Author: Daniel Williams

Over the last few years, anti-gambling campaigners have been trying to bring more attention to gambling addiction, describing it as a serious medical condition that could not only have a negative impact on players’ finances but also on their families and even drive compulsive gamblers to suicide. As Casino Guardian reported earlier in November, the Gambling Related Harm All-Party Parliamentary Group urged the local gambling regulators and the Government to make sure the same betting limits that have been imposed on land-based fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs) must be introduced on…

Today, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) warned local punters to make sure they withdraw their funds from accounts they may have with illegal offshore online gambling operators before the latter are banned. The warning has followed an announcement made by the Australian communications watchdog that it intends to use its new powers to block illegal gambling websites that are hosted overseas and offer their services to local customers. As revealed by the Sydney Morning Herald, online gambling sites such as FairGo Casino and Emu Casino that are run…

Silvio Schembri, the junior minister for financial services of Malta, has tried to make the problems regarding local gambling operators, which the head of the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) recently highlighted, look less significant. In an interview with a local news agency, Mr Schembri played down the concerns raised by Neil McArthur, Chief Executive Officer of the UKGC, at the recent ARQ Conference in Malta. During his keynote speech at the ARQ Conference, Mr McArthur signalled that Malta-based gambling operators were actually among the most common offenders of British gambling…

Last night, the most gambling reform advocate in the UK Parliament – Tom Watson – announced that he is to step down from his position as a deputy leader of the Labour Party. Mr Watson further revealed that he would not take part as a candidate for re-election in December’s general election in the country. The announcement came as a shock to everyone, as Tom Watson has been one of the veterans of the Labour party and there was hardly anyone who has expected him to quit from his proactive…

One of the largest charity organisations which helps British problem gamblers, GambleAware, and researchers from the University of Bristol have urged local banks and other firms that offer financial services to help them tackle gambling-related harm. The charity has called for them to take part in a program that is focused on using technology to prevent people from suffering the negative impact of problem gambling. Over the last two years, a number of UK banks, including Lloyds Banking Group, Barclays, Monzo, NatWest and Starling, have rolled out so-called “gambling blocks”…

HSBC Bank, one of the largest banking and financial service operators in the UK and on a global scale, is likely to implement some restrictions on transactions related to online gambling services by 2020. This could mean that daily spending limits similar to the ones on withdrawals from ATMs could be underway. At the beginning of the week, HSBC UK confirmed in a tweet that the bank is preparing to introduce a special algorithm into its online and mobile banking platform as part of the upcoming technical updates that are…

Members of Parliament have warned that online gambling operators that have circumvented new maximum betting stakes are taking advantage of vulnerable British gamblers. They claim that the country’s Government is failing to provide the necessary protection to the ones who are considered at risk and reminded that problem gambling is becoming a serious public health issue. According to the Gambling Related Harm All-Party Parliamentary Group, there is absolutely no reason for online gambling operators to be allowed to offer slot machine-style games with betting stakes larger than £2. Several months…

Over 50% of the adults in the state of New South Wales (NSW) gambled at least once in 2018, even though participation rates across most forms of gambling has registered a significant decline since 2011. According to a recent report, however, the prevalence of problem gambling has held a steady ground in comparison to the rates registered eight years ago. Currently, one in ten regular gamblers is classified as a problem gambler. The release of the report is made after last week the NSW government revealed that local gamblers lost…

NatWest, one of the major British retail and commercial banks, is set to provide local problem gamblers with access to special counselling sessions in its branches across the country. The move comes as part of an innovative scheme aimed at helping gambling addicts that could be rolled out across the UK. As part of the scheme, people who think they suffer from compulsive gambling behaviour will be given the chance to set appointments with GamCare experts in 13 NatWest branches. The consultation with the gambling charity experts will be available…

A new report issued by accountancy firm PwC claims that overregulation of the online gambling market and the potential risks could push British gamblers towards the so-called “black” market. The report, which has been commissioned by GVC Holdings and William Hill, has estimated the active unregulated gambling sector in the UK to about 1.2% of the turnover, or £1.4 billion. The research, however, unveiled that some regulatory changes set to ensure tougher rules for the gambling industry, such as stricter due diligence checks or credit card restrictions, could boost the…