Author: Daniel Williams

UK Ministers will consider gambling and social media as potential risk factors while working on a new suicide prevention plan. Reportedly, the harmful effect of the coronavirus pandemic that was inflicted on local people’s mental health will also be taken into account in the first update to the suicide prevention plan in 10 years. According to experts who have been advising the UK Government, focusing on issues such as gambling, online safety, and Covid-19 pandemic effects reflected the changes in the pattern in suicide risks. The suggestion has been made…

Some of the largest and most powerful gambling regulatory bodies in the industry have recently been brought together by the ICE World Regulatory Briefing. Mr Andrew Rhodes, the CEO of the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC), has also participated in the event, at which he highlighted how important so-called cross-border regulation is for building an industry that would be able to resist big players in the sector. The boss of the UK gambling regulator further called for more decisive action when it comes to dealing with problem gambling and tackling any…

The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has awarded itself £155 million derived from ticket sales of the National Lottery that were meant to be donated to good causes, recent reports claim. As revealed by the Daily Mail, the UK gambling regulatory body got the money to cover administration costs which surpassed the budgeted funds by about £50 million, although the money was supposed to be used to fund charitable organisations and community groups. The report says that the chief executive officer of the UKGC, Andrew Rhodes, has admitted that a total…

Certain forms of digital currency could soon become available in the UK, considering the fact that some local Government leaders seem to be ready to give them a go. In theory, if some types of cryptocurrency are officially recognised by the Government, the UK gambling sector could start accepting some forms of digital currency, too. Recently, the UK has unveiled the ambition to become a global crypto-asset technology hub. In order to do that, the country would have to recognise digital currency as a legitimate alternative to regular money. According…

Laurence Robertson MP has shared his concern that measures resulting from the UK Government’s ongoing review of the gambling sector could still have a negative impact on the local racing sector, even though the Government has confirmed its recognition of the link between betting and racing has cheered him up. Mr Roberson has been concerned about the potential of some blanket affordability checks to be introduced by the authorities following the review. According to some top executives of the British racing industry, certain financial modelling would potentially affect the more…

The gambling regulatory body of Victoria has implemented new laws, under which it will be able to levy fines worth up to AU$100 million to start disciplinary action against Crown Resorts for illegally masking some patrons’ casino expenses as hotel accommodation spending. This is the first action taken by the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCCC) and the move is based on the findings of the state’s Royal Commission about Crown Melbourne’s casino transgressions. The action, however, will probably not be the only one, as the regulator has promised…

Problem gambling campaigners have raised a red flag that young men trading cryptocurrency have started to seek professional help for symptoms that are usually associated with gambling addiction and gambling-related harm. Extern Problem Gambling’s project manager, Barry Grant, shared that he had not seen such a problem before the Covid-19 pandemic. However, in his opinion, in the past couple of years, 4 in 5 men had reported that they started losing control over their trading with cryptocurrency. The majority of the affected male cryptocurrency traders are young. Mr Grant believes…

A new landmark study has revealed that approximately 200,000 Australian children under 15 years of age have been affected by their parents’ risky gambling behaviour. The figure includes almost 60,000 children who are exposed to the most severe form of gambling addiction. The survey also suggests that almost 500,000 Australian children are currently exposed to their parents’ gambling at low-risk levels. The study found that 9 out of 10 adults do not take part in any risky gambling. The aforementioned study has been carried out by researchers at the Australian…

Labour MP Carolyn Harris, who is currently the chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Gambling-Related Harm, has taken part in a 2-hour discussion on the societal issues brought on by the British gambling industry. During the debate, which took place in the House of Commons, Ms Harris was outspoken in her opinion about what she described as questionable practices used by the local gambling operators. She also noted that the practices in question had not led to a meaningful debate on the possible improvements that could be brought to…

The digital ID and age verification company 1account revealed that the gambling sector in the UK has “universally welcomed” so-called digital identification aimed at ensuring better protection of gambling addicts and gamblers who are considered at risk. After taking part in a consultation that was especially held by the company, which currently also provides anti-money laundering (AML) and know-your-customer (KYC) services, all of its stakeholders believed that creating a link between the different betting accounts of British gamblers would have a positive impact on their gambling habits. The age verification…