Author: Daniel Williams

The fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs) have spread everywhere in the UK, engaging more and more players. According to figures revealed in a recent ECHO investigation, which was carried out earlier in 2017, Merseyside’s bookmakers currently own over 1,000 fixed-odds betting machines. These figures look frightening, especially considering the uncertainty related to the UK Government’s review of the controversial FOBTs. Previously, the country’s Government has promised a crackdown on the machines, but things have been looking a bit shaky lately, with the pressure on local authorities constantly mounting. According to campaign…

The UK Government has confirmed that it plans to respond to the consultation on fixed-odds betting machines (FOBTs) at a time, when the matter has been widely commented. Lately, there have been controversial rumours that ministers could simply scrap the FOBTs review, and if this happens, the attempt to limit the maximum stake of fixed-odds betting machines could be simply gone. As Casino Guardian has already reported on numerous occasions, FOBTs have caused massive concern among members of the Parliament, charity organisations and market experts who claim that the amount…

A couple of days ago, the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) shared an opinion on the increasing popularity of the so-called house raffles. The latter provide home owners who would like to dispose of their properties in an innovative way, by offering them as prizes in special lottery draws. The UK gambling regulatory body, however, warned that while such actions may look like a good idea, home owners must make sure they are not breaking any gambling laws. The UK Gambling Commission also emphasized on the fact that individuals who are…

As we have previously reported, fixed-odds betting terminals have been widely criticised about their high stakes and addictiveness, which turned them into one of the hottest topics in the local industry. Yesterday, the British daily newspaper The Guardian published an opinion piece related to the FOBTs, calling them “as addictive as computer games”. According to The Guardian, the UK Treasury has strong doubts about the fixed-odds betting terminals’ review carried out by the Department for Culture, Media and Sports (DCMS). Due to the strong criticism aimed at the machines and…

A woman who misappropriated approximately £360,000 from the British Red Cross has been sentenced to more than two years in prison. Mary Booth, who is a payroll manager for the charity, abused her official position in the charity where she had worked for over 30 years. Ms. Booth pretended she was making payments to employees and international delegates, while in fact she was transmitting the money from the Red Cross charity assets to her own bank accounts. As the 56-year-old woman herself revealed to the Paisley Sheriff Court, she had…

Glenn Straub, owner of the former Atlantic City’s Revel Casino is facing an investigation in Florida. Local authorities have initiated the investigation over allegations that he had placed fraudulent liens on his ex-girlfriend’s property. The criminal investigation is being carried out by the Broward County State Attourney’s Office. According to the allegations, earlier in 2017,the company of Glen Staub put a $64,400 lien on his former girlfriend Jessica Nicodemo’s ranch property for fencing and road work that was not paid for. Another lien had reportedly been placed on her townhouse,…

A recent survey carried out by the research department of the gaming software developer CasExe, revealed that most iGaming operators face fraud-related problems. The survey, which was conducted from in the period from Jule to July 2017, determined that 94% of gaming companies have regular problems with fraud. A total of 50 gambling companies that operate in Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) took part in the survey conducted by the research department of CasExe. Graph taken from CasExe Fraud As mentioned above, the majority of the survey’s…

A 51-year-old woman from Warrington has been revealed as the winner of a massive lottery prize – a manor house in a perfect condition located in Lancashire. Marie Segal won the property, which has six bedrooms and is estimated to £845,000, after one of her raffle tickets appeared to be the lucky one in the yesterday afternoon’s draw. The raffle came as an idea of Dunstan Low and Natasha Dobosz – a couple who had difficulties finding a buyer who would buy their home, Melling Manor, at a prize large…

There have always been rumours around the plans for building a Sydney casino which Donald Trump had in the 80s. The fact that they have never resulted in such a project was always found somehow mysterious, especially considering that the reason for that has never been revealed so far. A report of The Australian has now lifted the curtain, saying that the New South Wales (NSW) Government suspended the casino in Sydney due to alleged “mafia connections”. According to the report, the Darling Harbour casino project that would result in…

Today, the UK gambling regulatory body – the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) – revealed that five players have got banned from 24 betting facilities in the Birmingham city centre. The suspension was carried out by Betwatch, a partnership between the gambling regulator and the police, bookmakers and local councils aimed at dealing with criminal and anti-social behaviour in areas around betting shops. Earlier, the Birmingham City Council and West Midlands Police have raised the red flag over a suspected drug dealing and anti-social demeanour linked to one bookmaker in the…