Author: Daniel Williams

The Chair and Vice-chair of the all-party parliamentary group against gambling-related harm – Carolyn Harris and Sir Iain Duncan Smith, respectively – have said British people’s lives and well-being are more important than the good financial prospects for the local gambling industry. The two of them commented on the critical opportunity for the UK Government to present stricter regulation for the local gambling sector 16 years after the last Gambling Act was unveiled, saying that the White Paper framing of the country’s gambling legislation was long overdue. According to both…

The largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, Christchurch, is set to remain one of the cities featuring the most restrictive poker machine policies in the country after a number of anti-gambling campaigners and gambling addiction groups have asked local authorities to retain the crackdown on pokies. The City Council has decided not to bring changes in its existing policy that regulates gambling and TAB venues, including the number and location of non-casino gambling facilities. The current Christchurch gambling policy has been in place since 2004 but, under…

Earlier today, gambling reform groups and financial counsellors have appeared before Australian senators to make their pleas for the authorities to ban the use of credit cards for gambling transactions online. A Senate committee heard the submissions of the aforementioned groups as it prepares to announce its recommendations regarding the use of credit cards for online gambling transactions. Under the Interactive Gambling Amendment (Prohibition on Credit Card Use) Bill 2020, Australia could follow the UK and impose a ban on credit card use for all forms of online gambling platforms.…

The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has revealed that it remains committed to establishing a safe, transparent and strictly regulated gambling sector. The British gambling watchdog also shared that it will roll out a new consultation regarding the financial risk threshold. During the Know Now Conference 2021, which has been particularly focused on social responsibility measures for gambling companies, the UKGC explained that, unfortunately, some gambling companies are still not as committed to promoting responsible gambling as they are supposed to. This is exactly why Tim Miller, the Executive Director of…

Two casino venues have received approval to make temporary changes to their gambling premises in order to make sure they guarantee safe operation under alert level 2. Last week, SkyCityHamilton Casino and Christchurch Casino addressed the local Gambling Commission, asking to be allowed to establish temporary cashiering facilities in their venues – one for SkyCity Hamilton and two for Christchurch. Both of them got their applications approved on September 6th. The two casinos planned to open under alert level 2 but such a move required the approval of New Zealand’s…

The Royal Commission in Western Australia that is currently investigating the operations of Crown Perth has heard that the state’s casino regulatory body prioritised the casino’s finances over the public interest at the time it approved some changes in order to make so-called electronic gaming machines (EGMs) resemble controversial poker machines. At the hearing, Duncan Ord, the former Chair of the Gaming and Wagering Commission (GWC), revealed that the casino’s finances of Crown Perth were struggling at the time when the casino approaches the gambling regulator in March 2019, asking…

The consequences of the UK’s decision to part ways with the European Union (EU) are still being felt on the territory of Gibraltar. The £2.35-billion economy of the Rock, which has been a British overseas territory for about 300 years, has been pretty much dependent on the massive flow of frontier workers who travel from Spain on a daily basis, as well as on Spanish tourists and the limitations brought to the free movement of people have seriously shaken the existing status quo on the territory. For the time being,…

Western Australia has always been proud of its resistance to the introduction of pokies. For many years, the pubs and clubs located in Sandgroper were boasting about being free of the flashing lights and head-turning jackpots that were often the reason for the increasing gambling issues in other Australian states. Despite WA being proud of its strong opposition to pokies, recently, there have been doubts about the state’s pokies-free policy. The Perth Casino Royal Commission began questioning whether there is a significant difference between typical pokies and the electronic gaming…

Tory Party members Esther McVey and her husband Philip Davies attracted criticism for accepting hospitality from gambling operators amid the ongoing review of the country’s gambling legislation. The two Members of Parliament were condemned by several Liberal Democrats from their local Tatton constituency for receiving gifts like free tickets from the gambling firms during the government’s review of the 2005 Gambling Act. British media reported that the two politicians were gifted free VIP tickets valued at £18,000 (approximately $24,750) to betting events over the course of two months. Said events…

After checking on quite a few complaints, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has addressed the country’s Internet Service Providers (ISPs), urging them to suspend access to more offshore gambling platforms that operate illegally in Australia. The gambling website brands that are required to be blocked by local ISPs are Koala Royal, Juicy Stakes, Grand Rush, National Casino and Jackpot Jill. The communications, media and advertising regulator has made the move to blocking the aforementioned gambling platforms after receiving numerous complaints about the services. The investigations found the offshore…