Author: Daniel Williams

The beginning of the week saw the Labour Party in New South Wales (NSW) unveil plans for major gambling reforms in the state. NSW Labour shared that it intends to hold a 12-month trial of proposed cashless gaming cards and suspend the controversial practice of gambling operators providing financial support to political parties and individuals should it win the state election in March 2023. Any signage that advertises poker machines outside local venues would also be suspended under a decision of a Labour Government. In addition, the political party plans…

A local mayor in the state of Victoria has called for councils across Australia to suspend all gambling advertisements at local sports matches instead of waiting for the Federal or State Government to take action. The anti-gambling policy adopted by the City of Monash seems to be the first of its kind in the entire country. The new rules, however, are facing strong and coordinated objections from sports clubs based in the area that have explained they could be forced to cease operation, as well as from gambling venues that…

Animal rights activists have reignited their calls for New Zealand’s Government to fully ban greyhound racing after one of the racing greyhounds died after suffering severe injuries on the track. New Zealand’s animal rights organisation Save Animals From Exploitation (SAFE) has urgently addressed the Government to suspend the sport after the recent death of Meg’s Munch. The greyhound suffered four broken bones after it fell during a race that took place at south Auckland’s Manukau Velodrome on December 29th, 2022. According to a vet report, the dog suffered “catastrophic” injuries,…

A large amount of “VIP Lounge” signs situated outside pubs in the central part of Sydney may be violating City Council rules. They could be removed by the competent authorities after an investigation is completed. According to experts, the flashing signs use a euphemism to denote poker machine rooms in local pubs and are also found confusing by many tourists although there are currently found literally everywhere in Sydney. However, they may be breaching the guidelines on allowable signage of the Sydney City Council. The issues linked to the “VIP…

While clubs and pubs in the states of New South Wales (NSW) and Victoria are remaining very much reliant on their poker machine revenue and are opposing stricter regulatory rules that would affect this revenue, so-called pokies are banned in such venues in Western Australia. The state also sees much lower gambling losses in comparison to other Australian states where poker machines are available in various clubs, pubs, stores, etc. Currently, pokies are only allowed in casinos across Western Australia. As mentioned above, the state has the lowest rates of…

Cashless gaming cards featuring a spending limit per day would be introduced in the state of New South Wales in case Liberal Premier Dominic Perrottet is re-elected in March 2023. As previously reported by Casino Guardian, the Premier is willing to remove the use of cash from poker machines, also known as “pokies”, across the state as part of his Government’s gambling reforms. Last week, Mr Perrottet confirmed that the cards that would be required to be used by poker machine players in New South Wales would feature a cap.…

At the beginning of the year, a British media hub highlighted that “the mountain of debt” has constantly been growing for some families in the UK. According to data provided by PwC accountants firm, the overall amount of unsecured debt in the country had increased to £400 billion, or over £16,000 per household. Analysts also say that the prices of essential goods, along with rising borrowing rates, must be considered an element in a deteriorating trend that has seen more than two million British residents use no less than three…

Only days after it became clear that Returned and Services League (RSL) clubs in New South Wales (NSW) had been against proposed gambling reforms, Australian scholars have warned that the attempted suicide rates among veterans suffering from gambling addiction have become disturbingly high. The Guardian reported that a new study that was headed by Dr Olivia Metcalf and is expected to be published soon found 40% of veterans who are categorised as problem gamblers in Australia have considered the possibility of taking their own lives, while one in five has…

The Irish Department of Justice has rejected a proposal seeking the implementation of a range of measures aimed at enhancing customer protection in the gambling sector by preventing gamblers from spending more money than they can actually afford. Ireland’s Department of Justice had to take into consideration a proposal that sought the execution of a series of measures associated with the country’s new Gambling Bill that is expected to be officially submitted for parliamentary discussion in the next few months. So far, a number of recommendations made by the Oireachtas…

The chief executive officer of the New South Wales’ Returned and Services League (RSL), Margot Smith, has urged members and sub-branches of the organisation to oppose the latest gambling reforms. She has accused NSW’s senior leadership of doing nothing to protect its interests, and called for the organisation’s supporters to resist the cashless gaming card unveiled by the state Government and to help spread a more balanced view of gambling in the state. Ms Smith explained that recent media scrutiny and political motion against gambling meant that the industry needed…