Author: Daniel Williams

A reputable economic advisor has described a report commissioned by New Zealand’s Ministry of Health as “seriously flawed” and has warned that the conclusions of the report should not be trusted. The report in questions, called “Measuring the Burden of Gambling Harm in New Zealand” was made especially for the country’s Ministry of Health. It was worth NZ$319,000 at the time when prepared. Unfortunately, the respected economics advisor now claims that there are over 10 research flaws in the controversial report. According to the findings in the report, so-called low-risk…

A parliamentary committee has heard that British bookmakers are considering to voluntarily suspend football shirt sponsorships and aggressive advertising away from the pitch. If the measure is truly rolled out, it would come as an expansion of the whistle-to-whistle ban on TV gambling advertising that was introduced in 2019. A few days ago, the Select Committee on the Social and Economic Impact of the Gambling Industry that operates as part of the House of Lords had a meeting to take evidence for some representatives of the local gambling market. Top…

A Belfast Councillor has called for stricter action regarding Northern Ireland’s gambling legislation explaining they are not good enough to serve their purpose. According to John Kyle, the authorities need to do more in order to protect vulnerable members of society such as people who find it hard to control their gambling habits. At the time when Belfast City Council took into consideration the issue at the beginning of the week, Mr Kyle once again directed the spotlight towards the fact how challenging problem gambling is for Northern Ireland and…

The Australian Greens in the state of Victoria have called for the Premier of the state, Daniel Andrews, and his Government to suspend donations made by the gambling sector and property development sector to political groups as a measure to restore the democratic process’ integrity. Earlier this morning, the donations from the 2018/19 financial year, including the ones for the elections in the state, were officially disclosed. According to reports, the Australian Hotels Association (AHA), which is currently considered an official representative of the majority of gambling establishments in the…

The head coach of Hamilton Academical F.C., Brian Rice, has faced a ban from football for ten matches following a confession that he had breached the gambling rules of the Scottish FA. However, the actual ban will be imposed immediately for only five of them, while the other five are set to be suspended for good behaviour until the summer of 2021. Brian Rice faced accusations of violating the Scottish FA rules in each season between July 14th, 2015 and October 15th, 2019. The ruling was announced at an SFA…

The Irish Republican Party Fianna Fáil has pledged to ban the use of credit cards in gambling and to impose so-called “whistle-to-whistle” bets in case it is elected. A couple of days ago, a policy paper on gambling was unveiled by the party, in which plans for some severe restrictions regarding gambling advertising and sponsorship agreements inked between gambling operators and professional sports clubs. Fianna Fáil further pledged to establish a special regulatory body to monitor and control the country’s gambling sector by the end of 2020, if it gets…

The Isle of Wight has been a major holiday destination for years, as it offers a great variety of entertainment options along with a beautiful landscape. However, this is only one part of it. Recently, the Isle has been turning into a massive hub for another kind of entertainment based online. According to some analysts, the Isle of Wight is turning into a hotspot for online casino and sportsbook operators, and its popularity is likely to grow even further. This is not so hard to believe in, as, after all,…

The gambling regulatory body of the UK has reminded to everyone who holds a gambling operating license to remain responsible. The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has also shared that the companies need to be able to provide information about their cash sources to make major acquisitions and fund the operations they offer. Yesterday, the UKGC issued a statement with the lessons learned by both the regulator and the industry from the revocation of the online gambling company MaxEnt Ltd which happened in June 2019. The company was stripped of its…

Dr Alan Smith, the Bishop of St Albans, has rolled out a move to bring changes to the inquest laws in order to emphasize on the role that gambling has on gambling addicts who have taken their own life. Dr Smith has already backed a successful campaign calling for a ban on gambling with credit cards, with the measure set to come into effect on April 14th, 2020. The Bishop of St Albans has also been one of the most proactive campaigners for the long-expected reduction of the maximum stake…

A player from the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) has revealed that the majority of Scottish football players bet on matches regardless of the fact it is not permitted to do so and risk facing a punishment. For the time being, Scottish football players are not permitted to place bets on any football match in any country. However, an anonymous player has shared that players in almost every dressing room not only do that, but some even bet on themselves to get booked. The player, who preferred to remain unnamed,…