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Gambling seems to be becoming a more serious issue for students at British universities lately. According to information provided by the UK Gambling Commission, over 100,000 students have debts due to their gambling habits, with one in four of those having debts which exceed £10,000. Tackling gambling addiction and gambling-related harm, however, is not as easy as it may seem. The Internet has made things much easier for gamblers, providing them with literally endless opportunities when it comes to gambling. In addition, online bookmakers have been using targeted adverts in…

Today, the Lower House of the Japanese Parliament passed the Integrated Resorts Implementation Bill aimed at setting up the local casino industry. Now, the proposed measure heads to the upper chamber for consideration and voting, with the local Government hoping to get it passed in the ongoing Diet session. Still, the ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic and Komeito parties is considering the possible extension of the current parliamentary session to make sure the bill is finally approved. The ongoing Diet session is set to close on June 20th. Last…

A lot of teenagers and even some adults take video games as a harmless piece of fun and entertainment. For years now, experts have warned about the possible harm that could be inflicted on players lives, but their warnings have not been taken seriously everywhere. Now, this could finally change, and people who play video games could actually be better protected. On June 18th, gaming disorder was finally added to the list of mental health disorders by the World Health Organisation (WHO). At the same time, a new research on…

The Japanese lawmakers have been facing troubles in terms of casino legalization. Last Friday saw an unexpectedly shortened debate on the proposed Integrated Resorts Implementation Bill, complemented by a fierce committee session and even a short fight in Parliament, at a time when the country is on the verge of passing a law that could end up with the establishment of the second largest casino market in the world. In spite of all efforts of opposition parties to stop the progress of the proposed measure, the Integrated Resorts Implementation Bill…

The roll-out of the fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs) crackdown is likely to be delayed. The implementation of the new £2 maximum stake on the controversial machines will probably be revealed in April 2020 following a secret agreement reached between the HM Treasury and local bookmakers, The Times reports. Anti-gambling campaigners have expressed their disappointment with the fact that the measure is to be postponed, saying that the delay would provide the industry with the chance to generate a further £4 billion. Last month, the UK Government said that the reduction…

The Auckland District Court decided to send a bankrupt local citizen, who gambled over NZ$20 million at the casino and lost more than NZ$1.5 million, to prison for the next three years. Judge Russell Collins sentenced Li Dong Xie, who works as a builder, to a total of three years and four months’ imprisonment on ten charges under the Insolvency Act 2006. The 50-year-old man, who is also known by the names Lidong Xie, Solomon Xie and Frank Xie, was taken to custody when trying to board a flight to…

The UK gambling industry has grown enormously over the past decade but that has come at a price, as gambling addiction rates, too, seem to have been on the rise. Stories about people who have destroyed their lives and the lives of loved ones emerge regularly across media outlets to raise awareness that there still has so much more to be done by everyone involved in an industry that has entertainment as its primary goal, but that entertainment is oftentimes replaced by personal tragedies of different scope and intensity. On…

Discussions of the Japanese Integrated Resorts Implementation Bill will probably start in the local House of Councillors as early as next week. According to media reports, the upper chamber in the Japanese Parliament would not start discussions on the new casino expansion bill before next week, which basically means that the extension of the ongoing parliamentary session would be inevitable, as it is normally set to close on June 20th. Initially, media reports said that the discussions of the casino gambling bill in the upper house could begin by the…

The Government of New South Wales is to impose a 10% tax on all online gambling wagers next week, at the time when the state budget is set to be presented by Treasurer Dominic Perrottet. The new point-of-consumption tax is set to be officially rolled out in the state from January 1st, 2022. The new levy is pretty similar to the 8% one which was imposed on online bookmakers by the state of Victoria. The latter also unveiled a new point-of-consumption tax which was introduced in the state’s budget in…

GambleAware, the leading UK charity committed to minimising gambling-related harm, has revealed that a new 3-year agreement with GamCare has been reached. Under the agreement, which is set to cover the period from 2018 to 2021, GambleAware is to fund the National Gambling Helpline as well as a nationwide network of treatment services for UK adult residents who have been dealing with problem gambling behaviour. Back in November 2017, GamCare, an organisation aimed at prevention and treatment of gambling addiction in the UK, revealed that it managed to ink an…