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The United Kingdom Gambling Commission (UKGC), which regulates and oversees all gambling and betting operations in the country, is set to grant official approval to the national system for self-exclusion from gambling sites GAMSTOP. Gambling firms that fail to implement the scheme may be at risk of losing their licenses, according to reports in the media. GAMSTOP is a free service that allows players to ban themselves from online gambling and betting platforms but its effectiveness has been questioned multiple times. After seeing a huge delay of over a year,…

Today, a dossier of research into online gambling and addiction has been filed at the headquarters of the British Government by the former problem gambler David Bradford and his son Adam. The two of them have exclusively unveiled that the research has found that in-app purchasing and underage gambling is widespread amongst young British people. According to data collected by the research, at least one in two young people could develop serious gambling addiction even before they are legally allowed to place bets under the existing gambling legislation in the…

The Lord Mayor of Sydney, Clover Moore, has criticised the powerful special interests supporting the proposed luxury hotel and residential tower project of Star Casino in Pyrmont. Ms Moore is currently preparing a renewed plea for the Independent Planning Commission to suspend the project. Last month, the planning department of the state said no to the Star Casino’s plan to build a 237-metre-high Ritz Carlton tower in Pyrmont. The proposed tower which according to Star’s plans would house 204 residential apartments and 220 hotel rooms, however, is eight times bigger…

A woman who stole her friend’s credit card to gamble online after drinking alcohol and taking drugs would have to pay compensation to her victim, a local court ruled. The 35-year-old woman, who is also a single mum, is to also get treatment for her addiction. The woman, called Rebecca Peters, had spent the day before the incident shopping and drinking with a friend of hers, who has mobility issues. Finally, the two of them returned to the victim’s home, Ms Peters stole the card and used her friend’s money…

The discussion document which the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) has issued on web-based gambling in New Zealand has faced a lot of criticism lately. On one hand, the paper has been strongly criticised by public health advocates, who believe that it is putting some focus on making the online sector easily accessible for companies which operate in New Zealand rather than looking for ways to tackle gambling-related harm. On the other hand, digital rights advocates have slammed the Government, saying that it is threatening to suspend access to offshore…

According to the reporting system maintained by the Health Service Executive, the number of people who have been treated for problem gambling has risen to a record high. Records have shown that there have been over 250 cases of treatment for gambling addiction in the units of the health service in Ireland in 2018. Gambling, along with drugs and alcohol, has been addressed to as a problem issue on the Health Service Executive’s reporting system. The latter has shown records of almost 1,750 cases of gambling being considered the main…

Recent reports of upcoming no-deal Brexit have caused quite a turmoil not only in the UK but across its Overseas Territories. Reportedly, the Government of Gibraltar has been very troubled with the prospects of a no-deal Brexit, which the Chief Minister has already regarded to as the “worst-case scenario”. The political and economic complications that would follow from Great Britain’s exit from the European Union (EU) without a deal, called “Operation Yellowhammer”, have been what the Gibraltar Government fears the most. According to authorities, such a move would have a…

Reports have shown that online gambling is becoming more popular in New Zealand, but in anti-gambling campaigners’ opinion, the new Government has been focused on regulating the sector in a way that would be good for the industry, rather than in a way that would provide people with maximum protection against gambling-related harm. An increasing number of New Zealand citizens have been pouring money into offshore casinos and sports betting websites which provide them with the chance to gamble online. According to recent reports, New Zealanders have spent a total…

A new study has found that literally tens of thousands of children are involved in liking or sharing social media posts from betting companies which offer odds on competitive gambling. A total of 888,000 messages associated with betting which were published on Twitter in a period of nine months in 2018 were analysed by a think tank from the University of Bristol and Demos. These messages were regarding betting on both traditional sports and esports. As revealed by the team which was engaged with the review and analysis of the…

Only recently, it became clear that it is quite possible that Waipā does not see a sinking lid policy implemented for poker machines. At a Waipā District Council committee’s meeting, which took place last week, there were debates whether the district’s Gambling Policy should be changed so that a sinking lid rule is included. However, it seems that the committee prefers to keep its existing policy. A sinking lid policy means that the competent authorities would not be able to issue any new poker machine licences. Under the rules of…