Company Reports

Gambling operators that would like to open new gambling venues in Glasgow areas where levels of suicide and depression have been higher will have to prove that have policies which would help them tackle possible gambling-related harm. The new gambling policy unveiled by Glasgow authorities is set to help people in areas where gambling has turned into a problem for individuals and communities. The proposal report states that the city’s board will require from gambling operators and applicants for gambling venues’ operating licenses to be extra careful when it comes…

British bookmaker Ladbrokes Coral, which was acquired by GVC Holdings in March 2018, is reportedly encouraging its betting outlet staff to help as many customers sign up for an online account with the brand in case they do not want to be among the ones set to lose their jobs. According to letters circulated among employees, which were seen by The Guardian, the gambling operator intends to shut down up to 1,000 of its betting shops over the next 18 to 24 months. Currently, the company has about 3,500 betting…

South Ribble Council has rolled out a new crackdown on gambling after members of the Council’s licensing committee shared their concerns about the rising number of problem gamblers in the region. The Chair of the Licensing Act Committee at South Ribble Council, Barbara Nathan, explained that despite the fact that some gambling issues required nationwide changes rather than action on a local level, the Council was remaining focused on keeping gambling-related harm away from South Ribble residents. Ms Nathan further shared that the ongoing gambling crisis is “crippling” bank balances…

Questions regarding Spain’s possible appetite for Gibraltar have once again been raised after it used the word “colony” about the British Overseas Territory in an EU document on proposed legislation for free movement. The document, which has allegedly angered the British embassy in Brussels, states that “Gibraltar is a colony of the British crown”. As a result, an official protest against the inappropriate language used by Spain was filed by Britain’s permanent representative with the European Union, Sir Tim Barrow. The wording of the document, however, made the UK representatives…

The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has issued a warning to the gambling operators regarding the use of non-disclosure clauses in their settlements which could end up preventing people from reporting irregularities to the local regulators. The concerns about the so-called gagging orders emerged after a number of incidents of consumers who received large sums of money in return to their consent not to talk to the competent regulatory body. Now the UKGC issued an “industry warning notice” to inform the industry that it was familiar with the aforementioned non-disclosure clauses…

A new organisation is calling for attention towards gambling, insisting that gambling is just another form of a major public health issue. The Gambling Health Alliance (GHA), which has been established in partnership between the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) and GambleAware, is aimed at raising public’s awareness about possible harm that could be inflicted by gambling across the UK. The Alliance is to also insist that local lawmakers should be more proactive in order to tackle constantly increasing problem gambling rates. CHARGE 2018 is here! Cambridge Health Alliance…

Dublin-based bookmaker Paddy Power Betfair has reportedly held merger talks with the Canadian gaming and online gambling operator Stars Group late in 2018. The Sunday Times revealed that the merger negotiations were held “late last year” without sharing where the information originated from. Despite the fact that the newspaper reported that the talks are no longer taking place, a possible merger of the two companies would have created a betting giant with a total estimated worth of €8.7 billion (more than $10 billion), according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Such…

Tasmanian authorities imposed an AU$31,800 fine to a local gambling operator which had allegedly been sending an email regarding a loyalty program upgrade to customers who had been suspended from gambling. The Tasmanian Liquor and Gaming Commission decided to impose a total of 13 penalty measures and letters of censure to UBET TAS, with the monetary fine being the most serious of them. The Commission reviewed the issue and issued the penalties between July and October, as part of its efforts to impose a crackdown on operators and venues which…

Yesterday, the Governments of the UK and Gibraltar inked an agreement under which the primacy of the Gibraltar Government, Parliament and competent authorities in the Brexit process is highlighted. The agreement, called a Concordat, has been signed as a package of documents which are set to bring more clarity to the context in which the UK Withdrawal Agreement’s implementation has been concluded between the two governments. It was signed by Fabian Picardo, the Chief Minister of Gibraltar and David Lidington, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and alleged de…

According to recent correspondence between the Association of British Bookmakers (ABB) and a Belfast Councillor, a number of bookmakers in Northern Ireland will reduce the maximum stakes allowed on fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs). Both William Hill and Paddy Power have decided to slash the betting stakes on the controversial machines which have been blamed for spreading gambling addictions among local residents. The decision of the gambling operators came after councillor John Kyle urged bookmakers to follow another betting company – Ladbrokes – which has previously revealed that it would voluntary…