Author: Daniel Williams

The UKs’ changing regulatory landscape has had a negative effect on Ladbrokes owner Entain, with the gambling giant’s report for 2024’s first quarter highlighting a 7% decline in terms of net gaming revenue (NGR) when it comes to its British and Irish operations. Online wagering was hit particularly hard, with Entain generating 9% less than last year. As for retail gambling, the reported NGR decline stood at 6%. However, the company is optimistic that things will turn around by 2025 as it is working toward improving its operations. Moreover, the…

John Drennan, a political columnist for Extra.ie and other Irish news websites, wrote on Tuesday that fundraising lotteries organised by political parties will not need to adhere to the Gambling Regulation Bill’s €10 stake limit. This exemption presents a problem of “favourable treatment,” according to an industry source. As specified in the new bill, lotteries and other prize competitions like the Cash Machine will need to implement a €10 cap on bets, and a win limit of €3,000 is also included in the rules. This piece of legislation has become…

The Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCCC) announced yesterday that it has handed BlueBet an AU$50,000 fine after finding the operator guilty on 43 counts of illegally promoting gambling. BlueBet’s transgressions are centred around the operator’s decision to advertise betting on a number of digital billboards in Laverton, Point Cook, Rockbank, Ravenhall, and Werribee in August and September 2022. In all cases, the billboards were located on or above a public road. As the Gambling Regulation Act 2003 explicitly prohibits this form of advertising when it comes to gambling,…

In an article published in the Medical Journal of Australia’s InSight+ website, Angela Rintoul, Associate Professor at Federation University whose expertise lies in gambling harm reduction, health inequities, and the commercial determinants of health, outlined a series of strategies and measures that can be undertaken to prevent suicides tied to gambling in Australia. Her publication was released amidst the Australian government’s continued discussions on whether a nationwide ban on gambling ads should be implemented, and such a prohibition is among the many measures that could prevent gambling-related suicide, according to…

New South Wales’ gambling regulator has published the results of a cashless gaming trial that ran from October 2022 until June 2023 and involved a total of 144 machines in Newcastle’s Wests New Lambton. In order to participate, players had to install a digital wallet application courtesy of gambling machine manufacturer Aristocrat on their smartphones, undergo identity verification, and utilise the app to transfer money from their bank accounts to their gaming machines of choice. The technology provided clients with a range of responsible gambling tools, the most notable of…

Tony Kelly, founder of the Red Card Gambling Support project and former footballer, warned young football players at Warwickshire’s Bedworth United Football Club about how harmful gambling can be. The said warning was a part of his campaign’s awareness workshop, which aims to mitigate and prevent gambling addiction among aspiring footballers. He was accompanied by the BBC’s James Bovill and his crew. As reported by Mr Bovill, Mr Kelly told the students about his football career and how it was cut short once his addiction spiralled out of control. As…

Mike Kirwan, who currently serves as Lottoland’s vice-president, said that he was unable to secure a meeting with the Minister of State at the Department of Justice James Browne with regard to Ireland’s Gambling Regulation Bill 2022, which Mr Browne is a proponent of. As reported by The Irish Times, Lottoland has a range of concerns surrounding the upcoming law. However, it has been around a month since Mr Browne sent a letter in which he sought to meet with the Minister to discuss the said concerns, and in contrast…

The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) published its “Gambling Regulation in a Digital Age” document on April 8th, which is a detailed roadmap of the regulator’s corporate strategy for the next three years. It focuses on a range of factors that set out to ensure that the Commission will achieve its goal of securing a “fair, safe, and crime-free” gambling market which prioritises the wider public and consumers themselves. According to Marcus Boyle, Chair of the Gambling Commission, the strategy plan specifically outlines the UKGC’s plans on how it will enforce…

The Plymouth City Council has greenlit plans for a new adult gaming centre that is now set to be housed in the building of a former Betfred betting shop. The unit, which is located in Plymouth’s Embankment Road, has been vacant for several years. In the initial application that argued for the adult gaming centre’s opening, it was stressed that, if approved, the venue would ensure that Plymouth residents would have further employment options in terms of both the fit-out works process and the positions that will be created once…

Charity organisation GambleAware has announced that more than 100,000 individuals across the UK have used its online self-assessment tool since it was first launched in April 2023. The said tool encompasses a range of questions designed to help individuals assess whether their or a loved one’s wagering is characterised by gambling harm indicators. Of the said 100,000 people, every fourth person reached out to a trained advisor after completing the quiz. As highlighted by GambleAware, the aforementioned data coincides with a 20% increase in people gaining access to early intervention…