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The Responsible Wagering Australia (RWA) organisation announced on Tuesday that six RWA members have committed over AU$3 million towards the establishment of a not-for-profit body that will have the role of funding financial counselling services in Australia. The initiative is backed by prominent RWA members like Bet365, Betfair, Entain, PointsBet, Sportsbet, and Unibet, and the money will be distributed over the course of three years, starting in early 2024. RWA’s scheme has been established in partnership with the Federal Government, along with industry bodies that have to do with banking,…

According to a recent Ipsos survey commissioned by the independent charity GambleAware, two in three adults who have faced issues surrounding problem gambling have never sought support. Nearly 40% of the said individuals shared that it was feelings of “shame, guilt, and fear of judgement” tied to the stigma surrounding problem gambling that were their main reasons for staying silent. Chief Executive of GambleAware Zoë Osmond described these results as alarming. She also said that harmful gambling’s nature of being a “hidden addiction” is why the issue is often not…

AFC Wimbledon is now one of 35 football clubs to have partnered with the Gambling with Lives charity’s The Big Step campaign, which has set out to end the advertising and sponsorship of gambling in UK football. The move was voted on by members of the Dons Trust organisation that owns the club, and 79% were in favour of the backing. AFC Wimbledon will join the campaign’s efforts in tackling gambling by promoting preventive messages, along with using its resources on training and education surrounding the risks associated with gambling.…

The United Kingdom Gambling Commission (UKGC) has published its annual Young People and Gambling Report, which aims to assess how minors across the UK are affected by gambling. Over 3,400 students aged between 11 and 17 participated in the 2023 study. This year saw the addition of 17-year-olds to the survey’s group of participants, as the UKGC previously surveyed only minors who were 16 or younger. The Vast Majority of Minors Do Not Partake in Illegal Gambling Among the first questions students needed to answer had to do with whether…

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has ruled that a Mecca Bingo Instagram ad was in breach of the regulations outlined in the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) Code. According to ASA, the ad did not adhere to CAP Code rule 16.3.6, which states that advertisements should not give the impression that gambling “can enhance personal qualities.” The ad in question was a now-deleted Instagram post originally seen on August 16th. It featured a “before and after” format involving two photographs of celebrity drag queen Baga Chipz, and the first half…

In a statement issued on November 14, Bet365 addressed claims by former Premier League player Steven Caulker concerning the way he was treated after applying for a “TV job” sponsored by the media giant. As revealed by The Big Step, a campaign that stands against gambling sponsorships in football, Caulker was prevented from participating in the program due to Bet365 allegedly feeling “nervous about his positive work” surrounding gambling, seeing as he has previously talked about his struggles with gambling addiction. This comment, which was made by the broadcaster, referred…

Amendments seeking to prohibit credit card usage for online gambling purposes in Australia have been passed by the lower house. The ban will affect most forms of remote casino gaming and sports betting, but online lotteries, as well as activities tied to non-profits, will not be subject to the same prohibition. The proposal was initially made by the banking sector in March, with concerns of netizens falling victim to debt and problem gambling being the main issues cited. A couple of years prior, the independent peak body Responsible Wagering Australia,…

Gaming company Royal Amusements was not given permission to establish a gaming hall in Sheffield. The casino was going to be located on the premises of a Fargate property that used to house a nail salon, which prompted the South Yorkshire Police to raise concerns, given the location’s reputation of being an area with high levels of crime. Although the police would eventually lift its objections, the project still faced strong pushback from the Changing Sheff residents’ association, along with complaints from a variety of church groups, the Sheffield City…

This week, Members of Parliament revealed a decision to consider harms, including addictive and compulsive behaviours, in the next stage of their comprehensive inquiry into preventing the poor physical and mental condition of British residents. The effectiveness of regulation and messaging regarding the negative consequences caused by various factors that contribute to poor health, such as gambling, smoking, drugs, and alcohol, has been included in the agenda of the UK lawmakers. The Chair of the Health and Social Care Committee, Steve Brine, shared that the British Members of Parliament were…

The Irish gambling company BoyleSports has commented on the proposed changes to the Gambling Regulation Bill’s advertising rules, saying that the implementation of further limits to the existing regulations could have a catastrophic effect on the country’s horseracing industry. The company’s boss has insisted that restrictions on stake limits and inducements will only force an increasing number of customers to start using the services of unlicensed and unregulated companies in the black market. Ireland’s Gambling Regulation bill, which has been in its report stage in the lower house, and principal…