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Reports have shown that online gambling is becoming more popular in New Zealand, but in anti-gambling campaigners’ opinion, the new Government has been focused on regulating the sector in a way that would be good for the industry, rather than in a way that would provide people with maximum protection against gambling-related harm. An increasing number of New Zealand citizens have been pouring money into offshore casinos and sports betting websites which provide them with the chance to gamble online. According to recent reports, New Zealanders have spent a total…

A new study has found that literally tens of thousands of children are involved in liking or sharing social media posts from betting companies which offer odds on competitive gambling. A total of 888,000 messages associated with betting which were published on Twitter in a period of nine months in 2018 were analysed by a think tank from the University of Bristol and Demos. These messages were regarding betting on both traditional sports and esports. As revealed by the team which was engaged with the review and analysis of the…

Only recently, it became clear that it is quite possible that Waipā does not see a sinking lid policy implemented for poker machines. At a Waipā District Council committee’s meeting, which took place last week, there were debates whether the district’s Gambling Policy should be changed so that a sinking lid rule is included. However, it seems that the committee prefers to keep its existing policy. A sinking lid policy means that the competent authorities would not be able to issue any new poker machine licences. Under the rules of…

Australian gambling behemoth Tabcorp revealed that the introduction of online betting taxes has restored “rationally” to the betting sector of Australia and is helping it be more competitive to the rivalry of online betting operators. The company revealed that its lotteries and keno operations helped it compensate for the lower profits generated by its bookmaker division in 2018. It also shared that the TAB and Ubet brands of the operator were forced to offer some special incentives to customers in order to keep them interested and prevent them from betting…

A hearing which took place earlier today saw Ruth Forrest, Murchison Independent MLC and committee chairwoman, question some Department of Treasury and Finance representatives about the expected impact which revenue raised from new gambling licences would have on the Goods and Services Tax (GST) in Tasmania. An inquiry into the impact which the Commonwealth GST distribution system has on the expenses and service delivery in Tasmania is being held by a Legislative Council select committee. At the hearing which took place on August 12th, the committee has heard that the…

The number of customer complaints about UK gambling operators has increased by nearly 5,000% over the past five years, with compulsive gamblers claiming that local bookmakers still use various enticements such as special offers and bonuses to attract them even they have asked to be excluded from the companies’ mailing lists. According to some UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) figures that have been obtained by BBC Panorama, there has been a massive increase in the number of complaints over the past half a decade. Their number rose from 169 in 2013…

In the light of recent involvement of English football superstar Wayne Rooney with an online casino brand, the shadow sports minister shared an opinion that the relationship between gambling operators and football has gotten out of control. This week it became clear that the 33-year-old footballer is set to have the number 32 on his shirt at the time when moves to Derby County as player-coach in January. Currently, the Gibraltar-based betting company 32Red is a shirt sponsor of Derby County, so Rooney will wear the number 32 in honour…

According to new figures released, gamblers in the Macedon Ranges and Hume lost over AU$121 million on gambling machines over the past fiscal year. Recently, the state’s gambling regulator – the Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation (VCGLR) – released its latest statistics regarding customers’ losses and expenditure for the 2018-19 financial year. According to the data unveiled, the losses of local residents amounted to approximately AU$2.7 billion, with the figure representing an increase of AU$3.5 million in the previous year. This is a 0.13% increase on poker machine…

Recent research has shown that a warning slogan that has been aired along with gambling adverts hardly does anything to lessen the amount which punters place as bets. The study, which has been carried out by experts at the University of Warwick aimed at measuring the effect of the responsible gambling message of the British gambling sector “When the fun stops, stop”. Unfortunately, the academics who were engaged in the research found that there was hardly any considerable effect on people’s gambling behaviour. In addition, experts did not find it…

The restrictions on gambling ads during live TV broadcasts of sporting events in the UK have come into force. The Ashes Test cricket series played between Australia and England is the first major sports competition subjected to the newly imposed ban. Under the new regime, gambling-related advertising before 9 pm is prohibited throughout the entire duration of the sports matches. The restrictions kick in five minutes before a given game starts and end five minutes after it finishes. The ban applies to reruns and highlights of the events as well.…