Author: Daniel Williams

A package of legislative measures aimed at curbing the political influence of poker-machine clubs and pubs in the state of New South Wales (NSW) by suspending such venues from making political donations is being officially introduced to the state parliament today. If the proposed drafts receive local lawmakers’ approval, the electoral funding act would be altered in a way that would outlaw political donations made by local gambling venues, such as registered clubs and pubs offering controversial poker machines (also known as pokies), or entitled that are involved in any…

The Intellectual Property Office of Australia (IP Australia) released its annual report focused on the changing trends in patent applications across the country. When the number of submitted patents is taken into account, it seems that gambling and alcohol companies were the most significant innovators in Australia, with these giants practically dominating other private businesses and research institutions in the country. According to IP Australia, the results of the aforementioned report likely reflected the importance of the two aforementioned industries for the domestic market and demonstrated how operators protected their…

Last season, more than thirty football players, including a number of star athletes, were forced to undergo rehabilitation as part of an effort to fight their compulsive gambling behaviour. According to reports, problem gambling is known as the primary behavioural disorder faced by British football stars, followed by alcohol and drugs. Anti-gambling campaigners have called the competent regulators and authorities to make sure they raise awareness of gambling-related harm, helping affected individuals across the country deal with the social stigma that is often associated with problem gambling and seek professional…

The UK Government has recently announced the results of its year-long review of the country’s gambling laws as part of its planned significant reforms of the sector’s regulation aimed at ensuring more effective rules to protect the most vulnerable members of society. As revealed at the time when the long-expected White Paper on gambling, called “High stakes: gambling reform for the digital age”, was finally published, the largest-ever overhaul of the UK gambling regulation will also include a review of the fees for gambling premises licences that local authorities could…

Australia’s planned ban on the use of credit cards for gambling transactions can create a ripple effect that would negatively impact the local video gaming industry, a recent investigation by the video game website Kotaku suggests. The country’s government is looking to introduce amendments to the local legislation that aim to align the rules for remote wagering with those for the landbased gambling industry, which already restricts the use of credit cards for betting purposes. Communications Minister Michelle Rowland and Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth recently commented on the move,…

Shipley Member of Parliament Philip Davies urged the British Secretary of State for Culture, Media, and Sport to include changes in the white paper on gambling that would allow brick-and-mortar casinos to extend credit to their patrons. As it came to light, the Tory politician lobbied with the newly appointed culture minister Lucy Frazer on behalf of Mayfair’s Les Ambassadeurs Club after being hosted by the luxurious casino in late January. In February, the Shipley MP wrote a letter to Frazer calling for the changes, and the measure was subsequently…

The chairman of the National Rugby League (NRL), Peter V’landys, has faced anti-gambling campaigners’ fierce criticism over his open pursuit of gambling revenue, with his critics denouncing his “wagering content” description of sport as counterproductive and scandalous. Mr V’landys gave an interview for the Sydney Morning Herald, saying that opening next season in Las Vegas would allow the NRL to develop new broadcast and gambling markets on the territory of the US. According to him, some Americans were looking for betting content in different timezones, and Australia’s National Rugby League…

Australian gamblers are set to soon be suspended from using credit cards for making online gambling transactions, as the Federal Government is expected to introduce a new legislative measure aimed at banning the aforementioned payment method within a few months. Reportedly, the changes are set to implement some recommendations that were made in 2021 as part of a parliamentary inquiry. The measure called for banning credit card transactions at the time, with reports claiming that credit card transactions accounting for up to 20% of online gambling accounts’ deposits in Australia.…

On April 27th, the UK Government finally issued its long-delayed White Paper on gambling aimed at bringing some much-needed reforms to the country’s gambling industry in order to make it more up-to-date with the newest developments in the sector, especially in terms of online gambling. Last Thursday saw local lawmakers outline the largest shake-up of the UK gambling industry since 2005 with the announcement of some major changes focused on tackling problem gambling. As Casino Guardian reported at the time, Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer informed the Members of Parliament that…

On April 27th, the UK Government finally issued the long-expected White Paper on its planned and much-delayed overhaul of the country’s gambling sector aimed at making the regulation of the £14-billion-a-year industry more fit for the digital age. British lawmakers have also shared that the reforms are designed to prevent problem gambling. The publication of the White Paper on gambling follows two and a half years of work under the lead of four successive culture ministers after being officially announced in December 2020. The legislative and regulatory proposals were waiting…