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A young man from Waterlooville, Hampshire, has been found guilty of fraud that involved more than 25 unauthorized transactions conducted over a period of over a year. The man stole more than £43,000 from his employer to fund his gambling habits and live a lavish lifestyle, driving expensive cards with customized registration numbers. The gambling addict, 23-year-old Bradley Young, of Silvester Road, Waterlooville, was sentenced to 12 months prison suspended for 18 months along with 80 hours of unpaid work during a Portsmouth Crown Court hearing. The man has been…

Gillon McLachlan, who heads the Australian Football League (AFL), has spoken in support of the partnership between the league and the gambling operator BetEasy. Mr McLachlan defended the agreement, explaining that the League had to find a balance between its social responsibilities and the financial requirements that kept the football game affordable. Last summer, a five-year agreement was signed between the AFL and BetEasy, with the agreement being subject to revised conditions. The AFL boss, however, did not agree that it was valid to find a connection between the partnership…

A new report of the National Audit Office (NAO) has revealed that the gambling regulatory body of the UK is failing to protect local players from becoming hooked on gambling. According to the information included in the report, the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) is not big enough to control and oversee the massive £11-billion gambling industry in the country. The report has described the Commission as a small regulator, reminding it only has a budget of £19 million at its disposal to try and tackle the rapidly changing and highly…

Campaigners approached UK Prime Minister yesterday, with a letter calling for him to put an end to gambling sponsorship deals in football. According to the individuals, who are members of charity organisations Gambling with Lives and The Big Step, the relationship between football and gambling has reached what they called “saturation point” and more serious measures need to be taken in order to protect sports fans from being affected by gambling-related harm. Research into the gambling sponsorship agreements in British football in the summer of 2019 revealed that a total…

The Gaelic Players Association (GPA) has urged the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) to suspend gambling advertising from being aired during their games. The players’ body has formally addressed the GAA on the issue and shared that the Association would become the first sporting organisation on a global scale to take such a step should the GAA decided to support the proposal. A couple of years ago, all types of gambling sponsorship agreements were banned at the GAA at its Annual Congress. Now, the GPA revealed that it proposed some measures…

One of the leading gambling charities in the UK that is currently funded by the sector has suspended some problem gamblers who urge for stricter measures against betting companies’ policy. Gamcare’s online forums that are considered leading providers of free information and advice for problem gambling and offer support for people affected by its ban posts insisting for industry reforms. As The Times reported, one forum user, who urged the authorities for reform and wrote that the Gambling Act 2005 does not successfully protect vulnerable people had his petition removed…

A letting agent responsible for liaising with dozens of potential tenants and landlords has been found guilty in stealing more than £23,000 in tenants’ money to fund his gambling addiction and repay a gambling debt. 40-year-old letting negotiator Paul Philipps-Young of Kittlingbourne Brow, Higher Walton, Preston, pleaded guilty to fraud and was given a 12-month jail sentence, suspended for 18 months with 100 hours unpaid work. Since the man had repaid some of the embezzled money, he was ordered to pay £5,400 in compensation in a Preston Crown Court hearing…

The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC), the entity tasked with the regulation of Great Britain’s gambling industry, confirmed today it is to suspend the UK license of Addison Global Limited, the Gibraltar-based company responsible for the operations of MoPlay. The operator can no longer legally offer betting and gaming services via its UK domain as the license suspension comes into effect immediately. The UK regulator decided to suspend the license while it is in the process of reviewing Addison Global Limited’s operations under sections 116 and 118 of the 2005 Gambling…

Yesterday, Nigel Huddleston was confirmed as the new sports minister as part of the recent reshuffle in the UK Government. As the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) announced, Mr Huddleston has taken the role of Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Sport, Tourism and Heritage. As part of the job, the new Sports Minister will be responsible for overseeing the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. He will also play a leading role in the review of the gambling sector that has been initiated by the Government. The review…

According to a member of the district health board, Tairāwhiti gambling addicts and communities are facing a turbulent period of uncertainty because of lacking free support services. Meredith Akuhata-Brown, a board member of Hauora Tairāwhiti, has shared that the risk of people suffering gambling-related harm without the necessary support along with the problems the entire community was facing, highlighted the need for a free support service to be re-established for problem gamblers. There has not been a government-funded service aimed at helping gambling addicts in the region since September 2018…