Company Reports

The United Kingdom Gambling Commission (UKGC) has introduced new requirements for gambling operators, forcing them to make an annual financial contribution to the research, prevention and treatment of gambling addiction. The new rules came into force on 1 January 2020, but operators can choose from only three organizations where they can direct their contribution. This week, the Gambling Commission, which regulates the gambling and betting sector within the UK, released the list of approved charity organizations. The organizations, which will receive the mandatory funds under the new guidelines, are GambleAware,…

The adoption of facial recognition technology has increased in the past two or three years and is expected to boom in the following decade. Although still considered quite controversial, this technology is spreading across casinos, airports and stores across the country, while proponents claim it helps vendors identify problem gamblers or any kind of criminal behaviour. Facial recognition is a complex digital technology that can identify individuals based on specific characteristics of their faces. For years, experts claimed that there were too many flaws in it that made it practically…

Some bookmakers in the UK are suggesting that Queen Elizabeth II may abdicate in 2020, although a second Scottish Independence referendum is twice as likely, according to the latest odds offered by bookies for the upcoming 2020. Many of the leading British sports betting companies have revealed a range of interesting predictions for what is to come in UK’s politics and entertainment in the folowing months. Coral, one of the largest bookies in the UK, is now offering odds of 5-1 that a Scottish Independence referendum will take place after…

Luck finally smiled upon a regular customer of Irish sports betting giant Paddy Power, who collected the hefty sum of £65,000 in winnings from horse wagering. The customer, who frequented his local Paddy Power betting shop in Dublin for years, made an each-way Lucky 15 wager on four different horses to the total amount of €24, which is roughly around £20. The first two selections of the lucky punter won at odds of 33 to 1 for the 12.25 Lingfield race and 20 to 1 for a 12.50 Leopardstown race.…

Australia’s leading wagering entertainment group Tabcorp announced it plans to introduce a cutting-edge AI video surveillance technology across 400 of its branches in an attempt to restrict the access of minors to gambling. The sophisticated surveillance software was tested for eight weeks in three of the company’s Melbourne-based branches. Armed with this technology, Tabcorp will be able to identify and prevent individuals under the legal gambling age of 18 from accessing and punting at its sports betting shops. The artificial intelligence software will alert the staff at Tabcorp’s agencies when…

Sports are changing, and so is sports betting services. The gambling industry has never offered more convenient and easily accessible offering that punters can reach not only in brick-and-mortar betting shops but online, too. Lately, UK gambling legislation is also changing so that it addresses the needs of local punters. However, the recent changes to UK gambling laws also mean tighter regulation and control on the sector, which may make it harder for some customers to participate in sports betting in future. Most changes regarding sports betting are associated with…

With the gambling regulators in the UK fearing the rising number of problem gamblers, there have been calls for stricter measures to be taken by the Government and the major watchdogs that have to take care of the protection of local people from gambling-related harm. This year, the British gambling sector has faced some changes related to online gambling, and more specifically, to the use of credit cards in placing wagers over the Internet. It was in February 2019 when the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) revealed its decision to launch…

An investigation conducted by the Scottish media the Sunday Mail revealed the self-exclusion system of four major Glasgow landbased sportsbooks is not as efficient as it should be. An undercover reporter working for the Scottish newspaper pretended to be a problem gambler. As such, he self-excluded himself from wagering with four big bookmakers in the country’s most populous city, Paddy Power, Ladbrokes, Coral, and William Hill. Self-exclusion is a voluntary step available to all sports bettors who fear their wagering has slipped out of control. The self-exclusion system was introduced…

Two Australian charities have benefited from the Lott, with the received donations being estimated at about AU$50,000. The Lott decided to make the donations to the Women’s and Children’s Hospital Foundation (WCHF) and the Childhood Cancer Association (CCA) right before Christmas. This is not the first donation to Australian charities that is made by the Lott. For years, the organisation has been contributing millions of dollars to charities, along with individual donations to individuals or families in need. Most of the bigger contributions made by the Lott have been aimed…

The gambling software developer Playtech warned that its shareholders may take further action after an executive payment has faced criticism. This happened after some concerns regarding the firm’s corporate governance were raised by an activist investor. According to media reports, Springowl hedge fund (based in New York) has privately called for the gambling software supplier to cut its commercial ties with Teddy Sagi, the company’s founder. Reportedly, the hedge fund has also urged the Isle of Man-based company to come up with an official plan for its Chief Executive’s succession.…