Author: Daniel Williams

The Department for Communities (DfC) of Northern Ireland announced the launch of a public consultation on the possible change to “outdated” gambling laws of the region. As revealed by the DfC, the Department is trying to explore the efficiency of the existing legislation but it is also seeking to identify what changes should be included in the new gambling legislation. That is exactly why local taxpayers and representatives of the gambling sector have been invited to give their opinions on the changes that should become part of Northern Ireland’s gambling…

Rob Howley, former Wales’ back coach, has faced an 18-month ban from rugby for placing bets on matches, including his team’s games. The suspension is backdated to September 16th, 2019, when he withdrew from the club’s World Cup campaign. Howley was found to have placed a total of 363 bets on rugby union, featuring 1,163 matches in the period from November 14th, 2015 to September 7th, 2019. According to evidence, the 49-year-old back coach used his e-mail account and his Welsh Rugby Union phone to place the wagers. As previously…

A study on gambling marketing exposure conducted in the United Kingdom revealed that the matchday programmes of local football clubs are laden with betting ads and branding. More concerning is the fact some of these advertisements target pages aimed at minors. The results of the study are more than disconcerting. It was established that the exposure to gambling-related advertising content is four times more prominent than that for alcoholic beverages. As many as 44 matchday programmes for the EFL Championship and the Premier League were analysed to establish they included…

A Christian advocacy group in the UK urged the country’s Government to initiate urgent reform of the country’s gambling laws, only a week after a recent survey has found that more than 50% of British adults gambled in 2018. The group, called Christian Action Research & Education (CARE) urged the authorities to be more proactive in protecting local people from gambling-related harm after a new survey found that about 53% of British adults gambled in 2018. The activities they participated in included various forms of gambling, including buying a lottery…

Problem gamblers in Tairāwhiti still do not have an in-person support system that is funded by the Government because the district health board is facing some difficulties to attract suitable staff members to do so. On August 1st, 2019, Hauora Tairāwhiti was granted a two-year contract to deliver services aimed at helping gambling addicts in the district by the Ministry of Health. The move came after almost a year in which the district did not have a local problem gambling service, following Te Ara Tika Trust’s decision to voluntarily cease…

The Conservative peer who oversees the money fund in which the five largest gambling operators in the UK make donations to help tackling problem gambling described British legislation as outdated. According to Peter Chadlington, the local betting sector needs to see tighter regulation imposed because the existing laws and regulations are not fit for their purpose. As Lord Chadlington told the Financial Times, the Gambling Act of 2005 is not fit to address the significant growth that online gambling has faced over the past ten years. Furthermore, he noted that…

Following allegations for links with foreign criminal organizations, money laundering and helping VIP patrons to evade customs checks, Crown Casino is once again involved in a corruption scandal. An inquiry conducted by the Independent Commission Against Corruption has now revealed that former NSW boss Jamie Clements was flown across the country in a Crown Casino jet organized by Chinese billionaire Huang Xiangmo. On Monday, Huang Xiangmo’s executive assistant Tim Xu was questioned by the Commission regarding a series of meetings between his former employer and the former General Secretary of…

Andros Townsend has revealed that he has been suffering from a serious gambling addiction and admitted that things have been so bad that he even lost £46,000 when placing bets on one match only. The Crystal Palace football player faced an £18,000 fine by the Football Association (FA) in 2013 for breaching the body’s gambling regulations, along with a four-month suspension. Now, Townsend has publicly spoken about the issues he has been having with gambling in his life so far. The young footballer spoke to The Players’ Tribune and shared…

A new study commissioned by GambleAware showed that around 13% of the teenage boys in the UK gamble regularly. The largest gambling charity organisation in the country also revealed that some of them even admitted they are hooked on gambling. The research involved over 3,000 young people aged 17 to 24. According to the study held by the Bristol University, the proportion of young men who gamble at least once a week by the age of 20 has risen to about 20%. By the age of 24, the percentage of…

New figures have shown that over 50% of British adults gamble nowadays. The newly-unveiled statistics fuelled some concerns that smartphone betting is facilitating gambling addiction to take hold on local gamblers. Last night, the head of the National Health Service (NHS) explained that too many people were being affected by the aggressive targeting and advertising practices of online gambling operators and noted that the Government should take further measures to treat addiction. According to experts, the Health Survey of England has revealed a trend of smartphone gambling getting a tighter…