Author: Daniel Williams

A campaign led by a recovering problem gambler from Manchester is calling for English football clubs to get more engaged with the dangers associated with gambling addiction. The 28-year-old James Grimes has managed to stay away from gambling for almost a year now. The young man is aimed at making local football clubs to review their relationship with gambling companies, as many operators are currently being displayed as the clubs’ sponsors. Mr Grimes is now leading a group of supporters of the Big Step Challenge, which has started its journey…

The Hamilton District Court imposed a four-month community detention sentence to a young woman from Ōtorohanga after her facing charges of failing to take reasonable measures to protect her child while playing on the poker machines in a local pub. The defendant, Kalota Palu, was also sentenced to undertake 100 hours of community work. In addition, she will be supervised by Judge Philip Connell for a period of 12 months. At the time when the Judge announced the sentence, he also praised the 23-year-old woman for voluntarily starting and completing…

The operator of the National Lottery UK – Camelot – is boosting its marketing budget following an increase registered in lottery sales. This, however, has ended up with smaller funding for good causes, with the latter receiving £39.6 million less from the National Lottery in the last fiscal year. According to reports, Camelot generated about £1.65 billion for good causes in the UK for the year which ended on March 31st. This fund is used for cultural heritage, arts, sports and various charitable projects, but the overall amount it received…

The Wellbeing Budget of New Zealand was officially released only a fortnight ago. According to some analysts, the budget represented an anomaly with its attempt to set local people’s wellbeing as a paramount priority rather than economic growth. The Chief Executive Officer of Hāpai te Hauora, Selah Hart, explained that the budget is aimed at actually making a commitment to people’s wellbeing, but that would depend on the Government’s ability to combine its policy and action across all public sector aspects with fiscal resourcing. Hāpai te Hauora has been an…

Today, the Australian casino giant Star Entertainment Group Ltd revealed that the tension caused by the US-China trading war has been having a negative impact on both Asian gamblers’ confidence and the company’s profit, resulting in the largest share decline it has experienced since listing. The information revealed by Star Entertainment comes to demonstrate the significant impact which the long-running dispute between the US and China is having, especially in the light of the 25% punitive tariffs which the US has already imposed on some goods, and the ones which…

Members of Porirua community are expected to urge the authorities for tougher measures on poker machines, while consultation on the proposed Class 4 gambling policy of the City Council is to be brought to an end by the end of the week. The verbal hearings are scheduled to take place at Te Rauparaha Arena on June 12th, with the community members set to voice their concerns regarding the controversial poker machines and the harm they cause to community and most vulnerable members of society. A local community member, Tony Sutoris,…

A community group in the city of Dunedin, New Zealand, may have to reconsider its policy of not taking poker machine funding after facing some difficulties with other fundraising methods. The issue is set to be discussed at the general meeting of the Valley Project which is scheduled for June 19th. The community would have to decide whether to start accepting funding money collected by the gambling machines. The community group has existed in its current form for about a decade, being largely dependent on Government funding for the first…

At an event which took place in Cardiff, the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) revealed that it is to roll out the new National Strategy to Reduce Gambling Harms after joining forces with partners in Wales, including charity organisations, regulators, local health bodies and businesses. This is a three-year strategy that is aimed to drive the Commission’s work in Wales and the other regions in the UK and is unveiled as part of the regulator’s efforts to bring a long-term impact on reducing negative consequences associated with gambling. The last few…

Reforms which relate to the racing industry and sports funding will not result in losses for sporting organisations in the country, Grant Robertson, Sport and Recreation Minister, has claimed. On the other hand, Racing Minister Winston Peters has also defended the shortened public consultation process at a time when Transparency International NZ has strongly criticised it after claiming that the period of five days available for public submissions is not long enough. Back in April, New Zealand’s competent authorities unveiled the Racing Reform Bill which is currently before the select…

The local council should be given more powers to decide on the fate of controversial poker machines, a New Zealand gambling addict said. Currently, there are 61 pokies in the hometown of the man, Ōtaki, north of Wellington – a number a lot higher than the number recommended by the council, which is 42. The man, called James, confesses that he has spent thousands of dollars while playing the machines that have been blamed a lot for their detrimental impact on gamblers’ lives. The fact that James has been self-employed…