Author: Daniel Williams

Earlier this week, the spokesman of Ireland’s Labour Party, Mark Wall, called for the country’s Government to be more ambitious in the proposed regulation of the local gambling sector. At the time, he called for the Irish lawmakers to impose a full ban on gambling advertising. Senator Wall presented evidence for clear public support for such a measure through Red C polling in the Business Post and noted that imposing an advertising ban on the gambling industry would be the right thing to do if the Government is willing to…

Earlier this week, the Australian Gambling Research Centre (AGRC) released the results of a study claiming that almost half of Australians who gamble (46%) are at some risk of experiencing gambling-related harm. The AGRC placed the issue of gambling harm prevalence in the context of the ongoing debate regarding the increasing gambling advertising rates on a global scale. The trend seems to be valid in Australia, too, with Victoria Responsible Gambling Foundation (VRGF) reporting that national spending on gambling advertising rose from AU$15.9 million spent by the local gambling industry…

Australia’s Federal Government is set to impose an R18+ rating on all video games that feature simulated gambling, with the move being part of an effort that seeks to restrict children’s access to popular casino-style games. The Government will also seek to bring some changes to the classification rules to require all games featuring so-called loot boxes that allow players to purchase a package with a random in-game item inside, as it is willing to impose at least a “mature” M-rating on the controversial items. The aforementioned move is set…

Australia’s banking sector has urged the Federal Government to suspend the use of credit cards to fund online sports betting transactions under the claims that the multi-billion-dollar industry lacks some fundamental regulation that was implemented in licensed venues across the country many years ago. Anna Blight, the chief executive officer of the Australian Banking Association, was one of the cabinet ministers in the Queensland Government in the early 2000s. At the time, local states and territories suspended the use of credit cards for gambling transactions. However, online gambling was still…

Over 50% of Australian adult residents believe gambling adverts on TV, radio, and on-demand platforms should be suspended before 10:30 PM. Most people have shared concerns that gambling advertising has managed to quickly spread across the nation and is normalising gambling among underage individuals. Last week, the Australian Gambling Research Centre published some research results, according to which almost 80% of Australian adults confirm that they are being exposed to gambling ads on a weekly basis. About 41% of the survey participants noted that they hear or see betting ads…

The UK gambling regulator has faced accusations of not having the necessary expertise, resources and appetite to initiate and pretty much deal with criminal investigations into sports betting corruption cases across the country. The comments regarding the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) have been made by the Sports Betting Group (SBG) and Sports and Recreation Alliance (SRA), along with other bodies, such as the Football Association (FA), the Rugby Football Union, and the England and Wales Cricket Board, at part of a submission to the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS)…

The select committee of the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has released the written evidence provided by industry stakeholders as part of the UK Government’s review of the country’s gambling regulation. As Casino Guardian reported, in December 2022, the Committee announced that it intended to examine the Government’s approach to gambling following some calls that more has to be done to protect Brits from gambling-related harm. Previously, several government bodies, including a House of Lords committee, the National Audit Office, and the Public Accounts Committee, have called…

The largest gambling charity organisation in the UK – GambleAware – has announced the results of a new report that highlights the rates of gambling-related harm suffered by minority groups in the country. The survey, which has been held by ClearView Research and Ipsos UK and supported by the University of Manchester, found that despite lower rates of participation in gambling, members of minority groups across the country are more likely to face some form of gambling-related harm in comparison to members of white British majority groups. According to the…

It seems that an online casino based in the Caribbean is unlawfully targeting Australian residents by using ads on Facebook, but the social media platform now claims that the advertiser is an authorised gambling partner. Media reports have revealed that the ads promoting a Curaçao-registered online casino were displayed even after the casino operator received a formal warning to stop operating in Australia. After the controversy occurred, Facebook noted that the advertiser was authorised under its policy which requires gambling advertisers to prove that they are legally operating in the…

The Government of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) has shared plans to impose significant restrictions and a possible outright suspension on sports betting adverts, with senior members of the Cabinet warning that the gambling ads have had a detrimental impact on the local community. The confirmation of the ACT Government’s plans comes at a time when Rebekha Sharkie and Monique Ryan, federal crossbench Members of Parliament, have noted they were uncomfortable with the increasing volume of gambling adverts. They, along with some other Members of Parliament, have already urged the…