Author: Daniel Williams

A leading anti-gambling campaigner claims that online gambling companies have been pushed by greed when targeting bored young Australian male citizens during the Covid-19 pandemic. Tim Costello, a representative of the Alliance for Gambling Reform, has once again called for the Federal Government to suspend online gambling advertising at a time when local residents have been spending more than they normally do on online gambling sites. According to reports, the coronavirus shutdown that forced retail gambling companies to cease their operations during the Covid-19 crisis has ended up with a…

According to a recent report compiled by the Government’s Health Promotion Agency and the market research company Nielsen, 50% of New Zealand’s gamblers have participated in less gambling activities than usual during the coronavirus lockdown. A total of 1,190 New Zealanders over the age of 18 took part in the survey, with 461 (representing 39%) of them confirming to have taken part in some form of gambling since the implementation of the coronavirus lockdown and social isolation measures that were rolled out by the country’s Government in March. According to…

In the last month, the UK was among the top 10 countries with the largest number of paid gambling adverts impressions. New research has found that paid ad impressions for gambling and casino brands rose almost three times in the UK over the past month, regardless of Members of Parliament’s calls for stricter measures to be imposed on all betting advertising. According to data revealed by the study of GoldenCasinoNews, the UK was among the top 10 countries where online paid gambling ads registered the largest increase last month. The…

The high-street betting outlets across the UK have ceased operations during the coronavirus pandemic and no major sports and sports leagues are available to bet on. However, online gambling has remained available for British consumers, who can still place bets on them. A new survey aimed at finding ways to help problem gamblers during the Covid-19 lockdown has been released by a group that has been working to understand gambling patterns in Glasgow. The Gambling Harms Group, which was established by The Alliance, is the one releasing the survey. The…

For some years now, analysts have been claiming that problem gambling and alcohol addiction are two of the greatest social ills in Ireland, both of them capable of seriously hurting the lives not only of the person addicted to them but also the ones of their family and friends. And while alcohol addiction may take years until it takes over a person’s life and ruins it, problem gambling could evolve more quickly and could take the gambler’s home, job or relationship in a matter of minutes. With the ongoing lockdown…

As the coronavirus crisis shutdown for entertainment and gambling venues continues across Australia, the Office of Responsible Gambling in New South Wales has urged people to stay away from unlicensed online casinos. The government agency issued a warning about the risks of playing at illegal offshore gambling sites, citing poor customer protections and a lack of regulatory compliance. The media release was published on 30 April by the Office of Responsible Gambling (ORG) in New South Wales, which sits within the Better Regulation Division of the Department of Customer Service.…

UK gambling and betting firms are in line for massive tax refunds worth millions of pounds in the following months, a Swansea MP has warned, referring to the landmark legal victory of two bookmakers against HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC). Earlier this month, Betfred and Rank Group won a long-running battle against the tax authority over the VAT (value-added tax) they had paid on fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs) prior to 2013. The two bookmakers are now set to receive compensation worth millions of pounds, which could have dire consequences for…

One of the leading Australian jockeys, Ben Melham, could face a minimum suspension of two years in case the gambling allegations against him are upheld. The only way for him to avoid such a ban is to manage to present some mitigating circumstances to the racing authorities to make them reduce the suspension. The 32-year-old Melham, a top jockey in the country, will be allowed to take part in competitions until the Victoria Racing Tribunal hears his case unless more proof is provided. Despite the coronavirus crisis and the followed…

A charity organisation focused on working with gambling addicts has called on some of the largest gambling companies to immediately roll out mandatory maximum deport and spending limits on their websites until the coronavirus lockdown is on. The charity, called Problem Gambling Ireland, has addressed the chief executive officers of Ladbrokes, Paddy Power Betfair, BoyleSports and other gambling operators and urged them to take proactive measures over fears that online gambling could continue rising in popularity at a time when brick-and-mortar betting outlets are shut due to Covid-19 pandemic. The…

On April 23rd, the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) has announced two ongoing key initiatives as part of its engagement to make sure that gambling advertising in the country remains responsible. It issued a warning to all gambling operators that offer their services on the territory of the UK to be particularly cautious when advertising esports betting, as it could potentially be found appealing by young audiences. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has confirmed that the CAP has undertaken thorough measures associated with the esports betting sector in order to…