Author: Daniel Williams

The beginning of the week saw the UK Government publish its response to a consultation on a proposal seeking to increase the fees that gambling operators in the country are expected to pay to the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) for the right to offer their services. The last time when the fees applicable to gambling companies were revised was in 2017. The newly increased fees are expected to help the UK gambling regulatory body respond to new technological developments, risks and challenges, as well as the constantly increasing costs of…

An ongoing social media campaign involving high-profile football experts from the BBC and ITV has faced accusations of making gambling look normal to young audiences. According to opponents, the campaign has also been encouraging problem gambling by promoting betting during the Euro 2020 tournament. Last week, SkyBet rolled out a number of videos featuring Roy Keane, the Irish football manager and an ITV Euro 2020 expert, and Micah Richards, a BBC Euro 2020 pundit, on a special trip to Wembley. The five videos, which are being aired under the SkyBet…

Earlier today, the Victorian Government shared that it will provide the Royal Commission into the Melbourne operations of Crown Resorts with more time and money in order to allow it to expand the range of the issues that are being investigated. The announcement came as another step in the state’s regulatory scrutiny on the Australian gambling giant and was made at a time when Crown Resorts is dealing with the suspension of its new casino licence for its Sydney-based AU$2.2-billion facility. In a statement, issued on June 11th, the Victorian…

Hamilton City Council wants to see SkyCity Hamilton start following suit of other gambling venues around the country and contribute 40% of its poker machine proceeds to the community. For the time being, the Victoria St casino contributes only 1.5% of its poker machine profits to the community on an annual basis. This inconsistency has been highlighted by the draft submission made by Hamilton City Council to the Gambling Commission’s upcoming review of casino licence conditions around the country. Currently, the gambling operators that hold the so-called Class 4 licence,…

The UK division of Sazka Group – Allwyn – has appointed Dr Mark Griffiths, a psychologist and behavioural addiction specialist, to an advisory board for its takeover offer for the fourth operating licence of the National Lottery. Dr Griffiths will have advisory functions on player protection measures and is set to establish a close relationship not only with Allwyn bid chair Sir Keith Mills but also with other researchers who specialise in studying problem gambling. The company will count on his 34-year experience, during which Dr Griffiths has served as…

In a submission to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), the advertising regulator in the UK has noted that the normalisation of gambling came as a consequence of the 2005 Gambling Act and could have been predicted. Submitting its written opinion to the DCMS as part of the consultation on the 2005 Gambling Act, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has explained that the piece of legislation’s duty was to depict gambling advertising that makes potentially dangerous or irresponsible gambling behaviour as normal to the wider public. Within…

A UK High Court judge found that the Irish gambling operator Paddy Power did not really care about a gambling addict who was not able to afford the losses he generated at the time he placed bets with the company. Mr Justice Griffiths said that the bookmaker was aware of the fact that Tony Parente, a businessman, was gambling as if he found it hard to control his gambling habits. The High Court Judge further noted that Paddy Power knew from its own monitoring that Mr Parente suffered from unhealthy…

Earlier today, the Australian anti-money laundering agency announced its decision to expand a due diligence probe into the three largest casino operators in the country, fuelling more pressure on the country’s gambling sector that has already been facing the negative effects of the coronavirus pandemic and the stricter regulatory rules that apply on the sector. After months of investigation into Crown Resorts, the biggest casino company in the country, the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC) revealed that it started a formal probe into possible breaches of the rules…

Gambling reform supporters have once again called for an acceleration of planned cashless trials after information emerged that the residents of New South Wales lost over AU$2.2 billion to clubs’ and pubs’ poker machines over the first four months of 2021. As announced, almost AU$600 million was lost to so-called pokies in April alone, with the figure representing a 12.58% increase from the one in April 2019. The local gambling regulatory body – the Liquor and Gaming NSW – revealed that pokies in Canterbury-Bankstown saw profits of almost AU$48 million…

The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has revealed further data regarding the evolvement of the coronavirus lockdown measures that have affected online gambling behaviour in the country. The data provided by the gambling regulatory body reflects the period from March 2020 to April 2021 and covers both land-based and digital gambling operator data, with the brick-and-mortar premises have only been able to start operation only recently, since being forced to cease operation in December. The gambling watchdog said it is not advisable to make comparisons on a year-on-year basis between months…