Author: Daniel Williams

Tasmania has been warned that the planned reorganisation of the gambling sector may make it more susceptible to corruption at a time when local pubs are encouraged to surrender their poker machines operating licences and help the government tackle gambling-related harm. Early in 2020, the Liberal Government is set to make some serious changes to the casino gaming and pokies regime that is expected to cause serious turmoil in the local gambling industry as it is set to put an end to the Federal Group’s monopoly that has lasted for…

A players association has warned that bingo halls in Ireland could be pressed to cease operation in case proposed new gambling bills are signed into law in the upcoming week. A warning has been issued by the Bingo Players Association that new gambling legislation is likely to result in significant reductions being made in the prizes offered by bingo halls, which would discourage many people from bingo services. On Wednesday, December 4th, the Gambling and Lotteries (Amendment) Bill 2019 is set to be signed into law. Under the provisions of…

The Bishop of St Albans Dr Alan Smith challenged the competent authorities to consider imposing stricter restrictions on fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs) across the country. Revd Dr Smith claims that the existing restrictions placed on betting machines in the UK are not enough to prevent gambling-related harm from affecting customers. Local bookmakers that operate high-street betting shops in the country have revealed plans to upgrade the fixed-odds betting machines so that the software used in the terminals detects if a player is betting without a clear pattern or has been…

The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) and the Swedish Gambling Authority (Spelinspektionen) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to make their communication easier and to enhance the cooperation between the two gambling regulators. As revealed in the joint statement of the organisations, the main objective of the recently agreed MoU is to support closer collaboration between the two governmental bodies, as well as to share the best practices on various areas, including regulatory policies and procedures. The Memorandum of Understanding was brought into effect as of November 11th, 2019. Spelinspektionen…

Councillors from Timaru District have voted to retain the existing limit on the number of gaming machines for new establishments at seven, as part of its efforts to keep a lower limit on the terminals than the one permitted by the Gambling Act. At the council meeting held yesterday, Timaru District Councillors heard submissions on the draft Gambling Venues policy that were made by several organisations, including the Problem Gambling Foundation, the Gaming Machine Association, the Hospitality New Zealand’s South Canterbury branch, Pub Charity and Trust Aoraki. As heard by…

The Redbridge Council had become the first authority in the UK to take active measures and strip a local pub of its gaming machine operating licence. The George pub, which operates as a branch of J S Wetherspoon, has lost its gaming licence because of its repeated failures to prevent children from playing the gaming terminals available at its premises. Yesterday, the licensing committee of the Redbridge Council made a decision to revoke the operating licence of the aforementioned pub. The action follows two test underage purchase operations headed by…

British bookmakers have been forced to take into account the recommendations of local regulatory authorities after facing criticism for taking advantage of vulnerable players at major sporting events. The gambling operators are to be affected by a clampdown following a Sportsmail investigation that unveiled various practices used by the industry to exploit its customers. The revelations pushed the Betting and Gaming Council to announce that new code to restrict the way bookmakers treat their customers, and especially the ones who lose large amounts of money. As the recent report has…

Yesterday, the British Conservative Government issued a manifesto, according to which the country’s gambling legislation needs to be modernised so that it becomes more relevant to the digital age. The party also revealed that it is ready to review the Gambling Act in order to make it more suitable for the specifics of the sector. According to the document that the Conservative Government unveiled recently, the changes that have to be brought to the major piece of legislation regulating the industry must be primarily focused on credit card use and…

British bookmakers are using specially-created bets featuring unfair odds that guarantee them large profits to lure football fans into gambling. A recent investigation held by Sportsmail has unveiled the tricks that online gambling operators have been using to restrict the bets made by more successful gamblers. Some of the strictest measures taken by bookmakers to restrict large winnings even include gamblers’ account closures. Yesterday night, the revelations made by the investigation of Sportsmail were welcomed by both anti-gambling campaigners and politicians who also shared their disapproval of these practices used…

The only casino operator in Queensland – The Star – has been given the chance to prove that it should remain as the sole operator in the Gold Coast. The Queensland Government has made the competition for the local casino sector more fierce, as it suspended the process for a global tourism hub that had been active for over a year. Now, it is willing to continue its existence as the only casino company in the state, The Star would have to prove that there is currently no need for…