Author: Daniel Williams

The children’s commissioner for England has urged the authorities to unveil stricter measures to protect young online gamers, reminding that some of them spend hundreds of pounds on so-called loot boxes offered in video games. Anne Longfield has called for the ministers to make amendments to the existing law so that loot boxes offered in games such as Fifa and Fortnite are categorised as gambling. Apart from that, she has also urged them to roll out a maximum daily spending limit for children as part of the Government’s efforts to…

Most people consider gambling merely as a form of entertainment. Others fall prey to the illusion of easy winnings and slip into the dangerous grip of addiction. This vicious cycle leads to devastating consequences like debt, theft, ruined families, and suicide in the worst of cases. A variety of factors may contribute to the development of pathological gambling behaviour, including genetic predisposition. The extended use of certain medications that act as dopamine agonists is also a risk factor for this form of compulsive behaviour. It all starts with a simple…

Due to increasing concern about the harms associated with gambling in the UK, Public Health England has been addressed by the Government, which asked the organisation to carry out an evidence-based probe into the specific health aspects which gambling-related harm has. The move is aimed at raising the awareness of the possible negative consequences from gambling and providing British people with more information about prevention and treatment. Back in May 2018, the Department of Culture, Media and Sports published a response to a consultation on proposals for changes to fixed-odds…

The Problem Gambling Foundation has revealed that the Timaru District has seen the number of electronic gaming machines there rise by more than 50% over the past decade and a half, but more could be done in order for the authorities to make sure that their number declines. Now, the Timaru District Council has been urging the local community to make a decision on the new Gambling Venue Policy of the Council. If introduced, the policy would see a maximum of seven electronic gambling terminals allowed at new venues across…

The manager of Premier League club Leicester City, Brendan Rodgers, has backed midfielder James Maddison after the latter’s casino visit and shared his concern that the young player is being described in a wrong way. The manager of Leicester City did not deny that the midfielder made a mistake by visiting a casino last week after he was released from England’s National squad due to illness. However, Rodgers described Maddison’s visit to the casino as totally innocent and added that the player is being wrongly portrayed. The 22-year-old James Maddison…

At a time when the UK is approaching its long-discussed exodus from the European Union (EU), concerns regarding the country’s thoroughbred sector have been rising. With a no-deal Brexit being a very possible option for leaving the EU, the British racing industry has received an unexpected offer, as the European Union is providing the country with the so-called “national listed status” which is set to protect the free movement within the horse racing industry. As Casino Guardian has already reported, the free movement of jockeys and horses across borders will…

Facebook has been thinking to take legal action against a UK-based startup company which has been using the social media’s ad-targeting feature to help gambling operators lure users into gambling. According to the social media, The Spinner has used not only Facebook but other social media platforms, as well, to help gambling companies manipulate and “brainwash” people to start gambling at their online casinos. The company, a startup based in the UK, provides so-called “sniper targeting” adverts on various social media platforms – a practice which sets ads which are…

The Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) has published a guidance note on the impact which the UK exodus from the European Union (EU) is expected to have on the local gambling industry. The guidance note’s contents are only related to the regulatory operations within the MGA, with the regulatory body also emphasising on the Brexit’s consequences for gambling operators. These effects include but are not limited to data protection, employment, copyright considerations, immigration and duty. The MGA also highlighted the fact that the contents of the guidance note are particularly important…

Academics from Cardiff University revealed that almost 50% of children aged 11 to 16 have confessed that they have recently gambled. The study, one of the most extensive ones of its kind, has also revealed that underage individuals from minority ethnic groups were more likely to spend money on gambling than native British children. According to the results of the Cardiff University researchers, 41% of the children between 11 and 16 years of age have taken part in some kind of gambling activity within the previous 12 months. The most…

A joint investigation of the Danish Broadcasting Corporation and The Guardian has found that hundreds of thousands of underage individuals have been able to see adverts about gambling and alcohol on Facebook. According to the investigation’s results, the advertising tools of the social network mark 740,000 children under the age of 18 as being interested in gambling. About 130,000 of these underage individuals have been British. In addition, approximately 940,000 minors, 150,000 of whom originate from the UK, are flagged as being interested in alcoholic beverages. As learned from the…