News

The end of the year is just around the corner now, so global gambling markets are to prepare for the challenges that are to be brought by 2018, and the UK gambling industry is not an exclusion. At the end of November, the UK Gambling Commission brought light on the performance of the sector, revealing the latest gambling industry statistics. The latest statistics revealed by the UK gambling regulatory body, which also include information about the local online gambling services, cover the period between April 2016 and March 2017. With…

Last month, the Australian Government released some figures in order to illustrate the current gambling habits of Australian players in the best possible way. The study aimed at presenting a comprehensive picture of the situation, has been conducted by the Australian Gambling Research Centre (AGRC). Currently, the latter operates as part of the Australian Institute of Family Studies. According to the figures announced by the Australian Government, about 6.8 million Australians, who represent approximately 39% of the adult population in the country, gamble on a regular basis. The report, released…

The end of November saw the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) publish the latest industry statistics and information on each sector of the local gambling market. Apart from that, the gambling regulatory authority of the UK also unveiled its strategy for the period 2018/2021. As Casino Guardian reported earlier in December, the watchdog revealed that it is to remain committed to making gambling safe, fair and transparent to all parties on the market. At the time when it issued its three-year strategy, the UK gambling regulatory body reiterated its goal for…

Casino MK in the town of Milton Keynes in southern England is to use over £1 million of its profits to fund support for locals struggling with gambling addiction, as was reported by the Milton Keynes Citizen. Five years ago, the Aspers brand which operates Casino MK was issued a license by the town’s Council, allowing it to legally offer its products and services to Milton Keynes citizens. One of the conditions outlined in the license imposed a levy on the gambling operator’s profits, otherwise known as the “Vulnerable Gamblers…

Jennifer Browne, a former resident of Galway, Ireland, admitted to the theft of €20,000 which she misappropriated from her employer over a period of six months. Browne, who currently lives in the town of Sligo, Northern Ireland, was taken to the Galway Circuit Criminal Court in May where she pleaded guilty for the theft and explained she used the money to fund her gambling habit. In Browne’s words, she developed a gambling addiction as a result of an abusive relationship. In a sentence hearing held this week, Detective Paul Keane…

The authorities of the Australian state of Victoria introduced legislative changes allowing for the increase of the cash payouts gamblers can collect from slot machines, or “pokies”, as they are commonly known in the Land Down Under. The changes in the state’s gambling legislation came into effect today and make it possible for Victoria gamblers to pocket twice as much in instant cash winnings. The previous cap on pokie cash payouts stood at A$1,000 but has now jumped to A$2,000. Payouts that exceed the sum of A$2,000 are to be…

Florida is on the brink of incurring massive legal expenses to the amount of $450,000 after a judge sided with nine operators of card rooms in Miami, Jacksonville, and West Palm Beach, among other parts of the Sunshine State, and ruled in their favour in a dispute over what are known as “designated player” games. The state’s law distinguishes between two types of gambling games, the first ones being the so-called “banked games” where the casino sets up a bank against participating players, pays out winning bets, and collects losing…

The UK Gambling Commission plans on introducing measures to deal with the inefficacy of current self-exclusion schemes that aim at helping problem gamblers to reduce or stop their gambling activities altogether. The Commission’s decision is a response to the unsettling results of an investigation carried out by reporter Rob Cave for BBC’s 5 Live Investigates, who visited the town of Grimsby to investigate how efficient the current self-exclusion scheme is when it comes to discouraging compulsive gamblers from engaging in gambling activities. The town of Grimsby was chosen for the…

Berkshire resident Chris Best, 39 years of age, was brought to court and found guilty of abusing “his position of trust” after it was discovered he stole as much as £12,000 from a lady in her 80s, who was placed under the offender’s care. A problem gambler, Best took advantage of his responsible position and repeatedly used the elderly lady’s debit card to withdraw money from an ATM in order to fund his gambling addiction. The culprit’s scheme lasted for about a year and a half. He was finally caught…

In an interview for Eurogamer, the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) explained that real dangers of loot boxes still remain unknown. The controversy which has recently been surrounding loot boxes recently seem to have divided the opinions in the UK gambling industry. The issue has also been commented on at the latest London-based conference of GambleAware, which was focused on so-called Harm Minimisation aimed at making the UK gambling industry safer, fairer, more transparent and more customer-oriented. GamebleAware has pointed the attention at some important issues related to the local gambling…