Author: Daniel Williams

The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has become one of the gambling regulators across the world which are engaged in the investigation of the unclear lines between gambling and video games. To date, an agreement has been signed between more than a dozen European and US-based regulatory bodies, at a time when their concerns regarding the possible risks which video games and gambling could pose to children have been constantly rising. As shared by the CEO of the UK Gambling Commission, the unlicensed websites which provide skins betting can literally emerge…

As part of the ongoing Budget talks, the Irish political grouping Independent Alliance has urged the country’s Government to double the existing gambling tax and to introduce a property tax waiver for elderly people who live on fixed incomes. The Alliance, which comprises of Finian McGrath, John Halligan, Shane Ross and Kevin Boxer Moran, explained that a possible gambling tax increase from 1% to 2% is expected to bring €50 million. They further shared that part of that money would be used to fund addiction services for Irish residents. In…

The Bishop of St Albans has once again warned against the constantly rising number of gambling adverts ahead of his question in the House of Lords. The Rt Rev. Alan Smith said that gambling advertising is “out of control” and called for the UK Government to pay more attention to the problem. In the light of the upcoming start of the parliamentary session after the summer recess, he reminded the authorities of the World Cup, and more precisely about the way British children got bombarded with gambling adverts over the…

In April 2018, Australian citizens were called the biggest gamblers in the world, as they lost almost AU$24 billion a year on gambling activities, with them generating the largest gambling losses per capita worldwide. The Queensland Government Statistician’s Office released information about the gambling losses of Australian people by categories for the 2015/2016 period. According to the state government office’s data, local people lost more than AU$12 billion on gaming machines, making so-called pokies the most preferred form of gambling in the country. Electronic gaming machines are by far the…

Responsible gambling has been one of the milestones of the Australian Government’s gambling policy for almost three decades now. The concept emerged as an invention of the gambling industry and has been developed over the years, at a time when gambling was legalised and expanded on a global scale. This provided the local gambling sector with the chance to find a way around stricter regulation, but unfortunately, it turned out to be an ineffective strategy as far as gambling-related harm minimisation is concerned. All existing casinos in Australia, as well…

A recent study into the services offered within the Irish mental health system showed that the Health Service Executive (HSE) does not currently offer enough treatment services which are especially aimed at problem gamblers. According to the results of the research, which were published in the International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, there is only one body which offers adequate gambling addiction services. The leading psychiatrist Colin O’Gara, who heads the addiction services department at Saint John of God Hospital in Dublin, revealed that the lack of enough gambling…

The UK Gambling Commission is organizing a Manchester-based workshop that will focus on common safety and transparency requirements, as well as on customer protection requirements. The workshop, which is backed by Manchester City Council and is to be held at Performance Spaces Central Library, is being held as part of a series of nationwide workshops aimed especially at smaller gambling operators which offer their services under operating licenses issued by the UK gambling regulatory watchdog. The organizers have invited representatives from the smaller gambling operators in the Manchester’s region to…

A recent study carried out by the Deakin University, three out of four children who watch sports strongly associate sports games with wagering money on the result of such games. The results of the study have shown that the gambling age is continuously falling. As shocking as it may seem to some parents, this makes sense, especially considering the rising popularity of online betting and mobile phones gambling and betting applications. The Chief Executive Officer of the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation (VRGF), Louise Glanville, warned that some parents need to…

A problem gambling treatment expert in Ireland shared his concern about spreading gambling addiction among young people across the country. The manager of the Limerick-based Saoirse Addiction Treatment Centre, Alan Galvin, explained that compulsive gambling is one of the most serious “epidemics” the country is facing. He said that he is concerned about the rising popularity of online gambling among young people and described the lack of control they usually demonstrate as one of the major issues. Mr. Galvin further shared that the variety of gambling operations offered on the…

The South Taranaki Club is to join 80 other venues in New Zealand which are to switch off their poker machines for an hour during the Gambling Harm Awareness Week. The bar and restaurant establishment is to take part in The Pause the Pokies initiative, risking a loss of quite some money, in an attempt to raise local residents’ awareness about gambling-related harm and problem gambling. Next week, over 80 venues in New Zealand are to turn off their electronic gaming machines, also known as poker machines, or pokies, for…