis Entertainment Limited. Most recently, the company has reported an AU$2,553,772 loss for the first half of the current fiscal year to June 30th. Aquis further revealed that it is in talks with the ACT Government to discuss some development possibilities for its struggling business. As Aquis Entertainment also explained, the latest six-month loss was up 18.4% on the same period a year earlier, when it registered an AU$1,156,212 loss. Its revenue fell by 2.7%…

The tier-two English football club Huddersfield Town has revealed to the Football Association of the UK that it faced pressure to display prohibited outsized logos on its shirts as Ireland-based gambling operator Paddy Power threatened to start legal action against it in case it stopped advertising the company, now owned by Flutter Entertainment. Last week, the FA imposed a £50,000 fine on Huddersfield Town FC due to the football club’s decision to display the name of the gambling company diagonally on its players’ shirt chests. As found by the football’s…

The British gambling operator William Hill has revealed that its Chief Executive Officer Philip Bowcock is stepping down. As revealed by the company, Mr Bowcock’s position is to be taken by the boss of William Hill’s digital unit, Ulrik Bengtsson. As planned, Mr Bowcock will remain at the gambling giant until the end of 2019 in order to help with the transition. Mr Bengtsson is to officially take over the role of CEO on September 30th. He joined the gambling company in April 2018 after previously working at the Swedish…

One of Australia’s largest gambling companies, The Star Entertainment Group, has been linked indirectly with Stanley Ho, a highly controversial figure in Asia’s gambling industry due to his alleged involvement in organized crime. The Star’s minor shareholder Chow Tai Fook Enterprises is owned by the Cheng Yu-tung family, which also holds nearly 10 per cent stake in Ho’s SJM Holdings. This comes after officials launched an investigation into Stanley Ho’s son Lawrence Ho and his company Melco Resorts and Entertainment as it seeks to acquire a 19.9 per cent stake…