Author: Daniel Williams

The application of SkyCity to boost the number of poker machines available at its casino in Hamilton is to be brought to a public hearing in spite of concerns associated with the mayor’s conduct. The decision that SkyCity will see its pokie addition application considered at a public hearing was confirmed by Graeme Reeves, the Chief Gambling Commissioner, who has been allowed to be present at the hearing along with five other agencies. The hearing is set to take place later in 2019. Earlier in July, SkyCity addressed the Gambling…

The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has specially recruited investment bankers from the multinational investment bank Rothschild & Co to choose the new operator of the British National Lottery, as revealed by the Telegraph. Currently, the country’s National Lottery has been run by the Camelot Group, a company owned an managed by a pension fund based in Canada, since 1994 when it was first rolled out. Camelot has been holding a monopoly on the National Lottery’s services for two decades and a half, but its operating licence is set to expire…

According to correspondence seen by the Sunday Independent, Irish gambling regulators are worried that a possible increase brought to the maximum wager permitted on electronic betting machines could lead to increased money laundering. TDs have heard that the considered addition of bigger gambling machine stakes to the new Gaming and lotteries Bill would pave the way for people to place larger bets and make should they look to conceal money which they have generated through criminal activity. The concern has been raised after some representatives of the public have met…

Former striker of Liverpool FC Daniel Sturridge has received a two-week ban from football and is to pay £75,000 after being found guilty of violating the Football Association’s betting rules. The 29-year-old football player was given a six-week suspension from playing, but four weeks of the ban were suspended, so the forward would be free to play again on July 31st. The Football Association, however, has not been satisfied with the penalty suffered by Sturridge and shared that it intends to appeal against the dismissal by an independent regulatory commission…

The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) once again confirmed its continued commitment to tackling increasing gambling harm at a time when analysts of existing market data have warned that there is a link between problem gambling and suicide. The reports regarding problem gambling in the country have been unveiled as part of the research programme of the UKGC’s National Strategy to Reduce Gambling Harms. They were commission by the largest charity organisation which helps gambling addicts in the country, GambleAware. According to the published findings, there is a connection between gambling…

Northern Ireland’s gambling rules could be adjusted to stricter regulatory standards which have been unveiled across of the UK after the Church of England interfered. The Bishop of St Albans, Dr Alan Smith, addressed the House of Lords by tabling an amendment which is to make way for possible unification between mainland Britain and Northern Ireland, which has been in the Government’s plans for years. Under the proposed amendment, gambling legislation is to be added to several areas on which the UK Government would have to issue a report by…

The UK Government has revealed that it could raise the age limit for playing the National Lottery from 16 to 18. When announcing a consultation on the age limits for the games offered by the National Lottery, the Minister for Sport and Civil Society Mims Davies explained that such games were some of the instances which allow persons under 18 years of age to gamble. The consultation that was unveiled by the Culture Minister will look at the possible increase of the age limit for online games and instant-win scratch…

More residents of the Southland region in New Zealand are seeking help for their gambling addiction. According to records, a total of 91 residents of the Southland region sought help for their problem gambling for the first time in the 2017-18 fiscal year, which brought the overall number of gambling addicts looking for professional help in that period rise to 159. However, the local authorities have explained, that the actual number of Southlanders struggling with problem gambling could be much higher as many people feel ashamed by the social consequences…

Reportedly, many gambling businesses have closed their operations across the West Midlands within a year only, because of players’ increasing interest in online gambling. Records have shown that a total of 30 gambling companies stopped operating in the Black County in 2017. Despite the fact that casinos and amusement arcades are also part of the gambling industry, the major regulatory body of the gambling sector has estimated that approximately three-quarters of local businesses are betting outlets. According to the register of businesses held by the Office for National Statistics, there…

A doctor’s surgery manager has faced a jail sentence for more than three years after misappropriating an amount of almost £700,000 of the National Health Service (NHS) to fuel her gambling addiction. The 44-year-old problem gambler Karen Evans falsified patient records to steal cash which was intended for staff wages, medication and medical supplies and redirect the money to her two bank accounts for a period of 15 months. Then, she spent some of the money to pay her hills, going on holiday, and beauty and hair treatments, but most…