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Only recently, the Commonwealth donations data was publicly released, revealing local gambling operators as some of the largest contributors to Australian political parties along with banks. Undoubtedly, the revelations about the extent of the gambling sector’s support for the political parties, and especially for the Tasmanian division of the Australian Liberal Party, draw much attention from the public and the media, as the reports of local gambling operators “buying” political support for their interests have given some grounds for doubts in the politicians’ impartiality. As previously reported by Casino Guardian,…

The leading trade association in Europe has scolded the Irish Government for its lack of action on gambling regulation, saying that such behaviour is putting local players at risk of becoming gambling addicts. The secretary-general of the European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA), Maarten Haijer, explained that the long waiting period for the implementation of the Gambling Control Bill of 2013 was affecting local problem gamblers, as more people could be hurt by the devastating impact of gambling. For the time being, Ladbrokes, bet365 and other gambling companies are part…

Louise O’Reilly from the Irish republican political party Sinn Féin revealed some HSE figures related to problem gambling in the country at the time she asked Minister for Health Simon Harris for more details on the number of gambling addicts who have received treatment for their problem since 2015. Ms O’Reilly explained that according to official reports, there have been no less than 800 cases of problem gamblers who sought help for their compulsive gambling habits from Irish health organisations since 2015. The Minister for Health redirected the request of…

The end of the week saw the Commonwealth donations data release, with some analysts criticising what they called massive flaws in the Australian political donations system. According to the data provided in the report, the local gambling lobby emerged as one of the largest contributors to local political parties. It donated over AU$500,000 to the Liberals in return to the party’s support in the operators’ opposition against poker machine removal from Tasmanian clubs and pubs. The released report showed that the Australian Hotels Association (AHA) has been the second largest…

For a few years now, UK legislators are targeting the local online gambling industry as a part of a larger nationwide crackdown aimed at setting stricter gambling regulations. So, in 2018 a new set of regulations was imposed on the British iGaming sector, and more specifically on online gambling advertising so that underage individuals are better protected against possible gambling-related harm. Some of the regulations have suspended certain online casino games from being associated with subjects from pop culture and animation which are mostly associated with younger audiences. According to…

A care home worker misappropriated over £7,600 from the bank account of an elderly woman to fuel her online gambling addiction. During the hearing at the Teesside Crown Court, it became clear that the 36-year-old Yvette Thomas was hooked on online gambling. She was caught stealing money from an 87-year old woman after the victim’s son noticed that large amounts of money had been withdrawn. There were also entries for SkyBet and PayPal on the elderly woman’s bank statement. The elderly woman’s son also spotted that the money transactions were…

An Armagh councillor emotionally urged planners to fully strike down an application which has been filed as part of an attempt for a new casino-style adult gaming centre to be established in the city. As the Armagh I reported, Garath Keating, a former Sinn Fein Lord Mayor, has opposed to the proposal and expressed his concern with the project. A few days ago, planning officials were recommended to approve the proposed adult gaming centre venue, which is planned to be situated at a place which has previously operated as the…

From Tuesday, more than 6,700 recipients of Newstart, Youth Allowance and parenting payments residing in the towns of Harvey Bay and Bundaberg, Queensland, will be receiving 80% of these payments on a special cashless welfare card which cannot be used for gambling and alcohol. The remaining 20% of the payments will be put in the recipients’ nominated bank accounts. This is the fourth and so far biggest launch of the federal government’s trial of the Centrelink cashless welfare card, which has already been launched with mixed results in Kimberley and…

National Lottery scratch cards were illegally sold to underage individuals in almost four out of ten retail stores in Ireland, research has found. The middle of the week saw the Office of the Regulator of the National Lottery (ORNL) publish a report following a secret investigation into the responsible gambling measures taken by the National Lottery. As part of the research, teams of mystery shoppers visited 510 retail shops, supermarkets and post offices across Ireland to try and buy a scratch card worth €1. The teams comprised of youngsters who…

According to the Tasmania Liquor and Gaming Commission, Australian regulators should consider new threats which occurred as a result of online gambling activities in the country. The Commission shared in its 2017/18 annual report that the national gambling conference had raised certain questions in related to video games played by local children. According to the regulatory body, there is gambling “embedded” in video games in the form of so-called “loot boxes”. As Casino Guardian has previously written, loot boxes are special randomised items in video games which could be purchased…