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With the UK Government having promised review of the country’s Gambling Act at the time of the 2019 general election, such a step seems not only imminent but also necessary, as the country’s gambling legislation needs to get up to date with the current market realities. Many changes have occurred across the sector since December 2019, including stricter regulatory rules regarding gambling advertising, underage individuals’ exposure to gambling ads and a ban imposed on credit cards’ use for gambling transactions, as well as restricting gambling sponsorship deals in football. The…

The UK has officially left the European Union (EU), with the transition period after Brexit set to come to an end on December 31st, 2020. Along with all changes it brings for the country, Brexit will also affect all businesses and organisations operating in the local gambling sector. After the referendum in 2016 saw the citizens of the UK vote to leave the European Union, many gambling companies have been worried about what will happen to them and how they will be able to offer their services in the country…

A psychiatrist organisation from Ireland demanded from the country’s government to impose a total ban on the advertising of gambling products during sporting events from the beginning of next year. The Irish College of Psychiatrists insists the ban on gambling ads is a necessary step towards curbing problem gambling in the country, which the organisation referred to as a “hidden epidemic”. In its latest position paper, the College of Psychiatrists of Ireland describes problem gambling as a form of behavioral addiction that can lead to serious distress for those affected…

The Australian Banking Association (ABA) finally unveiled the results of its consultation on the public opinions about the use of credit cards for gambling purposes and the role of financial institutions in addressing gambling-related harm. The findings were published in a report entitled Every Customer Counts and were based on the written submissions of forty gambling operators, governmental agencies, and problem gambling counsellors. Also considered were the results of a web-based survey that involved 813 locals who were asked about their opinions on the use of credit cards for betting…

The UK Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Matthew Hancock, warned that non-essential businesses, sports betting shops included, may be forced to remain closed until a vaccine for Covid-19 becomes widely available to the public. Recent changes to the coronavirus measures during the holiday period will cause betting shops to cease operations across a significant part of the country. Bookmakers located in the London area, as well as those in England’s south-east and east parts, will have to close their doors to customers again. This applies to areas…

The Betting and Gaming Council issued a warning about the increasing risks of online black market operators in the UK. This followed a concerning discovery, showing that British bettors resorted to the services of unlicensed operators about 27 million times in a single year. The results of a report carried out by PWC showed that more than 200,000 UK punters reported using the services of unlicensed operators in the 12 months between 2018 and 2019. The amount they have spent betting at black market websites was nearly £1.4 billion. According…

A report reflecting a massive increase in problem gambling in Australia’s Northern Territory has been made public following a change in the local Government’s previous refusals to publish it. Menzies School of Health Research was entitled to conduct the Gambling Prevalence and Wellbeing Survey after receiving $695,000 from the Community Benefit Fund in late 2018. A total of 5,000 adult NT residents participated in the survey by answering to more than 100 questions, with the final report saying the proportion of adults facing problem gambling behaviour increased by 50% from…

The Manningham Council in the north-eastern suburbs of Melbourne has purchased the local Returned and Services League (RSL) club in order to make sure controversial poker machines do not infiltrate the place. A campaign aimed at encouraging a further 30 municipalities to do the same was also launched by the Council. Ron Twinning, president of Templestowe RSL, secretly lobbied for the club to be bought by the Manningham Council to prevent the venue from becoming home to pokies or sold off to developers. He came up with the idea after…

Ex-England Under-21 and Watford footballer Marvin Sordell has warned that young football players are getting hooked on gambling and clubs must invest more efforts into protecting them. Sordell, who retired from professional football at the age of 28, now claims that the next generation of football players is being let down by their clubs. The former striker, who has 321 appearances and scored 68 goals in his career, believes that gambling has become one of the major problems that currently affect player well-being. At the time he was officially announced…

According to new research, the number of Australian residents who have participated in gambling declined by over 2.6 million indiiduals during the Covid-19 pandemic in comparison to a year ago. The new data provided by the Australian National University showed that the forced shutdown of clubs and pubs at the beginning of 2020 significantly minimised access to gambling services and the overall rate decline from the almost 66% from the gambling participation rates before the pandemic to approximately 53%. At the time when venues resumed operations, the gambling participation rates…